.223 Effective and humane on white tail deer?

rrg991981

rrg991981

Joined
Oct 31, 2006
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I am wondering if my .223 M4 would be humane and effective in hunting white tail deer under 150 yards?
 
Most States have minimum round size and bullet weight.Check with your State game firearms laws.
Yes it is a very effective round when using the proper bullet at 150 yards if your gun is accurate....bullet placement is critical....keep it in the vitals.
 
I was thinking 60gr hornaday TAP ballistic tip ammo I shoot great groups at that range with it
 
I don't think the TAP will hold together long enough to adequately penetrate.

I would suggest the Corbon DPX 62 grain, or the new Speer Gold Dot.

.
 
My brother has used .223 to dispatch a few deer. He told me that they go down pretty quickly with head-shots.
 
depends on the size of the white tail I suppose

I have seen grizzlies downed with a 22 swift...

either you kill it or you dont....its your skill that is humane

if you suck with a 50 cal and blow its limb off and it hops away....is it humane of you to use a .50cal?
 
I may be mistaken, as I don't hunt, but as I recall, any .22 caliber is illegal to hunt large game with in the state of Washington... I may be wrong, but it seems I've seen that posted quite frequently on these forums...
Check with the game department in your state under the state government website- you'll get a real answer other than "IIRC's"... :D
 
joeshredd said:
I may be mistaken, as I don't hunt, but as I recall, any .22 caliber is illegal to hunt large game with in the state of Washington... I may be wrong, but it seems I've seen that posted quite frequently on these forums...
Check with the game department in your state under the state government website- you'll get a real answer other than "IIRC's"... :D
Click to expand...

PS: I just went to our states Fish and Wildlife department website and found no references to minimum caliber rules for any game... So I'd still recommend checking with your state...

But I'd also say go bigger than .223 for that size game or larger... :o
 
I agree with Danbo. You can say that all kinds of game, including deer, have been cleanly killed with a .22LR, and that's great, but it doesn't mean the .22LR, or the .223 for that matter, is a suitable round for hunting deer, where conditions and range are variables beyond a hunter's control.
Shot placement is an argument I hear over and over, but perfect shot placement under field conditions is hardly a given.
 
You can hunt in michigan with a .223 but I would rather have a 30-06.
 
I would've said the .223 wasn't humane on deer sized animals until I saw what it did to 3 hogs, each weighing upwards of 200 lbs.

Bullet construction, placement and distance are critical with the .223.

If your M-4 has a 14" - 16" barrel, I'd kee the range to 100 yds or less with broadside shots only.

Again, using the DPX Corbon or the Speer Gold Dot ONLY
 
I would still use nothing smaller than a .243 on deer. In fact, my personal deer rifle is an old Remington model 700 BDL in 6mm Remington.
 
I was planning on a remington 700 in .308 or .300 wimag but an FN SLP popped up for an incredible buy so I wont be getting a bolt action till next year
 
If you're looking at shots of 100 yards or so, a simple .30-30 saddle gun will work fine. Down here most shots are 25 to 75 yards. I carry a pistol and a rifle. Usually its either a .454 Casull or scoped .44 mag with a scoped 12 ga. Remington 870 Magnum slug gun or .30-30 Marlin saddle gun. In KY, shots of 300 yards are normal, and the game changes at times, so the Winchester Model 70 in .300 Win mag or the Browning in .30-06 go, along with a .45 ACP.

A lot has to do with shot placement and bullet selection as mentioned above. Other important factors are where are the deer, how big are they, where are they moving and how close can I get. A little scouting pre-season makes the gun selection and the shot a lot easier.
 
a 223 will work on deer, heck a .22 LR will too, but its not the best tool for the task imho, but if its all ya got it would work, i'd use the heaviest bullet which would work in the rifle ie for heavy stuff 1-9" or 1-7" twist bbls are a must.

you would also have to get a 5 round mag.

some states dont allow .22 cal for deer, IIRC TX isnt one of them, .223, .222, .225, etc all good, .22LR isnt legal thpough, IIRC no rim fires.

also keep the range close ie less than 150 yards imho unless ya can be surgical in shot placement.
 
I'd go as heavy as possible depending on what your gun can shoot well. I live in the SE US and hunt mostly in south AL and central GA. Due to the environment, our deer typically don't get that big. A big doe is 110-120. I have thought about getting an accurate 223 rifle for culling does, but I have better guns. I mostly use a Ruger #1 in 45/70 as most my shots are under 150yds and the big bullets work very well in dropping them. I do practice at 200yds with it though. When hunting clear-cuts, I opt for the 30-06AI.

I think it is ok, IF you are an excellent shot, limit your range, know where to place your bullet and go with a bullet intended for hunting like Nosler's Partition. Of course check your laws, 223 was not legal in GA for a long time. Also there may be mag capacity limitations. The day I carry a 223 to the field will be the day the big boy will walk out at 200yds.
 
It will work, so will a .22LR rimfire. Doesn't make it a good choice though. If you have other options, I suggest you consider them.
 
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