Successful .223 for deer

[Hookeye]

I have killed a lot of chucks w 55gr Hornady SP.
Works great.

.223 not deer legal here (IN)..........but 6mm TCU would be.
I might try something like that in my Contender handgun...........but not for buck hunting, just doe tags.
Where I can be a bit more selective on shot angle.

Buck hunting, I want a cartridge/bullet that allows me more shot selection.
Under 150 yards I'm sold on the .35 rem.

Killed 3 deer, never a bang flop. Don't care. If there's a big red trail to my dead deer I think that entirely good enough.
Buddy has killed 3 deer w same cartridge, combined trails......3 steps. But he muffed a couple and hit neck.

Going by deer trails alone, his "record" is superior.
Going by bullet placement.........mine is (but I had blood trails of 10-75 yards).

So how do we slice the "data" ?

 

[d2wing]

I should perhaps explain what I meant by slugs and pistols being less effective on deer. In the 50 years I have been hunting I have killed several dozen deer I lost count decades ago. I have hunted both rifle an shotgun zones and tried all kinds of weapons. All too often shotgun slugs pass right through and while they make a nice big hole there is little damage around the hole and the deer unless you hit the spine or heart can go along way and maybe not die. I have had to do a lot of tracking. Also I have seen deer not react to bring shot with slugs I generally party hunt so I see lots of other people having to put multiple slugs in deer to kill them. I have had best luck with Winchester Supreme sabot slugs. A couple were DRT. But most were tracking jobs. Same with pistols. Shot placement is very critical but a the same time much more difficult. With the SP .223, just hit the heart or the lung area and the deer if it moves, it will be dead inside of 40 yards usually. The lungs and heart will be a bloody mush. My favorite deer cartridge is a 7-08. I will hunt with a Pistol or shotgun if I have to.

 

[Hookeye]

I agree, that slug guns kick and some folks might flinch, not be the best at putting them where that are supposed to..

Most of my slug gun deer were down within 50 yards. Killed a couple dozen.
Yes, fosters might have them twitch at impact and run hard. I always used 12 ga so that .720 hole put out plenty of red.
I did notice a substantial difference in using the High Impact WW sabot stuff. Deer crumpled.
Not a cheap slug, back in the day.
Most folks don't test for cleaning interval, foulers or buy from one lot #.
So for them the expense might not have seemed worth it on the range.

My BIL used the cheap BRI WW slug. Shot well from his rifled cantilever Mossberg. Blood trails were anemic.
Just whistled through.
He popped two like that and decided to shoot the next two in the head. No tracking.
Shots inside of 75 yards.
I dunno how many deer he did that too when he started hunting another farm.
Or if he ever got any more deer.
He took somebody to my spot without permission so I didn't let him hunt any more.

 

[Hookeye]

I shot a buck 2 yrs ago w Ruger #1 in .243 win. Double lunged w WW 100gr SP at about 50 yards.
He ran over to edge of flat, looked at me, licked his nose and twitched his tail a few times (as I took out the empty and chambered a round from my pocket- never taking my eyes off the deer, that was maybe 25 or so yards from me). He walked almost straight away for another 40 yards or so and then fell. I walked over and hit him again.

Was not impressed w the WW100 gr. Think a foster slug would have ended it quicker.

Just never know how a deer is gonna react.

Bought the Deer Season XP, supposedly better...........and let everything walk last yr. LOL.

 

[Hookeye]

FWIW years ago when slug gunning I switched from double lung shots to taking out the vitals w a shoulder.
I think that helps.
Dunno if that advisable with smaller HV bullets, like .223 and 55gr.
Would like to see some pics, hear of results.

 

[Hookeye]

Have read where .22-250 is a favorite rig for deer out west.
Dunno what bullets or shot selection is used.

 

[mshootnit]

Generally though if I have something 243 on up to 30-06 that is what I am using, but we do hunt out to 400 yds on 200 lb deer. I would use my 223's no problem on a 150 yd shot from a blind or stand on an average whitetail.

 

[Sniper66]

I think the effectiveness of .223 as a whitetail weapon is behind the decision to allow .223 to be used when hunting them, at least here in Kansas...don't know about other states. Kansas now allows "any centerfire rifle". That being the case, I could legally use my .22 Hornet. I wouldn't, but have little doubt that it would do the job with a behind-the-ear shot. My reloads travel at about 3,000 with a 35 gr bullet.

 

[camsdaddy]

I shot a buck 2 yrs ago w Ruger #1 in .243 win. Double lunged w WW 100gr SP at about 50 yards.
He ran over to edge of flat, looked at me, licked his nose and twitched his tail a few times (as I took out the empty and chambered a round from my pocket- never taking my eyes off the deer, that was maybe 25 or so yards from me). He walked almost straight away for another 40 yards or so and then fell. I walked over and hit him again.

Was not impressed w the WW100 gr. Think a foster slug would have ended it quicker.

Just never know how a deer is gonna react.

Bought the Deer Season XP, supposedly better...........and let everything walk last yr. LOL.

My son is using Hornady Whitetail in 243 and they have dropped in their tracks. So far he has shot two in the neck and one high shoulder. I am very pleased. The doe he killed on 12/16 was the high shoulder. When we were at the processor we recovered the bullet and were able to see the bullet path through the cavity. I think it was good from him to see the path as well as the damage to the bullet as it dumped all it had.

 

[Art Eatman]

Beginning approximately in 1999/2000, bullet-maker R&D began providing .223 bullets suitable for larger game than varmints. Prior to that, clean kills were less common than what we see nowadays.

 

[donandmax]

You can't use .223 for big game in Colorado...Small game only..

 

[stillquietvoice]

I haven't used a 223 for white tails yet. Thought about it last season but my 7mm08 isy goto.
I sold my axis 2 to get a m11 and haven't put enough rounds through it yet to have confidence in it for big game that will change in the off season.

 

[FL-NC]

Most of my deer have been killed with either 223 or 243. Never lost one, but I've had more DRT deer from 223.

 

[MCgunner]

Well, my .308 was 3 bang/flops for 3 shots out to 150 yards on my Uvalde trip. I love that thing. It's light, has a wonderful trigger, is 3/4 MOA accurate. Yeah, it has a little recoil, but I'm a grown man.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

So how do we slice the "data" ?

I'd say with a knife and fork while it's next to the mashed potatoes and gravy...