.223 round for whitetail deer?

[zachkuby87]

im not asking if you would or wouldn't use .223 but if you did which ammo would you use with this upper: http://www.mnguntalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=19492 ...
or here better yet lets make this a bit easier say your getting dropped in the middle of the wilderness in a whitetail infested area the only weapon you have is an ar fitted with the upper posted above and the only choice you do have is which ammo you are going to use what would you pick excluding custom recipe handloads because im not into handloading just yet.. unless your willing to sell me a few hundred rounds of it..

 

[M.O.A.]

well i dont know if you can shoot 223 in a 5.56 but if you can the i would go with fed. 64 gn soft point , fed. golddot 63gn or fed 60 vital-shok in that order and hornady 60gn TAP would be in there too.

when you start reloading i would try the 70gn sofl point or the speer 70 gn semi spitzer

if it where me i would have got a barrel in 223 with a 1-8 or 1-9 twist the 1-7 twist are for shooting the heavier match target bullets but you should be ok with it.

 

[Twinsig]

223 cartridge in a 556 yes, but NOT Vise-Versa!

A mental note on keeping it straight: 223 will "go-into" (division) 556
556 will not "go-into" 223.

 

[chadstrickland]

You can shoot 223 in a 5.56 rifle but your not supposed to shoot 5.56 in a 223 rifle

Lol ok bud..I have killed plenty of deer with 62 grain bthp. Shot placement is critical of course. But if I where to be dropped into such a place..alone.. and I had to pick one caliber..it would not be a 223 but my trusty old 22lr

 

[M.O.A.]

ok i always get that mixed up

 

[Art Eatman]

R&D by the bullet manufacturers has developed bullets which have proven effective on smaller deer. Some are available as factory loads. These are generally in the 60- to 75-grain weight range.

So, do some browsing among the various ammo suppliers. I'm no help; I handload and use other cartridges for deer...

 

[JACK308]

I would use BARNES in 60 grainsTSX that should do it for ya!.

 

[Buzzard Bait]

nosler partition

A few years ago my friends daughter shot a large south Tx white tail with a 223 loaded with a 60gr nosler partition hand load. Federal offers that load in their premium loads. I was in on the field dressing and the deer was shot from about 100 to maybe 120 yards. She double lunged him, the bullet went threw and threw the internal damage wasn't much different that what you see from larger calibers. I think that bullet/load is a good choice.
bb

 

[zachkuby87]

im finding a lot of talk about nosler partition bullets now they are kind of expensive obviously id like to get a good amount of practice with my ar before hunting season because i just got it and literally have never fired it yet."waiting on sights i just ordered" any recomendations of a round that will shoot similar to the federal premium stuff? im still goin to run at least 100 rds of it through the ar and get everything sighted in with the same round ill be hunting with but id like to find some cheap ammo that i can go blow through without filing for bankruptcy but still having a decent round that will shoot somewhat similar

 

[M.O.A.]

if you just want to practice shoot the cheapest 62gners you can find like the brown bears i use to shoot them and they did ok moa at 100 yards or real close to it and there cheap

 

[rjrivero]

55gr Ball ammo will serve fine as a break in round. If you sight your rifle with 55gr ball ammo, you will only have MINOR adjustments to make for your preferred 60gr premium bullet. I use Nosler Partition for light duty hunting. I'm itching to try out the Barnes offering, but I have been quite impressed with the Nosler Partitions.

 

[zachkuby87]

Yeah I found the brown bear stuff for around 250 per 1000 is that a decent price? I literally wanna put at least 1000 rounds through this thing before I hunt because I realize I'm at a disadvantage by using .223 for deer and I wanna make sure I can make a very accurate shot when the time comes. Because I've seen first hand what happens when u misplace a shot and its not pretty. My cousin who says he was too busy working to sight his gun in b4 hunting season last year took 7 shots to take a deer down all hits but very poor placement I actually had to cut its throat to finish the job. When we butchered it there wasn't very much good meat left at all. I don't wanna be that guy. He was using a 30-06 btw. Only reason I have confidence in the .223 is my other cousin "same hunting party" uses the .223 but actually shoots his guns outside of hunting season has dropped many deer with one shot. He uses some cheap ammo he buys in bulk btw but I'm not gonna risk it

 

[M.O.A.]

thats not bad. And remember that your hunting loads well not shoot the same so you'll have to sight in of them

look at cheaper than dirt, midway, and natchez for your supplys

 

[zachkuby87]

Yeah I know ill have to re-sight the gun with my actual huntin round I just want something similar so I don't have to do a whole lot of expensive sighting

 

[MEATSAW]

An excellent choice is the Winchester 64gr PowerPoint (its in a silver Super-X box). It is my permanent AR load whenever I am shooting at something living. Its not always easy to find so get a few boxes when available. Its labeled as a CXP2 class cartridge so it is intended for deer, though I use it for smaller critters as well.

 

[bamaranger]

first deer

Bamaboy killed his first two deer w/ .223, both with Federal "bonded-tactical" factory ammo from a Mini-Mauser. One was w/ a 55 gr slug and the other a 62. We recovered the 62 under the hide on the off side and it was a classic mushroom. Deer went about 50 yds and crashed, but there was a distinct LACK of blood trail w/ only an entrance wound. That deer was VERY close at 20-25 yds, and I think the high velocity contributed to the expansion, which limited penetration.

The 55 was a pass through, classic double lung broad side, deer ran about 75 yds, w/ a blood trail a blind man could have followed. That deer was about 80 yds plus and the kid made a great shot, his first BTW.

He has since graduated to x39 and the .243, but the .223 w/ good bullets served as an adequate starter on deer for him. Our hunting was very controlled, I was right there coaching, from a shooting house, w/ support for the rifle. We had worked plenty, as in years, w/ .22 to get him ready.

 

[BIG P]

Give Me the hornady taps in 60GR.or Sierra gamekings in 55gr. thats a good problem if you have lots of freezer space.these rounds will sure fix the problem,empty freezer or infestation

 

[skydiver3346]

.223 for deer?

Federal Premium 60 grain Nosler Partition will definitely do the job on whitetails (you do yours) A couple of years ago, I dropped a 210 lb 9 point around 75 yards with this round with my customized Model Seven Remington. Now I only hunted deer with this gun twice,as I do not believe it to be the "perfect" deer rifle for all situations you may find yourself in while hunting. However, I had a very clear shot and the buck was standing still broadside.
My favorite deer caliber is the 6.5x55 Swede......

 

[rickyrick]

I'm confused, is this a "SHTF white tail edition"?

 

[zachkuby87]

you could look at it that way yes. Which round would you use?