Hunting House » Legal Hunting » Is .223 a valid round for anything other than war?
Is .223 a valid round for anything other than war?
Question:
Hey Jeff, how about a 22 magnum for critter control. They are cheaper than a 223 and not much more (if any) expensive then 22 lr rifles. Just try some standard 40 gr. JHP’s they cost less than 223 ammo. Just something to think about. Mike "Trying is the first step toward failure" –Homer Simpson Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
If, of course, you don’t reload your own. 22 Mag’s don’t even come within the same ball park! Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
> I am considering >buying a .223 rifle for general plinking and varmit control on my country >property, but I wonder about the usefulness for anything bigger than a >possum. Could one hunt deer with it?
In states where it is legal, why not? In Texas whitetails don’t grow to the weight of a large man. The real problem is if you can hit them where it does the most damage. When I was a kid I killed numerous hogs weighing up to 300 lbs. with a .22 LR. Bill Van Houten (USA Ret) Nothing that is politicaly Right can be Moraly wrong.—— Th. Jefferson Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
> I have a .223 and it is good for coyate and fox also I would not want to try to > take a big coyate with .22LR . No this is not a good cal. for deer the > bullet does not have enough meat to take big game down.
How many deer have you lost to using the 223, instead of a larger caliber? What makes you think it can’t down deer? Oh because you either heard it somewhere ,or read it,, Well I tell you right now, it puts the deer down , if you just hit the chest with it and don’t use a varmit bullet in it. A number of years back we had a cattle truck wreck, and the cows and bulls were injured and walking (limping) along the interstate. A high way patrolman got his AR 15 out and killed 12 , 800+ cows with one shot each, to the chest, (broad side shots). All these shots were made at close range (under 50 yds) with Remington 55 grain soft points. No they didn’t just drop, but few went over 15 yds before they did. Why did he use the AR, because that is all he had, besides his side arm, and he was afraid of them causing more wrecks > Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: > http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
> I do not mean to be provacative; I am genuinly curious. I am considering > buying a .223 rifle for general plinking and varmit control on my country > property, but I wonder about the usefulness for anything bigger than a > possum. Could one hunt deer with it? If not, I might just get a .22LR > and save a bunch of money. > I realize the slug is at high velocity, but it looks so small… > -jeff
Jeff; It’s not the size of the slug, the velocity imparts many ft/lbs of force, and when it hits something, it hits with nearly a ton of force. Make Mike Tyson’s fists pale in comparison. The .223 is fit for just what you want to use it for. Some states do allow it for deer, but the bullet construction of most .223 rounds is by far too fragile to allow for deep penetration, and a humane kill. This point will be argued ad infinitum, but IMHO stick to coyotes, prairie dogs, and similar critters. Also great for varminting, shoot all day and never develop a flinch or sore shoulder. Mark Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
They are good fun, and pretty accurate and reliable IF you clean them properly. Cheers, Brenton Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
I would agree with the’murder on coyotes’ statement! My .223 rem.heavy varminter is so accurate i usually make hit’s while my ’swift’ and 25-06 buddies are scratching their head’s.’Oh it was too close,I over-shot, or ‘I’m still getting used to this scope,gotta play with seating depth,ect.ect. The only other cal. I’ve fired that was more accurate I have yet to find anything I dislike about the .223. I think it’s capable of killing a deer, but it would never be used for that purpose by choice.Rock Chucks out to 325 are lambasted everytime.At a local 1000yrd. club my 7yr old hits steel turkeys at 440yrds with boredom. Another benefit of the .223….nuff said!! Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
> It’s murder on coyotes. It’s illegal to use one for deer, the caliber’s > too small. But on anything from coyotes on down, a .223 with a high > quality bullet through the boilers will bring it down instantly. > The .223 is legal for deer in Oregon.
britt Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
I have a .223 and it is good for coyate and fox also I would not want to try to take a big coyate with .22LR . No this is not a good cal. for deer the bullet does not have enough meat to take big game down. But Does a nice job on any small game there is to hunt. It is a nice cal. becuase it gives you extra range for the .22LR on game you don’t want to get so colse to. Nick Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
I do not mean to be provacative; I am genuinly curious. I am considering buying a .223 rifle for general plinking and varmit control on my country property, but I wonder about the usefulness for anything bigger than a possum. Could one hunt deer with it? If not, I might just get a .22LR and save a bunch of money. I realize the slug is at high velocity, but it looks so small… -jeff Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I do not mean to be provacative; I am genuinly curious. I am considering > buying a .223 rifle for general plinking and varmit control on my country > property, but I wonder about the usefulness for anything bigger than a > possum. Could one hunt deer with it? If not, I might just get a .22LR > and save a bunch of money. > I realize the slug is at high velocity, but it looks so small… > The .223 is fit for just what you want to use it for. Some states do > allow it for deer, but the bullet construction of most .223 rounds is by > far too fragile to allow for deep penetration, and a humane kill. This > point will be argued ad infinitum, but IMHO stick to coyotes, prairie > dogs, and similar critters. Also great for varminting, shoot all day > and never develop a flinch or sore shoulder.
Do you have an opinion about the Ruger Mini-14? Looks kind of fun… -jeff Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
> I do not mean to be provacative; I am genuinly curious. I am considering > buying a .223 rifle for general plinking and varmit control on my country > property, but I wonder about the usefulness for anything bigger than a > possum. Could one hunt deer with it? If not, I might just get a .22LR > and save a bunch of money.
If you won’t be shooting anything bigger raccoons and no further than 70 yds, go with the .22. However, the .223 has triple the range and will work on up to deer sized game with proper shot placement and bullets. -Jeremy Z Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
It’s a pretty good round for groundhogs, and I imagine it would be a good choice for coyotes and feral dogs also, but I wouldn’t expect an instant drop on those. The mild recoil and relatively low noise of the .223 also make it a nice round for practice and informal target shooting. Michael Courtney Share what you know. Learn what you don’t. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
> It’s murder on coyotes. It’s illegal to use one for deer, the caliber’s > too small. But on anything from coyotes on down, a .223 with a high > quality bullet through the boilers will bring it down instantly.
Ron – that’s over-generalized and overstated. 1)In some states it might be illegal for deer. Here, it isn’t. That doesn’t mean I recommend it; quite the opposite. But it absolutely is legal. 2) I wouldn’t call it "murder" on coyotes. (Maybe that word means something different to me.) ’bout half of my coyotes got .223 holes in ‘em. Based on what I’ve seen, I’d call it adequate, no more, and only for short to medium range. Tom Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
It’s murder on coyotes. It’s illegal to use one for deer, the caliber’s too small. But on anything from coyotes on down, a .223 with a high quality bullet through the boilers will bring it down instantly. Ron M. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/