Dude, thanks so much for the humor!! I really needed to laugh.

A good friend and hunting buddy has a .223 bolt action and he, his son and both daughters have killed 30 plus deer with it. He shoots Nosler Ballistic Tips in it and they work just fine. If I ever find a Winchester XTR FT in .223 I am going to bring it home with me.

I only read the original post and maybe the last 5 or so posts in this thread.

Deer are NOT bullet proof. A .223 bullet into the heart/lung area of a deer will kill it just as dead as a 300 win mag in the same spot.

I've shot many of deer with a 55 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips and haven't lost a deer yet. You'll be surprised on how much damage a .223 55grain Ballistic Tip does to a deer. I'd put the exit hole damage up there on par with a .30-06. I know that might sound strange, but they really do a number on deer and hogs. I can think of only one time that the animal actually stopped the bullet, most of the time they go in and exit the other side. Never had a deer shot with a 223 rem go more than 50 yards.

My youngest son recently shot a doe with his 223 rem, the deer only went 20 yards before crashing in the brush. (Deer usually don't go far if you put a bullet thru both lungs)

That being said, for those people who don't think a .223 is enough power to kill a deer or hog, I do go bow hunting. I've killed many deer and hogs with a arrow. Arrows carry no where near the energy of a bullet from a .223

If you have the twist 77 TMK is impressive