bumping - curious on this...
My experience with .223 is as follows:
Hornady 55gr SP - reliable, longest shot for me 160y, expands well, never had a pass through, almost always lodged on offside hide unless stuck in offside shoulder.
Winchester 64gr Deer Season XP - not reliable, longest shot 90y, small sample size of 3 for me, had a couple behave like vmax and 1 pencil through, quickly threw the box away.
Hornady 73eldm - reliable, longest shot 220y (out of a 10.5 barrel) good expansion, out of my longer barrels under 100y they have a little more come apart than I would like but kill well, had 2 pass through the rest were some shrapnel inside and main semi intact lodged on offside. I tend to prefer this out of my shorter guns to get the velocity lower at the distance typically shoot. Usually 30y or less track with a good shot, high shoulder with this one is basically guaranteed to plant them immediately.
77otm - reliable, longest shot just under 300y, expansion more controlled, holds together better, all passthroughs so far, this is what I shoot out of barrels over 16" typically. Typical has been good blood trail but with a longer track than the eldm.