Best place to shoot deer with .223?

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Since most of the deer I've killed were via neck shots, I'd keep on keepin' on if I used a .223 instead of my .243 or .30-'06 (and now, a 7mm08). I'd probably stay within my own neck-shot limit of inside of 200 yards, though.

As far as deer moving at the wrong moment, it helps to know a little bit about deer behavior. Their heads ain't yo-yos. :D
 
223 cal.

Right on ART, If the deer is not too far away I will take the same shot as I would with any other caliber but if he is further out say seventy yards or more I will most likely opt for the head or small neck shot. It all depends on the situation. I prefer the 22-250 cal. but I also use the 223 cal. as well. I think of it this way if you choose to go for the so called Boiler Room shot you don't have to penertrate but half way(or less) to do the job. The problem I have with this is these small caliber bullets tend to JELLO the inside of the animal and sometimes it results in too much meat loss. From experience I know that the 223 cal. will definitely do the job.
 
That is about the dumbest thing I've ever read. Will a .223 kill all the game you listed sure, it will kill bear and elephant as well if you hit them in the right place. That fact is it doesn't make the .223 Rem the best tool for the job. To ingnore any reports of wounded game is stupid, don't ignore them find out if it was bullet construction or poor shot placement. Learn from others mistakes as well.

You don't have time to learn to handle recoil! You don't have time to shoot then either. There are plenty of rifles out there better than the .223 Rem for elk and moose that will not kill your shoulder. 6.5X55, .260 Rem, 7mm-08 Rem, .30-30 Win, and .35 Rem come to mind. Besides if you ever stood next to a dead elk on the ground you would want a bigger cartridge if you have any common sense.

Refusing to listen about bones and construction just shows ingnorance as well. Premium bullet construction is what makes your .223 a better game killer than it should be. Varmint bullets have no place in a rifle you are hunting deer with. Proper bullets and proper bullet placement are key in hunting for securing your game.

Since I know you were probably just stirring the pot, I thought I would help out a little more. I have no problems with the .223 being used to hunt with as long as it is legal where you are hunting. I would use it at least once for pronghorn and possibly mule deer if it were legal here with a Nosler Partition or Barnes TSX bullet.
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Is it not hypocritical to say that someone is "stirring the pot" when you used the words "stupid", "ignorance" and "dumbest" in the SAME POST?

You are "stirring the pot", maybe more than anyone else in this entire thread.
 
.223 for killing deer/moose/elk size amimals
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I think Taylor was dead on if the poster REALLY meant this (bolded items for emphasis).

But, since we are "just stirring the pot", who cares! I heard you can take a bigfoot with a .223! I would be curious about a yeti, though. You got any of those up there Eskimo?;)
 
Is it not hypocritical to say that someone is "stirring the pot" when you used the words "stupid", "ignorance" and "dumbest" in the SAME POST?

You are "stirring the pot", maybe more than anyone else in this entire thread.
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Yes! I was “stirring the pot”, and I even admitted it. I've read some of bcarver’s other posts and know he can handle recoil more than a .243 Win delivers. However there was a lot of truth in my post. Especially when people start ignoring things like shot placement and proper bullet construction with any caliber rifle. Deer are a whole lot different than elk which can range from 500 up to 800 lbs pretty easily, and once you start getting over a 250 lb average for big game I find the .223 a very poor choice.

I wasn't calling bcarver “dumb”, “stupid”, or “ignorant”. I figured he was posting what has been said time and time again about using the .223 Rem for deer and other large game. I was just giving the standard arguments right back at him. Besides it was more fun than my standard response every time this question comes up which is “If it is legal then go ahead and use it”.

Like I said I'd probably use the .223 at least once if it was legal where I hunt. If I happen to travel to a place to hunt where the .223 is legal to hunt with I'm going to bring a better cartridge, to do the job unless it is a pig or varmint hunt.
 
Well, I agree that for moose or elk 223 is not enough.. but there's no need to be rude.

My grandpa did kill a full-grown moose with a .22 short, though. He was just trying to get the moose out of his yard : )
 
I really wasn't being rude, I was just having some fun. Like I said there was a lot of honesty in my post. When you choose a small bore firearm or any for that matter to hunt big game with you really need to take in to account several factors.

Anatomy of the animal you are hunting.
Know your cartrige limitations. Is it really the best one for the job?
Bullet placment. Shoot at where you want your bullet to exit not enter.
Bullet construction. Make sure you have the best bullet for the job at hand.
Know your firearm.
Know your limitations as well. Range and accuracy as well as your patitence factor.
Most of all use a little common sense when you hunt!

This goes for everyone reading this post not just the OP.
 
A Suggestion

Those words should have never been used. Please do not hurl personal insults as an answer to someones posts. Disagree but don't insult. No harm intended its just A suggestion.
 
dependent on what shot presents.
anything but a quartering-away shot at over 50 yards the .223 would do the job.
if it presented I'd take a neck/head juncture shot.
 
I'll throw my usual in. Have no idea why you would want to shoot a deer with a .223 unless you are hungry and that's all you have.

I suspect if a deer was mean as hell and would chase you down and chew your head off if things went bad you would choose something else.
 
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zero junk

You know I have never thought of it that way. That definitely is something to think about. Maybe if that were the case I would upgrade to at least A 30-06 cal. I'll have to give you one ,you made A great point.
 
Look: Within a shooter's skill limit, and stipulating a proper bullet and proper shot placement, any of the high-speed .22s will kill a deer. That's been demonstrated over and over. Head, neck, 90-degree cross-body shot. Don't take an angling shot where deep penetration is needed to reach the heart/lungs--IOW, there are limitations.

Enuf. Give it a rest for a month or six.
 
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