223 Rem & Whitetails

[clubkey]

I've been reading lots of literature lately about hunting whitetailed deer with the 223 Rem cartridge and I am wondering if any of you folks here have any experience using this cartridge for deer hunting?

[versifier]

Welcome to the Guide. This question often comes up in the fall.

Nosler makes a 60gr PAR bullet for it, and there are several other premium bullets specifically designed, but it is no cartridge for a novice hunter to be thinking about using. (Neither do I recommend the .22-250 for the same reasons.) Bullet selection is critical and 99% of available .224 bullets are designed either for target or varmint shooting and can never be relied upon to kill a large animal cleanly. With the right bullet, one must still pick his(her) shots very carefully, and that takes a degree of patience and maturity that usually only comes from many years of experience in the field. I hear the question often in my Hunter Ed classes, and I cannot and do not recommend it to anyone when there are so many proven rounds that are specifically designed for large game and proven by many years of use.

A lot of people do use it for deer, clueless about bullet selection, often with the result of a wounded animal that dies a lingering death from infection. A lot of hunters also use it successfully, but that does not make it the wisest choice.

After years of listening to the horror stories told be our Game Wardens, to me, the issue is not one of possibility, but rather one of ethics and responsibility. I want to use a cartridge and bullet that I feel will reliably insure a quick clean kill. We owe that to the animals we hunt. If I choose to hunt with a marginal combination (like a .357mag or a .22 centerfire), then I know that I have to work within the limits of my choice, and that means short ranges and broadside shots that can be precisely placed - no quartering or end-on shots that would be no problem with a larger and heavier bullet.

[clubkey]

Just as I thought... Thank you for your reply Sir!

[Mule]

We have found the .223 works well within its limitations.
The 64gr Win Power Point bullet is just as effective as the pricey Nosler partition.

As Clint Eastwood said "A man has to know his limitations."

[clubkey]

I understand the limitations Mule. I do have some of the 60gr. Nosler Partitions on order and they should be here on Tuesday.

The 64gr. Winchester PP was actually a bullet I was recommended by a friend, but my Ruger Model 77 MK II is an older model with the 1 in 12 twist and I didn't think it would stabilize the longer heavier Winchester bullets with that twist rate.

Thanks for the information though cause I really appreciate it.

[Mule]

The 64gr. Winchester PP was actually a bullet I was recommended by a friend, but my Ruger Model 77 MK II is an older model with the 1 in 12 twist and I didn't think it would stabilize the longer heavier Winchester bullets with that twist rate.

You can't go wrong with the Nosler.

If you get the opportunity, give the Winchester a try.

Happy Hunting!

[clubkey]

Thank you Mule and if I can find some of those Win PP I will be sure to give them a try.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln1qLy3xSf0

[Bullshop Junior]

I would use somthing bigger, but it will work. What kind of 223 do you have?

[clubkey]

I would use somthing bigger, but it will work. What kind of 223 do you have?

Hey Bullshop,

I have a Ruger Model 77 Mk II.

You live in Alaska?

I've read many stories from the 40's and 50's of Eskimo life in Alaska and the native people using 22 Hornets and 222 Rem as their primary game getter's. The reason they did so, I have read is because of the high cost of shipping anything into your state at that time. I actually was in Anchorage in 1969 as a refueling lay over on our way to Vietnam and I know the price of a meal at that time was about double what we would have paid here back then.

[Bullshop Junior]

They used alot of things! About two years ago some natives killed a poler bear with a AR-15 around FT Yukon. they used and still use alot of 30/30s also.

Do you know what twist your 223 has?