Thread: 223 on deer

Originally Posted by John Duxbury

so, again, the 55 grain in the .223 is too little and not enough gun for deer, whereas the heavier fast twist 70 - 80 grain bullets make the .223 as good as the larger calibers? Is this where we are at with the .223 now?

Because it thats where we are at then I am a bit disappointed.

Nah, I think we’re probably at the stage where contributors to the thread are going around in circles a bit.

There was an episode of NZ hunter adventures where Willy was dressed in 1960s clothing and carrying period gear including a Sako .222 and original SP ammo. He and Greg were with a retired NZFS culler called Derek. Willie shot a few reds and there was one scene where they tipped over some red hinds in open tussock country. I think that’s when Derek fired a rifle with a muzzle brake and Greg was right next to him and got deafened.

Anyway I hope I’m remembering it correctly but it’s stuck in my mind because to me it showed naysayers what to expect with traditional .224” 55gr or 62gr soft points on standard meat animals. Shooting forward into the crease, quartering away slightly, animal staggers around a bit, drops dead. That’s been my experience with .223 and Belmont bulk .223 55gr ammo. Goats, pigs, fallow, red hinds and spikers.

I’m pretty sure this got discussed on here at the time. I’ve just looked to see if I can find the episode online but too hard, not on TV NZ anymore.

I liken the .223 Rem evolution to the very recent changes by Tikka to its .243 twist rates. Unless you’ve shot traditional .243 alongside modern fast twist 6 mm, it might sounded exaggerated when I say the fast twist really has dramatically improved the calibre’s capabilities. A traditional Sierra ProHunter 100gr versus a 108gr ELD-M, you have to see the latter in action at 500m to really appreciate just how much more capable it is. But the ProHunter still kills deer just like the 55gr bulk Belmont ammo.