.223 for bear, mountain goat, deer, elk, and moose.

[Ozarkansas]

Best 223 for Deer Hunting: Taking Down Whitetails with 22-Caliber Bullets

What’s the best 223 ammo for deer hunting? If you want to take your AR-15 on your next deer hunt, then you need to load these deer cartridges in your mags.

ammo.com

Doesn’t appear that they referenced the most comprehensive field testing data available…this thread. Or did any actual, meaningful research at all for that matter.

Failing to put any 62-75 grain projectiles on that list is even more baffling to me than not putting this site’s favorite bullet on it. Dude left off partitions, gold dots, fusions, game kings, TMKs, barnes, and every other widely accepted “deer bullet” in their most popular weights in favor of some 55 grain varmint bullets.

After reading that article I’m pretty sure it was written at least in part by ChatGPT

 

[Big_wals]

The fact that their number one pick is a solid copper & added 2 more varmint bullets to the list pretty much sums it up lol

But that bullet was “explicitly designed for deer hunting”. Did you not even read it? And it has “solid ballistics”.

 

[The_Yetti]

Yeah, although it is known by various names
View attachment 731374

That Super Roo load is awesome! I assume its marketed for use on kangaroos?

 

[ResearchinStuff]

Best 223 for Deer Hunting: Taking Down Whitetails with 22-Caliber Bullets

What’s the best 223 ammo for deer hunting? If you want to take your AR-15 on your next deer hunt, then you need to load these deer cartridges in your mags.

ammo.com

Doesn’t appear that they referenced the most comprehensive field testing data available…this thread. Or did any actual, meaningful research at all for that matter.

they actually started a thread on RS looking for feedback on the article. you should respond

 

[Gstew1930]

But that bullet was “explicitly designed for deer hunting”. Did you not even read it? And it has “solid ballistics”.

Lmao no doubt

 

[BLJ]

they actually started a thread on RS looking for feedback on the article. you should respond

It was in the whitetail section yesterday but it’s not there now.

I read the article and then asked if they had actually killed any deer with the bullets they recommended.
No response before the thread was removed.

 

[wind gypsy]

It was in the whitetail section yesterday but it’s not there now.

I read the article and then asked if they had actually killed any deer with the bullets they recommended.
No response before the thread was removed.

"I hear those Rokslide guys love hunting with 223s, lets send them our article and maybe they can help pump it up for more hits"


"oh no, they know we haven't got a F'in clue"

 

[ResearchinStuff]

Too bad that one was yanked, it could have become an all time great.

 

[BLJ]

"I hear those Rokslide guys love hunting with 223s, lets send them our article and maybe they can help pump it up for more hits"


"oh no, they know we haven't got a F'in clue"

Kinda figured that was the case. I still felt like I needed to read the article before asking a question I already knew the answer to.

I’m going to guess that no deer were harmed during the research phase of the article.

 

[Unclecroc]

Have a 22-250 with 1:12 twist. 77 gr TMKs are pretty much a no-go due to barrel twist rate… at least that’s my assumption.

So what’s the recommended bullet for such a cartridge and twist rate for deer?

Barnes 50gr ttsx or 44gr hammer hunter. This is the exit side of a whitetail doe using a 50 grain ttsx at 3850 muzzle velocity. She went 40 yards. These are out of a 26” barrel 1-12” twist.

 

[Reddish]

Best 223 for Deer Hunting: Taking Down Whitetails with 22-Caliber Bullets

What’s the best 223 ammo for deer hunting? If you want to take your AR-15 on your next deer hunt, then you need to load these deer cartridges in your mags.

ammo.com

Doesn’t appear that they referenced the most comprehensive field testing data available…this thread. Or did any actual, meaningful research at all for that matter.

“Federal Fusion uses bonded soft-point bullets, which tend to be less accurate than polymer-tipped bullets. However, the terminal ballistics might perform better for most deer hunters because soft-point bullets expand on impact, causing more damage.”

This guy is my new favorite source of info…if you call yourself a “seasoned hunter” it makes you one on the interwebs.

 

[yeti12]

“Federal Fusion uses bonded soft-point bullets, which tend to be less accurate than polymer-tipped bullets. However, the terminal ballistics might perform better for most deer hunters because soft-point bullets expand on impact, causing more damage.”

This guy is my new favorite source of info…if you call yourself a “seasoned hunter” it makes you one on the interwebs.

It just goes to show that the people writing the magazines haven't been in the know for a very long time. They learn from and write on whatever marketing companies push at em.

 

[fwafwow]

It just goes to show that the people writing the magazines haven't been in the know for a very long time. They learn from and write on whatever marketing companies push at em.

That’s one of the reasons my two NRA magazines go right in the trash.

 

[IDVortex]

That’s one of the reasons my two NRA magazines go right in the trash.

Anything I recieve that has NRA on it goes into the trash.

 

[Blaw]

I haven't used them based on research done here and elsewhere. I was looking at information on the 155's in particular (it may be different for a 108gr 6.5) but my understanding is that projectile expansion and upset is less than expected in most cases. Despite the large hollow cavity behind the meplat I have been reading that they don't open up as violently as I personally would expect from their construction, and that TMK's and ELD-M's expand more readily at lower impact velocities.

The idea of a thin match jacket on a particularly long, medium for caliber bullet with a big ass cavity up front tickles me. I run short rifles because bush bashing in NZ with a suppressed 22" barrel sucks. Gaining some velocity back by running a medium weight bullet with an exceptional BC to offset a 16-18" barrel is what I'd like to do, but I accept that there's no such thing as a free lunch.

ah ya, you and I are in the same boat. except I cant run a suppressor

 

[IDVortex]

ah ya, you and I are in the same boat. except I cant run a suppressor

Is this when I do the same thing to my wifes cousin and let you know I had a suppressor about a mile south of your border and nothing evil happened with it? Though I did feel like I had a bunch of mounties on horse back watching me from a mile away.

 

[Gettincloser]

Alright, up to page 194 and that puts me over the halfway point! (Currently there are 386 pages...) I have a few questions if yall would not mind entertaining me.

1) Why Tikka light/super light? If the mags do not hold the heavy(er) TMK, is there a production rifle with a 1:8 or 1:7.5 twist barrel that they do feed? Even if the rifle has a blind mag vs a detachable box magazine? Or is it simply a well built consistently accurate production rifle that is of low weight?

2) Is it simply that the 77gr TMK is so effective that no one really wants the longer/heavier projectiles?

3) As for elk hunting with a 223 (still blows my mind... but it has been well documented and proven!) Is it taking 2, 3, 4 shots on average to bring them down or are 85%+ one shot and down kills? (Yes, I know of and have seen many magnum hunters put multiple rounds in an elk before they tip over. They are big animals, like a moose, and it can take a moment for blood pressure to drop before they succumb to the injury. Thus allowing time to get off multiple shots in that time window. Ethically, shooting till they drop. Is that more the situation? I would assume they would have less "reaction" to run with a smaller diameter caliber and suppressor to spook them into running but what do I know... I have never shot an elk. But it might be in the cards this year.

4) What is up with the cult following on the fixed 6x scopes? I am a fan of a 2x-10x scope for both magnification on the high end and light gathering at 2x on the low end for shooting in low light for hogs. (Plenty in TX to hunt year round.) Is it simply light weight?

Thank you for the informaymtion and education in advance.

 

[Formidilosus]

1) Why Tikka light/super light? If the mags do not hold the heavy(er) TMK, is there a production rifle with a 1:8 or 1:7.5 twist barrel that they do feed? Even if the rifle has a blind mag vs a detachable box magazine? Or is it simply a well built consistently accurate production rifle that is of low weight?

The factory T3 mags feed the 77gr TMK perfectly. There are no heavier .224 TMK’s. If you want to shoot 75gr and above ELD-M’s a swap to CTR or AI mags is all it takes.

As for why tikka, because unless screwed with, they are ether most consistently reliable and problem free bolt action currently on the market, the action and trigger is fantastic in reliability, and they shoot very well.

No, there are no other current competitors to the T3x.

2) Is it simply that the 77gr TMK is so effective that no one really wants the longer/heavier projectiles?

Answered above. The 77gr TMK is more like the high water mark for terminal ballistics, but others are very good as well.

3) As for elk hunting with a 223 (still blows my mind... but it has been well documented and proven!) Is it taking 2, 3, 4 shots on average to bring them down or are 85%+ one shot and down kills? (Yes, I know of and have seen many magnum hunters put multiple rounds in an elk before they tip over. They are big animals, like a moose, and it can take a moment for blood pressure to drop before they succumb to the injury. Thus allowing time to get off multiple shots in that time window. Ethically, shooting till they drop. Is that more the situation? I would assume they would have less "reaction" to run with a smaller diameter caliber and suppressor to spook them into running but what do I know... I have never shot an elk. But it might be in the cards this year.

If you shoot once and stop, they have the same shot rate as anything else. If animals are still standing or moving, they should keep getting shot. Since 223’s recoil less and are much faster to shoot, elk get on average about one round more than 30cal mags (1-3 versus 2-4) It has everything to do with the capability to shoot faster, not that it is required.

4) What is up with the cult following on the fixed 6x scopes? I am a fan of a 2x-10x scope for both magnification on the high end and light gathering at 2x on the low end for shooting in low light for hogs. (Plenty in TX to hunt year round.) Is it simply light weight?

Because the 6x SWFA is on average a very reliable, extremely simple scope with a good mil reticle that simply works. 6x is plenty to shoot game animals to way beyond the terminal range of the 223. No fussing, no screwing with power, no messing with parallax or “focus”, etc.; just dial elevation, hold wind and shoot.

 

[Gettincloser]

Thank you very much for the well explained answers!

 

[Castle Rock]

I have been doing a fair bit of experimenting lately with the 8 Twist Tikka 223 and 22/250
My AO is about 50 feet above sea level, and the heaviest bullet that I can reliably stabilize up to 900 yards is either a 77 grain TMK or a 77 grain SMK
80.5 Bergers and 80 grain ELDM’s lose stability at about 400 yards
This isn’t to say that they are keyholing, but accuracy goes from a sub MOA to over 2 MOA
The extra 250 fps from the 22/250 doesn’t seem to make a big difference
A mates 7.5 twist barrel is noticeably better but that may be due to other factors so I won’t comment on that