@BuckSmasher, have you read the 223 thread? The entire thing, start to finish? Or one of the 6mm threads? The “223 crowd”, which I am a member of, didn’t drink some coolaid and get brainwashed overnight. Every single one of us who hunts with a .223 or 6mm was skeptical at first. I didn’t even click on the thread for at least the year, I figured it was a bunch of BS. When I was finally convinced to try the 223/77tmk combo, I shot several whitetails before I felt confident to carry that rifle for elk hunting.
If I would have had any negative experience, you bet your bottom dollar that I would have posted it in the thread and let the world know. And I think the vast majority would have did the same. There just has been little to no negative posts, and it’s not because there’s some grand conspiracy to convince everyone to use a cartridge/ bullet combo that is going to wound more animals. I could care less what anyone shoots, as long as you are recovering the animals you shoot.
And for me, the easiest, most consistent way to deliver a bullet to the vitals is with a suppressed .223 or .243. If I start seeing poor results on game, I’ll switch in a heartbeat. I HATE wounding animals.