What grain bullet?

[Guest H0TSH0T]

i would suggest a .308 150gr ballistic silvertip boatail . the deer i harvested dropped instantly at 75yrds i could not find the entrance wound, the exit was smaller than the tip of my pinkey finger, the deer did not suffer, after i got out of the tree i was in i checked and taged my deer, i put the round 4 in behind the shoulder, it went trough both lungs and the hart, when i dressed it out, the lung sac was filled with warm blood and the hart was like spagetti , i was impressed it was my first kill. best of all it was checked by twra on printice cooper and at the processor in less than a hour and a half form the time i took the shot, all the meat tasted just like the tenderloin, it was fantastic.

[Good_Steward]

WTF? Are you trying to say that bullet diameter is the only difference between the .243 and .223?? Let's go to school for a moment, and compare apples to apples

a .223 with an 80 gr bullet, from my loads over a chrony, travels at 2,743 fps with the max recommended load of AA 2520 delivers 1109 lbs of energy at 100 yards.

That same weight 80gr bullet with the max recommended load of AA 4350 out of the .243 tavels at 3,348 fps and delivers 1616 lbs of energy at the same distance. To put this in perspective, let's say your maximum bench press is 300lbs. Someone loads up 400 pounds, and lets it go. That's the difference in the .223 and .243. While one day you MIGHT get that 400, right now, it's just NOT possible.

Soooo, there's really no contest, especially when you consider that that same 80gr bullet is a low medium load for .243. Normal bullet weight for .223 is 55 - 63gr. Normal for .243 is 90 - 110. Big arse difference. Figured y'all needed some facts to chew on instead of conjecture.

P.S. - The difference in diameter is .019", not .23".

Edited August 17, 2009 by Good_Steward

[deerslayer]

christ, what is wrong with you? It dont matter if its .223 or 30-06 Ive seen and heard of deer not going straight down after being hit with 7mm mag, you have to put the bullet in the right place or it dont matter what your shooting with.

Think about how stupid you sound, you would shoot one with a .243 but not a .223? your telling me that 0.23 of an inch is the difference between a one shot kill? Deerslayer...... hmmm, Ill bet you are LMAO!!!!!

Yes, I have killed many deer, all with one shot, some with less than perfect shot placement, none with a .223, though. Sometimes deer will still run 100 yards after a perfect shot--heart, lungs blown to hell, and they still run. Think about what you're saying--if you've heard of deer not going down with a 7 Mag, why would you use a .223? See above post for a basic explanation of the differences between a .223 and .243. If you believe that the only difference is bullet diameter, I wonder if you've ever shot at a deer, or even fired a rifle. If you had ever shot both across a bench, you would know there is a difference. Also, your math is a bit lacking--the difference is .019", not .23". .223 + .23 = .453. A thumper for sure. Who sounds stupid now?

Edited August 16, 2009 by deerslayer

[Good_Steward]

Look, I'm not trying to step on anyone's toes. I've been hunting for 20 years, and I have to say that even an experienced hunter should not be hunting deer with a .223, much less an 11 yr old that has never been in the field. As any experienced hunter will tell you, there are just too many real world variables that can screw that "perfect" shot placement.

[gregintenn]

I've never shot a deer with a 223, but I'm sure it is far superior to a bow and arrow. It also has more muzzle energy than a 44 magnum. I've yet to hear anyone make the arguement that a 44 mag was inadequate for deer.

Deer are tougher than humans,

Really? How tough are they? You'd think with all the new magnums being introduced that they keep getting tougher.

Seriously, has anyone hear made a good shot on a deer with a 223 and lost the deer?

[Curiousgb]

I have shot 3 deer with my ar. All with 60gn Nosler partitions. All were clean kills. I also was very picky about shots. All within 75 yards and I knew I could hit what I was aiming at. Would I use it again, yes. Is it my prefered deer rifle, no. I prefer one of my Leverguns, 35 Rem, 44mag, 45colt, 357 mag, 45-70. You get the picture.

[Warbird]

Again the OP was talking about a child on their first hunt, never having shot at a living thing in the field. This is not a discussion about an experienced shooter and hunter.

[Warbird]

This is almost so preposterous that I don't want to respond, but feel compelled. There is no need to treat a poster like that, especially one who has shown to have a lot of experience hunting and time in at TGO trying to advise many others. It is especially bad considering you are wrong.

So what you are saying is the 380, 9mm, 38 special and 357 all have the same power, since they are all the same caliber. Who is the one who sounds stupid?

We aren't talking about definites, we are talking about odds. And we are talking about odds with a less experienced shooter, more likely to miss the great shot.

Edited August 17, 2009 by Hunting101

[ShaunM]

Everyone has an opinion on shooting a deer with a 223 thats fine but there will be no name calling or bashing other members of this forum it WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. This is the only warning I will give. Lets keep this civil and on topic. Thanks.

Edited August 17, 2009 by Hunting101

[gregintenn]

So.....I've still yet to hear of a failure to retrieve a deer properly hit with a 223. Anyone? Anyone??? Bueller?????

[Warbird]

So.....I've still yet to hear of a failure to retrieve a deer properly hit with a 223. Anyone? Anyone??? Bueller?????

Did anyone say you cannot kill a deer with a properly positioned shot from a 223? You could kill a deer with a properly positioned 17. You COULD kill a deer with a properly positioned swing from a bat.

[DaveS]

I do not hunt with my AR, only because I have better tools for the job. But the O/P's 11 year old Daughter should be able to shoot his 7mm/08 with no problem. My Daughter is very thin and small framed. She started shooting factory 140 gr rounds out of my 7mm/08 when she was 10. Went deer hunting for the first time last year on Oct 5th. Dropped her first deer with a single shot at about 40 yards. The little buck had no idea what just happen. He dropped straight to the ground without as much as a flinch. I would not have even considered letting her hunt with anything less. We wish to remember her first deer as it went, and not using one of our A/R's (.223), and had to remember her 1st deer as a few blood drops in the woods, and no deer found. Just to ease the mind of the original poster, One year later she is shooting my Ruger .308 and my 7 year old "boney" Grandson is shooting the 7mm. I did have the unfortunate opportunty to shoot a doe with my A/R a few years ago. Hit her through the ribs right behind the shoulder. Two very small drops of blood, and 5 years later, I still wonder whatever happened to the ol'girl. It really eats me up that I lost her. At the time, I chose it over my "ought-six". Never again.

[gregintenn]

Thanks WD-40. That's what I was looking for.

[alwaysoutdoors]

Well it looks like im going to have to let my daughter use my ar to hunt with me this year but I have no ideal what grain bullet to use on deer (didnt buy it to hunt with) so any suggestions would be appreciated

Oh yeah barrel is 1-9 twist 20inch.

(Yeah I know its misspelled)

I would go as heavy or almost as heavy as you can get for the round.

Shot placement is key. Buy some quality ammo and let her practice alot.