I planning on getting heavy barreled rifle in .223. Talked to my uncle the other day about this caliber and being an experienced hunter, he didn't have very hight thoughts of it. He said that he'd seen deer hit by .223's and then the meat had been "blood-bruised" all the way down to the knee's of the animal. Anyone out there with experience on hunting with the .223? (Not just varminting)

Best regards Oskar

-- Oskar (oskar_forrester@hotmail.com), April 25, 2002

Answers

There is a reason why the Military has used 5.56 or ".223" for over 30 years. Answer = it kills things. Sure there are better calibers to do the job but I assure you if your an actual shooter you will have no problems. Im a Reconnaissance Marine from Montana and have been hunting my entie life since I could walk. 5.56 will kill a deer, a deer its roughly the same mass as a human, it will make liquid out of the chest cavity. And as far as muzzle velocity at certain ranges for 5.56 your still over 2300fps@200 meters. Every Marine qualifies with open (Iron) sights @ 500meters and most will hit an A target of Half of a man (18"W x 36"L) roughly 7 out of ten times with a quater to half value wind. If you can shoot its a non issue, if you hit the rear half of the animal your gunna wana use one of the cannon calibers ie "noob calibers" 7mm cannon , .300 cannon. I have friends that hunt Montana bear with their AR-15's and have had no issues, I would'nt recomend this. For a great varmit / puma caliber .223 is still a great buy although, 22-250 edges it out in most situations.

-- Aaron (Jsmith@hotmail.com), September 29, 2004.

My first time hunting when was 10 years old, I shot a 4 point on opening morning. It was with a Remingtom Model 7 in .223. I shot it behind the front shoulderblade. It ran over 100 yards. When we field dressed it the chest cavity and most of the guts were liquified. It was like a blender went off inside the animal. For the next 8 years I used the same rifle taking 11 more deer and 1 turkey. I never took another chest shot with it. The thing was a tack driver so I went for head andneck shots. The turkey I shot in the base of the neck with a 55gr hornaday hollowpoint. It hit its spine and the bullet went straight down and out of his asshole. No meat was harmed, and all we had to do was skin it, as all the innards were also liqufied. I have much respect for this caliber. The only bad thing is that I no longer have a rifle chambered in it. In early august 1998 it was stolen from my house and never seen again.

-- Brian Carter (hybridcivic91@hotmail.com), March 07, 2004.

It is my experience wich is not as great as many others here that a 223. is not a deer rifle. i have taken a deer with my ar-15 223 but i have seen many more tacken with a 223. when spot lighting (which i detest and do not do) many pple will use 22lr or 22mgs shoot it a inch back and a inch low of it ear and it will hit the spinal cord killing or paralysing the deer. i dont see why this wouldnt work for a 223 might be a lil more messy but it will hit the ground with a severed spinal cord if u place the shot.

-- john (Southern_Boi@msn.com), January 30, 2004.

A WELL PLACED SHOT IS THE ONLY ANSWER FOR ANY 22 CAL, AND IT'S NOT THE MOST HUMANE! I HAVE KILLED MORE THAN ONE DEER ( WHITE-TAIL ) 130 LBS PLUS, WITH MY 22 HORNET, 45 GR S/P HAND LOADS. NOT HOT LOADS, BUT PLACEMENT OF THE SHOT AND RANGE IS CRITICAN AND IS UP TO THE JUDGEMENT OF THE HUNTER! YOU MAKE THE CALL. I SHOOT 22-250, 223 AND AND 22 HORNET ON A REGULAR BASIS, THIS IS ALSO A PLUS, KNOW YOUR GUN! WHAT IT WILL DO. MY ONLY REAL DEER RIFLE (for 31 yrs.) is my 30- 06--- 165 gr. hornady btsp. (the lord strike me dead), i've never had to track one! and there again , a proper placed shot does not waste or blood spoil meat! THE KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL HUNT IS TO KNOW YOUR WEAPON AND SHOOT! SHOOT! SHOOT! PRACTICE! THIS IS THE KEY TO GOOD SHOOTING AND HUNTING! GOD BLESS ALL HUNTERS!! RC

-- ROBERT J. CHAPMAN (RCGUNHAWK@AOL.COM), January 25, 2004.

I witnessed my father shoot and hit a dog (white tail deer) here in Texas using a 223. He hit it four times with the first three being well placed shots and we still had to trail it over 75 yards. A 270, 30-30 or 308 would be my choice. The 30-30 would have to be a sabot round. Note also the 308 is good for longer shots and you can find rounds as light as 110 grain hollow or soft point for them little critters too! Good luck, remmember it's better for it to drop on the first shot(more ethical) and saves you from having to track it too.

-- Brad (sgtgustin@hotmail.com), December 07, 2003.

Unless you eat brains, shoot him in the head. That .223 is a bit small for reliable killing with the usual heart shot. When I read this posting, I thought Oskar was asking about long-range shooting. I had a rifle once that I used on game so far off, that I had to salt the bullets so the meat wouldn't spoil 'til I hiked over to field dress the animal! Believe that and I'll tell you another one.

-- Bob Chattin (surbat6@earthlink.net), November 25, 2003.

well i have shot deer with a .223 yes it was ( blood bruised) but the ammo i used was a 60 grain hollow point not a good choice ,try a 55 grainsoft point and shot plascement is the key. the .223 doesnt really have the energy at longer ranges ( hitting power) i myself have several rifle's and i really enjoy my tikka .300 win mag with a zeiss 6x42 scope.but if your getting into larger cal stuff barrel length is also key. i have two tikka's one with a 20 inch barrel it was totally out of controll to shoot when i used it the recoil was unbarrable when shooting a 180 grain bullet! also it takes aprox 20 inches for the powder to burn off, so you get about a 10 inch flame from the barrel i did have a muzzel brake put on ,it tammed it totally but the next problem was the noise it expeeled and the flames come out the side ports of the brake ( kind of neat ) i think make sure no one is standing beside when you fire though.any ways my other tikka has a 24 in barrel it is a total pleasure to shoot it shoots flat like a .270 but has the big hit at impact and is a little faster in fps then the .270 i live just out side of winnipeg canada i have hunted white tails for about 22 years and i like my .300 win mag out of the 13 rifles i own. nothing wrong with the .223 just make sure your shot placement is right the first squeez of the trigger. i like to give a whistle so the look up the take aim and squeez. good luck dot be scared to use the .223 just know how to use it proper.

-- mike (mdkolodie@hotmail.com), November 19, 2003.

Well this is not an instant answer and by the time I can give you one, I guess you will have purchased your new gun. I am due to go up to Scotland In August to have a go for a hill Roe, (these beast are about 30-45 pounds in weight)Normaly I take my .243 or .308 but I'm told by many that a .223 is ideal for these little deer. So hopefully we will see. I'm going to use Nosler Partition 60 grain bullet as I'm told these are the best, damn expensive mind. Still If I bag a deer I will be most pleased. All the best, tell you how I got on in August.

-- Paul Thompson (tealforce@hotmail.com), June 22, 2003.

I have a question to ask some of you expert riflemen, well im planning on getting an AR-15 and that as you know comes in .223, well there are about 2 other models that im looking at and that is the Remington 40-XB Rangemaster and the Ruger M77 Mark II Target Rifle. Well, if I get one of the other 2 bolt-action rifles I would get it in .243 most likely.

What gun would you pick? any suggestions would help, and the AR-15 has a target barrel also, so it is extremely accurate.

thanks

-- Sam (xxxxxxxx@hotmail.com), June 15, 2003.

i shoot roe deer in scotland with my .223 and think it is an excelent calibre for small deer,although you have to keep a sharp eye out for the smallest blade of grass to avoid bullet deflection.i have never had a problem with blood bruised meat and have always achieved clean kills even out to 300 yards.

-- george smith (georgesmith@hotmail.com), April 21, 2003.

shot placement is key to hunting with small caliber rifles. Yes a .223 when hunted with like a med/big caliber will couse problems, most animals will bleed to death. the .223 doesn't have the knock down power to kill when aimed like a 338 lupa. I have taken deer with one well placed 22lr shot, and you should beable to also if you aim for the best spot during your hunt. (head shot)

-- Ilive Inthestix (stix@aol.com), April 16, 2003.

Do you guys think a .223 mini 14 is humane for hunting blacktails? What about using a 80gr bullet?

-- David Summers (little_blue_f75@hotmail.com), March 27, 2003.

Thanks C. Johnson, i wasn't awair that it was legal to hunt with a .22 cal in ND. Now I know. I guess that would explain that a few years back at the shooting range a guy was sighting in a 222 with is daughter. I thought it was a bit small but didn't say anything.

-- xdeano (xdeano@hotmail.com), February 10, 2003.

I guess I don't understand Mr. Johnson's comment on the 22.250 being outlawed in MN.? why would they start with the 22.250 and then outlaw the .223 was this a typo or is someone confused? Here in MO. we can use any centerfire also and I have taken many deer with a .223 at 200 yards or less with out any trouble, I use 60 gr. or larger bullet's, take only a good broadside chest shot and haven't lost one yet ! (knock on wood)

-- F bryant (flbryant@iland.net), November 30, 2002.

In response to xdeano, .22 caliber "is" allowed in North Dakota as long as it is a "centerfire" cartridge. I believe Minnesota does not allow 22.250 and will soon outlaw the .223

I do agree that 150 yds is about it for the .223 Hunter ethics has a lot to do with all of this when people try to drop an animal at a range the rifle is not capable of.

Also, many hunters with the "big bores" shoot way beyond their own shooting ability just hoping for a lucky shot that will drop the animal or slow it down enough to go get a close finishing shot!!!

-- C. Johnson (duck_hunter_nd@yahoo.com), October 31, 2002.

Thanks for the advice!

-- Oskar (oskar_forrester@hotmail.com), May 03, 2002.

Oskar, I totally agree with Bobby. Here in North Dakota we can't use .22 caliber on our deer, but I know people that take a deer each year with their high powered 22. The thing is that there 1000ft/lbs energy drops off at around 150 yards. I think the best bet for you if you are going to go varminting and deer hunting is to go with a .243, Large enough to take down a deer, but also small and fast enough to make a nice show on praire dogs. 100g spire points on deer, and 55g nosler ballistic tips on dogs.

-- Dean (xdeano@hotmail.com), April 29, 2002.

imho a .223 is a liitle on the small size for deer(the ones i hunt in my area anyway)it can be done but wouldnt be my first choice,with proper bullet selection you shouldnt have any more trauma than any other round.bobby

-- bobby (bobbydickey@hotmail.com), April 28, 2002.