223 52 gr for deer?

I have not, BUT; I loaded up 100 rnds of Speer 50g for a friend and then more than a year later he asked if I remembered loading them OOTBB`s (out of the boat bullets..because there was no load developement involved
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)..well he said thats what he shot his deer with last November. Not recommended but they could work, my 2cents. Forget if they were HP`s or Spitzer?
 
I know a lot of folks say the .223 works well but I have my doubts.That said I would use the heaviest premium bullet your gun will stabilize.According to the Nosler manual they say for my twist the 60gr Partition is the longest bullet that will stabilize properly.
 

I loaded up 55gr Serria SPBT for a young man . And he kill the [beeep] out three deer this past season. I don't know how far the shots was.
 
Put the bullet where it counts and you'll have a dead deer. I've killed a handful of deer with the .223/.223 ai, and never lost one, nor had to do a follow up shots. Shots ranged from 50yds to just shy of 400yds.
 
I shot a deer with a 6x284 shooting a 55gr Nosler bullet at 3000fps.The deer was at 250yds shot him in the snow. Dead threw the heart. No blood found the buck he ran 40yds.His heart had a hole about the size of your little finger threw it. Little bullets will kill but bigger is better:)
 
Load a Barnes TSX or TTSX and have at it. Good bullet placement is important but it's important with any caliber.
 
Lots of deer have died to one shot from a 50 or 55 grain .223. It's plenty, provided you place the bullet where it needs to go. If a guy can't shoot, or wants to shoot them over 200 yards or so, then he should use something bigger to compensate.
 
There are confirmed cases of grizzly bears being killed with 22 rimfires, but that doesn't make 22's bear guns. I have killed deer with a 223, but there are many, many far better choices.
 
Originally Posted By: Jack Roberts223 with the right bullet is plenty for deer. Deer are easier to kill than coyotes.

Jack

You are pulling his leg when you say "deer are easier to kill than coyotes" aren't you?

DAB
 
Check out the 55 and 62 grain barnes tsx. If you don't believe it will kill deer just go to google images. search for .223 tsx or similar and look at all the dead animals. People are whacking them to 200 in the boiler and getting an exit. One guy shot it long ways through the chest it lodged in the back leg just under the skin. Also do the same search but for hogs, boar, or pig. Yeah a bigger gun is better but if thats all you got and its legal it is worth a shot.

I've never harvested big game yet but I got some 62 gr tsx for my .223 and a hog tag last week. Just got access to private land loaded with hogs. I will post the results soon I hope.
 
I would add that you probably should not use any match bullets, as the jackets are made for punching paper not hunting. Here in Texas lots of deer, mostly does, fall to the .223. The 55 grain Nosler BT has worked for me many times, and it has a heavy enough jacket to stay together most of the time. The biggest problem with using the .223 is many times you get no exit hole, and hardly any blood trail. In heavy brush and high grass, you will lose a deer even with a near perfect shot. Keep your shots under 200 yards, and you should have no trouble.

Forget the headshot. Small target, and a slight miss ends up bad. They don't bleed either. Much better to double lung them, more room for error, and hardly any meat damage.
 
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