Bullet performance on deer

SC Hunter

Senior Member
I've killed a ridiculous number of deer using a 223 with 55 grain soft point ammo. I've shot some with I believe 62 grain bullets as well. Shoot them in the lungs toward the lower third of the chest, they'll bleed.
 

killerv

Senior Member
62gr federal fusion is heck on a deer, all my kids shot for several years. Never lost a one, never had one go past maybe 75 yards. Now I am smart enough to know when they were big enough to shoot something bigger, to shoot something bigger, but the ar platform worked well for us when starting out.
 

Rich M

Senior Member
Maybe just bring them and let em watch? That's as much fun - especially for the younger ones.

Maybe you know someone with a 357 mag rifle - quieter and real light recoil. Super deadly inside 100 yards. Its what my wife and stepson use when they hunt.
 

Hit-n-Miss

Senior Member
Barnes VOR-TX Ammunition 223 Remington 55 Grain TSX(Factory loads). I have killed a lot of deer with BarnesTSX 53gr with my .222 including heart/lung shots as well as neck. Also you get complete pass thru with a nice exit. My son shot his first behind the shoulder at 8 years old. It ran 30 yards and piled up.
 
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Nimrod71

Senior Member
I use Sierra 150 Pro Hunter in my 30 cals. and Sierra 140 Pro Hunter in my 7mm-08. Get DRT from both. No trailing or tracking, really DOA
 

dusty200001

Senior Member
I have some Barnes 70 grain .223. They are moving pretty good. Bought them for pig stalking. If you could find any, be a good option
 

rosewood

Senior Member
I've been trying to come up with a solution for my two youngest to hunt deer. They are 6 and 7 and both small of stature and struggle with good form on even the shortest youth models. On a hunch, I collapsed the stock on an AR and low and behold, they both shoot it comfortably and very well with a red dot.

Problem is, as you all know, there are virtually no .223 rounds to be found anywhere in America. I've got an assortment of rounds ranging from 55 up to 62gr, none of which I feel confident shooting a deer with. However, I have a few boxes of 68gr Hornady BTHP that I can load up. Hornady doesn't recommend them for hunting, but they're the closest thing I've got in .223 to a lethal deer load.

Anybody got any experience with them on deer?
The Sierra 65gr SGKs are supposedly good on deer. I have some loaded up, but haven't tested them on anything yet. Not sure if you can find them now or not.
 

Jester896

Senior Clown
I found loaded rounds for .260 & .270 that I have been looking for for over a year...I get the can I find them or not :). One was 110TTSX in the .270 and 120TTSX for the .260 along with about 75 rounds of my LR 142gr .260
 

Dan30257

Member
My daughter hunts with my Ruger Precision in .308. Between weight of the rifle and muzzle break, recoil is manageable and she's small. Point being, if you can't find bullets/ammo for the rifle you intend for them to use, maybe look at adding a mod to a different rifle?
 
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