.223 thread not about deer!

Head shots would be okay, if you're figuring on rabbit meat. For sure, avoid a hit to the hindquarters!

Head shots would be okay, if you're figuring on rabbit meat. For sure, avoid a hit to the hindquarters!

Click to expand...

^^^+1 for head shots only. Rabbits are pretty easily "blown up". Hell I've goofed and hit shoulders with a .22lr SP and blown them up. You hit body on a Rabbit with a .223 and you will have a mess.

I once goofed up and accidentally put a load of buckshot into a rabbit. I had no doubt that it was enough bullet.

I would think as long as you are not using any kind of expanding bullet it should not blow them up, but the second a HP touches them at 3200fps you will be scraping Thumper off of the trees

I shot a rabbit at 80 yds with a .223 ballistic tip. Luckilly I hit the head because there was a little hole on one side, but the other half of the head was gone, literally. If it has been a body shot, there wouldn't have been enough left to eat. Best thing for rabbits would be a shotgun with #6 shot. Killed countless that way. As Freedom said, rabbits are pretty delicate.

I shot a rabbit in the vitals one time with a 223 FMJ round at about 200 yds. Penciled right through with no major damage. The rabbit ran about 20 feet & rolled up from loss of blood pressure. This is only one data point, but that time it worked like a charm.

years ago the 223 was my fav squirell gun. it was a scoped ruger 77 stainless. i only shot them on the ground or when backed by enuf tree it wouldnt shoot thru.it worked very well, head shots were very easy with this rig.same with wabbits, if you could get them to hold still.

Like deer, it depends on the bullet. A varmint bullet will blow 'em apart.

it would'nt be too big for rabbits it is a .22 cal just shoot them in the head the "warble" (vacuum behing the round caused be the velocity of bullet) will tear there guts up and destroy a significant amount of meet.

I'll repeat what's already been said. Don't use a violently expanding bullet, and don't shoot it in the body. Should be fine.

for sure only head shots unless you use FMJ on small game like rabbits. I shot a squirrel a couple years back with a .223 while coyote hunting using 55gr wolf HP. It literally did a helicopter motion off the branch and the front and rear portions were only held together by a small sliver of hide.

Use an FMJ type bullet, no softpoints, no hollowpoints.