Is .223 Enough For Deer?

[45shooter]

I have this on going debate with one of my co-worker.

He feels modern .223 bullets have improved to the point that they can be used for chest/shoulder shot on a deer out to about 200 yards.

I feel that .223 can be used on deers but only with neck shots at close (less than 100 yards) range when shot placement is not an issue.

 

[lamazza]

maybe, but I don't know where it is legal to hunt with .223.
An old timer once told me he used to hunt deer with a .22 and hit them behind the ear...

 

[ds92]

i've never tried it, but if i had to, i would focus on shot placement, shot placement, and more shot placement. i think its got enough "ooomph" to take down a deer within (conservatively) 150 yards or so, with good shot placement

be prepared to track it though.

 

[WardenWolf]

The general consensus is that, within 100 yards or so, the answer is yes, it's sufficient for whitetail deer. Shot placement is important, but it does work. For some larger deer species, I wouldn't try it.

 

[R.W.Dale]

I agree with your coworker's assemsent.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

I agree with your coworker's assemsent.

Me too...don't use varmint bullets and the 223 will thoroughly and quickly put a deer down for the count.

200 yards sounds about right.

 

[Grumulkin]

I put down a deer with a 222 so a 223 should work.

 

[dagger dog]

Yes, Yes, Yes, but you have to use the correct bullet one designed for reliable penetration and expansion. Swift Scirocco 75 gr., Sierra 65 gr Game King, Barnes 62 ,70 Tripple Shocks.

Then the correct twist rifle barrel to handle the longer heavier bullet 1in9 and 1-7.

Then the abillity to range and place that bullet where it will do the maximum amount of damage.

If these critera are not within the shooters ability, or gear selection, you should not use this round to take deer.

 

[crankincraig]

Check your local hunting regulations , it is not legal in Connecticut to use 223 , 243 is the minimum here. But to answer your question Yes it will work.

 

[Bowfishrp]

When I was a kid I took a small Texas buck with a Mini 14 (223). Shot placement is important and make sure it is a hunting bullet and not fmj or varmint.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

That's a heck of an interesting question; just MAY have been asked before:

http://www.thehighroad.org/search.php?searchid=5553864

 

[oklahoma caveman]

this does tend to be a recurring theme here in hunting.

the answer is yes, a 223 is adequate for whitetail deer with the proper bullets. i have seen deer drop from a 223 just as often as i have seen them drop from a .300 mag. shot placement is what kills, not caliber size.

maybe, but I don't know where it is legal to hunt with .223.

it is legal and often used here in oklahoma

 

[NickEllis]

Okl. cave, yes, placement is what kills, but with caliber comes range limitations. A .223 needs to retain its velocity if its going to be effective. Indeed, a .300 mag will do a much better job over range than a .223.

If you keep it to 100 yards, and use proper placement, it will generally get the job done.

 

[the muleskinner]

Don't you think you owe it to the deer to use a bigger cal.? Are you going to hit every deer from here on out right in the boiler room? Using .22 (.22, 22-250, .223) caliber bullets on deer is widely considered unethical. That's why it is illegal in many states. If you have to ask.... it isn't big enough.

 

[R.W.Dale]

Don't you think you owe it to the deer to use a bigger cal.? Are you going to hit every deer from here on out right in the boiler room?

If you can't you have no business wearing orange regardless of caliber. An ounce of marksmanship is worth appx 6lbs 2oz of caliber.

I've tracked more lost deer shot with a 30-06 than all other cartridges put together. If you're one of those hunters who shoot at deer then .22 centerfires or for that matter anything smaller than 7mm isn't for you. For those of us who shoot at places on a deer then .223 is more than adequate for our modern day Kevlar lined post nuke mutant deer. Provided proper bullets are used

 

[the muleskinner]

"I've tracked more deer shot with a 30-06 than all other calibers put together"

Then I guess the hunters who shot those deer have no business wearing orange right. Maybe only perfect people should be issued liscences. You know, the people who have never missed or made a marginal hit.

Shot placement is paramount with whatever caliber you shoot. A gut shot deer is a gut shot deer. So why are we even discussing shot placement. It is a given. The crux of the matter is what is going to happen when you hit one a little far back. Anybody who hunts long enough is going to make a marginal hit. Except maybe Krochus.

 

[jerkface11]

They used to hunt deer with .25-20 lever guns. Think about that.

 

[R.W.Dale]

Then I guess the hunters who shot those deer have no business wearing orange right.

My thoughts exactly

Anybody who hunts long enough is going to make a marginal hit.

I reject this notion utterly. Self dicipline, if you're not 100% that you can make the shot you shouldn't take it. You owe that to the game animal much much more than some BS from 30yrs ago read in a gun magazine about caliber selection.

You anti .22 cenerfires entire argument against using this caliber for deer can always be distilled down to one thought.

"Use something larger so you can get away with more of a gutshot"

when in fact a larger caliber won't help you in that situation anyhow

 

[Deer Hunter]

Amen, Krochus.

.223 is plenty for most deer. Know your limits and pick your shots, but that applies to anything you're shooting.

Gutshots are gutshots and heartshots are heartshots, regardless of your gun/bullet.

 

[41 Mag]

Shot placement is paramount with whatever caliber you shoot. A gut shot deer is a gut shot deer. So why are we even discussing shot placement. It is a given. The crux of the matter is what is going to happen when you hit one a little far back. Anybody who hunts long enough is going to make a marginal hit. Except maybe Krochus.

Well here the .22 centerfire is legal for deer. Hundreds of them are taken cleanly every year using various chamberings and ammo. Also I am sure that about half as many are wounded by these same chambered rifles, however there are far more wounded and lost after being shot with higher caliber more powerful rifles as well.

And yes shot placement is key to any of them, if you think that just because your dropping the hammer on a 165gr bullet it will magically hit the deer anywhere and put it down your probably one of those orange wearing people that shouldn't be hunting.

You asked whats going to happen when you hit one a little far back using the .223? Well the same thing that will probably happen if you hit it a bit far back with your 30-06 or 300 Win Mag, its going to run off with a really bad belly ache. Then you get to go and look for it.

 

[NCsmitty]

I guess I'm one of those anti-22-centerfire-for-deer guys. IMO, the 223 is marginal at best with proper bullets but many ignorant hunters use varmint style bullets and wonder why they blow a rib out on quartering shots and do not kill the deer on the spot.
Will the 223 do the job, absolutely with proper placement, especially the smaller bodied deer that you encounter in some of the southwestern states.
If you deal with some of those bigger upper Midwestern bad boys, you want to have something in hand that will give definitive penetration and knock down power. That's why many states rightly do not allow 22 centerfire to be used.

NCsmitty

 

[bad_aim_billy]

I personally would never use one for deer. I've seen what kind of damage a deer can take, even from a shotgun slug, and keep going. Yes, obviously shot placement is key, but sometimes the deer don't seem to understand that.

 

[d2wing]

I made a one shot kill on a 240+ lb 14 pt buck with a .223 this fall. See pic in old thread. The advantage of an 06 or other larger more heavily constructed bullet is you don't have to worry about a shoulder or frontal shot not making it to the heart and lungs. My 7mm mag can penetrate a deer almost from end to end. I think you have to pick your shots more carefully with the .223 but I am satisfied that if you know what you are doing and use proper bullets you can do it. My prefered deer cartridge is the trusty .06, but
to some it's overkill.

 

[tnieto2004]

Killed two this past season with a .223. One was a good size buck. It was a shoulder shot.Other was a fat doe and it was a neck shot. Neither of them ran. I used a 55gr soft point.

 

[mongo4567]

The answer really depends on the size of the deer and bullet choice. A 100 lb central Texas deer is a lot different than a 250 lb northern deer. The .223 will kill them all with a good shot, but it isn't even marginal on a smaller deer.