Why dont' people like .223 for deer?

[rbrowning]

TC300MAG1
You may want to check your sources, but the DNR says diferently.

"Any CENTERFIRE firearm, regardless of caliber, is legal to use for deer hunting in Michigan. Please be reminded of the firearm restrictions in the "Shotgun Zone".

I do agrre that 223 is pretty small, but it is bullet placement that counts most.

 

[Spinner]

I have to say that I don't think its necessary to use a hugely powerful magnum calibre to kill a deer. Many many deer have fallen to the venerable 30.30 and there have been a good many deer that have fallen to a .22 rimfire too.

The biggest problem with the .223 is that much of the commercial ammunition available is designed for use on varmints and the projectiles are therefore lightly constructed and likely to "blow up" on a deer resulting in graphic but not immediately fatal wounds.

In NZ many deer cullers started using .222s and .223s and many swore by them ..... quite a few swore at them as well and returned to larger calibres that were more reliable killers. These guys were determined professional hunters who were excellent shots and brilliant stalkers with a great deal of confidence and experience in shooting deer. And these guys also relied on recovering the deer to take their token so that they would get paid. Some of the guys were experts with the smaller calibres and would routinely take head and neck shots, however, even the biggest proponent of the .223 would admit that they lost deer ... sometimes more often than they liked to admit.

Head shots are tricky ... there's a very small target that can move rapidly without warning and there's little margin for error. A miss is not usually a clean miss and shattered jaw means a lost deer with a long slow lingering painful death.

I don't think you need a .300 magnum loudenboomerbarnblitzer to kill a deer, but I do think that you need to be confident, accurate and very disciplined to consistently make clean humane kills on deer with a .223 and you have to be prepared to work within the limitations of the cartridge with little margin for error.

On goats I'd would have no problems in recommending a .222 or .223 ... in fact I'd go so far as to say those calibres were just about perfect goat medicine .... but I would be less happy to rely on them for deer.

Spinner

 

[Byron Quick]

but it is bullet placement that counts most.

Exactly. That's why I like larger calibers.

You've never had a deer move just as your rifle's sear trips? Resulting in a less than ideal shot placement? I have several times. I still hit the deer and fatally wounded them. But they had the ability to run 400 or 500 yds or so before bleeding out. The massive blood trail resulting from the larger calibers sure was appreciated as the sun went down.

 

[30Cal]

Out of respect for the animal, I prefer to hunt with a more optimum caliber rather than with the minimal caliber.

 

[MeekandMild]

The massive blood trail resulting from the larger calibers sure was appreciated as the sun went down.

I used to like the .35 Remington until I tried the 45/70. Gotta have a pretty good backstop, but a .45 caliber bullet really makes for a nice blood trail. Of course the trail is pretty short, too.




Well said, 30Cal.

 

[cooch]

I don't have so much of an ego as to think I'll never miss by that little bit where an adequate calibre makes all the difference over a marginal one.

Cooch

 

[Ivy Mike]

The things I've learned on my few hunts and from listening to more expierienced hunters is that shot placement is critical. You need to put in where its going to do the most damage. Head is the best way to kill a deer, but is the hardest to hit. The lungs and heart are bigger and will kill a deer just as dead as a headshot. The lung/heart shot may take a litle longer, but it still works.

The other thing I gathered is that caliber is important. Too many bullets aren't built for deer and cause severe damage to the animal without immediate death. I don't want to wound it and have it run off to die slowly. My choice of caliber for deer has always been closer to .30 than .22

.22 cf is legal in NV, but most hunters want something bigger. The trusty old .30-30 is a good round, .308 and .30-06 will get the job done too on a good size deer. Even if shot placement isn't perfect (how many shots are?) you stand a good chance of wounding a critical area and not having to track it for 2 miles. The deer dies faster and you eat sooner.

BTW, my first deer was taken with a .30-06 out of an 03A3 with iron sights.

 

[Fire1]

Quote:

...what tex_n_cal said, plus the .223 is the most popular caliber in the AR platform...

If you want to hunt Deer ( and pigs) with an AR, do what I did...Get an AR-10! Everything you like about your AR-15, but more.

 

[Guns_and_Labs]

A better question with far fewer legitimate answers is "Why DO people like a .223 for deer?"

Cheap and easy to practice with, plus a lot of guys like the fact that the minimal recoil allows them to see exactly what the deer does at the shot.

Try a 6.5x55 Swedish with a moderately heavy barrel, with milsurp for practice, and you've got cost and recoil covered just fine, and the Swede will penetrate a moderately sized moose. Keeping both eyes open also helps.

 

[MeekandMild]

One small question:

AR is made for military style FMJ pointy bullets.

What happens to accuracy when you shoot soft points? Lots of nose battering when the bullets autoload.