223 for whitetail under 150 yards?

Well, this is one of those questions bound to open a can of worms. Many feel the cartridge is inadequate for deer, others feel it's fine.

I doubt you will get a consensus.

I've taken quite a few Axis deer with the .223, and a fair pile of sheep, goats, and pigs as well.
64gr psp, 70gr speers, 60gr vmax, and 68gr bthps have all worked well.
So have the cheap American eagle 52gr hollow points.

You have to be 100% willing to pass on shots, be a decent shot, and MAY have to track a wounded animal a ways.

Honestly I've had less issues with light fast .224 bullets, than i have with heavy slow 6mm bullets. still tho you have to understand and abide by the limitations the caliber imposes.

I have in the past posted a Picture of a 300 lb live weight 14 pt buck I took with a 55 gr SP .223. It pretty much blew up the heart and lungs and made mush of it. Some deer fall DRT, some run 40 yards with a good heart shot no matter what you shoot them with. As with bigger calibers, you have to make a good shot. They never go far and always die if you hit the heart. You do have to be more careful in your shot placement and bullet selection. Most people against it haven't used it. 7-08 is my first choice.

I have killed multiple deer and hogs and a couple of turkeys with Hornady 75 grain BTHP, which supposedly is designed more as a target round. Everything I ever shot with it was either DRT or after a very short distance. I would not hesitate to use it at 150 yards or even further.

Sure. As previous posters noted, use the right bullet. 60gr Partition is a good choice at the range you cited. Take broad side, boiler room shots. I personally took one with that bullet back in 2014. I, myself, probably wouldn't use it again considering I have other capable calibers that I have taken multiple deer with, but if you feel confident, who am I to judge. Now, your game warden may see it differently if it is illegal to use a .22 centerfire in your state, but you have to do that research yourself.

Not that I have any experience, but just based on the research I've done on the topic, it wouldn't by my first choice. Depending on who you ask the general consensus tends to be it's either the bare minimum or just underpowered for whitetail. If it's all you have and you're a good shot, it'd probably be doable. That said, though, I'd probably want at least a .243 or .270 if I had a choice. I have a .308 that I'll use if I ever get a chance to hunt deer with a rifle (currently illegal in Illinois).

.243 Win is the smallest I'd go. If I had to go with a .223 caliber round, I'd go with a fast-twist .22-250 rather than the .223 Remington.

WhitetailKiller said:

Would the 223 be a viable deer cartridge at this range i would use heavier constructed bullets but ive several deer take a heart shot from a 270win and still manage to run 30+ yards so im hesitant.

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I was hesitant also. I used mine this year for the first time. I used fed premium with nosler partition 60 gr bullet, published ballistic data shows that it would work to about 200 Max.
Further research showed that the win deer season xp 64 gr bullets made it a 200 yd cartridge, though I haven't used these, on paper they would work well.

I shot a smallish whitetail doe, at 40 yds, quartering forward through the shoulder joint with the partition. The bullet exited through the off side ribcage after breaking the shoulder, and turning the heart and lungs to mush. She went about 15 yds.

It proved to be a viable deer round, but does have some range limitations.

It's a deer not a heavily armored animal. They aren't hard to kill. Just have to put the bullet in the right spot. A bad shot is a bad shot. Bigger caliber's give you alittle leeway. If you can hit a baseball at ,75 yards 10 out of 10 times then your good. Just keep practicing.

For a 223 I'd go with a broadside heart/lung shot or a neck shot ONLY. I would use the heaviest bonded or monolithic bullet your rifle will shoot accurately. Placement is very important it can definitely be done but weird angle or low percentage shots are a recipe for disaster.

Forgot to add I personally wouldn't shoot past 75yards. But that's just me. Sure they can be killed at 150+ yards. But the room for error is to great.

One of our employee's daughters has taken one Mule deer with one round each year for over a decade with her little 16" AR.

It's a record she's very proud of and in fact her hunting life started with Mule deer and she got one her very first year.

Considering how many folk I've known from Minnesota to the Carolinas to take them with .22 lr - I should think well selected and well placed .223 to be a *given*.

G'head and relax, I already KNOW that .22lr is illegal as is .223 in some states for deer. These boys I'm talking about, probably the caliber would be the least of their problems.

Todd.

When my daughters are old enough to try hunting I am planning on starting them out 223 loaded with 75 grain speer gold dots.

https://www.midsouthshooterssupply....-grain-speer-gold-dot-rifle-bullets-100-count

My niece started with a 16"barreled Handi rifle and 55gr blitz Kings. She killed multiple deer every year with it. Only one that needed tracked was in a briar patch about 75 yards away.
I gave her a Swedish Mauser because she wanted a rifle that can kill more than one deer at a time.

No problem. Deer are easy to kill. Saves the meat.

I forgot to mention that I was able to see the impact, the free swinging front leg and the direction she traveled.

to the OP. as far as shooting a deer with a 270 and it running 30 yrds? thats no big deal, ive seen deer with their heart completely disconnected run farther than that.

Here in Michigan it is a moot point. Nothing in 22 caliber is allowed.

I feel that the .22 caliber centerfire rounds are not adequate for deer. The 243 is a good start for a minimum caliber.
I have finished off two small does that were shot with 22-250 and 223 rifles. Both deer traveled several hundred yards before I shot them a second time.

Oldschool shooter said:

Here in Michigan it is a moot point. Nothing in 22 caliber is allowed.

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You might reread your guide book. It's says 22 caliber or smaller rimfire.
I used to hunt up there with a 22-250 and had several friends that used 223s. Funny thing was we tracked fewer deer than the 30 caliber crowd.

I use to believe .223 wasn't a good deer round, until my son bought a .223 Savage Axis, and proceeded to get deer with-13 in one year. (he hunts with a group that can't shoot well, and he can. they kick 'em out he get's 'em.) And one with his .357 revolver, just to show off. The deer he got that year were with Honady Superformance 55 gr. (Vmax bullet) factory rounds, ranges from 10 yards to 225. None went more than 50 yards.
Let me make it clear that I don't think the .223 is a good deer round for everybody. If you think 'paper plate' accuracy is good enough, .223 is not the round for you. But if you can call your shots, and are willing to pass up marginal shots, it will work. I was impressed enough that when a friend offer me the .223 Axis his wife didn't want, I bought it. I worked up a load that has worked well with 55 bullets of all types I've tried so far. I load V-Max's for him, and Nosler Ballistic Tip Varmints for myself.

WisBorn said:

I feel that the .22 caliber centerfire rounds are not adequate for deer. The 243 is a good start for a minimum caliber.
I have finished off two small does that were shot with 22-250 and 223 rifles. Both deer traveled several hundred yards before I shot them a second time.

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Not the caliber's fault. That's on the shooter(s).

WhitetailKiller said:

Would the 223 be a viable deer cartridge at this range i would use heavier constructed bullets but ive several deer take a heart shot from a 270win and still manage to run 30+ yards so im hesitant.

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Short answer- yes it's fine. BUT

Long form- it depends. If you're a garbage shot, it doesn't matter if you use a 458Winmag. Skilled hunters will tell you, there is no substitute for a large caliber, slow moving bullet. BUT you have to be able to shoot well.

I’ve killed a pile of deer and pigs with a 223/5.56 using a 69 grain Sierra Match King. All deer were shoulder shots under 200 yards and none of them ever took a step. Pigs are a different story. Very rarely do we recover pigs shot with a 5.56 unless they are shot in the head or neck.