.223 for youth deer gun?

[Randle]

My son called a little while ago and said he has a chance to pick up a .223
Rifle for my grandson for a great price. His question is would it be a good deer cartridge? I honestly don't know but told him I would bounce it off you guys. I know in the right hands .22 will kill deer, but would this .223 be good for a 11 year old ?

 

[hodgeman]

The .22 centerfires can be extremely effective. But I'd hesitiate when it's for a child.

Hunting with the .223 takes a lot of patience waiting on shot angles and it takes good marksmanship...both of which are not exactly traits of beginning hunters. In the hands of experienced hunters, they can drop deer readily but there's just no margin for error.

 

[Oldffemt]

Agreed. Get your grandson a 243 or 6.5 Grendel. C’mon grandpa, why is this even a question?

 

[PNWGATOR]

Read what Formidilosus has posted about the 77gr TMK and performance on big game and take a look at the pictures. There is no question that the right bullet out of the right platform will be effective.

 

[elkguide]

Will do the job in the hands of a skilled, patient shooter. Not the weapon for a youngster from my experience.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I don’t have any first hand experience with 223 and deer. I have a friend that has taken deer with one and says it works fine.

I have been looking at low recoil 308 rounds to get my 10-year old started on rifle shooting.

 

[timekiller13]

Not an ideal cartridge for a new hunter. Those .22 centerfires are deadly, but require precise shot placement and offer little margin for error. .243, 6mm creedmoor, 260 or 6.5 would be better.

I have shot deer with 22-250, 220 swift, 223 and 222. All have been deadly on deer. But, to anchor a deer where it stood, you needed to hit central nervous system. Shooting behind the shoulder/heart lead to minimal blood trails and long trailing jobs. Head/neck shots were best and only happen under ideal conditions. I spent one summer shooting deer on a depred permit for a farmer. Myself and two friends shot 43 deer, all of us using 223 or 22-250. Result were always the same. Shoot em behind the shoulder, they run 150 or so yds with hardly any blood, difficult recoveries once they got out of field into cutovers and swamps. Hit em the head or neck, DRT. If you do decide to use the 223 for deer, make sure to get a well constructed bullet, such as Nosler Partition or 77 grain sierra, limit shot distance, and take central nervous system shots for best results. If you hunt wide open fields or big woods, behind the shoulder may not be too bad, just be prepared for long trailing jobs and hope they don't get into the thick stuff.

 

[pchrisla]

Pass on it and pick up a 7mm-08 or 6.5 creed IMO.

 

[Formidilosus]

My son called a little while ago and said he has a chance to pick up a .223
Rifle for my grandson for a great price. His question is would it be a good deer cartridge? I honestly don't know but told him I would bounce it off you guys. I know in the right hands .22 will kill deer, but would this .223 be good for a 11 year old ?

Zero issues. Use Federal Fusion 62gr ammo and the wounds will be about like a 270/7-08/30-06 with copper bullets with a bit more tissue damage.

 

[Randle]

Great guys thanks for the real life feedback. I kind of figured it was a good round but not for
a younger hunter. I just don't have any knowledge of .223 on deer .

 

[Formidilosus]

Great guys thanks for the real life feedback. I kind of figured it was a good round but not for
a younger hunter. I just don't have any knowledge of .223 on deer .

Negative. It’s all about the bullet. There are bullets that can be used in .224’s that will destroy nearly the entire front of a deer. No one wants more damage than a 77gr TMK does, regardless of cartridge. The 223 is easily the best choice for any new shooter.



Just over 100 yards, 223. 77gr TMK. Went 10 feet straight downhill.










Destroyed onside shoulder completely, multiple ribs, 4-5” permanent cavity through lungs, broke rib and caught in offside skin.

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303 yards. 223 77gr TMK. Dropped at the shot.

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Entrance at 303 yards. Bullet broke humerus, two ribs, created a 2” permanent cavity through both lungs and liver, caught under skin on offside. 18-20” penetration with a massive wound channel.

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70’ish yards. 223 77gr TMK. No large bones hit. Deer traveled 20 yards leaving a massive blood trail.

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[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Its not an approved big game caliber in numerous states so keep that in mind.

I have a bolt 223 for my kids so they can shoot something with some distance ability cheaply (and I got it cheap). But when it comes to hunting there is a 243, then a 7-08, and then some bigger calibers waiting for them (I have a few kids so its an excuse to have a few extra rifles. ).

 

[Formidilosus]

The .22 centerfires can be extremely effective. But I'd hesitiate when it's for a child.

Hunting with the .223 takes a lot of patience waiting on shot angles and it takes good marksmanship...both of which are not exactly traits of beginning hunters. In the hands of experienced hunters, they can drop deer readily but there's just no margin for error.

Not personal, just using your post as an example- the wounds in the deer I posted have no “margin of error”?

A gut gut shot deer with 308 is better than one with a 223 and good bullets? No, not in my experience. Between hunting and depredation I have killed or seen killed somewhere around a thousand deer. Until you get to truly destructive bullets and cartridges (300WM and 178gr AMAX’s) no round really makes up for bad placement.



Yes, let’s give a bigger, heavier, longer, louder, harder recoiling gun to someone already disposed to being recoil shy....

 

[PathFinder]

Formidilosis is right. You don't want a controlled expansion type bullet (partition, Barnes). Penetration won't be the issue, those bullets essentially create a pencil stab from a small caliber. Go with something heavy for caliber and frangible. ELD M, TMK, and over 70 grains. Stay away from SMK s. Hornady BTHPs are OK, but the ELD M will do a better job. A fragmenting 73+ grain bullet in a deer's lungs isn't going to let them get far.

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[xziang]

Its not an approved big game caliber in numerous states so keep that in mind.

).

Here in NE " .22-caliber or larger rifle that deliver at least 900 foot-pounds of energy at 100 yards " I used a Mini 14 first couple times I went deer hunting for it was the only rifle I had at the time. It worked for me but agree with above posts the 243 seems to be a popular choice for newbies. Recoil and 'kick' will also depend on the firearm too.

 

[Trigger06]

I know a girl who shot her first two deer when she was 6 years old with an AR-15. It might not be ideal, but it will do the job.

 

[jorgensen.travis]

I would make sure it had a fast twist rate, if I intended on using it for hunting.


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[260madman]

I use 223 to take deer with every year. It’s what my daughter will use this year for her first deer. 62gr TSX hits hard. I’ve taken a few over 200 yards and the longest run was, I think, 42 yards with a blood trail. Anything in close went 10 yards or less.

Difference between a .224 and .244 is .020”. It’s not much.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Difference between a .224 and .244 is .020”. It’s not much.

Except when states have a .23cal minimum then it matters.

 

[Gatorgrizz27]

If my son is mature enough to shoot and hunt by 4-5, it will be with a .223. Lots of deer have fallen to them and the lack of recoil makes it easy to shoot well.

For an 11 year old though, I’d get them a 7mm-08, thread it for a removable muzzle brake, and shoot Hornady Custom Lite ammo. My .30-06 with Custom Lite ammo (125 gr @ 2700 fps) recoils less than my 6.5 Creedmoor, and with the muzzle brake on is almost indistinguishable from a .223. Their 7mm-08 load is 120 gr at 2675 fps, so it should be even slightly less recoil. These loads are capable of taking deer out to 300 yards, I’ve killed several with mine that were DRT.

He can practice all day with that combination, then take the brake off to hunt. With adrenaline he won’t notice the increased recoil. Moving up to full power loads with the brake still shouldn’t be bad at all once he gets comfortable, again remove it to hunt, and he can take black bear, elk, etc.