.223 For Deer?

[Kramer]

I knew guys many years back that hunted upstate NY with mini 14s to hunt deer. Just use a heavy enough slug.

[Chazman321]

Poachers have been popping deer out of truck windows with .22 shorts since the Great Depression. With a proper bullet (bonded to the jacket) and proper shot placement, there is no reason you couldn't use a .223 to hunt deer. Federal has 62 grain trophy bonded bullets that perform well. Hornady 73 grain Critical Defense. If it will kill a human, it will kill a deer.

-Chaz

[Bang]

A pellet can kill a human. Shoot it into a major vein and give it time to migrate to the heart. There was such a case.

[Gunplummer]

I have used Remington box .223 PSP Corlokt on deer with good results. Speaking of "Bullet Choice", someone mentioned Leverloution ammo. What a crock of sales hype. I have reloaded for years and when it comes to hunting bullets, have seen no difference between RN and SP bullet performance. I did notice that many super duper bullets fly like shit or will work with only a small range of powders. I am not a fan of polymer tipped bullets. The early ones were nothing but hollow points with a filler in the nose. So, "Pay close attention to Bullet Choice" is probably pretty good advice. For every story of the "Best deer cartridge" ever, there is usually a lost deer story to counter it.

[1979fbody]

Most people would be shocked how fast a bonded lead core bullet will kill a deer