If that is all you have go for it, and limit your range and take shots that you have confidence in making preferably a neck shot.

If you have another choice of rifle in a larger caliber that is the one I would recommend.

5.56 to the head. deer dont move if you shoot them in the eye

I've only shot does in the head with a 223, but couldn't tell you how many rounds I've put into hogs and watched them run off.

My kids and I have shot 6 deer of varying sizes out to a distance of 140 yards with a single shot .223. Not one of the deer ran more that 20 yards and all but 2 fell straight to the ground. I do feel that if you are going to shoot over 150 yards you are asking a bit much of the smaller bullet, but you will for sure hit your target if you have any skill at all!! My preferred caliber is the .270 and is my first choice when not bow hunting. However, if I am bow hunting and think i may want to take a longer shot, I still take the .223 with me since it is alot easer to handle while carrying the bow.

my 11 yr old handles the .223 like most men I've been around handle a 30-06. Most all of his shots are 100 yds or less. I've tracked more deer shot with an 30-06 than my sons .223.
shot placement, shot placement, shot placement...

They build shooting ranges for a reason! Use them. Don't wait 'till hunting season to break out the guns.

I've killed one deer with a .223. First day of rifle season out of my bow stand. Back of the head at 15 yrds. Not really a true test. I've see a bunch killed with .22-250. Our lease has basically moved to doe hunts this late in season. I'm going to try some Barnes X out of my AR over the next few hunts. I will post up how it went.

Anyone who says they have killed a deer with a .223 is a liar. The .223 is not well enough equipped to take down anything larger than a coyote.



Stir....stir....stir............

I've shot a few doe with a .223 at less then 75 yards. I'm sure others can prove you wrong

Almost every caliber is capable of killing a deer. Any range from a 22 short to 50 BMG, but it is the shooter that needs to know their weapon. From what I have read, even some hunters use air guns and have killed deer, but it is still the shooter that makes the "tool" work as it is supposed to.

Personally I wouldn't allow anyone on our place to hunt deer with a 223. Since it is our place, I don't have to explain.

Well then it must have been a perfect headshot in that case then for that wimpy little rounds to do any damage.


Stir....stir....stir............

trolling much? Lets not do that anymore

My best deer was taken with a .222 at 160yds, took two steps and dropped. Its been done, and will continue to be done. Shot placement is key

one of my good friends grandfather has killed hundreds of deer on his ranch with a .222

The doctor laughts at people that show up to his ranch with any bigger then a 270

Wrong answer

MY BOSS'S 9 YEAR OLD PUT THE HAMMER DOWN ON A DOE WITH A .223 AT ABOUT 80YDS THAT DOE DID A BACK FLIP AND DOWN SHE WENT ALL ON FILM !!

i think it's too small. even with a premium bullet there's just not much blood trail. i just don't see the reason to use a varmint caliber on deer. I consider a .243 a functional minimum for deer sized game, and 25-06, 270,and 7mm-08 are even better and can be had without much more recoil for kids to hunt with. I have to think anyway that if my kid can't handle enough gun, then he's just not ready to hunt deer yet and will have to wait another year. If that is absolutely all you have to hunt with then of course it can be done, but you'll just have to be careful with your shot as others have stated before.

I shot my first 20 or so deer with .223, 6mm, and a 243... when I was a kid between 10 and 18 years old. You guys over-think things sometimes... Shot placement kills.

Several have said that they've killed deer or their kids have killed deer with the .223 but all must agree that it isn't the best choice for deer because most and the Grandfather is the exception, but when they grow up they don't continue to strictly use it to hunt deer.

And why?

Because it is marginal as a deer rifle and it's pushing the limits, and not that it won't do the job because it will with shot placement.

Shot placement isn't always the cure-all when you are talking distance, and size of the animal, and that is why it's classified as a varmint round, and a lower end marginal deer round by just about everyone or there wouldn't be a need for larger calibers, and why most hunters graduate to a larger round.

300 Weatherby's rule!

i think its as easy as someone said if an arrow with a flint tip, wood shaft from a primative long bow can do it so can any caliber

wifes buck she hit with her 308 this year left zero blood trail, but we recovered it.

know people that hunt with the 222, but that must be too small too.

honestly gotta say had more drt when i was shooting 100 gr 243 then i have from my 308

Seriously, shot placement is the key. Over the years, there have been as many deer killed with 22LR as anything else...

Anyone can loose a deer no matter what load you are using, it is proven on this forum time and time again. Just because you have a good blood trail doesn't always mean you will find your deer. A .223 will kill just fine if you put it where it suppose to go.

If you want to talk about loosing deer talk to the bow hunters.

IMO the .223 is adequate, I use one to hunt deer. Two weeks ago today my 9yr old daughter shot her first deer, a doe, with her .223. It was an 80yrd shot and she dropped the doe right under the feeder. The shot took out both lungs, passed completely thru the doe with about a golf ball size exit wound, either a part of the bullet fragged or rib bone also hit the back bone. She was shooting a 45gr jhp bullet out of her Mini 14.

As some one who has a little bit of knowledge in ancient method's of hunting and the tool's they used, I think you've brought up a very valid point. Humans hunted in group's, the design of they're weapons then was to disable long enough to get a few more projectiles in them, strength in number's. 223 kinda falls into the same category, it's minimal at best but if ya put enough rounds in them they eventually go down.

If it's inadequate, why do we use it in the military?