School me on Remington .223

[Davoh]

For shooting a deer past 150 yards - i would want a bigger bullet than anything the .223 is capable of throwing down range.
A .223 was my first deer rifle as a kid. Love the .223 - but wouldn't let anyone on my ranch shoot at a buck past 100 yards with one.

Being said - you could probably kill a Grizzly bear with a .55 grain bullet if shot in the vitals.

Kill? Of course. Produce a wound channel that will produce a followable blood trail?? I seriously doubt.

Just because a round is lethal, does not make it practical for hunting. I wouldn't hesitate to use a .223 for head shots on does, as long as I had a couple hundred rounds worth of confidence in hitting a quarter. I would only ever be able to make myself take a head shot at a distance I can hit a baseball first shot, every time. I've lost too many head-shot deer(1) because I thought the gun was "good enough".

For shoulder shots, I want something more than a .223, if for no other reason than a better blood trail...

[JW]

I may be old school but you are setting yourself up to lose some deer shooting a deer at 300 yards with a .223.....you better be a helluva shoot because there is no forgiveness...

Bingo....... Big time.

[jakeb03]

So it looks like the gun has a 1:12 twist on a 26" barrel. I was looking at a hunting bullet and well is the federal fusion 62grain a good weight bullet to shoot? I was just going to shoot 55grains out of it but was told that anything more than that would be to much on the gun. What's y'all input on this? I'm shooting whitetail and hogs btw.

Mine 1-12 twist loves the 55 gr hornady soft points. And they will do some damage to a deer. But I wouldn't recommend shooting over 200 yds at a big deer.

[TxAg]

So it looks like the gun has a 1:12 twist on a 26" barrel. I was looking at a hunting bullet and well is the federal fusion 62grain a good weight bullet to shoot? I was just going to shoot 55grains out of it but was told that anything more than that would be to much on the gun. What's y'all input on this? I'm shooting whitetail and hogs btw.

I have a 1:12 also and shoot barnes vor-tx 55 gr tsx. They shoot great but i have also been advised not to go heavier/longer.

[Smart]

I may be old school but you are setting yourself up to lose some deer shooting a deer at 300 yards with a .223.....you better be a helluva shot because there is no forgiveness...

**** fat fingers..

[Rack Ranch]

Realistically how often are deer killed at 300 yards? Not often, most are killed at 150 yards or less...I pose a question, how many of you have killed deer at 300 yards? I have shot one at that distance in 35 years of hunting.

[JW]

Realistically how often are deer killed at 300 yards? Not often, most are killed at 150 yards or less...I pose a question, how many of you have killed deer at 300 yards? I have shot one at that distance in 35 years of hunting.

Way past that. But I mostly bowhunt. When I'm rifle hunting I purposely set myself up to shoot 300 plus. Because I don't think there is much fun shooting them close. And I have killed a pile of black buck and other cull animals past 400. Normally it's runs about 290-325 yards.

[jakeb03]

Realistically how often are deer killed at 300 yards? Not often, most are killed at 150 yards or less...I pose a question, how many of you have killed deer at 300 yards? I have shot one at that distance in 35 years of hunting.

We throw corn out on a buddys MLD place at 600-700 yds and shoot does at the end of the year. Fun and challenging management

[mpotts]

I shoot Hornady 55gr Tap the are AWESOME!!

[super_dave]

Killed 2 with a 55gr v-max Saturday at 165 and 195. So I think 300 would be a very reasonable shot.

[Smart]

Realistically how often are deer killed at 300 yards? Not often, most are killed at 150 yards or less...I pose a question, how many of you have killed deer at 300 yards? I have shot one at that distance in 35 years of hunting.

I have 3 in a lot of years.....but I also made sure I had the gun to do so with some room for error. .270 and .270 Weatherby here.


With a .223, I wouldn't be shooting over 150 and none in the shoulder but that's me..

[Rack Ranch]

Ya'll are doing it on purpose for entertainment. Not really what I'm getting at. Real world hunting situations is more what I was thinking.

Way past that. But I mostly bowhunt. When I'm rifle hunting I purposely set myself up to shoot 300 plus. Because I don't think there is much fun shooting them close. And I have killed a pile of black buck and other cull animals past 400. Normally it's runs about 290-325 yards.

We throw corn out on a buddys MLD place at 600-700 yds and shoot does at the end of the year. Fun and challenging management

[JW]

Ya'll are doing it on purpose for entertainment. Not really what I'm getting at. Real world hunting situations is more what I was thinking.

Those are real world. I think you are thinking the average deer hunter. Not that I'm "above average". But I think I'm understanding what you mean. And if that's it why even mess with a 224 bullet. There are much better, yet still smaller non magnum caliber a out there. But with a 223 Rem and exit wounds being big? I've never witnessed that on a deer size critter. Only exits I've seen with a 223 Rem will be the stouter constructed bullets and the vast majority of the time they are very small. I'm talking boiler room shots. I never compare calibers when the head/neck thing comes up. A 22 Hornet is deadly in that respect.