.223 round for hunting deer

[Brow Tine]

I know this has been a very opinionated topic before but I wanted to start a new thread on this topic

Why do most deer hunters feel that the .223 round is not sufficient for deer?

[NYBuckhunter]

I just feel that it doesnt have the knock down power. Sure, it will kill a deer, given correct shot placement, but so will a .22 rimfire or a .17, I personally wouldnt use one and prefer something that packs a bigger punch.

[KwackWacker]

I don't rifle hunt much anymore but used to only hunt with a rifle. My thought was always to punch a hole through the deer. All the way through so that if it ran off I could blood trail it. That way, at least I know I could find it. One of my first rifles was a .243. I used quality ammo and shot 100 grain bullets. I have seen, more than once, a deer I shot with that setup where the bullet never exited the deer, but the deer ran off anyways. With some luck we found most of those deer with the exception of one or two. Once I got a little older, I bumped up to a .270 and every deer I shot with that .270 had an exit hole on it and usually that hole was about the size of a half dollar or larger. It didn't matter if you shot through shoulders, ribs or neck, the bullet awlays punched through. If the deer didn't drop on the spot, it bled it's way to the spot it died. I have only lost a couple of deer with that caliber due to bad decisions and poor shots. A .223 is smaller than a .243 and carries less mass in the bullet. I know it will kill a deer but will it make it leave a blood trail? That's what I'm after when I rifle hunt. And what this all comes down to is how well you shoot the gun. If a hunter really trusts his gut that he can take one down with a smaller caliber, by all rights, that's his decision. For me, I want them to bleed and bleed a lot.

[DouglasSpear]

I find the .223 to be a bad choice for deer hunting. First of all you'd want to use 55-60 grains at least, and second, you have to be a good shot (consistent and accurate). If you miss the head or a vital then all you have is an injured deer with bruised meat that you have to end up tracking. I'm not saying it can't be done, the .223 can produce a lot of muzzle velocity but it just doesn't have the energy behind it to make a clean kill shot.

[Bowhunters]

Both KW and DouglasSpear pretty much cover all my feelings on why I am pretty set against it, sure in some circumstances like on small whitetails in the gulf states maybe it does the job reasonably well on well placed shots at close ranges where the killing energy is still up.

Some states a .223 isn't legal for deer, its not something i've looked up so I don't know which states its ok but here in Kansas its a minimum of .243 for deer and I have no problem with that.

[DocHolladay]

Skip the head as a target, to small. Dont worry about the lungs/heart as you probably wont get a pass through. Aim for the neck, somewhere about in the middle or close to the shoulder. The deer doesnt take a step. I will say that you still have to use a bullet made for heavier game, but it makes baseball size holes on the exit.

[wsjax4]

As already noted here there are lots of theories on why not and I would probably agree with them all but ultimately the choice is yours.

Younger hunters and ladies like the .223 becasue it hasn't much recoil so that's a plus. A well placed shot is lethal regardless of caliber. After that, there's a long list of why not to use this caliber.

No exit wound, not enought knock down power, poor BC, all of these are reasons not to use a .223 but don't be discouraged by what you read or what you hear. If that's what you have to shoot then own it and get afield and put some meat on the fround.

[USN_Sam1385]

I know this has been a very opinionated topic before but I wanted to start a new thread on this topic

Why do most deer hunters feel that the .223 round is not sufficient for deer?

I know that it is not ideal for killing Iraqi and Afghanistan militants. The knock down power is just not there, especially in combat when the adrenaline of the enemy is flowing hard. There is never an exit wound, and the round will deflect off of almost anything.

Furthermore, I have a friend who is a detective with the St. Louis Police Department, dope unit. He was ambushed in a cul de sac about 8 mos ago. The gun was an SKS, and a 5.56. SKS is generally a 7.62x39, but Norinco made some of the SKS in China which were chambered for the 5.56. The rounds hit the windshield of his car and shattered on the glass. This caused shrapnel to enter all over his face, but did not kill him. Had it been the 7.62x39 it would have destroyed him.

[Brow Tine]

Thanks for all the replys. I can see why that would not be an "ethical" round to use on deer. Il stick with the .270 or 30-06