Best place to shoot deer with .223?

[Eskimo]

First of all, I would like to make it clear that I will completely ignore anything that is said about .223 being inadequate or inhumane. Please don't waste your time.

Anyway, using normal soft-point .223 64 grain, where is the best place to shoot? I've heard that a lot of .223 hunters take head shots, and others advise against it.

[OUTLAW00]

I shot a small button buck this year with my savage .223 using ballistic silvertips that I handloaded. It was a double lung shot with complete penetration. The deer ran about 20 yards then fell over dead. I think it may have been different if I had hit the shoulder but it broke ribs on both sides and didn't seem to affect the bullet in any way.

[hogdogs]

in the woods works best. In many locations it is illegal to shoot roadside deer with a .223 or any gun for that matter!
Brent

[doctruptwn]

223 is illegal for deer in about 90% of the world, but if you had to I'd shoot it in the head, otherwise you will chase the thing forever.

[kraigwy]

Heart lung area just like any other rifle.

[SavageSniper]

223 is illegal for deer in about 90% of the world, but if you had to I'd shoot it in the head, otherwise you will chase the thing forever.

Wrong. Put it in the boiler room like any other shot. Heart or lung shot and it will think it was hit by a 105 howitzer.

[hoytinak]

223 is illegal for deer in about 90% of the world

Might wanna check your facts first. I know alot of people (and I've done it myself) that use .223s around here and it's perfectly legal.

Just like any other round I've always used a lung or heart shot and never had to walk more that 50yrds to recover it.

[Scorch]

223 will kill deer if you do your part. Put one in the chest or in his ear. Definitely do not try to break him down with a 223.

[Brian Pfleuger]

223 is illegal for deer in about 90% of the world,

In NY state, where we can use a rifle, the rule is "center fire rifle". We could use a 17rem if we wanted.


OP, I'd advise shooting to miss the shoulder on the entrance side, beyond that a straight forward heart/lung will do just fine.

[Eskimo]

223 is illegal for deer in about 90% of the world, but if you had to I'd shoot it in the head, otherwise you will chase the thing forever.

Wrong.. hunting deer with a .223 is legal in 90% of the world, not the other way around.

[HAMMER1DOWN]

Just put one round in the brain pan or the lung heart area i smacked down two this year with my AR and they were both just as dead as if i shot them with my 7x57 mauser

[armedtotheteeth]

wait until they look the other way and plant one right between his ears. Drops them like a "wet dishrag" as has been said before. I have killed 9 deer with mine. People who say you cant kill a deer with a 223 are either:
Wrong
Lying
Dumb
or .. hunting radioactive Zombie deer

Now, a Vital shot will do it, just not as fast as a 30-06.
I have had clean Vmax pass throughs on fairly large hogs.
the 223 round is no slouch.
a 55 Grain bullet going 3250 FPS will realy ruin your day, Especially if it "splodes" on impact.
If you dont believe me.. PM me, ill send you a pic of a spike I shot in the eye socket from 100 yards, Itll turn your stomach.

[Buzzcook]

Three targets on a deer head, neck/spine, and heart /lung.
You're the one that trusts the .223, so now all you have to do is trust your own ability.

Pick your shot and take it.

[WIN71]

But I have used 55 gr. bullets in a .222 off and on since 1959 or so. Never saw any need for more power. Stick with BUZZCOOKS three targets and you'll be fine. My rifle had a peep site and my shots were fairly close. Can't do it without a scope now..............

[phil mcwilliam]

In my opinion the 223 is marginal for taking off-hand chest shots at deer at distance. If however you get close enough & have a steady rest, a brain shot deer drops on the spot whether you are shooting a 223 or a 458. Many tens of thousands of red deer in New Zealand have been commercially culled for meat from the wild, with most professional shooters using 222's. As the meat is sold for human consumption it is a condition that all deer are either head or upper-neck shot.

[Nnobby45]

223 is illegal for deer in about 90% of the world, but if you had to I'd shoot it in the head, otherwise you will chase the thing forever.

The brain isn't all that big. Blowing of the critters jaw, or part of it's skull too often isn't much of a concern for people who recommend head shots. Same with neck shots. Miss the spine or major vessels and you have another wounded deer. The heart lung area represents the best prospect for a humane kill. Always have been. And yet, there are those who would re-invent the best way to kill a deer.

Problem with a .223 is that the light bullet probably won't make it thru a shoulder. Some are more patient and competent than others in re: to waiting for the right shot.

[Al Thompson]

Art and I noted this years ago - a deer in South Carolina may be 130 lbs, one in the Texas Hill Country may be 90 lbs and one in NY State may be 250 lbs. So - it depends. And that's just white tails.

If I was going to pop a big one, I'd go for a head shot and practice, practice, practice. If my deer are on the smaller side, I think the advice about a clear heart/lung shot and only trying to break a shoulder on the way out is good advice.

FWIW, South Carolina has the "centerfire" rule too - so a .25 ACP rifle would be legal as well.

[bcarver]

Due to a deers probability of moving just as I am pulling the trigger, I would avoid head neck or spine shots.
with a 45-70 a miss on a brain shot is just as likely.

I feel that there is no better caliber than the .223 for killing deer/moose/elk size amimals.
My reasons are 1. that I have heard of it killing animals of these size and I ignore any reports of wounded game.
2. I hate recoil and don't have the time to learn to shoot a gun that does recoil.
3. I already have a .223 rifle
4. I like carring an AR style rifle when hunting because it is different.
5. I refuse to listen to radical "big bore" people(.243 and up) about bones and bullet construction.

[taylorce1]

I feel that there is no better caliber than the .223 for killing deer/moose/elk size amimals.
My reasons are 1. that I have heard of it killing animals of these size and I ignore any reports of wounded game.
2. I hate recoil and don't have the time to learn to shoot a gun that does recoil.
3. I already have a .223 rifle
4. I like carring an AR style rifle when hunting because it is different.
5. I refuse to listen to radical "big bore" people(.243 and up) about bones and bullet construction.

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.

[WIN71]

taylorce1.......Boy I'm glad I read your last paragraph. I at first thought you just jumped in that boat. No rod, no reel, no net needed. I was about ready to jump in the pond and do exactly what I thought you did.

[Art Eatman]

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.

[sureshots]

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.

[Eskimo]

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.

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.

[globemaster3]

.223 for killing deer/moose/elk size amimals

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?

[Sarge]

The best place to shoot deer with the .223 is the same as with any other rifle.

"Close to the truck."