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.223 for deer in Tn?

i know these deer think 223 is unethical ..... but they died very quick


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Nothing unethical about a 223, a bad shot with any caliber could be called unethical but never a weapon, somebody who shuts their eyes when they shoot or flinches when they shoot might be unethical. Ranges/energy might be unethical, every weapon has a range where it works well, none work well when not put where its needed, seen deer lost with every weapon so do we call those unethical also? also somebody's ability might be in ?
 
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Opinions vary.
But, anyway, like someone else on here, I'm a Vietnam vet and my opinion of the .223/5.56mm goes back to that era. Through the 1960's and '70's a whole lot of us considered it a piece of crap. Good for varmints, but that is about it. I haven't touched one since the late '70's, but I suppose there have been a lot of advancements in bullet design since those times. Maybe they are okay in the hands of a good marksman. Sure, deer have been killed with the tiny .22lr, but regardless of that I still think the .223 is too light for deer size game. And, I don't think a responsible, ethical hunter would use one for anything larger than a coyote.
This sort of reminds me of the .45acp vs. 9mm controversy. I don't like the 9mm, also due to its performance back 40, 50, or more years ago. Then, the 9mm was known for over penetration and not much expansion. I know there are much better bullets available for it now, but I still prefer a .45.
Maybe it just all boils down to whether you prefer small, very fast projectiles, or big fat, slower ones. That controversy, has also been around for a long time. :cool:
 
Rancocas said:
Opinions vary.
But, anyway, like someone else on here, I'm a Vietnam vet and my opinion of the .223/5.56mm goes back to that era. Through the 1960's and '70's a whole lot of us considered it a piece of crap. Good for varmints, but that is about it. I haven't touched one since the late '70's, but I suppose there have been a lot of advancements in bullet design since those times. Maybe they are okay in the hands of a good marksman. Sure, deer have been killed with the tiny .22lr, but regardless of that I still think the .223 is too light for deer size game. And, I don't think a responsible, ethical hunter would use one for anything larger than a coyote.
This sort of reminds me of the .45acp vs. 9mm controversy. I don't like the 9mm, also due to its performance back 40, 50, or more years ago. Then, the 9mm was known for over penetration and not much expansion. I know there are much better bullets available for it now, but I still prefer a .45.
Maybe it just all boils down to whether you prefer small, very fast projectiles, or big fat, slower ones. That controversy, has also been around for a long time. :cool:
Click to expand...
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I think it boils down to personal opinion, I prefer the 9mm, but I give round capacity some weight, because even though most gun fights end in only a few rounds, there may be a time where you could need more.
 
Good bullets change things


.223 for bear, mountain goat, deer, elk, and moose.

Interesting, a swift with a 55grainer has to be smoking and not apples to apples with a .223. But I get your point. What is his average shot distances on elk? No clue, I’ve never asked him. I know my own personal average shot on elk is less than 100 yards, but I can rifle hunt elk from late...
www.rokslide.com www.rokslide.com
 
Been shooting .223 for 8yrs exclusively. I had just got to the point where I wanted more challenge. Not only with precision, but saving meat as well. When I leave the processor with a .223 shot deer, I'm leaving with pounds more meat than the guy with a 30-06 shoulder shot. Only had one deer run off about 40yds after a heart shot. 95% of my shots are head or very high neck shots. (Brain stem) Deer have a massive problem with .223's.!!! Fair warning, if you plan on an AR style platform, pay the extra money and buy one built for precision shooting. Stay away from home defense cheaper models. Good luck!
 
Well to answer your questions about legality, yes you are legal. I knew where this would go along with any onter 223 forum. I hunt with 7 mag as well ( hand loads also) some say too much gun, 223 not enough gun lol all jokes aside I've watched my little cousin bang flop more with 223 than I have with my 7mag he shoots neck I shoot shoulder. So matter of opinion on what you will grow to like. On a side note my pawpaw run dogs years and years ago he always used 22 mag and 12 gauge 00b. He told me 2 semis would hold all the deer he killed with 22 mag
 
Rancocas said:
Opinions vary.
But, anyway, like someone else on here, I'm a Vietnam vet and my opinion of the .223/5.56mm goes back to that era. Through the 1960's and '70's a whole lot of us considered it a piece of crap. Good for varmints, but that is about it. I haven't touched one since the late '70's, but I suppose there have been a lot of advancements in bullet design since those times. Maybe they are okay in the hands of a good marksman. Sure, deer have been killed with the tiny .22lr, but regardless of that I still think the .223 is too light for deer size game. And, I don't think a responsible, ethical hunter would use one for anything larger than a coyote.
This sort of reminds me of the .45acp vs. 9mm controversy. I don't like the 9mm, also due to its performance back 40, 50, or more years ago. Then, the 9mm was known for over penetration and not much expansion. I know there are much better bullets available for it now, but I still prefer a .45.
Maybe it just all boils down to whether you prefer small, very fast projectiles, or big fat, slower ones. That controversy, has also been around for a long time. :cool:
Click to expand...
Yeah opinions vary…even when coming from the same background…I carried a m16 a1 carbine around the hills of the Central Highlands for awhile…never had a problem with it…of course I shot NVA with 105, 155, mostly…and 8", 175 occasionally…when the .223 became legal for deer in TN my young boys and I killed several with it…using 64g Win PP mostly…some bam flops…some 20-30 yd run offs…biggest issue with a .223 for deer imo is a very small or no blood trail if they run…never lost one shot with a .223…personally over about 55 years of deer hunting I have lost 3 that were hit poorly…44 mag, .357 mag, .260 Rem…but not cartridge fault in either situation…UPDATE…I had one get away after being shot by .450 Bushmaster also…I think shot was low chest/sternum …a fair amount of blood but not bright/frothy…got into rugged terrain and lost trail…so bullet placement trumps caliber EVERY TIME even with heavy hitters…
 
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I used to be of the mindset that a 223 was a varmint round. My experiences with older bullets led me to believe it was inadequate. With modern bullets, the would channel will be indistinguishable from a 243 or a 6.5 Creed. They flat out mess stuff up. The Fusion is as good as it gets in a factory load and will often give pass throughs.

This one was shot dead-on with a handloaded 64 grain Nosler bonded. It liquified the innards. Typical 30 yard death dash then done. Good bullets put in the right spot=groceries.

 
My son uses my cz 527 and it works great. It is the most accurate rifle i have ever seen, and it is so easy to shoot. 55 to 62 grain soft point. Stay off the shoulder. Usually 10 yards of less to recovery. Not what i would use personally but for his young age, its been great
 

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