Deer hunting round for AR

[illinoisburt]

This issue is all about bullet construction. In the past the 223 was loaded with light varmint bullets which were designed to basically disintegrate upon contact with the ground in the event of a miss or pass through. The quick and violent expansion and/or fragmenting of the bullet worked well for small animals like gophers and prairie dogs. It did not then and does not now give good results on larger animals. Once in a while it might provide a quick dramatic death, but more often than not created a nasty wound that wasn't immediately effective. The same was true of other small bore centerfires.

Leap forward to a new generation of bullets and things definitely changed. Going to heavy for caliber bullets with true big game construction has enhanced the capabilities of the round. A 65 grain partition or fusion bullet is definitely suitable for the deer and pigs for which they were designed at reasonable ranges.

The popularity of pig hunting has been a great boon for small bore shooters. Pick up a box or two of any soft points marketed as pig ammo (hog hammers, fusions, partitions) over 60 grains and you will be set!

 

[HOLY DIVER]

The 60grn Nosler Partition is the deer and hog bullet for the .223/5.56 in my book.

what this guy said partition would be the only bullet i'd consider deer hunting with out of a 5.56

 

[d2wing]

I agree completely on using proper bullets. I have had great results with 55 gr soft points and with 62 gr Fusion hunting ammo. Do not use FMJ or varmint bullets. I have taken a 250 lb 14 point buck with one shot to the lungs. They work fine.

 

[d2wing]

I am pretty sure the negative comments are from guys who don't use them.

 

[1stmarine]

Modern 223 ammo can be effective for deer although there are better alternatives specially when less than ideal shots are presented.
The modern 6.8 spc II is a very nice deer and hog round. Lots of power and speed from handy 16" and 18" barrels.
I have several powerful AR15 and wildcats but the 6.8 is one I go back too quite often and is as easy as it gets and pretty effective and versatile.
IMO anything past the 6.8/7mm doesn't make much sense in the AR15 until you get to the 35 caliber where one can trade off some speed for substantial grain and section increase.
If you want information on ammo like speed spreads, trajectories, energy I am happy to share as I have been testing lots of commercial ammo and also a good share of AR15 wildcats with many good bullets.
From the top of my head I think I might have performance data and reload info for 20 or 21 AR15 calibers but it might be more.
Let me know.

 

[SoonerMedic]

I'm thinking I'm going to be picking up a box of these and testing them out. I hope my rifle likes them!
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/6...iple-shock-x-hollow-point-lead-free-box-of-20

 

[alsaqr]

i don't deer hunt with a .223 for the same reason i don't deer hunt with a .30-06: My deer hunting is done with muzzleloaders.

i've killed dozens of wild hogs using the .223/5.56mm: For several years i've used the 53 grain Barnes Triple shock bullet on wild hogs. That little bullet penetrates both shoulders of a 200 pound hog. About one year ago i started re-loading my .223 rounds with the 62 grain Barnes Triple shock bullet. It's a great hog killer too. No doubt those bullets are very effective on deer.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Before the AR's, a .22 centerfire bullet was never considered adequate for deer. Not by hunters, not by writers. There were soft tipped bullets back then, too. So what changed, just the popularity of the platform it's shot from suddenly makes it OK?

Shooting a large game animal like a deer with a round that's acknowledged to be barely adequate, and only under certain circumstances, is not OK to me. I'm sure some poacher in Africa has killed an elephant with an AR, that doesn't make it an elephant gun.

Anecdotal evidence, isn't. It's not the platform that "suddenly" makes it OK, as I mentioned a bolt action in .223. There have been improvements in bullet design = better performance, and improvements in barrels = better accuracy. Things change over time.

I also know hunters who tell me my .530 soft lead roundball won't kill deer past 50 yards (yet I blew one through a deer at 110 yards), others who say the .440 round ball isn't "for deer". I've seen folks "write" about that in magazines as well. I've read a book all about deer hunting where the author thought the .44-40 in a '73 Winchester was the end all be all of deer hunting rifles and rounds. (Today it would be thought very marginal). That book was penned in 1890 - stuff changes over time. I've known hunters who swear the old .30-30 is too light for deer, and one should at least use a .30-06, while they prefer a .300 win mag or a .338 win mag. Those same gents scoffed at a newbie to their group using a .270 Winchester yet he brought in the first buck, a 6-point, to camp that year. EVERY round has its limitations, and differing hunting circumstances will alter what will work, and what might not.

LD

 

[ponchh]

55 grain Dynamic Research Tech will get it doneView attachment 764200

 

[Sav .250]

Alabama Hunting and Fishing
Legal Arms and Ammo for hunting
Deer: Rifles using center fire mushing rooming ammo. Very specific.
I`m sure you already know that though. J s/n.

 

[GAF]

I have a friend who went out every year for a lot of years using a bolt gun in .223 and killed a lot of deer.
Never heard him talk about any of the deer running off and not being found. I believe it is the shooter more than the bullet
He or she uses, but good bullet design helps too.

 

[bearman49709]

Knew a guy who from the late 50's until the mid 80's used a .22 Hornet with soft point ammo. Killed a buck almost every year with one shot, only times he didn't was when he didn't see one.

 

[marksman13]

I've killed several deer and more pigs than I could ever care to count with a 69gr Federal GMM to the shoulder. Southern deer aren't difficult to kill. Neither are pigs. I've also got ARs in 6.8 SPC and 308, but the 5.56 will kill anything in the southern states with no problem out to 250 yards if the person doing the trigger work is adequate.

 

[ms6852]

I've killed deer a couple of times using Hornady's 75 gr bullet, but still prefer using my trusty 30-06.

 

[courtgreene]

The rounds loaded with the barnes tsx will do it. I loaded up a bunch of those and my nephew used it to kill one. I personally like the sierra gameking better, but that has NOTHING to do with killing power and EVERYTHING to do with personal preference.

 

[Cfish]

The 277 Wolverine is a great option for deer hunting with an AR 15

 

[redbullitt]

Through the heart and or lungs with a 65g partition or similar bullet. Gold dots and federal fusions, or win TBBC bullets oughta do the trick too. Avoid FMJ and varmint style bullets for sure. Dead as dead within reasonable range. All about the bullet selection. 556 is marginal with FMJ I think, but a nice expanding or fragmenting bullet makes a big difference.

 

[Charliefrank]

I had always heard a 1-9 twist wouldn't stabilize a bullet heavier than 55 grains. Based on what I'm reading here,it sounds like a old wives tail.

 

[cdb1]

I had always heard a 1-9 twist wouldn't stabilize a bullet heavier than 55 grains. Based on what I'm reading here,it sounds like a old wives tail.

I’ve always heard 69 grains. My son’s AR and mine are both 1:9. His likes 65 grain Sierra GameKings and mine likes 64 grain Winchester PPs.

 

[redneck]

In the event you would consider a different upper and caliber, I just switched to a .450 bushmaster this year (mine is a bolt gun) and it is absolutely devastating on deer. I shot a doe that weighed 110 lbs field dressed with it, she was quartered towards me sharply and I hit her just inside the point of the shoulder. It took a piece off the shoulder blade, cut 3 ribs on the right side, nicked the heart, and broke 2 ribs on the left side exiting. It isn't meant to be a long range cartridge, but should pretty much be a point and shoot endeavor out to 150 yards. There are only 2 choices in ammo that I have found at the moment , but prices aren't too bad for hunting ammo at roughly $25 per 20 rounds.

 

[SoonerMedic]

The new(ish) Winchester Deer Season XP got it done for the wife tonight. This was through the front left quarter, into the chest wall, and on the opposite side put a hole the size of my finger (I wear a medium glove if that matters) through ribs. Not a complete pass through but no fragmentation from what we could see/feel. Performed amazingly in my rifle. Had her go shoot a few rounds yesterday from about 115 yards at my parents range. She hit a 4” steel gong target with the Vortex red/green dot I have on it. Will definitely use these rounds in the future. The doe ran about 30 yards or so and was expired within 3 minutes.

 

[MCgunner]

I'd considered the .450 Bushmaster for a bit, more for hogs than deer. I also considered .458 SOCOM until I saw the price of brass. But, after shooting a nice sized, if small rack, buck a few weeks ago and seeing the performance of my 62 grain Barnes TSX handloads on a perfectly placed quartering shot, I decided the cost of moving up in bore size wasn't worth it. I mean, I normally hunt with a .308, but I have confidence in the .223 in my M4 now. I will maybe not use it so much on deer in the future, but I will shoot pigs with it. It's got plenty of power for the ranges I shoot at here in the woods.

 

[alsaqr]

But, after shooting a nice sized, if small rack, buck a few weeks ago and seeing the performance of my 62 grain Barnes TSX handloads on a perfectly placed quartering shot, I decided the cost of moving up in bore size wasn't worth it.

Never killed a deer with the 62 grain TSX bullets.

i do know that those bullets work well on big hogs. Last week i shot a >250 pound boar with a 62 grain TSX bullet fired from my CZ 527. Hog went about 30 yards and collapsed after being hit in the heart lung/area. Had to drag him off the wheat field.

 

[FL-NC]

I had always heard a 1-9 twist wouldn't stabilize a bullet heavier than 55 grains. Based on what I'm reading here,it sounds like a old wives tail.

Wives tale? OK. I have another term for it I'm not allowed to post here. My 1:9 rifles not only stabilize 75's and 77's, they shoot 1 MOA groups. Oh, and they kill deer deader than Elvis, too- so that's 2 "wives tales" disproven, at least as it applies to my rifles/ammo/deer.

 

[FL-NC]

I'd considered the .450 Bushmaster for a bit, more for hogs than deer. I also considered .458 SOCOM until I saw the price of brass. But, after shooting a nice sized, if small rack, buck a few weeks ago and seeing the performance of my 62 grain Barnes TSX handloads on a perfectly placed quartering shot, I decided the cost of moving up in bore size wasn't worth it. I mean, I normally hunt with a .308, but I have confidence in the .223 in my M4 now. I will maybe not use it so much on deer in the future, but I will shoot pigs with it. It's got plenty of power for the ranges I shoot at here in the woods.

I think the 450 and 458 would be ideal if I was tracking a wounded leopard, or something like that. Since I'm not, and given the cost and other logistics of using such gimmicky, "boutique-type" rounds, I'm sticking with my "boring" calibers, like 223, 243, and 308- all equally capable of killing bambi or porky, and all available at wal mart.