Varmint bullets penetrate a few inches, then blow up. Resulting in a spectacular bang flop, or a superficial wound.
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Does any body hunt with .223
- Thread starter jdp
- Start date
A few years ago a guy from my hunting club shot a yearling doe 5 times with a 223 WSSM before finally killing it. Two of those shots were in the neck and did not kill the deer. So like everybody else said shot placement is the key, I personally do not like the idea of hunting with such a small bullet that wasnt designed to be used for big game hunting. You can kill a deer with a 22lr but that doesnt mean its the best or most effective way of doing it. I say use a 30 calibur rifle and never look back.
Ok
1: don't use fmj, they aren't legal.
2: Don't use matchking hollow points, Sierra warns not to use them because they aren't made for hunting.
3: Don't use ballistic tips because they are more for varminting being that small projectiles going that speed will detonate too explosively and not penetrate but just do abolt of meat and tissue damage and the deer will just run off.
4: depending on your twist rate if its a 1 in 12" twist or slower you won't be able to stabilize anything but a 55-60 grain bullet or less. Unless you use a Barnes TSX and a 1 in 12" will only stabilize their 53gr because they use only copper and since its lighter than lead they have to make their bullets longer to achieve the same weight. I loaded some of their 53gr TSX FB bullets yesterday in my 22-250 and they do great on deer. They open up quickly and hold together for a complete pass through since Barnes makes one of the toughest bullets. If you have a 1 in 9" twist or faster you may be able to stabilize one of their heavier bullets no problem which would only be better. FYI if you reload then Barnes bullets like to make a jump to the lands and they prefer max loads for accuracy. Not the case with other bullet brands most of the time. Their different than most. I had to push my 22-250 to 3850-3900 fps to get the best accuracy. If you don't reload then you are limited to your options, but I'm pretty sure that federal or Barnes themselves load 223 ammo loaded with the TSX. It'll hold together and make a nice pass through I guarantee it. On all my other guns I use Nosler accubonds or ballistic tips on deer and hogs. But even on large caliber rifles you need to make good shot placement to get top performance from a ballistic tip. I've always made DRT kills and complete pass throughs with them but their construction would definitely allow for less than optimal performance if you make a shoulder shot. Accubonds act similar to a Barnes being that they hold together, but I don't think you can get that light of an accubond especially in factory ammo.
1: don't use fmj, they aren't legal.
2: Don't use matchking hollow points, Sierra warns not to use them because they aren't made for hunting.
3: Don't use ballistic tips because they are more for varminting being that small projectiles going that speed will detonate too explosively and not penetrate but just do abolt of meat and tissue damage and the deer will just run off.
4: depending on your twist rate if its a 1 in 12" twist or slower you won't be able to stabilize anything but a 55-60 grain bullet or less. Unless you use a Barnes TSX and a 1 in 12" will only stabilize their 53gr because they use only copper and since its lighter than lead they have to make their bullets longer to achieve the same weight. I loaded some of their 53gr TSX FB bullets yesterday in my 22-250 and they do great on deer. They open up quickly and hold together for a complete pass through since Barnes makes one of the toughest bullets. If you have a 1 in 9" twist or faster you may be able to stabilize one of their heavier bullets no problem which would only be better. FYI if you reload then Barnes bullets like to make a jump to the lands and they prefer max loads for accuracy. Not the case with other bullet brands most of the time. Their different than most. I had to push my 22-250 to 3850-3900 fps to get the best accuracy. If you don't reload then you are limited to your options, but I'm pretty sure that federal or Barnes themselves load 223 ammo loaded with the TSX. It'll hold together and make a nice pass through I guarantee it. On all my other guns I use Nosler accubonds or ballistic tips on deer and hogs. But even on large caliber rifles you need to make good shot placement to get top performance from a ballistic tip. I've always made DRT kills and complete pass throughs with them but their construction would definitely allow for less than optimal performance if you make a shoulder shot. Accubonds act similar to a Barnes being that they hold together, but I don't think you can get that light of an accubond especially in factory ammo.
There is nothing wrong with using a .223 as long as you are accurate with is. I took a few deer with my Armalite years ago.
I've killed deer with a .223. Shot placement rules!
My nephew has killed a couple deer with his .223...I cannot tell you his bullet brand or anything like that. He made perfect broadside shots in a wide open field. Both ran over 100 yards before they expired. Both were around 100 yards when he shot. Both were less than 100 pounds. .223 is perfectly legal to hunt with and I'm sure they will do the job if shot placement is dead on. Personally, I would prefer something in a larger caliber but to each his own. Best of luck.
The deer I shot in post 67, 100 yards, 75gr bthp hornady. Broadside in the heart/lungs, ran about 25 yards. Wasted no meat. That being said, it doesn't leave room for much error, I practiced a lot with this gun before I took it hunting.
