As I open this can of worms I ask this question. 223 or 300 Blackout for deer hunting this year up to 200 yards. Im trying to bowhunt most of the year but want to pack some heat to the stand if needed. Both guns shoot great 64 gr win psp and 125 gr nosler by. Here we go.

I have hunted with both, I would not choose them for anything over 125 yards.

6.8 SPC

This. I personally would take my 30-06 cause it works great on deer and hogs at that distance but it may not be in your arsenal. If I had to choose from those calibers I would probably take the 223. Herd to many bad stories about the blackout for hunting

So have I.125 is a number you have come by how?

I have only used the .223 out to about 165 yards with 55 grain Remington PSP. Killed a lot of deer with that combo in the past 6 yrs now. I shot all them hi-point of the shoulder or shoulder shots to break them down.

If you plan on head or neck shots either is perfectly capable but I would take the .223 since it has less drop out to 200 yards. Also ammo is cheaper.

I've killed deer with both, mostly under 150 yds. 300 BLK performs better in my opinion. Usually a complete pass thru, nice exit wound. The one deer I shot with a 55gr .223 sp bullet exploded about the time it entered the neck. Still ended up with a dead deer but I haven't shot one with it since. If I think I'm going to be shooting past 150 or so at a deer I'll usually take my 7x57.

300 blackout with 130 grain Barnes TSX..works good, my kids use it, and I use it from time to time...

Ed

You need to move up to a 75 grain HPBT Hornady Superformance for your load in the 5.56/.223... It will get the job done at 2900FPS... then you are good to go!

I like to keep my energy level somewhere north of 900, that is just a number I put on myself. I know deer can be killed with less energy, but I like to keep it as high as I can. Plus over the past several years I have helped look for lost deer, most were shot with the .223 at distances past 150.

Why not take your .25-06?

sounds like a reasonable question...

Will Tip Over anything you need to tip over

Another vote for the 6.8
I have all 3, they all work fine but the 6.8 is my preference based on experience.

Highly underrated round IMO

I've ran the numbers on it before, the numbers below show the drops, velocities, and energy on target all the way out to 500 yards. On paper the 223 beats the 300 in every category. These are SBR numbers, but as you scale up the barrels to both 16" you'd still be right at around the same numbers since all the numbers would scale with the added velocity.

You could probably run a lighter 300BLK bullet to match the velocities of the 223, but that kind of defeats the purpose of the 300BLK.


These are the numbers for a 8.5" 300BLK running 125gr Hornady SST's


These are the numbers for a 10.5" 223 running 75gr Hornady BTHP's

There is a reason the 5.56 is used by the armed forces. So I would go with 223 if that those are the two you have to pick from.
I would rather shoot 25.06, 243, 30.06, 308.

25-06 got a 26" barrel lol.

If you want to stick to the ar-15 platform look at the 6.8 or the 6.5 grendel. Otherwise spend a little more money and upgrade to the 308 platform and go with a 308 or 338 federal. I wouldn't plan on using a 223 or 300 blk over 100 yards and personally I wouldn't use them within 100 yards either. 300 blackout is supposed to be similar to a 30-30 and decent within 100 yards.

Both are bolt action rifles with 16" barrels.

Do you already own them or are you considering buying one?

I already own them. Have lots ofguns just wanted input on a small one to take the tree.

I have taken multiple game with both 223 and 300 blk out. Hands down, the 300 blk out has more energy and penetration than a 223. It's night and day different, and no comparison.

I would not hesitate to take a deer or pig from 300-400 yards with a 300 blk out (supersonic load). I know my holds and know where the bullet will be. Sure, is a higher power rifle maybe a better option, sure. But the 300 blk out is more than capable if you know your come-ups and can make a good shot, especially over a 223.

On the 125 yards comment- I'll let you go stand in front of the round at 126 yards while I'm shooting a 125 grain Ballistic Tip and you can tell me how it does! SMFH (Out of a 16" bolt gun, my 125's are doing 2350 fps at the muzzle. At 125 yards, the round retains 1193 ft lbs of energy. From a 100 yard zero, it's only dropped 3/4" at 125 yards, so how difficult is that shot?)

With either the 223 or the 300 you're going to drop beneath the "magic" 1,000 lbs of energy mark around 150 yards with good loads.