.223 For Deer?

[mosseater]

I have just this year taken a nice buck with a M&P Sport II, 16" barrel, .223. I had a perfect opportunity to see the effects in the boiler room and for some reason hit very far back from the POA. It did however hit spine and dropped him like a sack of poop. Seeing the damage on the carcass, I was interested to see I only had one exit wound, on the very first shot. The strange thing was, the 62 gr Fed Fusion seemed to deposit virtually all it's energy into the deer without blowing up a bunch of meat. It was not what I expected. Based on my performance, ie, not landing the pill in the lungs, I'd have to say it's more than up to doing the job given proper shot placement. In my opinion, marginal low percentage hits would yield expected results compared to my 308. Otherwise, aim small, miss small. I started carrying this rifle after my rotator cuff surgery because the very low recoil impulse and light weight. I am now planning to add the similar rifle ending in 10, rather than 15. All day on a single point sling just makes me happy.

[Bang]

Back in the 50s TRUE magazine IIRC did a piece about the poor Inuits killing big game with .22LR, gist of it being .22s were all they could afford and they made do with it.

[jthrelf]

Back in the 50s TRUE magazine IIRC did a piece about the poor Inuits killing big game with .22LR, gist of it being .22s were all they could afford and they made do with it.

I've seen that in some recent Nat Geo shows like Life Below Zero or similar. They were shooting some small calibers at Caribou. Not something I'd ever condone.

[MOUNTAINORACLE]

Some of Buck teachers "old timers" would hunt buck in Pa with .22 Hornets and .222 Swifts. Was it a good idea NO but they were hunter with 50 plus years experience and were deadly with their firearms.

[Gunplummer]

I used a Savage .22 HiPower once and a while when I was younger. Never lost a deer with it. I have used a .223 in WV with no problem. I should add that the .223 put them down faster than any I shot with a 30-30. Would I use a .223 for a "Walking around" gun where shots can be quick? Probably not. I would prefer something short with a little more "Shock" to it, like .260 Rem or a 7x57. If it is raining and hard to keep water off the scope, probably my old .303 Savage(Like a 30-30) with open sights. You should have multiple guns to choose from for the hunt that day. Something that sticks in my mind from when I was younger. I met a guy on a mountain with a 6mm. I asked if he thought it was enough gun. "Oh yeah, I shot at a doe last week and it blew the front leg right off". He did not get the deer. Practice and know your gun.
Unlike that other poster from Carbon County, I have shot dozens of deer. I have hunted in other states on public land for years. I guess if you averaged it out, I probably have shot somewhere between 75-100 deer, if you throw in the deer taken with the recurve. This year I hunted in two states and got nothing, but I saw deer, which is good enough for me.

[Bang]

Anyone capable of hitting a chuck at 300 yards should have no problem hitting a deer in the vital area of its neck. Worrying about a .223 being not powerful enough puts too much faith in the wisdom of gun magazine writers. Just my $.02.

I once took a deer with a neck shot using a 4 inch .357 125gr. It went down instantly and was dead instantly. I think a ,223 can hustle up more energy than that.

[Walleye Hunter]

Katie Muth says that .223 is too powerful and useless for hunting as it will destroy so much meat that the
deer will be inedible. You guys need to be re-educated.

[Bang]

Katie Muth says that .223 is too powerful and useless for hunting as it will destroy so much meat that the
deer will be inedible. You guys need to be re-educated.

Yeah, but them dreaded millimeter bullets are a lot worser!

[Boondox]

My pap used a .223 after his heart operation many yrs ago. Others use them.
Pick the right bullet.
That's probably won't most will not take the time to do ...... you know how lazy/cheap people can be
My wife found herself in the deer woods one year with a .223 for reasons.
On the other hand , I do have the rack from a 8 point and the bullet I took from him from many years ago.
I had shot him 1st thing opening morning and had heard no other gunfire until then.
When I took the deer home , and was de-boning it , I found a 223 bullet in the preachers meat ....... it had entered from the rear a little and did not make it half way through.
I had a pretty confused look on my face no doubt.
I had no idea the deer had ever been hit until I found that.
was the guy who did that a poor shot or where they aiming for the spine?
I have no idea ....... and when was it shot? Not that day I am certain.
Had they used a larger caliber , I would have not got him that morning.
So thanks to whoever , it was nice deer ... wasn't it?

[Gunplummer]

As for the legality off .22's, I have old Game News magazines and one of them has a story of a guy shooting a bear with a .222. The story is told by a Game Warden and he seemed quite impressed.