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.223 enough? #5417226 11/13/14 04:43 AM
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HCGedge3 Offline OP
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I'm taking my son to my lease this weekend and we're going to try and get him his first deer. He has a .223 and he shoots it really good (50-70yards). Now I know if he's got a deer in his scope he will start shaking and I'm wondering if he hits the deer any where else but the vitals if this gun will be enough to take the deer down. I dont want him to wound the deer?

I guess what I am asking is has anyone ever harvested a deer with a .223 (69 grain bullet)

Thanks!

Re: .223 enough? [Re: HCGedge3] #5417231 11/13/14 04:45 AM
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I have harvested a deer with 223. Imo, go with more gun if possible. What other options do you have?

Re: .223 enough? [Re: HCGedge3] #5417232 11/13/14 04:46 AM
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Lots of folks have

Good luck this weekend


For it is not the quarry that we truly seek, but the adventure.
Re: .223 enough? [Re: HCGedge3] #5417243 11/13/14 04:54 AM
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Yes. My daughter uses my .223 and has killed a deer every year with it. Any gun that doesn't hit in tne boiler room can result in a wounded and lost deer. I don't care how big of caliber it is. The key is for him to shoot within the range he is proficient and to take his time. I'm sure you will coach him through it just fine.

I use a 75 grain Hornady BTHP for deer. It causes lots of havoc. The doe my daughter shot with it last year did a complete somersault and drt. The year before she shot a buck that looked like it spilled a buck of red paint as he ran the last 30 yards of his life. If you can't tell, that bullet has impressed me greatly. Good luck and post some photos next week!

Last edited by Big_Ag; 11/13/14 04:56 AM.
Re: .223 enough? [Re: HCGedge3] #5417351 11/13/14 09:11 AM
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davvy Offline
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Yesish. Imo the223 is a great little cartridge for experienced hunters who are better than average marksman. that being said, if you don't have another option that has low enough recoil for him to keep the same accuracy in the field.... It will do the job just stay away from lower percentage shots.

Re: .223 enough? [Re: HCGedge3] #5417368 11/13/14 10:35 AM
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SHOT PLACEMENT is KEY
Deer have been known to be taken with .22 shorts.

You say you don't want to wound a deer, well I've seen a lot of deer wounded and never found with the .223. In my opinion it's not really a kids gun if the kid hasn't hunted much or at all. It takes a marksman to correctly place the shot.
If the child is big enough go with something bigger like a 30-30 with standard or reduced recoil loads.

Last edited by Jimbo; 11/13/14 10:42 AM.


Thursday at 12:45 PM
#33
Once i learned that i didn't "NEED" to kill something, and that if i did kill something all the fun stopped and work began, i was a much better hunter.
Re: .223 enough? [Re: HCGedge3] #5417385 11/13/14 11:34 AM
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Shot placement and the right bullet with it. It will work well. Practice perfect shot placement also.


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Re: .223 enough? [Re: HCGedge3] #5417449 11/13/14 12:46 PM
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The 223 is a great round, been using 55grn Nosler BT for years here. We hand load all
rounds. Round just below the neck, base of the head. No meat wasted, humane kill.
223 round makes a gud turkey round also!


"Buy more ammo, save it for a rainy day."
Re: .223 enough? [Re: HCGedge3] #5417455 11/13/14 12:49 PM
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IMO he will do better with the 223 he is used to than some larger caliber he might be scared of. If a deer is not shot in a good part it really doesn't matter the caliber.

Re: .223 enough? [Re: don k] #5417473 11/13/14 01:06 PM
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Originally Posted By: don k
IMO he will do better with the 223 he is used to than some larger caliber he might be scared of. If a deer is not shot in a good part it really doesn't matter the caliber.


This ^^^. I've killed many deer and big hogs with my .223 Remington 700 ADL. I use Remington power lokt pt. soft pt. in 55 grain. Never had a shadow of a doubt as to its capabilities even out past 100 yards.

Re: .223 enough? [Re: HCGedge3] #5417486 11/13/14 01:20 PM
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Can it kill a deer ? Yes
Does it have the knock down power ?NO
Shoot placement is key but not always going to be the only point to have to worry about.
There has been many many topics on this and it all ways makes the crazies come out lol.
Me personally i would not use one if i had other options .....6.8 or 300 BO 243 maybe with about the same recoil if that is where the concern is .I understand those saying what they have killed and know what the .223 was designed for but wouldn't you rather not have to worry about it as much by using a little bigger caliber.

Re: .223 enough? [Re: HCGedge3] #5417556 11/13/14 02:06 PM
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oh boy, here we go again lol popcorn

but yes for the record, I have dropped a deer dead in their tracks with a 223 and my nephews will be using my AR this year

Re: .223 enough? [Re: Kenneth1977] #5417586 11/13/14 02:23 PM
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Originally Posted By: Kenneth1977
Can it kill a deer ? Yes
Does it have the knock down power ?NO
Shoot placement is key but not always going to be the only point to have to worry about.
There has been many many topics on this and it all ways makes the crazies come out lol.
Me personally i would not use one if i had other options .....6.8 or 300 BO 243 maybe with about the same recoil if that is where the concern is .I understand those saying what they have killed and know what the .223 was designed for but wouldn't you rather not have to worry about it as much by using a little bigger caliber.

X2


"In a civilized and cultivated country, wild animals only continue to exist at all when preserved by sportsmen."
-Theodore Roosevelt
Re: .223 enough? [Re: HCGedge3] #5417700 11/13/14 03:22 PM
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You'll be fine, my son's killed a buck and a doe the last 2 years with his .223. The doe dropped immediately, the buck went about 40 yards but it was the bullet we were using then not the caliber. I fully believe that all of the shooting he's done with the .223 is making him a better shot. He took out a coyote at 185 yards with my 7x57 last weekend.

Confience is everything!!! If he's confident with the .223 then the probablity of him making a good shot is better than if he's thinking about the gun instead making the shot.

Re: .223 enough? [Re: HCGedge3] #5417720 11/13/14 03:29 PM
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Start them off on a bigger gun they wont know the difference , first gun i shot was a 12 ga and then a 3006 yes i was young and it kicked the crap out of me but i learned how to shoot them and knew what to expect .

Re: .223 enough? [Re: HCGedge3] #5417723 11/13/14 03:30 PM
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I killed a doe opening morning with my AR-15 using the Hog Hammer round. She went about five steps before she died.

Re: .223 enough? [Re: HCGedge3] #5417739 11/13/14 03:37 PM
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If the bottom line is shot placement (and it should be with ANY caliber), .223 is the perfect starter gun IMO. The guys who talk about how it's too small spend too much time with their nose in the books, trying to interperate ballistics charts in perfect world scenarios. Or anatomy-measuring competition experts. I'm giving first hand experience and I can tell you with absolute certainty, the .223 is an excellent round for deer and hogs here in TX. No doubt about it.

Re: .223 enough? [Re: HCGedge3] #5417751 11/13/14 03:41 PM
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Yes it is enough. Good friend of mine exclusively rifle hunts with a Browning A Bolt .223 and uses 55 grain bullets.

If it were me, I would use a heavier bullet, but he says the 55 gr is the most accurate in his rifle. I saw him anchor a prong horn at 273 yards (laser ranged) this year, took 1 shot.

Re: .223 enough? [Re: HCGedge3] #5417779 11/13/14 03:52 PM
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I've used .223 with 69 gr bullet for years on whitetail. In fact, it was my only gun when I used to hunt in Llano. Its tack sharp accurate at normal shooting ranges. Never had a single deer go more than 25 yards and most were DRT. Shot placement is key and necessary. Put it in the heart and they drop. If your son can predictably hit near the bulls-eye at 100 yds., I'd say your "god to go" !

Re: .223 enough? [Re: HCGedge3] #5417863 11/13/14 04:17 PM
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.17 Remington or .204 Ruger is better-even less recoil. If it were legal, a .22lr or .17 HMR would be even better. After all, it's all about confidence and shot placement.

I would much rather risk traumatizing a child by the risk of a lost deer due to a small projectile and poor shot placement (which sometimes happens with kids) than with the monstrous recoil of a .243 or 7mm-08. Just wouldn't be right.

smile

Last edited by Nogalus Prairie; 11/13/14 04:18 PM.

Originally Posted by Russ79
I learned long ago you can't reason someone out of something they don't reason themselves into.


Re: .223 enough? [Re: Nogalus Prairie] #5417920 11/13/14 04:36 PM
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Originally Posted By: Nogalus Prairie
.17 Remington or .204 Ruger is better-even less recoil. If it were legal, a .22lr or .17 HMR would be even better. After all, it's all about confidence and shot placement.

I would much rather risk traumatizing a child by the risk of a lost deer due to a small projectile and poor shot placement (which sometimes happens with kids) than with the monstrous recoil of a .243 or 7mm-08. Just wouldn't be right.

smile


You're right.. you can tell that to the big 9 pt. hanging on my wall, and the 350lb hog hanging on my dad's wall next to his 140class 8pt, all of which were killed with one shot using a .223. You can also tell that to the countless other bucks, does, and hogs I have killed cleanly with it since I was 11. Yes, there are bigger guns. Yes, there might be better options in different situations. But you cannot sit here and tell me the .223 causes lost animals. The fact that I have had an abundance of wild meat in my freezer and been able to feed my family for years is all the proof I need to trust the .223 to do its job.

The OP's kid has a .223, not a .243, not a .7mm-08. Both are great rounds, but that's not what he has.

Re: .223 enough? [Re: HCGedge3] #5417921 11/13/14 04:36 PM
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If he hits it correctly it will work. Good luck to both of you. Enjoy the time.

Re: .223 enough? [Re: DuckCoach1985] #5417952 11/13/14 04:50 PM
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Originally Posted By: DuckCoach1985
Originally Posted By: Nogalus Prairie
.17 Remington or .204 Ruger is better-even less recoil. If it were legal, a .22lr or .17 HMR would be even better. After all, it's all about confidence and shot placement.

I would much rather risk traumatizing a child by the risk of a lost deer due to a small projectile and poor shot placement (which sometimes happens with kids) than with the monstrous recoil of a .243 or 7mm-08. Just wouldn't be right.

smile


You're right.. you can tell that to the big 9 pt. hanging on my wall, and the 350lb hog hanging on my dad's wall next to his 140class 8pt, all of which were killed with one shot using a .223. You can also tell that to the countless other bucks, does, and hogs I have killed cleanly with it since I was 11. Yes, there are bigger guns. Yes, there might be better options in different situations. But you cannot sit here and tell me the .223 causes lost animals. The fact that I have had an abundance of wild meat in my freezer and been able to feed my family for years is all the proof I need to trust the .223 to do its job.

The OP's kid has a .223, not a .243, not a .7mm-08. Both are great rounds, but that's not what he has.


It causes lost animals. Physics cannot be denied.

I get the black rifle craze and the ever-increasing trend towards recoil sensitivity has created a bunch of folks who have convinced themselves the .223 is a deer hammer deluxe. I get that people kill a lot of animals with them and use their results to say a 55-60 grain projectile is as lethal as a 100-180 grain projectile. But, it is not.

Re: .223 enough? [Re: HCGedge3] #5417956 11/13/14 04:51 PM
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I say you can never use caliber to compensate for poor accuracy.

I've killed two deer with 5.56. Bang-flop both of them.

Lots of good calibers out there. I hope to be able to take my .223 this year.

Re: .223 enough? [Re: Nogalus Prairie] #5417957 11/13/14 04:51 PM
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Originally Posted By: Nogalus Prairie
Originally Posted By: DuckCoach1985
Originally Posted By: Nogalus Prairie
.17 Remington or .204 Ruger is better-even less recoil. If it were legal, a .22lr or .17 HMR would be even better. After all, it's all about confidence and shot placement.

I would much rather risk traumatizing a child by the risk of a lost deer due to a small projectile and poor shot placement (which sometimes happens with kids) than with the monstrous recoil of a .243 or 7mm-08. Just wouldn't be right.

smile


You're right.. you can tell that to the big 9 pt. hanging on my wall, and the 350lb hog hanging on my dad's wall next to his 140class 8pt, all of which were killed with one shot using a .223. You can also tell that to the countless other bucks, does, and hogs I have killed cleanly with it since I was 11. Yes, there are bigger guns. Yes, there might be better options in different situations. But you cannot sit here and tell me the .223 causes lost animals. The fact that I have had an abundance of wild meat in my freezer and been able to feed my family for years is all the proof I need to trust the .223 to do its job.

The OP's kid has a .223, not a .243, not a .7mm-08. Both are great rounds, but that's not what he has.


It causes lost animals. Physics cannot be denied.

I get the black rifle craze and the ever-increasing trend towards recoil sensitivity has created a bunch of folks who have convinced themselves the .223 is a deer hammer deluxe. I get that people kill a lot of animals with them and use their results to say a 55-60 grain projectile is as lethal as a 100-180 grain projectile. But, it is not.

Which rifle kills a deer "more" dead?


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