AR 15 in 5.56 cal.for deer hunting?
- Thread starter Hot Shot
- Start date
I wouldn't sell the 06, but if loaded with good bullets designed for deer a 223 will work as well as anything at reasonable ranges. Stay away from varmint bullets and FMJ, put the bullet in the lungs, keep the range under 200 yards, and have a sharp knife.
Don't try to hunt anything larger than deer and you'll be fine. The 30-06 offers a lot more versatility though. It'll work on much larger game and the only range limitation is your skills.
Don't try to hunt anything larger than deer and you'll be fine. The 30-06 offers a lot more versatility though. It'll work on much larger game and the only range limitation is your skills.
Deerhunter
New member
Check your state laws. 5.56 is not legal for deer in some states. No reason to sell the 30-06. Even if you use the 5.56 for deer the 30-06 is always good to have.
Sure Shot Mc Gee
New member
MO: Keep them both. Black Rifles are not always looked upon with fondness by private landowners who you hope will allow you to access their property as a hunting privilege. Its a common occurrence for some other to conjure up bad thoughts when observing a total stranger un-case such weaponry. 
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->bye bye
IMO: How effective a 223 is? In the hands of a experienced hunter. Very effective.
In the hands of a nervous individual. I strongly suggest the bringing of a lunch and/or a good flashlight with new batteries as he'll likely be doing some ground tracking.
>> ->bye byeIMO: How effective a 223 is? In the hands of a experienced hunter. Very effective.
In the hands of a nervous individual. I strongly suggest the bringing of a lunch and/or a good flashlight with new batteries as he'll likely be doing some ground tracking.
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Gunplummer
New member
If I was worried about a blood trail, I probably would never take a shot at a deer. I just use common sense and use the right gun in the area I hunt. If I am hunting in the slashings(Return growth after a clearcut) or heavy brush, I use something with a heavier bullet that can plow through brush. About the only time I do take my AR out is when it is raining and wet. It does not take the beating a wood stocked gun will when soaked. I have yet to shoot at one with the AR and have to track it. A big mistake people do(Me too) when looking for the deer is look closer than where it was standing when you shot at it. I guess it is because the last look you had was through the scope.
Getting bullets that exit can mean using heavy bullets (or solids/bonded/etc.)
Heavier bullets have less velocity, all else being equal.
The .223 normally relies heavily on it's very high velocity for it's killing power.....
Add in a shorter barrel than what the ammo makers generally use to generate velocity data ...... you can end up with a little 60 grain bullet running at the muzzle velocity a .30-06 bullet weighing 3 times as much starts with..... with a lower BC ..... out past 100 yards,you may not get an exit wound, especially if the deer is bigger than you expected.
I see the .223 for hunting kinda like the .410 or 28 guage for shotgunning: in perfectly controlled conditions, with the right load and gun ...... in the hands of an experienced shooter, yeah ....it's probably adequate.... but it's not something you want to take afield to maximize your chances, if something else is available .....
reynolds357
New member
The 5.56 with proper bullet selection is adequate for Whitetails. It is by far not my first choice, but it will work.
A .270 is perfect for large whitetails, mule deer, and (yes) elk. A .243 is fine for deer within 300 yards if you can do it. Larger cartridges are fine IF the recoil does not prevent accurate shooting at your expected ranges. Smaller cartridges are fine IF the expected range assures a one shot kill. I would consider most cartridges from .243 to 7mm Mag to be fine for whitetail and mule deer. In my opinion, a .223 is not a good deer hunting cartridge - particularly with a short barrel.
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Brotherbadger
New member
With the right bullet and shot placement, it will work just fine.
Gunplummer
New member
Snyper, I have heard that nonsense about the "Pegboard test" and every other argument. I have never seen a pegboard in the woods, and if I did, I doubt it would have "Green" wood pegs in it. I, and at least one other person I hunted with have actually dug wood splinters (Shards?) out of deer when butchering because we hit a tree in front of it. One year I was swinging on a deer that was running past me and hit a green maple tree about 15 feet in front of me. The tree was about 6-7 inches thick and the bullet went through. 7x57 140 gr Corlokt. It was a pretty ragged exit hole, but it did go through. No, I did not get that deer. I used to bench test my rebarrels and sometimes used wood right in front of (about a foot) the muzzle. It is amazing how a soft point will go through something solid and barely deform the bullet. If you tightly pack/tie newspapers, you can easily retrieve the bullets to look at them.
From what I remember of the umpteen different i read through it is a lot of chance, depends on distance of brush from target, size of said brush, whether the bullet hits square or nicks it, etc etc., . Accuracy and picking shots is best if that option is offered, otherwise you swing for the fence and take your chances, within reason.
FireForged
New member
I live down here in the South and I used a 243 for a good many years and I am a decent enough shot. I will say that even at the relative close ranges normally associated with Southern hunting, the 243 was very marginal at best. I would consider the 223/5.56 to be even less effective but no doubt it will take down a deer. I dont think I would recommend it though.
What weight and type of bullet were you using in that .243, FF?
It has been my experience that really lightly constucted bullets of light for caliber weights can fail to penetrate at close ranges, making large shallow wounds sometimes. Other times, you get lucky, and they drop like hit by The Hammer of Thor......
... I try not to depend upon luck.