You know, for the most part if you have to ask the answer is no!
You can sit here and rattle your teeth and scream froth at the mouth and cause the veins to pop put of your neck. But no matter how much noise and how many if then but when comments you make the .223 is a very marginal deer round.
It isn't even legal in many places.
There is a reason for that.
Here is what we've heard so far.
The .223 is great deer round, for really small deer.
The .223 is a fantastic deer round at really close range.
The .223 is a great deer round with really good shot placement.
All of these qualifiers make the .223 a acceptable deer round under perfect conditions. But it is not a good or even an acceptable deer round under general field conditions in the real world.
From a stand over a corn bait with a good rest it can pressed into service.
If you are ultra picky about your shots in real life field conditions it can be pressed into service.
But the .223 is ONLY a good general purpose deer round in one place and one place ONLY and that is the internet!