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.223 for deer in Tn?

My kid shot an AR 15 for a few years with Federal fusion MSR rounds. She killed quite a few, but it is not my choice caliber. She has since switched to a 243. Two deer she shot made me change. 1. Perfect heart shot that did not bleed a drop for 100 yards. 2. Hit one a little low we blood trailed a mile and ended up losing. It's all about shot placement with a 223. Other larger calibers are much more forgiving.
 
Legal, yes. Ethical, no. Im sure thats gonna step on some toes but sometimes the truth hurts. The 223/556 was designed to incapacitate an enemy, not neccessarily KILL an enemy. A wounded man takes 3 out of the fight, a dead one only takes one.
With all that said, yes Ive killed deer and hogs with a 223. Head shots on hogs = DRT. Lung shots on deer = tracking them down and shooting them again.
 
I kill caribou with a Colt M4 and 70gr Barnes TSX handloads and keep my shots 100 yards or less with 5.56. I never recover a bullet complete penetration and good expansion.

Rem makes a 62gr Barnes TSX hog round that would be perfect for deer. Keep you shots on the short range and thru the lungs and you will get your deer.

Suggest the Barnes TSX or some form of bonded tactical bullet for big game hunting with 5.56. Another favorite is the 64gr Bear Claw bullet for hunting.
 

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Huntaholic said:
Legal, yes. Ethical, no. Im sure thats gonna step on some toes but sometimes the truth hurts. The 223/556 was designed to incapacitate an enemy, not neccessarily KILL an enemy. A wounded man takes 3 out of the fight, a dead one only takes one.
With all that said, yes Ive killed deer and hogs with a 223. Head shots on hogs = DRT. Lung shots on deer = tracking them down and shooting them again.
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The round m855 was designed to penetrate soviet body armor at a certain range. We discovered and I in Iraq most didn't have body armor just garb so multiple shots were sometimes required very much one small hole in and one small hole out. In Vietnam they had the M193 round 55gr that would tumble and was least lethal in vietnam. The enemy would get hit in one section of the body and the bullet would tumble or yaw thru out the body following muscles paths and erratic bullet paths in body Dum Dum round. Today they have the M855A1 load which is designed for both penetration and expansion for more lethality. The round in Iraq we all welcome was the MK 262 which was the Nosler and Sierra MK 77gr this made the 5.56 one killing machine one shot stops on man targets. This ammo was hard to get and was scarce. With the right ammo the 5.56 is very lethal …..I know first hand.
Suggest Barnes VorTx ammo 5.56 in 62gr or 70gr TSX for hunting
 
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Huntaholic said:
Legal, yes. Ethical, no. Im sure thats gonna step on some toes but sometimes the truth hurts. The 223/556 was designed to incapacitate an enemy, not neccessarily KILL an enemy. A wounded man takes 3 out of the fight, a dead one only takes one.
With all that said, yes Ive killed deer and hogs with a 223. Head shots on hogs = DRT. Lung shots on deer = tracking them down and shooting them again.
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Must of not been using a good hunting bullet or took poor shots if you had to track and make follow up shots. I've killed 5 deer with my little 223 cz carbine. Shooting a barnes 62gr tsx every deer either dropped in their tracks or dropped in sight. Mix of neck and shoulder shots.
 
cecil30-30 said:
Must of not been using a good hunting bullet or took poor shots if you had to track and make follow up shots. I've killed 5 deer with my little 223 cz carbine. Shooting a barnes 62gr tsx every deer either dropped in their tracks or dropped in sight. Mix of neck and shoulder shots.
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LOL yeah thats probably what happened. NOT. I handload EVERYTHING I hunt with and I can assure you bullet type, accuracy, and "poor shots" as you say, werent the issue. 62gr barnes, 65 gr Sierra boat tails. I PURPOSELY shot deer through the lungs broadside just to see what terminal effect it would have, and those are the ones you shoot again. "neck and shoulder shots" are fine, but that doesnt tell you jack shat about what a round will do.
 
neck shots I don't take and I don't use a 223. Miss just a little one way or the other. And now you might find him a week later after seeing buzzards. I see by reading all these posts that neck shots are popular with 223. Blow the jaw off. And now you've caused the most horrible death you can imagine. I'm not interested in proving that it can. If I already know many calibers that will. If it works for you do your thing.
 
Nathan Crutchfield said:
Yes I hunt with my ar10 20 round magazine I talked to the game Worden he said not to put more than 5 rounds in it
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It wasn't until the 2006-2007 season that anything lower than a .24 caliber was legal to hunt deer in TN. Then it was any .22 cal centerfire and up. But, there was a limit of 5 rounds in the magazine. They did away with that regulation at some point, since AR's became popular and anything less than a. 20 round mag is hard to come by. Now it's apparently legal to use any centerfire, even less than .22 cal.

All that to say, regulations in this state have changed several times in the past 20 years. Wardens may be used to some outdated rules.
 
Shot a deer at 110 yards with a .223 this year. It ran 30 yards and dropped. Pencil size hole going in and a nickel size hole on exit straight through side to side. I was shooting 62 grain Federal Fusion ammo. If you are confident in your shooting skill, can hit a softball at 100 yards under pressure, limit your shots to under 125 yards, and use the right ammo it is an acceptable caliber to use on whitetail deer. I would never attempt a 200 yard shot on a trophy buck with a .223. That is what I have a 30-06. ;)
 
Can or can't, will or won't? From my perspective there are so many better options, so why would I?

I know the .223 is "popular" just as the 9mm is in handgun. Since they are both popular, there are lots of variations available including some really cheap stuff - same for ammo to feed them. I am not interested in owning either of them - there are better options out there for me.

We live in a country with a lot of available choices, so buy and use what you want if it is legal. I'm not insecure so I don't need to sell you on what I prefer, and you don't owe me an explanation on yours either.
 

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