.223 for fox,coyote,& deer?

C

CsaDk

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I've decided to just wait till old Christmas comes around to get a new rifle.So now I'm looking into a .223 for fox,coyote,and deer.I know a 223 will drop a deer with the right shot placement.BUT I'm afraid it might be a bit tough on a fox.I already have plenty of deer rifles but I hate taking two rifles with me.Where I hunt its some tough terrain and its hard to bring in all my hunting gear with me.I seem to walk up on some big bucks alot when I'm hunting for predators.I'd like to have ONE gun that would take down the occasional bucks and still not destroy my foxes at the sametime.I was looking at a .22 mag for the foxes that I have been seeing but fox season runs right into alot of Deer hunting.If I'm the woods and see a nice deer I'd like to take him down.I love using my .243 for deer but its no fox gun.I sure hate seeing those pretty foxes get destroyed
 
What about a reduced load in say 55-60 grain in the .243Win.
17-24 grains of SR4759 should put you at 2200-2600ft/sec

If you see a fox, load a reduced load and wammo....no huge cavity.
 
While the .223 is on the light side for deer, and like you mentioned it will work with the right bullet and placement, its about the only option if you want to shoot foxes as well. One other option that might work is that 6.8 SPC or whatever they call it. With deer bullets it might poke right through a fox without causing too much damage. Don't know, haven't tried it.
 
I'd look at some load development with two different types of bullets for your 223.

for deer look at 64 gr winchester power points, 65 or 55 gr Sierra Gamekings or the ever popular TSX's.

then look for a suitable bullet for foxes. I have no idea about them but I can tell you the 55gr SPSX's will pretty much devestate them, if they act anything like they do when they hit a prarie dog....

becoming familiar with two different loads in the same gun may be tricky at first but may pay dividends in the end.
 
I think your .223 is a great round for all three. Of course just use a lighter bullet for foxes and heavy for deer. Some people think .223 is a little light for deer but remember, its seems to get the job done when it comes to 180 lb Al Queda!
 
I certainly wouldn't risk losing one of those big bucks because I was trying to cover too much game with one cartridge. If I were going to do that, use just one round, I'd absolutely err on the side of being most suitable for the big bucks. The .243 with a fairly stout 100 grain big game bullet slipped behind the shoulder and off the bone structure of a fox isn't going to tear it up any more than a softer varmint type bullet fired from a .223. And you know it'll stop a big deer much better than a .223. Last weekend was Missouri's Youth Deer Hunt and I spoke with two hunters today who had trouble recovering mid size whitetails for their kids, both deer shot with .223 rifles and the 64 grain Winchester Power Point. Both shots were high lung shots and neither left a blood trail to follow. Both deer ran around 150 yards from the shot and were tough to find in the thick timber and brush of the Ozarks forest.
 
I just returned from a successful deer and antelope hunt. The gun used this year was a 22-250 and I truely thought it would be enough gun. It is a great caliber, but no big game round. Yes it killed a nice 5x4 mule deer and an exceptional antelope...but it just doesn't have the energy that a .243 with 90 grain or heavier bullets has. I won't attempt to take deer or antelope with anything less than a .243. Just my observation.....
 
Is a .22 legal for deer in TN?

In any case, I'd stick with the .243 and try to miss bone on the fox. Won't always work, but I'd much rather have a messed up fox hide than a wounded deer.

Leon
 
Ive used a .243 on red fox with 55 grains they make an absolute mess, then we tried 100 grain and they just seem to poke holes in them with no mess unless u hit bone, i would say .243 would be the way to go. We used 80 grain and was gettin blow outs too, the winchester 100 grain factory loads which are controlled fragmentation medium game worked sweet. The others where rappid fragmentation varmint bullets. We did shoot one fox straight through the front of the chest and he didn't even flinch just stared straight back at us for 5 seconds or so then just layed down peacefully and died. I reccon the bullet went through so quick it barely made a hair on his body move, id just be careful not to hit many fox too low in case u might get runners due to not enough expansion.
 
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Is a .22 legal for deer in TN?
Leon



Yes Leon, they changed the regs this year. .22 Centerfire is legal, but not .22 rimfire.
 
In Wyoming, you have to have a minimum of the .243 to hunt deer and antelope. I feel the .223 is just too small of a caliber for deer, but we have long shots and big deer here.
 
I use a 223 for Crop damage control with Barnes 50 grain X bullets and Ive yet to have one take a step. However, and this is why I spend the extra money for the barnes bullets, the shots are all WELL WITHIN 100 yards for shoulder/lung shots. All the rest I put, or at least try to, it in the head/neck area.
Realistically, Yes it could put a deer down at further distances, but with the huge list of calibers to choose from It wouldnt be my first choice If I was to go HUNTING for deer. YES there is a huge difference between spotlighting crop control deer and actually hunting them.

Get a 243 or larger for your deer and yotes and use a 10 or 12 gauge for the foxes.
 
CsaDk,
The fragile 223 bullets like the SXSP's blammer was speaking of create havoc on broadsides for fox. And their not enough bullet for deer. A Nosler Partition may work for both but??
Yotenalor, I know what you mean about spotlighting deer and Hunting deer. Years ago my dad got 3 damage control permits and a BIL and I went out one night and filled two tags. It's an easy way to glean the herd but doesn't create any excitement like a good fair chase hunt does.
 
Just read in this months Predator Master mag that 50g balistic tips at 3200 fps make a small hole in on fox and will normaly not exit. I have read this in the past with the same results on bobcat. Going to have to try this one myself and will post results. I did a max loading with a 40g Nolser BT and shot a squirrel at 147 yards and it made a small hole in, about the size of the bullet and an exit hole the size of a larg egg. I think a thicker, wider animal, it would probably not exit on as well. I did a max loading on it recommended from Noslers load book. Which I think was around the 3600pfs mark.
 
I would not count on that, To me a normal 223 load with a 50 is to much. Id consider a reduced load and a 35-40 gr bullet. If it is 2900-3100 it should not be to bad, but there is always a possibility
 
I used the 64gr. Winchester CXP2's with my .223 (coyote gun) this year for deer. I got lucky with about a 60 yard shot. Double lunged him. He would have ran quite ways if he knew I was there. He ran about 50 yards and turned side ways again. I put another in him 1 in. away from the other entry hole. Double lunged him again. He was still standing there. I thought I was going to have put in a third, but saw him stumble. So I waited about 30 sec. for him to fall. The first bullet would have dropped him...eventually. He could have gone quite aways though. The 64gr. bullets went clear through the body and were mushroomed up nicely just on the inside of the fur on the opposite side. Moral - Shot placement is key with such a small caliber. But, I would hunt deer with it again.
 
I too would opt for the .243, and handload the proper loads for the task at hand. However if you do not handload that makes things more complicated.

In my .243 I basically use 3 different loads and shoot thig Rifle all year long. In the spring when small varmints are the order of the day I use a load that pushes a 55gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip at 3229 FPS. This is a reduced velocity load and basically duplicates the ballistics and recoil of a .223 Remington.

My main Coyote load pushes a 70gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip at 3359 FPS. No it is not fur friendly, but it sure puts em down for keeps.

Lastly I also use my .243 for Whitetail Deer Hunting. For this I use a 95gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip at 3071 FPS. So far this bullet has worked great on the 3 Whitetails I have taken with it, but have not shot anything else with it.

Larry
 
thats a tough order, only centerfire I've read about that wouldn't just about turn a fox inside out was the 17 rem.
I've tried the 223, and 6mm PPC and that gets ugly!
for deer and yotes you'll be ok, just shoot a nosler partition or winny powerpoint, heck around here I use the onside leg foreward pretty sunday shot on deer with a 223 and standard 55 gr sp, ends in a 50-100 yd death sprint.
RR
 
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