Has anyone managed to kill a deer this year with the famed 223?

This year no. Been laid up. In the past down in Texas a couple for the last several years

Shot a couple of doe antelope with one. 64 grain Nosler bonded thru the shoulder put them down, but it still isn't my caliber of choice. There are just better rounds for the job IMO.

My Grandson just killed his first buck with a .204 Ruger, not too much difference. Performed great!!

Haven't been out yet. Can go any time now that the temperatures have dropped enough to get rid of the flies. Hate to shoot one and have to try and outrun the flies. Thanks, cooksey for the report on the .204 Ruger, been thinking about that one for several years. If CZ didn't have the backwards safety, I'd probably have one.

I've killed a few mule deer with the 222 and a couple with the 22-250 but, like others have said, it's far from my choice if I really want to deer hunt.

If you're in a very controlled setting and can wait for just the right angle, they'll work just fine but don't try to rake a deer or plow one through the shoulders of a big old buck.

My 2 cents, for free
Zeke

My father in law has killed 3 in MS so far this year with his 223.
I believe he is using 65gr NP.
He has killed about 12-15 over the last 3 years with this rig with no complaints.

I built a 6x45 for my son and am so impressed with it I'm building one for myself to replace my 270.
No recoil, low noise, easy to load for, cheap to free brass, will shoot an equivelant weight bullet about 200 fps faster than a 223, there is a lot to love about the 6x45

Yes...wounded a doe with the car....got out and beat it to death with my 223...just like this topic...BTW it works.

FWIW my Grandson's .204 Ruger is a New England Firearms single shot, well made and safe for youngsters just beginning to hunt.It has a 3X9 Nikon Pro Staff scope.

I've also seen 6-8 deer killed with a 22lr and every single one died within easy retrieval range but a 22lr isn't my 1st choice either.
Anything will work if you're going to just "pop" a deer but I'd damn sure want something bigger if I were going to "hunt" a deer. (some of you will know the difference and some will not)
So much for anecdotal evidence!
Zeke

Got this one with 64gr bonded out of a 16" bolt gun.

cooksey, if I'm correct that your gun has a two piece stock, it would be fairly easy to fashion a shorter butt if needed and keep the original for when your grandson grows.

I have a dozen or so customers who neck/head shoot them with .223's. DRT.

Didn't use a .223 on any this year...the first time in over a decade. Decided to 'go big or go home'and used a .243 this year!


Have shot literally dozens of deer with centerfire .22s and had no losses.

Carpetman, it is the youth model, I have a .243 in the grown up version for him
when the time comes ( soon, he is a big boy!) I think the New England firearms ( H&R Handi rifle) are the best,safest, rifles to start youngsters out with. Just my opinion, Bill

quote:

Originally posted by cooksey:
FWIW my Grandson's .204 Ruger is a New England Firearms single shot, well made and safe for youngsters just beginning to hunt.It has a 3X9 Nikon Pro Staff scope.

Bullet choice is the problem with the .204R.

What bullet did your Grandson use?

Cooksey, I progressed my grandson from .22 centerfires to the .243 when he was about 10. The reason for moving him up to .243 had nothing to do with needing more than the .22's. Both his dad and me were using .243 and he could use our gun. When he was about 15 I gave him a .308. Again, wasn't a matter of needing bigger, it was a matter of having the .308 which I thought he would like. I hope he would like a Win mod 88 with 2x-7x compact Leupold and a pachmayr decellerator recoil pad. Fancy that he does like it and 10 years later that rig has been magic for him. He now has twin sons that will soon be ready to start teaching shooting and hunting. He has a Rem 600 in .222 that I gave him and I have a Rem 600 in .222 and I have an extra stock. I suspect it will get cut down and keep the original and be a great beginning rifle.

I'm in the process of re-working a L57 Sako for him, in leaning towards a 7MM/08. The .204 Ruger round we used was Hornady 45 grain SP.

I wish the 45 grain Hornadys were still available!

Meanwhile I keep hoping Barnes will come out with a .32 or 40 grain TSX.....

While a .223 is not high on my list for deer, like most say, it will work under the right conditions. A buddy of mine came by Saturday and told me that his 8 year old daughter was bugging him to go on her first deer hunt. He has a collapsible stock AR which would be short enough for her and she had shot it before and loved it. He said he was going to limit her to 50 yds or less. I gave him some handloads I made up with the 60 grain Nosler Partition, he just had some factory 55 grain loads, but I told him the NP's would be a better choice. I got a text this a.m. along with a picture of the new huntress posing with her forkhorn that she got with one shot, behind the shoulder! She was ecstatic and cannot wait to go out this p.m. to get a doe! I told him we will have to build her, her own rifle for next year, maybe a 6.5 Grendel. The NP's worked well, but it still would be a long way down my list for normal deer hunting.

Ive killed a lot of deer with the hi velocity 22s including the 222, 223, 22 hornet and 22-250.

It kills well 98% of the time, but if one runs then you seldom have a blood trail as they bleed out inside..I only use them in open country where I can see them run., but they are not my favorite deer gun, Like my 25-35 I see them as a meat gun. and I have no problem passing up all but the easy shots.

It seems like things have changed here.

Ray.....change your bullet and get a faster twist tube

Ted,
Whatever for, been shooting deer and elk with the factory 117 corelokts and WW silvertips for years with the 25-35, just need to get close..

I love the 60 gr. HOrnady HP or SP in the fast 22s..

Hunting with such calibers has little to do with the load within reason, it has to do mostly with changing the way you hunt, much like a bow hunter has to hunt..Get close and place your shot.

Ray, I 100% agree