.223 load for deer?

[jwrowland77]

Both of my boys started with 65 SGK over a stout load of Varget. Proved effect with heart/lung shots. 3 shots = 3 dead deer. Luck, Tim

What type of twist did you have Tim? I'm trying to go heavier with my daughters .223 if I can but a 1:12 twist it's hard to go heavier than 60gr. Wondering if I could get away with the 65gr SGK

[10gaugemag]

I have used 60 grain Partitions and 55 grain Sierra Gamekings. Both will spit right through any deer broadside lung shots. Gamekings offer a more immediate kill while wrecking the insides. Partition out of my 22-250 shot through both shoulders of a 250+ pound whitetail at 15 yards and dug his antlers in the dirt. If shooting a 223 again I would go with Gk's in either 55 or 63 depending what the rifle liked.

[tiny68]

What type of twist did you have Tim? I'm trying to go heavier with my daughters .223 if I can but a 1:12 twist it's hard to go heavier than 60gr. Wondering if I could get away with the 65gr SGK

Factory 1:9 twist sporter barrels. We shoot the 69 SMK all the time and have had success with the 75 AMax on varmints. But for deer the 65 SMK works well. I switched my oldest 12 at the time, over to a 308W for 125 Noslers using reloaded loads. Still running the 125s at 2800 fps and they did the trick. Last year he went to full powder loads with 150 accuBonds.

I really doubt the 65 will stabilize in the 1:12. It would be close if you run them hot. Maybe at 22-250 speeds, but it will be hard in the 223. Luck, Tim

[JASmith]

What type of twist did you have Tim? I'm trying to go heavier with my daughters .223 if I can but a 1:12 twist it's hard to go heavier than 60gr. Wondering if I could get away with the 65gr SGK
The added 5 gr in the GameKing does not offset the advantage offered by the partition.

Stay with your 60 gr Nosler Partition unless you really want to try something different or the accuracy won't allow for getting within 5" of your intended point of impact at your customary hunting ranges.

You can find a table illustrating the equivalent weights for example bullets and game at http://shootersnotes.com/ideal-bullet-weight/. You will see that your partition is good to go for the most common white tail deer.

To be sure, folks do find success with significantly lighter bullets than the weights suggested in the chart. The message, however, is that when the bullet is within about 10% of the suggested weight, you tend to plateau out on the odds of quickly anchoring your animal. Your skills at hitting well within the vital zone become increasingly important as the bullets get lighter.

[jwrowland77]

Awesome, thanks for the link. I'm pretty sure my daughter can hit within a couple inches of that sweet spot on the common whitetail.

[thermaler]

I recently tried the Atomic 168 match ammo for my 308 and was so impressed that I bought some Nosler 77gr 223 custom competition that I suspect will work at least as well as the 68 matchking loads.

[goinssr]

I can't believe that some here are advocating the use of target bullets on deer sized game. I'm sure that some of you have used them on deer with some degree of success but that does not make it okay for use. Just because the bullet has the weight for caliber that seems to be fine for deer does not mean that its construction is robust enough to cleanly take the animal in most all situations. Some will go through the deer and exit provided that it doesn't encounter any skeletal obstructions but will likely blow apart if it does and significantly increase the chance of only wounding and losing the animal. Have some respect for your quarry and use a bullet that is designed for the task and will provide a high degree of a humane kill.

[BoilerUP]

I can't believe that some here are advocating the use of target bullets on deer sized game.

I haven't seen anybody "advocating" using match bullets, simply sharing their experiences. OTOH, a number of folks have pointed toward 60gr Partitions, 64gr Bonded, 65gr Gameking or Barnes TSX.

Whitetail deer don't wear SAPI plates and they aren't any harder to kill than a human; you can put anything this side of a frangible varmint bullet into the heart/lungs or CNS and you'll have a clean kill every time.

While bullet construction *is* important...shot placement will ALWAYS trump bullet displacement. And when you are using a match bullet, shot placement is even more important - not unlike when hunting with a bow.

When I used the 80gr A-Max last year, it was only because my brother co-opted my preferred 260, leaving me with my 223AI as backup. I questioned the bullet's effectiveness much like you, which is why I limited myself to an unobstructed headshot. And I was totally blown away by the terminal effects of the bullet. I would have zero qualms using it on a once-in-a-lifetime Boone & Crockett deer...though admittedly it would not be my first choice.

The 77gr SMK/Nosler has been tested extensively due to its use in Mk.262 ammunition, and while they are match bullets I'm very confident in their ability to cleanly and ethically put down a whitetail. But I won't be doing any shoulder shots with them...

[dondlhmn]

Before you get too far into the .223 stuff for deer, you might want to check and see if that caliber is legal where you intend to hunt if you haven't checked already. The .223 is not legal in a lot of places, though I know of deer that have been taken with a .22 long rifle. The smaller the caliber and the less energy available on the target, the more important shot placement is!!

[shortactionsmoker]

I've killed 8 or 9 deer with a 223. Most of which were with the Winchester 64gr Power Point. All complete pass throughs, mostly double lung hits. With that being said, I'd opt for the 53TSX in 12 twist 223's and several other options for a rifle with a faster twist. I'd look at some of the heavier TTSX's, the Nosler 64gr BSB or one of the Swifts (62 or 75, depending on twist).

I've never had much luck with accuracy and a 60gr Partition.

Chose your shot and keep the range to a sensible distance. The 223 will do just fine.

[mnhntr]

I killed a few with Hornady 75gr BTHP match bullets and a few with 55gr Spire point.

[goinssr]

I just loaded up some 65 gr. Sierra Game Kings over 25.0 grs. of Winchester 748. Can't wait to get to the range this week and see how they shoot in my Mini 14.

[mnhntr]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/11/14/zu6yse6e.jpgmy stepson got his first deer a few days ago with my handloaded 75gr BTHP. With a sharp quartering away shot at 85 yds the bullet traveled in one piece through the guts liver and one lung ending in the off side shoulder. Deer went 65 yds.

[jwrowland77]

That's awesome. Pure joy right there.

[rl550]

I use a 62 gr. barnes tsx with 25 grs of varget. I've shot 5 deer with this bullet/load combo and the farthest any of them ran was 50yds. I've never recovered a bullet even on quartering shots. This bullet blows right through shoulders and keeps going.

[thermaler]

I use a 62 gr. barnes tsx with 25 grs of varget. I've shot 5 deer with this bullet/load combo and the farthest any of them ran was 50yds. I've never recovered a bullet even on quartering shots. This bullet blows right through shoulders and keeps going.Size of holes? I figure I couldn't go wrong with either the 62 or 70 grs.

[rl550]

Size of holes? I figure I couldn't go wrong with either the 62 or 70 grs.

A 22 size going in and about 3/8" exit. I never took any pics of entrance or exits i'll do that next time and post them. Don't know if I'll have the opportunity this year, i've been hunting with my 300 black out i built. The 62 gr. tsx is awesome and the 223 does very little meat damage. I personally think it doesn't get enough credit for a deer round when proper bullets are used. Last year I shot a doe three times because I wasn't patient enough to let her go down. all thre shots were through the vitals. It only took maybe 20 seconds and she went down. Much like an archery kill , zip one through the lungs and they run maybe 50yds stand for maybe thirty seconds and fall over stone dead. Inever tried the 70 gr. wasnt sure it would stabalize from my 1 in 9 twist , but it would work great. I used the 53 gr tsx already and it worked just fine too.

[OFFSHORE]

The .223 Rem is a very underestimated round for sure. I have eradicated/killed a recorded 500+ nuisance wild hogs for my job. They have ranged in size form footballs to 55 gallon barrels with legs, at distances from point blank in traps to 235 yds. (being my furthest) in open pastures. Neck shots being my favorite, but I have made shots from all angles. I have two rifles I use, a custom Rem 700 and when I'm out of the public's eye, a custom Bushy AR-15 (seems like these days folks are spooky when they see "The Black Rifle"!). In the 700 I load 75gr. Scircco II long in the lands on top of 24.7gr. Varget. The AR-15 gets the Sierra 65gr. SBT #1395 on top of 24.3gr. R-10X. With either of these loads and proper shot placement there is no deer in the 200 yd.+/- range I would not hesitate to put a slug into. Recently I shot a good size boar (180/200 lb.) at 165 yds. slightly quartering away with the Scircco. . .the bullet entered about 10 inches behind the left shoulder and came to rest through the right shoulder bone in a big knot under the hide. The whole shoulder and femur bone was in multiple pieces! His front legs buckled under him and he bulldozed for about 10 feet then laid over kicking - DONE. Bullet still weighted 52.7grs. with a nasty mushroom! ! ! I have also shot many deer in strawberry and melon fields and orange groves at night as crop damage nuisance animals using these rounds with awesome success. With proper shot placement and a bullet of good construction, the .223 Rem is a solid performer on deer and hogs out to 250 yards in my book! You should see what I do with my "Neighborhood Rifle". . .22K Hornet 45gr. Barnes TSX on top of 13.7gr. Lil' Gun - WICKED! ! ! Happy Hunting!

[rl550]

The .223 Rem is a very underestimated round for sure. I have eradicated/killed a recorded 500+ nuisance wild hogs for my job. They have ranged in size form footballs to 55 gallon barrels with legs, at distances from point blank in traps to 235 yds. (being my furthest) in open pastures. Neck shots being my favorite, but I have made shots from all angles. I have two rifles I use, a custom Rem 700 and when I'm out of the public's eye, a custom Bushy AR-15 (seems like these days folks are spooky when they see "The Black Rifle"!). In the 700 I load 75gr. Scircco II long in the lands on top of 24.7gr. Varget. The AR-15 gets the Sierra 65gr. SBT #1395 on top of 24.3gr. R-10X. With either of these loads and proper shot placement there is no deer in the 200 yd.+/- range I would not hesitate to put a slug into. Recently I shot a good size boar (180/200 lb.) at 165 yds. slightly quartering away with the Scircco. . .the bullet entered about 10 inches behind the left shoulder and came to rest through the right shoulder bone in a big knot under the hide. The whole shoulder and femur bone was in multiple pieces! His front legs buckled under him and he bulldozed for about 10 feet then laid over kicking - DONE. Bullet still weighted 52.7grs. with a nasty mushroom! ! ! I have also shot many deer in strawberry and melon fields and orange groves at night as crop damage nuisance animals using these rounds with awesome success. With proper shot placement and a bullet of good construction, the .223 Rem is a solid performer on deer and hogs out to 250 yards in my book! You should see what I do with my "Neighborhood Rifle". . .22K Hornet 45gr. Barnes TSX on top of 13.7gr. Lil' Gun - WICKED! ! ! Happy Hunting!

Man what a job to have! Happy hunting to you too! I want to take a deer at 100 + yards with the 223 but haven't had the opportunity yet. The farthest was only 75 yds. I also wouldn't hesistate to shoot 200 yds. My "neighbor hood" rifles are a suppressed 223 savage i built and a 300 blackout I built on a savage action. The deer I took this past monday never new what hit her the bullet impact was louder than the shot from my 300 blk. with a sub sonic load.

[JASmith]

OFFSHORE, you are describing excellent success with the .223 Remington and I applaud that.

I submit, however, that there are two very good reasons for your success.

The first is that you hunt and shoot a lot. Shooting 500+ hogs implies at least twenty-five boxes of ammunition. This means that you have plenty of practice with your rifle and know where the bullets will go. Most hunters don't have that practice and are not as likely to get a solid hit in the vital zone, especially when the shot is not taken from the side quarter.

The second is that you have developed a feel for where the bullet must be placed over a large range of presentations of the animal. Very few hunters have, or can, do that without the benefit of a lot of successful, and a few unsuccessful, shots on game.

Another factor is that you seem to be using good and heavy bullets for the .223 and that improves the chances of success when you have done your part. I would submit, however, that the 65 gr SBT might be a bit marginal for the larger hogs.

You might want to consider the heaviest X-bullets or a larger caliber if a good percentage of your animals exceed 250 lbs in weight.

(for details and background, see the discussion about Ideal Bullet Weight (http://shootersnotes.com/ideal-bullet-weight/))