Thread: 223 on deer

Thanks for the couple of replies to my question i posted.
I'm new to using a .223 on deer, but not being a reloader limits me a little bit to experimentation with various projectiles as only a few options are offered in factory ammunition.
I don't really want to rebarrel my vixen to a faster twist as my short magazine length probably negates my choices of projectile anyway.
Finding deer in tight bush without a blood trail is a real challenge, especially as I don't hunt over a dog.
I would like to try heavier weight projectiles than the standard Hornady 55gr that I'm currently using.
I'm not proficient enough of a marksman, nor the terrain I hunt allows me to reliably head or neck shoot consistently.
This thread has been a learning curve and a goldmine of information.
Thank you to all the members who have freely offered up their knowledge and real world experiences.

Originally Posted by 9STAGS

Thanks for the couple of replies to my question i posted.
I'm new to using a .223 on deer, but not being a reloader limits me a little bit to experimentation with various projectiles as only a few options are offered in factory ammunition.
I don't really want to rebarrel my vixen to a faster twist as my short magazine length probably negates my choices of projectile anyway.
Finding deer in tight bush without a blood trail is a real challenge, especially as I don't hunt over a dog.
I would like to try heavier weight projectiles than the standard Hornady 55gr that I'm currently using.
I'm not proficient enough of a marksman, nor the terrain I hunt allows me to reliably head or neck shoot consistently.
This thread has been a learning curve and a goldmine of information.
Thank you to all the members who have freely offered up their knowledge and real world experiences.

Don’t make it too complicated for yourself. Stuff like the 64 grn Winchester or 55 grn Norma work just fine. Hand loading heavier bullets and a faster twist barrel add a margin but not to the extent that you should be wringing your hands about it. Under 250 yards you will do just fine. A deer lung shot will always die and how far they travel doesn’t seem to me to be caliber dependent. The amount of blood trail does seem to be though and that’s one negative about the .223. But with experience you get pretty good at tracking them. You will soon be reading the signs - a scuff in the dirt there, a broken twig there, and a tiny spot of blood there - and then crushed fern and the smell of deer and the buzzing of flies. Ah ha. There you are!

Originally Posted by 9STAGS

Thanks for the couple of replies to my question i posted.
I'm new to using a .223 on deer, but not being a reloader limits me a little bit to experimentation with various projectiles as only a few options are offered in factory ammunition.
I don't really want to rebarrel my vixen to a faster twist as my short magazine length probably negates my choices of projectile anyway.
Finding deer in tight bush without a blood trail is a real challenge, especially as I don't hunt over a dog.
I would like to try heavier weight projectiles than the standard Hornady 55gr that I'm currently using.
I'm not proficient enough of a marksman, nor the terrain I hunt allows me to reliably head or neck shoot consistently.
This thread has been a learning curve and a goldmine of information.
Thank you to all the members who have freely offered up their knowledge and real world experiences.

Buy some of these mate, I shot 3 dear with these the day I got my 223.

Now I'm reloading and I have duplicated these because they are so good, I am using 1.8 twist but these 60gr's shouldn't be too bad in your 1.12 especially if you aren't shooting long ranges.

OK cheers for the new replies and information.
Yes the heart lung is my go to shot when the head or neck isn't an option.
Used a 308 for 30 years, so I got a bit lazy tracking deer after the shot because if they did move off there was always plenty of blood so looking for the subtle tell tale signs wasnt needed.
Its more of an issue when the ground is very dry and the Sika don't leave footprints in the forest floor, it can be a challenge to find what direction they have run off in, especially in the pepper wood thickets and thicker guts that I normally shoot them in.
Cheers once again, its been a great thread.