Thread: 223 on deer

It is good to question "does our equipment work?" and test that


Most of the rokslide membership does not test anything, but just forms another echo-chamber parroting one guys beliefs

I much prefer the individual intellectual integrity bought here by members such as @whanahuia

Myself I prefer the integrity of the projectile flattening the deer. It needs no discussion.

Originally Posted by TeRei

Myself I prefer the integrity of the projectile flattening the deer. It needs no discussion.

.223, 80gr ELDM

I prefer the 75ELDM, but only because I haven't tried the 80s yet

Originally Posted by gimp

.223, 80gr ELDM

Will the 80gr stabilise in a 1:8? Or do you need a faster twist?

Originally Posted by John P

Will the 80gr stabilise in a 1:8? Or do you need a faster twist?

They work in my 1:8. JBM calculator shows comfortably stable. Can't argue with results.

Originally Posted by gimp

.223, 80gr ELDM

The heavier pills ...upwards of 75gr seem to be in a class of their own. The results speak for themselves. Humbling for the 53gr and 65gr crowd.

Originally Posted by whanahuia

There can be so many factors at play when it comes to individuals. Theres guys who have a wealth of experience, and really any calibre you give them, they will succeed with it. Theres guys who it won't matter what gun you give them, the excitement will get the better of them. I once had hold of a pig a fella had wounded. I asked him to shoot it in the ear with his 222. He came up along side me and shot a neat hole in its earlobe, and after further instruction, said he wondered why Id asked him to shoot it in the ear? He was amping.
Theres guys who go too big because they lack confidence, and really should just do more practice with a standard cal. But most guys really fit in the middle and get out hunting as often as work and family allow. Dont have easy access to a range to do a lot of shooting, or hand load.
When I was doing guided meat hunts, over half of projectiles did not land where aimed. And ranges were never long. Didn't matter if gun was old or new. Cheap or top of line. big or small in calibre.

I read this as saying the same thing at @Scortched earth, just from a different angle.

The thread started with the same standard question as elsewhere - is the .223 enough gun for our medium game? The first answers were the same as other forums - yes, no, maybe. Then something different happened. Because our conditions and laws (and prevalence of medium game) allow relatively easy hunting, we have a luxury very few other areas in the world enjoy - we can experiment.

And this forum has lots of members that like to experiment. Some have shared their experiments on Youtube to general acclaim going back several years.

So this thread has consequently been dominated by those that like to experiment and share their findings. With a liberal sprinkling of general commentary from the community with the usual swings and roundabouts of opinion. This has resulted in something quite unique - a repository of necropsy photos with details of range, firearm, optics, the projectile, the ballistics, the specifics of the animal, the wounding, the mode of death, the works. It's bloody great. There's nothing else like it in terms of real hard won data, much of it accumulated as the thread evolved and contributors influenced others to experiment with different projectiles etc. Its a bloody solid effort really. A condensed version would be really worthwhile.

Shooting deer with .223 since ~2003

Originally Posted by gimp

Shooting deer with .223 since ~2003
Attachment 281958

Keep doing it gimp.

Originally Posted by Flyblown

I read this as saying the same thing at @Scortched earth, just from a different angle.

The thread started with the same standard question as elsewhere - is the .223 enough gun for our medium game? The first answers were the same as other forums - yes, no, maybe. Then something different happened. Because our conditions and laws (and prevalence of medium game) allow relatively easy hunting, we have a luxury very few other areas in the world enjoy - we can experiment.

And this forum has lots of members that like to experiment. Some have shared their experiments on Youtube to general acclaim going back several years.

So this thread has consequently been dominated by those that like to experiment and share their findings. With a liberal sprinkling of general commentary from the community with the usual swings and roundabouts of opinion. This has resulted in something quite unique - a repository of necropsy photos with details of range, firearm, optics, the projectile, the ballistics, the specifics of the animal, the wounding, the mode of death, the works. It's bloody great. There's nothing else like it in terms of real hard won data, much of it accumulated as the thread evolved and contributors influenced others to experiment with different projectiles etc. Its a bloody solid effort really. A condensed version would be really worthwhile.

Well said. I think the only thing mostly missing in an otherwise very good commentary on the .223 and its use on Deer sized game is input from those who have experienced less than ideal results with the .223.

Originally Posted by zeropak

Well said. I think the only thing mostly missing in an otherwise very good commentary on the .223 and its use on Deer sized game is input from those who have experienced less than ideal results with the .223.

If you gut shoot a deer with a 55 grn factory bullet it just leaves a little pin hole. No exit. Nothing to track. Tragic. Something bigger (even in 223) will often exit and spray a bit of tummy content around. At least establishing a starting point for your search. I know this cos I gut shot a sika with a 55 rem bullet. Finished it in a creek an hour later. Poor thing.

all the deer I've gut shot with 80grs etc in .223 stood around or flopped around, looking a bit sick, like they do with any other cartridge, and I just shot them again. As a bad shot and a mediocre hunter this has happened.


I personally don't recommend using light bullets in .223 on deer

On my last trip I lost 3 fallow which I could not find despite what I thought was reasonable shot placement using 73gn ELDM's. The farmer found one later, a decent stag, dead not far from where i shot it. I guess the problem with mysteries like this is you can never do the autopsy you can do on a downed animal, It leaves you guessing, was it the shot placement, would a larger caliber have done a better job?? Certainly the animals I find that have been hit with this pill show devastating internal damage. I think @Thar summed what is probably the biggest shortcoming of the .223 and that is the failure to give a decent exit wound and a blood trail.

Jeez that's bad luck.