.223 load for deer?

[rl550]

I don't care what caliber you use you still need to put the bullet into the vitals. I 'm sorry to say , but not afraid to share that I hit a doe 10 yrs. ago to far back with my 300 wsm. Well it wasn't fun or pretty , but i got her. She went farther than any deer i ever shot with the .223. I used to think bigger is better.

I have killed alot of deer and other critters with a wide array of different weapons and now (because i butcher myself) I want minimal loss of meat. I don't like wasting any and it's nice not having the mess of blood shot meat.

Shot placement and bullet selection is key. Before my dad ever let me hunt he went over tons of hunting magazine pictures with me. He 'd ask "where would you shot this one". Going over all various shot angles. This should be part of hunter education in my opinion.

[OFFSHORE]

JASmith,

You are very correct. . .and by no means do I want people to think the .223 Rem is a miracle round. Because it is not, and YES, there are far better. I just happen to have rifles that I am VERY COMFORTABLE shooting, and for whatever reason, this is the round/caliber that I am REQUIRED to use in the urban interface areas these animals inhabit. I have had the nasty shots that I wish I never caressed the trigger on. . .but, if you hunt long enough its going to happen to all - period! You are also correct about the Barnes TSX bullets. . .I just wish my little Rem 700 liked them and I had more mag length and case capacity to shoot them in my AR platform. They are AWESOME bullets! ! ! My 7mm Dakota and .338-378 LOOOOOVE them, and so does my little 22K Hornet. But that Swift Scirocco 75gr. pill is a tough little dude! And holds 1/2 MOA in my rifle. . .I really couldn't ask for much more of a .224 bullet. I had a .22/250 culling rifle that I started using this bullet with, and there wasn't much that was safe from me if I could see it. . .600 yrd. armadillo shots were my favorite - LOL. Sadly that rifle was stolen out of my truck while I was paying for fuel. But, like I said in the previous post - 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! Know your rifle. . .know your load. . .and most of all KNOW YOUR OWN LIMITATIONS. It is only fair to the critters we go after. Good luck.

[thermaler]

Just loaded my first batch of Barnes 70 gr tsx with RL15--bit of compression going on towards the upper end of the load range and had to crimp them. Gonna see what my 1:7 twist Core 15 AR thinks of em.

[OFFSHORE]

Thermaler,

I have a 26" #4 Hart tube in a 1-7 twist on my Rem 700. . .that is the route to go (1-7 twist rate) for sure with the 70gr.+ pills. I wish it liked the Barnes bullets, but it just doesn't group them in what I require in my rigs. AR platforms are also not forgiving on COL and powder capacity, which doesn't allow the full potential of that combonation. Good luck on the range and keep us posted!

[thermaler]

Thermaler,

I have a 26" #4 Hart tube in a 1-7 twist on my Rem 700. . .that is the route to go (1-7 twist rate) for sure with the 70gr.+ pills. I wish it liked the Barnes bullets, but it just doesn't group them in what I require in my rigs. AR platforms are also not forgiving on COL and powder capacity, which doesn't allow the full potential of that combonation. Good luck on the range and keep us posted!Will do. I also am loading up a 300 win mag brew which I've been meaning to test for a while. And a 44 mag...and a 6.8 spc. BTW--have you tried the barnes LRX? I tested a batch through my 308 win axis and it groups noticeably better than the tsx's ever have for me.

[OFFSHORE]

Yes, I did try the LXR 127gr. in my 6.5 Swede and it did good, but the A-Max is a one whole wonder in my rifle. And YES to all. . .I hunt medium game with the A-Max bullet with great success! Have you tried the .44 cal. Partitions of Swifts? I get deeper penitration from them on heavy critters. . .with .44 size holes you won't need much more expansion. Have fun with your "cook'n" - LOL.
Will do. I also am loading up a 300 win mag brew which I've been meaning to test for a while. And a 44 mag...and a 6.8 spc. BTW--have you tried the barnes LRX? I tested a batch through my 308 win axis and it groups noticeably better than the tsx's ever have for me.

[JASmith]

. .I hunt medium game with the A-Max bullet with great success! ...
The 123 gr A-Max developed a very strong reputation among the 6.5 Grendel community before Hornady introduced the 123 gr SST. Both have harvested game out to beyond 500 yards in this seemingly very small cartridge. The results of Gel tests with both show that the bullets hold together well up to at least the 2700 ft/sec the test series covered.

Their exterior ballistics and reloading data also seem to map together very well.

The interlock feature in the SST, however, helps keep the bullet together better at higher velocities.

Apologies for the further digression from the OP...

[6mmBR_Shooter]

I've killed 8 or 9 deer with a 223. Most of which were with the Winchester 64gr Power Point. Chose your shot and keep the range to a sensible distance. The 223 will do just fine.

A friend of mine swears by the same bullet. He uses this through an AR and has had good success with the smaller deer we had in the southeast.

[bflee]

I also used the Winchester for several years in my AR before I bought a dedicated deer rifle here in eastern NC. All shots were under 200 and most were head/high neck shots as I hunt from nice stands with a good rest. It drops them dead every time if you hit, and they aren't wounded if you do miss. You also get all the meat.

[OFFSHORE]

I also used the Winchester for several years in my AR before I bought a dedicated deer rifle here in eastern NC. All shots were under 200 and most were head/high neck shots as I hunt from nice stands with a good rest. It drops them dead every time if you hit, and they aren't wounded if you do miss. You also get all the meat.

Gotta love those crimson & cream colored rainbows from them head shots :devilish: ! ! ! Yes, I know. . .I'm a sick ******* :noidea:.

[yobuck]

with a name like offshore and pigs deer and armadillos im guessing you must live in florida?

[emtrescue6]

I have taken a couple of deer with a .223 using the 60g Nosler Partition. I am not a fan of using the 223 for deer, and it appears you are in WI where the deer are of larger size than southern deer...but that being said, the 3 deer I have taken with a .223 were an Eastern, Oregon Muley (nice heavy body 4x5) at 100 yards and 2 large does in Michigan that were 100 and 210 yards off...I didn't really set out to purposely deer hunt with a 223 but circumstances put me there...wouldn't necessarily do it again either. That being said, the 60g Partition did a number and were all 1 shot kills and they all dropped within 30 yards of where they were hit (all 3 were neck shots). I don't take low percentage shots though and have passed up many an animal over the years many others wouldn't have. Make sure you have a fast enough twist barrel on whatever it is to stabilize heavier bullets...or yer doomed regardless.

[OFFSHORE]

with a name like offshore and pigs deer and armadillos im guessing you must live in florida?

Good guess! Yes, I'm a north Florida Boy.

[yobuck]

Good guess! Yes, I'm a north Florida Boy.

well then youve aroused my curiosity. what do you use the 338x378 for?

[thermaler]

well then youve aroused my curiosity. what do you use the 338x378 for?narco mini submarines?

[OFFSHORE]

well then youve aroused my curiosity. what do you use the 338x378 for?

That is my AT&T rifle. . ."reach out and touch something" ! ! ! I hunt elk and moose in the North Western states and B.C., and I have also used it in Namibia on eland, kudu and gems bok. It is to me, the ultimate long range killing machine for medium/large game and I am very effective with it out to 850 yards. . .1200 on paper. .264 and .338 are my two most favorite bullets for long range work.

[JCalhoun]

A buddy of mine uses the 55gr Nosler Ballistic Tips for head and neck shots on does out to 100y. He ain't lost one yet.