pasquale51
Member
Most of my hunting buddies here in Mississippi use large caliber magnums for feral hogs!
whats good to hunt with a .223/5.56?
- Thread starter PunisherBane
- Start date
In my considerable experience shooting coyotes and foxes with the .223, I would suggest that animals of that size are the upper limit of the cartridges' capability for humane, DRT use on game, and consider that even small whitetail deer are inappropriate targets of this round. I know, I know --- lots of people can cite lots of examples of larger game killed with the cartridge, but that doesn't prove that it's genuinely suitable for larger critters. Karamojo Bell famously killed a few African elephants with a .22 rimfire, and actually favored the 7x57 Mauser as his ivory hunting weapon, but that doesn't make the .22 or 7mm Mauser a recommended "elephant gun", and a few fluke successes don't make the .223 an appropriate "deer rifle" round. And, I'll bet that if we knew the whole story, we'd learn that those people using this wimpy cartridge on animals far larger than it's actually adequate to kill humanely, we'd find that there have been plenty of wounded but lost game animals. I suspect that most people using .223/5.56 for hunting are trying to get dual-duty use out of an AR or other "assault rifle" platform, rather than ponying up for a suitably chambered hunting rifle.
Last edited:
OP
PunisherBane
Member
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2012
- Messages
- 195
- Reaction score
- 79
I myself have a 45 colt as a brush gun for ranges under 100 yards, but I normally hunt with either a .308 or my favorite for now is 8x57 or also known as 8mm Mauser. Which is a 32 caliber bullet. Someday I will have a 30-30 again which is a nice hunting rifle to about 150 yards. I doubt I ever buy another 30-06, dont care for the thump nor any of the magnums for the same reason. But prairie dogs and an occasional coyote is great for the .223/5.56x45 platform.
cyphertext
US Veteran
rojodiablo
Member
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2011
- Messages
- 1,759
- Reaction score
- 1,190
Having done many eradication shoots on pigs, I can tell you what you are not seeing is the volume of wounded that are staggering off, some to live, some to die.
I have put many hogs down with a 223, and it can be done with one, but more often when shooting them on the move it can take 3-5 hits to stop them.
Also, shooting them from the top down gives a much more lethal angle of attack. Broadside shots in the center mass offer less penetration and less 'dropped in their tracks'.
when used on people the object is to seriously wound, when you wound you take more people out of the battle, besides the person you have wounded seriously you also have the people who have to help their wounded comrade who are taken out of the battle. or at least that is how it was taught to me in the Corps
olskool
Member
it's amazing what people will believe, a 30-30 bouncing off a hog! please. i have hunted deer with 223 22-250 220 swift and even 22 hornet all my life i am almost 55 i grew up in the woods. our deer season in sc is aug 15 till jan1 i have a lot of exp. hunting and a 223 at over 3000 fps is very deadly! i have always had a 30-30 on and off most of my life. when i was a kid i shot an old rail road cross tie in the ground stuck up for a post and it went slam through it, that's when i learned about the power of a very low powered tired old 30-30 that would most likley bounce off a hog!
SixGunHunter
Member
Kudos JaPes
I come from a hunting family. I take it very serious. I have passed up many game because I didnt like the shot. Shot placement is key and knowing the game your hunting is key. 1 shot, 1 kill is everything to me. I respect animals and I don't want any of them to suffer due to my poor shot. Arrow or bullet.
I like your words. I like reading about people who have never hunted and you Sir are on the right track.
it's amazing what people will believe, a 30-30 bouncing off a hog! please. i have hunted deer with 223 22-250 220 swift and even 22 hornet all my life i am almost 55 i grew up in the woods. our deer season in sc is aug 15 till jan1 i have a lot of exp. hunting and a 223 at over 3000 fps is very deadly! i have always had a 30-30 on and off most of my life. when i was a kid i shot an old rail road cross tie in the ground stuck up for a post and it went slam through it, that's when i learned about the power of a very low powered tired old 30-30 that would most likley bounce off a hog!
Sir we have people from your state who have leased our farm to come deer hunting and they pay the big bucks I might add. They tell me about how small the deer are in SC compared to here. I also know that there have been a lot of deer taken with a 22lr. I have never done it but I know it has happened. Just because people are willing to wound an animal doesnt make it right. I think but am not sure you are allowed to hunt deer with a 22 caliber round. That is great we are not. I do agree the 30-30 is the most overlooked and probably has taken more deer than any other caliber out there.
CAJUNLAWYER
Member
Man. That's what they were originally made for.
Jayhawkhuntclub
Member
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2011
- Messages
- 740
- Reaction score
- 318
1) Deer in the SE US are dramatically smaller on average then Midwestern deer.
2) The difference in a 223 and a 243 is tantamount to the difference in a 223 and a Red Rider bb gun (maybe a little hyperbole, but still).
3) No question a 22 LR will kill a deer. The question is how far will it go before you find it (if you find it).
4) No ethical hunter head shoots deer, at least not from the side. Too many deer have had their jaws removed this way and had long agonizing deaths.
2) The difference in a 223 and a 243 is tantamount to the difference in a 223 and a Red Rider bb gun (maybe a little hyperbole, but still).
3) No question a 22 LR will kill a deer. The question is how far will it go before you find it (if you find it).
4) No ethical hunter head shoots deer, at least not from the side. Too many deer have had their jaws removed this way and had long agonizing deaths.
olskool
Member
olskool
Member
Last edited:
watergun1929
Member
.223
.223 is legal in Mississippi for deer. I personally have killed three deer with a .223, one buck and two does. All 3 were one-shot kills with lung shots. I used Federal 55 gr Bear Claw bullets. All 3 went down within 30 yards with pass-through shots. So yes, the .223 is good for deer with the right bullet and shot placement. Also a wonderful prairie dog round. Not legal for turkeys in Mississippi.
.223 is legal in Mississippi for deer. I personally have killed three deer with a .223, one buck and two does. All 3 were one-shot kills with lung shots. I used Federal 55 gr Bear Claw bullets. All 3 went down within 30 yards with pass-through shots. So yes, the .223 is good for deer with the right bullet and shot placement. Also a wonderful prairie dog round. Not legal for turkeys in Mississippi.
At what distances are you guys shooting deer at? Those are some really nice animals, I ask because of how we are situated very little woods mostly wide open spaces. Supposedly deer are color blind, I dont know about that they sure seem to be able to see hunter orange LOL. I have set down on the dikes along the lower missisippi in Louisiana and watched the deer come out of the trees into the cut outs for electric lines and pipelines, brush so heavy it makes me wonder how they get through. We dont have that here but we do have deer tons of deer and does that regularly hit 200lbs and Bucks even bigger but if you get closer than 200 yards it is a rarity.
BoDog
Member
I am just an old varmint hunter, former NRA competitor who has burned a few rounds of .223. Bullet placement is the key to all critters. If I were shooting varmints and a deer waundered into my scope (I live in the area where lead free is required) he would meet a Barnes 62 g.
copper hollow point,same with a pig.
copper hollow point,same with a pig.
Similar threads
