.223 For Deer?

[Zeke]

I believe the 30-30, 30.06, and 270 to be the top three most popular whitetail calibers in PA. There are a ton of us who would never lay their beloved lever down.

Well, the older Marlin with the Micro- Groove Rifling is topped with a 4x Nikon Pro Staff and with Re-Loads shoots superbly.
I really think that the kid is reluctant to move away from this accuracy even though he has several rifles to choose from.
He has his eye however, on a recently acquired Marlin 336 in .35 Remington ,mostly because of the recent trips to the range and the accuracy of the said rifle.

[Arch007er]

I've only found one .223 bullet to work, its a wildcat of sorts. A local gunsmith and I have tuned it to produce not only great knock down power but also a sonic boom.

The 30mm case necked down to .224 has a water case capacity of 892 grains, a 65 degree shoulder and a C.O.A.L of 5.45" (.010 off the lands). Using Federal 3500 primers and a stout load of 855.5 grains of H1000 and a 52 grain Hornady A-Max traveling at 9500 fps, you would not need to worry about shot placement with this sweet little round.

[Yoder]

I guess my hatred for the 30-30 has more to do with one of my dad's Elmer Fudd hunting buddies than with the actual gun itself. Every year, "I got one it's right over there". Never found any of them. After 20 yrs of either missing or wounding deer he borrows my old man's 30-06. Two shots, two kills. Ever since I've always thought of it as a pistol cartridge. Good to 100 yrds not much more. I know it's a capable round and more deer have been dropped by it than any other, but I still hate that gun. If the .223 is good enough to kill people it's good enough for deer. Buy some high quality hunting ammo that doesn't fragment as soon as it hits and it will drop a deer.

[knight0334]

I've only found one .223 bullet to work, its a wildcat of sorts. A local gunsmith and I have tuned it to produce not only great knock down power but also a sonic boom.

The 30mm case necked down to .224 has a water case capacity of 892 grains, a 65 degree shoulder and a C.O.A.L of 5.45" (.010 off the lands). Using Federal 3500 primers and a stout load of 855.5 grains of H1000 and a 52 grain Hornady A-Max traveling at 9500 fps, you would not need to worry about shot placement with this sweet little round.

Probably not... considering it'd probably self-frag and become an ineffective shotgun. I've frag'd some 35gr varmint bullets with my .225Win - the came apart just a few feet out of the bore at only 4100fps MV.

[knight0334]

I guess my hatred for the 30-30 has more to do with one of my dad's Elmer Fudd hunting buddies than with the actual gun itself. Every year, "I got one it's right over there". Never found any of them. After 20 yrs of either missing or wounding deer he borrows my old man's 30-06. Two shots, two kills. Ever since I've always thought of it as a pistol cartridge. Good to 100 yrds not much more. I know it's a capable round and more deer have been dropped by it than any other, but I still hate that gun. If the .223 is good enough to kill people it's good enough for deer. Buy some high quality hunting ammo that doesn't fragment as soon as it hits and it will drop a deer.

You'd definitely have to blame that on the Elmer's than the 30-30. If the .223 can kill humans and deer, then the .30-30 with half again more energy, a more massive slug, and larger diameter would have an easier time doing it.

[Rainier42]

I believe the 30-30, 30.06, and 270 to be the top three most popular whitetail calibers in PA. There are a ton of us who would never lay their beloved lever down.

+1 on Lever guns!

[offshorebear]

You'd definitely have to blame that on the Elmer's than the 30-30. If the .223 can kill humans and deer, then the .30-30 with half again more energy, a more massive slug, and larger diameter would have an easier time doing it.

Definetly Elmer. But also look at the drop on a 3030, I know people who have emptied their guns, reloaded the tube, and emptied again because they don't know how to shoot over 100 yards. I'd rather see them using a flat shooting 223 than a 3030.

[knight0334]

in the 70's and 80's the legal min. cal. was .24 for big game in pa.

Are you sure about that? If it's true, then my eldest cousin broke that law. ...but I know for a fact that is was the .222 Rem Remington rifle that my younger cousin uses in more recent years.

[dk99358]

I believe the 30-30, 30.06, and 270 to be the top three most popular whitetail calibers in PA. There are a ton of us who would never lay their beloved lever down.

Based on the brass bucket at my clubs sight in days, 30-06 is far and away the number one. 243 is 2nd, 3rd is usually 270 but sometimes 30-30.

I've also seen brass for 222, 223, 6mm Rem, 260, 7mm-08, 7mm Rem Mag, 300 Savage, 308, 30-40 Krag, 8mm Mauser, 35 Rem, 358 Win, and 45-70

Pick your poison, it'll nearly all work.

Dale

[mauser]

in the 70's and 80's the legal min. cal. was .24 for big game in pa.

Absolutely not.
Whoever told you that was giving you wrong information, or you misunderstood something.
Does anyone know where to find copies of the Pa. game laws from the 60s, 70s or 80s? If I'm wrong I'll retract my statement, apologize very humbly and buy you a burger & a beer. (or the beverage of your choice).
I started hunting in the 60s and all centerfire cartridges of any caliber were legal then, have been since then, and are now.