Most effective 223 deer loads

I was having issues posting pictures from my phone onto here. However, I wanted to post these two pictures. They are of the first two deer my daughter ever shot both with the .223 and 55 gr Barnes Vor-TX ammunition.

The first picture the deer was shot through the lungs and went about 25 yards.



This second deer she shot through the offside shoulder and was DRT. Shoulder was completely shattered and the bullet exited.



Both shots were inside 100 yards, and the deer probably weighed in between 125-150 lbs. She's been shooting the .300 Savage or .308 Win since she turned 11, but these are the deer that got her started and hooked on hunting.
 
taylorce1 said:
I was having issues posting pictures from my phone onto here. However, I wanted to post these two pictures. They are of the first two deer my daughter ever shot both with the .223 and 55 gr Barnes Vor-TX ammunition.

The first picture the deer was shot through the lungs and went about 25 yards.



This second deer she shot through the offside shoulder and was DRT. Shoulder was completely shattered and the bullet exited.



Both shots were inside 100 yards, and the deer probably weighed in between 125-150 lbs. She's been shooting the .300 Savage or .308 Win since she turned 11, but these are the deer that got her started and hooked on hunting.
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Great pics and great info on the .223 deer loads . Really good to see young ladies out there deer hunting , you dads are blessed to have them interested in the same sport you are .
 
Do you own a .223 or are you still looking?

I live in PA also. Live in Montgomery Co, hunt in Bradford & Tioga. Instead of a .223 I bought a Ruger American Predator because it has a 1:10 twist instead of the usual 1:14. It's obviously way faster and has much more energy than a .223 Rem. The faster twist can shoot Federal's 60gr Nosler Partitions great. That's my combination. I plan on getting a Boyds stock for it to replace the plastic.

Something to think about it you haven't bought the .223 yet.
 
Andy1 said:
Do you own a .223 or are you still looking?

I live in PA also. Live in Montgomery Co, hunt in Bradford & Tioga. Instead of a .223 I bought a Ruger American Predator because it has a 1:10 twist instead of the usual 1:14. It's obviously way faster and has much more energy than a .223 Rem. The faster twist can shoot Federal's 60gr Nosler Partitions great. That's my combination. I plan on getting a Boyds stock for it to replace the plastic.

Something to think about it you haven't bought the .223 yet.
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I suppose you mean 22-250 :)...too many variables for me to select a 223...early in the season deer are less wary but as it goes on they become suspicious and cautious. The big boys will go completely nocturnal....Jack O'Connor once said "a deer or elk is just as leg broke or gut shot with a 458 as he is with a 243" so the main thing is shot placement as the bigger bores actually provide no insurance....It may not be literal but I agree with his basic premise.

I'll go with something bigger just because the probability of a better blood trail is probably greater...
 
Yea. I was referring to the .22-250, missed that part. But the 1:14 part probably tipped you off. My 11 year old will be hunting next season and I'm planning on getting him a RAP in 6.5 Grendel. Maybe a 6mm ARC because I saw Savage plans on offering the Axis 2 in that cartridge this year.
 
In a bolt gun, which factory and handloads are best if taking the 223 deer hunting.
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The 70gn+ bullets will work. The 70gn Accubond is a good one, but the current crop of premium 75-77grainers should work fine too.

Deer ain't that hard to kill, unless you're a flinchy trigger-masher. Deer camps always have a couple of those types.
 
Trade that sucker for a rifle in a caliber suitable for deer hunting. 223 is a varmint caliber except for the military when it's to kill or disable the enemy. Man up, get a real deer rifle.
 
pete2 said:
Trade that sucker for a rifle in a caliber suitable for deer hunting. 223 is a varmint caliber except for the military when it's to kill or disable the enemy. Man up, get a real deer rifle.
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If the .223 is inadequate for deer, what is the point (which cartridge) when a cartridge is adequate for deer? And how have you made that determination? I am waiting with baited breath.
 
Years ago, when bullet selection was more limited, I wouldn’t have considered the .223 for anything but varmints. Recent advances in bullet construction however, have expanded the potential of the .223 and I would not hesitate to use it for deer or larger varmints with a bonded bullet such as the Gold Dot/Fusion or Partition style bullets.
To date, my friends and I have taken a number of deer using .223 rifles with zero failures. Only one was a neck shot with a 64 gr Win Power Point. The rest were boiler room shots with 62 and 64 gr Gold Dot/Fusions.

In our testing, we found three bullets that would perform as we wanted in .223, the Gold Dot/Fusion, the Partitions and the Winchester Power points. The Win PP didn’t retain quite as much weight but still got the job done.

None of the other bullets (Sierra, Speer, Nosler, Hornady) we tried in the 60+ gr weight range was up to the task. We included some of the 55 gr Sierra bullets with thicker jackets intended for use in the fast .22s. They simply weren’t tough enough.

So, as far as I’m concerned, the .223 is adequate for deer but your bullet selection is critical.
 
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