hunting with ar

[Guest Jcochran88]

I was thinking about deer hunting with my ar. it is .223 what ammo recommendations do you have. so far i have only shot monarch steel through it.

[Guest Astra900]

That would be illegal in Tn unless they have changed the law just recently. Minimum caliber for deer in TN is .24 the last time I read.

[Guest Jcochran88]

That would be illegal in Tn unless they have changed the law just recently. Minimum caliber for deer in TN is .24 the last time I read.

law has changed strait from twra website" any centerfire rifle may be used"

[Guest Astra900]

Well, in that case. I'd try Hornady's TAP. THey make a 60g polymer tip bullet that should make a good clean kill, if well placed.

Thier 55g V-Max would probably work well too.

[KahrMan]

law has changed strait from twra website" any centerfire rifle may be used"

Also you can not use fmj.

[Rightwinger]

Remington 55 grain Premier Accu tip boattails! My son uses a single shot Rossi .223 and he got his first buck with it last year. One shot, 2 steps, dead deer.

[Johnny_Utah]

I think a hp tracer round of some sort. This would cauterize the wound, it's more humane.

[Smith]

or...... just get a 6.8 SPC and get in touch with Silver State Armory. I personally think (unless you can hit exactly where you aim, I can't consistently) that the .223 is very underpowered for deer. A lot of folks use it, heck I even have heard of them using .22's but I think it is very borderline humane.

[houndawg75]

I wouldn't recommend it. The .223 is a great round for its intended purpose (punching holes in the enemy). It was never designed to be a knock-down round. If you kill a man you take him out of the fight. If you wound a man you take him and however many people it takes to help him out of the fight. This has been a basic military principle for many years, probably why they did away with the 1911. Anyway back to the topic. It is certainly possible to kill a deer with the .223 but it is too fast to really open up the cavity and cause massive hemmoraging. In hunting the bigger is better rule applies to bullet size and weight.

[Guest bheard]

Any good sp, hp, or ballistic tip of 55gr up will do the job with proper placement.

BH

[Rightwinger]

It works just fine

[Guest Bronker]

It works just fine

But do you feel under-gunned with your socom?!?!

[Guest sling]

I wouldn't recommend it. The .223 is a great round for its intended purpose (punching holes in the enemy). It was never designed to be a knock-down round. If you kill a man you take him out of the fight. If you wound a man you take him and however many people it takes to help him out of the fight. This has been a basic military principle for many years, probably why they did away with the 1911. Anyway back to the topic. It is certainly possible to kill a deer with the .223 but it is too fast to really open up the cavity and cause massive hemmoraging. In hunting the bigger is better rule applies to bullet size and weight.

Thats why you learn to roll your own. Go with as big of a bullet as you can and use a slow burning powder. A 75 gr AMAX and 22.5 gr of Varget is an excellent choice.

Edited November 27, 2008 by sling

[Guest Todd@CIS]

Well, in that case. I'd try Hornady's TAP. THey make a 60g polymer tip bullet that should make a good clean kill, if well placed.

Thier 55g V-Max would probably work well too.

I recommend against the 60gr TAP for deer...it under-penetrates (the 75gr TAP is the ONLY .223 in the TAP line that's worth a crap).

Growing up in Wisconsin, I've taken several decent-sized whitetail with Federal 69gr HP Match using a 20" Colt.

While .223 is not an optimum caliber for deer, load selection will make a difference.

Edited November 27, 2008 by Todd@CIS

[Rightwinger]

But do you feel under-gunned with your socom?!?!

Only when a T-rex or Mastadon come rolling by!

But thats why I have a magazine with 6 rounds in it

[John Wall]

IIRC, you should use a 5-shot mag.

Winchester's 64 gr Power Point is designed to meet your needs.

The 223 is appropriate for use when a precise shot can be made. At distances most Tn deer are shot, the gun will work for you.

A precision shot made with the 223 beats the 30/06 if you flinch.

[tn hp]

The advice on the heavy bullets, 75 and 64 grain, is excellent. If you don't reload, purchase the Winchester ammunition with the 64 grain bullet. If you reload, then you probably know that it is important to match the bullet to the barrel's twist rate.

I have found that the heavier bullets work well in my 1 in 9 twist rate up to the 69 grain Sierra BTHP but, for hunting I use the Sierra 63 grain BTSP. This bullet, with the right powder and primer combination will produce 1" or better groups.

[Guest sling]

When i did hunt with my AR the above load is what i used and it produced awesome results. Though it really didnt make much since. The AR i had had a 1:9 twist barrel. Couldnt shoot 69 gr bullets worth a damn... however it would tack drive the 75 gr AMAX's with a heavy powder load all day long. It was amazing.

The problem with the heavier bullets is that they are a lot longer and shouldnt be seated to mag length. (due to pressure issues blah blah blah). So, if your going to be shooting in a 'big boy' weight you have to load them one by one into the chamber. (IE you better make your shot count)

[Guest jcramin]

I will be using Federal Premium 60gr Nosler Partition

[Guest specialagent]

I shot an scrub 8 pointer last week and dropped him where he stood with 1 shot to the neck at 110 yards. I was using Extreem Shock 223 55 grain ammo.

[Curiousgb]

I have shot several deer with my AR. I used 60gr Partitions and 62gr Barnes TX. Worked well... but I did wait on a good shot.

[ShaunM]

I use Winchester silver ballistic tips.

[Smith]

I shot an scrub 8 pointer last week and dropped him where he stood with 1 shot to the neck at 110 yards. I was using Extreem Shock 223 55 grain ammo.

I'm surprised the Extreme Shock bullet didn't make your buck's neck explode!

[Guest sling]

I'm surprised the Extreme Shock bullet didn't make your buck's neck explode!

Not just that... but i'm surprised it didnt blow away the whole forest and everything with it with a small nuclear explosion.

[Guest specialagent]

Not just that... but i'm surprised it didnt blow away the whole forest and everything with it with a small nuclear explosion.

When I pulled the trigger I was worried that if the shot was not placed properly the deer would not leave a blood trail. I was proud of the shot placement and did not have to worry after the trigger was pulled. Anywho I got the meat in the freezer that was tho whole point.