I have been contemplating taking my 10" T/C in .223 for a Texas Whitetail Hunt. Will a .223 do it's job on deer at 80yds or less shot?

It will work with a properly placed, well constructed bullet. I have killed a couple whitetail with a .223 in a rifle. I doubt I will do it again as I prefer bigger calibers. My 9 yr old daughter also killed a nice 8pt and a doe last season with a .223 in a rifle. The ONLY reason I allowed her to do that was because all my other rifles are way too big in caliber for her and she shoots that little .223 EXTREMELY well . I am in the process of looking for a suitable rifle in .243 / 7-08 that will fit her frame a little better for this deer season

A .223 on deer is a very marginal round requiring exact placement......if you have a bigger caliber barrel for that TC I would consider using it.

With a 14" its goosey. With a 10" I think its getting to be closer to a stunt. The 10" loses a lot over a 14 with high pressure rounds. You might be suprised how little you gain over a Hornet. Obviously I hunt Texas whitetails and have seen them dress anywhere from 80lb to 200lb depending on where you go. While they don't get to 300lb like Iowa or Saskachiwan, they aren't all midgets either. I just don't believe you'll be that warmly welcomed by most guides or camps.

I strongly recommend against it. In a 10" barrel, the .223 is a firebreather that does little if any more than the smaller and more efficient .221 FB -- and barely more than the Hornet. For deer, it just doesn't deliver the goods.

If it's the 10" barrel that has you intrigued, how about the .30 Herrett, .300 Whisper, .357 Max, .41 Mag or .44 Rem Mag.?

Handgun hunting isn't always warmly welcomed by guides ( I know as I've done it for 2 decades now), but you're sure to become persona non grata in the area if you shoot a deer with the 10" .223 and lose the animal.

I am afraid that the twist rate on a Contender is too slow to stabilize the longer, heavier, better constructed 22 caliber bullets. I tried 75 Gr. Hornady's out of my Super 14 and at 25 yards they were already tumbling when they hit the target. Unless you are shooting a custom barrel with a much faster twist, I am afraid that 55 grain bullets is about the max weight you can shoot accurately.

I would STRONGLY recommend against it. Get something with a bigger bullet. The game deserves more respect than that. JMHO >>>>>>>>Bug.

There's no doubt you could kill one under the right conditions and with the right discipline but if you are traveling some distance for an exciting out-of-state hunt, why eliminate 95% of the shots you might otherwise take on a great animal or worse yet, make an irresponsible attempt you would regret later?

suggesting shooting deer with any 22cal is a good way to start an argument on any hunting forum.If you take broadside shots behind the shoulder[heart lung].Your contender should do fine.I use a 22khornet martini cadet rifle wit a 40gr barnes bullet, it does the job every time.If you can't place your bullet precisely get something larger.If you will take a texas heart shot as a buck with a huge rack is running get something wayyy larger.I try to kill anything I shoot as quickly and humanely as possible anything less would be cruel.

While there is no doubt that the .223 is marginal for deer, regardless of barrel length, if you take shots within the range of which you are capable of hitting a 6 inch circle every time and you know where to place your shots, you will kill every deer you shoot graveyard dead. I've seen dozens of deer killed with a .22 hornet, so the .223 will do the job as well. Use a decent bullet and go hunting.

I wouldn't hunt it in heavy cover, not counting head shots on cull bucks or does, (little blood trail, hard to tell where the deer went) but I wouldn't hesitate to hunt with it in more open areas if that is what I wanted to do. Just be sure of your shot, or don't take it. Same advice applies to every hunter.

I get kind of tired of this, "Deer are big tough animals so we have to use vampire tactics on them" (figuratively driving a BIG wooden stake thru their hearts). They're animals that drop dead just like any other thing when they have severe trauma to their heart/lung area.

Just for the record, I personally use anything from a .243 to a .300 Weatherby for deer, not counting the odd .44 mag pistol or .45-70 single shot rifle, and they all kill them frying pan dead with a decent shot. Most of the time these days, if I'm seriously on the trail of a big buck, I use a 6.5x55.

Enjoy your hunt and welcome to Texas.