I agree completely M1. As long as the ammo/gun combo achieves the desired results with near 100% consistency(fwiw, I AM @ 100% with the .223, but things happen, regardless of caliber....I've lost deer hit well with a 7mm before, but I didnt retire it as a contender because of it), I don't think its anyone else's place to label it as inefficient or unethical. While there are exceptions, many of the people disparaging the .223 as a deer round have never used it as such. Another class of people who disparage it are those who HAVE used it, but well beyond its effective range(thats an issue I DO have with "rookies" using the .223....you can make hits at ranges far beyond what will ethically kill) , or with poorly constructed varmint bullets....yet they blame the caliber, not their poor choice of shot or bullet selection. Heck, i had reservations about using it too.....until I took that first shot, anyway, and dropped a 5x5 whitetail with it. I've shot deer with the 7mm Mag (my typical go-to deer rifle) 30-30, 7.62x39, .243, and .223. In the end, no deer was any "deader" than another, and very few traveled feet, let alone yards, from point of impact.