223 for deer

[Ozzie]

ive been carrying my 223 for varmint while bow hunting i know its a small caliber, but what are your thoughts on taking a deer with it

[furboom]

My son shot his 1st deer when he was 8yrs old at 120yrds with a .223, just be sure of your shot placement. Nothing beats time on the range.

[buckwild17]

Both my kids shot there first deer with 223, dropped in their tracks, BUT no exit wound !!! Shoot a good round & place shots well, should have no problems IMO. Military uses this round for a reason.

[pure lefty]

I've done a lot of shooting with the 223 and believe it is a sufficient round with the right bullet. If you can find a box of the ballistic tip or v-max bullets, you will be fine. A lot of people have killed deer for years with the 22-250. All boils down to shot placement. I carry a Thompson Contender in 222 and dispatched a big sow at 40 yds. Just didn't have a good shot with bow. She only went 20 yds.

[Ozzie]

cool thanks, and im sure ill make a good shot, hunt out of tree stands and my dont have any long shots, thanks i was kind of skeptical

[Pistol]

Good shot placement = good caliber
Of course if you make a bad shot it won't matter if you are hunting with a 458!

[Mac...]

Shot placement!
I've shot 3 deer with mine and two dropped like a stone the other made it about 20 yards.
The bullet is so fast is turns everything into jelly on the inside.

[Pablo]

I think Sarah Palin was huntin caribu with her Pops with a 223 so it must be OK if you're a conservative.

Aside from that, I'd think I'd up the caliber to a 243 if possible for our Tejas Dog Deer.

[TMC50]

My dad will not take anything else to the blind.. the 223 is our bb gun.... and is deadly accurate... furthest shot taken in 4 years with it was a little over 130..... deer dropped....in the four years time we have hunted in roosevelt.... this gun has taken about 15-20 deer... every deer that has been shot with this gun has been tracked within 100 yds (except two, we recovered the next day)

I believe in this gun.. we have basically every other caliber of rifle to use and he will only use this one...

Like everyone has said though.... good shot placement is key... we are shooting 55grain bullets in i think the vx1 (something like that) which is a varmint shot... works great.

I would say do it... its a easy gun to carry around

[newmathewsfan]

6 Texas whitetails, 2 BIG hogs, 2 Axis does,and a cuple of wild dogs in the past 2 seasons could testify to the killing power of that little round. It all boils down to where you put the bullet. Heads and necks work really well. Know your gun and it's capabilities, and practice.

[TMC50]

O yeah forgot to mention, it was about 50/50 between white tail and axis.....

[AggieBall]

On shot placement, lungs or neck?

[clffrdfdge]

If a arrow can bring them down a 223 sure can just has to be in the right place.

[panhandlehunter]

It'll kill 'em. But it's all about the shot placement.

[DocHolliday]

use soft points, the v-max bullets have a very thin jacket,
I like neck shots under 100 yards,
this doe dropped like a rock just a few weeks ago