.223 deer

[hunter06]

.223 deer bullet

I own a mini 14 which i would like to take deer hunting this year. Federal has a factory loaded Vital Shock 60 gr. nosler partition bullet that they claim is good for hunting medium game(whitetail deer, mule deer, antelope, and black bear according to them). What do you guys think about this? Anyone ever used this bullet? Any other suggestions on bullet type? Thanks!

 

[R.W.Dale]

By all accounts the Barns TSX is THE bullet to use for hunting medium game with a .223 followed closely by Winchesters 64grn power point. I don't have any firsthand experience using this cartridge on deer....YET. But I'm likely to remedy that come November

By all means read some of the reviews written for the ammo listed in the below links

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=564348&t=11082005

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=402682&t=11082005

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=891153&t=11082005

 

[SaMx]

I'm not a hunter, but people who hunted deer with .223 have said that the 60 nosler partition seems to work well.

 

[Timthinker]

Hunter, please make sure the .223 is legal for deer hunting in your area. In some localities this is not the case. Also, welcome to THR. You will find the discussions here interesting.


Timthinker

 

[trueblue1776]

If you load your own, you can use the Speer semi-spitz 70gr soft point. Which is the biggest hurt I can get out of a .223. My 1 in 9" twist stabilizes it extremely well within my target ranges (< 150yrds, tops). The bullet also has a flat tail, which is great for positive engagement of rifling, the bearing surface is as big as I have seen in that caliber.

I don't much buy the stories of the Barnes fan club, only thing I know about Barnes is that they cost too much.

 

[Harley Quinn]

Rate of twist will be what you are going to have to go for (weight wise bullet)...

http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-67087.html

The 1-9 seems to be the best of all, for most of the fodder.

If you can get the heavier bullet to work that is what I'd use.

 

[kir_kenix]

i have used the .223 several times on deer, with very good effect. i keep the shots moderate and use a good quality bullet and havnt had a problem. having said that, i do not think that it is an optimal round either. just be sure of your shot placement, and keep the range reasonable and i dont think you will have a problem.

 

[hunter06]

yes it is legal in my state Timthinker, new york state allows any centerfire rifle

 

[hunter06]

no trueblue i do not handload so its factory loaded only for me

 

[phantomak47]

This is a every three week post, do a search this has been beat to death and then usually locked.

 

[MCgunner]

I never really understood why people wanted to hunt deer with a .22, but whatever. To me, it all starts about 6mm.

 

[Harley Quinn]

I never really understood why people wanted to hunt deer with a .22, but whatever. To me, it all starts about 6mm

True for me also
But the OP is asking about a gun he owns, wants to cap one into bambi and is asking about a bullet that will do the job.

People have mentioned some good things and if he follows the advise given, he and we do our homework, maybe this thread won't be locked

 

[hunter06]

i have shoulder problems and the .223 is the only thing my shoulder can tolerate in terms of recoil. I have been hunting with a .270 for a few years now and have had good results. i want to hunt again this year but i cant take the recoil of the .270 even with the managed recoil bullets from remington. So any suggestions on other bullets?

 

[hunter06]

i have shoulder problems and the .223 is the only thing my shoulder can tolerate in terms of recoil. I have been hunting with a .270 for a few years now and have had good results. i want to hunt again this year but i cant take the recoil of the .270 anymore due to recent shoulder surgery even with the managed recoil bullets from remington. So any suggestions on other bullets? Thanks alot guys!

 

[eliphalet]

i have shoulder problems

243 or thereabouts with a recoil pad on it.

 

[22-rimfire]

My brother shot his first deer in PA with a 222 with 55 gr soft point bullet years ago; Chest shot. The deer went down and got back up and he shot it again. Your 223 should be sufficient for deer with the heavier bullets mentioned. As always, it is bullet placement. I prefer starting my deer calibers at the 6mm/243.

 

[skinewmexico]

My daughter shot three does with a 55g last year, they all went less than 20 feet. I think the soft point work better than premium bullets on smaller game animals.

 

[Charles S]

The Nolser bullet in the Federal load will work just fine at reasonable ranges (less than 150 yards), with good shot placement, and without trying an angeled shot or shooting through bone.

Good luck. Have fun.

 

[MCgunner]

I understand the shoulder thing. I have a bum right shoulder, one too many get offs racing motorcycles. For a long time I could only get my arm above shoulder level. I can levitate it higher now, but it really hurts. I can't throw anymore, fortunately, though, I shoot left handed, LOL, left eye dominant.

If I ever got to your point with my shooting shoulder, I'd be screwed 'cause my number one hunting passion is waterfowl and one thing you can't do is make a 12 gauge not kick, LOL! Sounds like even a 20 would be hell for you. One thing I love to do, though, is hunt with a handgun and it don't take a shoulder to do that!

Any time you go after game with a marginal caliber, IMHO controlled expansion bullets are much preferred. I really like the Barnes X bullets and Partitions are proven. That's the main thing with a .223, enough bullet.

Actually, if you have long term desires to deer hunt, a gun with absolutely no recoil and superior to the .223 is the .22-250 steppin out there over 3500 fps with the heavies and near 4000 fps with light stuff. They're pretty popular in Texas where a good buck field dresses well shy of 150 lbs. Don't take a whole lot to kill Texas deer at moderate ranges with a well placed shot. I prefer 6mm and up, but I do understand your problem.

 

[Charles S]

Actually...MCgunnner has an excellent point that I did not think of. If you have no aversion to purchasing a new gun there are some phenominal deer rounds available in the Thompson Center Contender (7-30 Waters, 30-30) and Encore (243, 260, 7-08) that will work very well and will not bother your shoulder.

Again, good luck.

 

[hunter06]

i only plan on shooting out to about 100 yards or so

 

[akodo]

remember, there are three factors in felt recoil, the 'umpf' of the cartridge (to use a scientific term..) the weight of the gun, and something to change the length of time the push is spread over (recoil pads)

So, take out your old 270 and weigh that sucker. Frequently hunting rifles have ounces shaved off here and there to make it easier to carry all day long.

Once you have the weight of the gun plus scope and sling, go about trying to find something in the 243 or 6mm or even 25-06 that is heavier. This actually can be a bit tricky because many 243s are specifically sold in light rifles, especially short barreled rifles (again, a few more inches adds weight)

Still, you can usually find or order a regular Remington 700 BDL in 243 even if all the gunshop has is featherweight 243s and youth 243s.

You can use the old shotgunner trick of removing the recoil pad, drilling a hole and putting in some lead shot and the replacing the pad. Stick a fat scope and a good sling on there. Put one of those sleeves on the stock that hold spare cartriges. Heck stick a bipod on the front.

I am confident if you have a 243 or 6mm that weighs a pound more than your old 270 you will say 'wow this thing really kicks much less!' and still have a more potent round for taking out bambi

 

[trueblue1776]

Hunter, the Federal Premium line has a 60gr Nosler Partition, which carries a hair under 1000ft/lbs of energy at 100 yards. That is more than enough for whitetails. I personally wouldn't even buy the expensive ammo, just anything with a soft point and in between 60 and 70gr would do it for me.

 

[R.W.Dale]

I am confident if you have a 243 or 6mm that weighs a pound more than your old 270 you will say 'wow this thing really kicks much less!' and still have a more potent round for taking out bambi

Let me think spend over $500 for a new gun and customization work getting it to kick less or just spend $30 on a box of good .223 hunting ammo.

Does the OP own a 243 or 6mm??? NO HE DOES NOT!

Does the OP own a .223???? YES HE DOES

If bambi is dead and in the freezer from a 60grn partition will it really matter that a "a more potent round for taking out bambi" wasn't used?

People who say .223 isn't enough for deer aren't good enough shots to use a .223

 

[hunter06]

is there any other factory loaded bullets that are better than the 60 gr. partition from federal