kaferhaus
Member
In my humble opinion the best bullet for deer is a 55gr Bear Claw. Very spendy but they work every time and they're designed for taking deer sized game.
The AR15, .223 and deer.....
- Thread starter dogsoldier0513
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Kachok
Member
Nothing against Game Kings, Partitions, Bear Claws or core locks, I love them all, but if I was trying to punch a tiny .22cal featherwight expanded bullet through the vitals of a deer, the only bullet I would use is the TSX, very very high weight retention, and legenday for deep penatration even after striking bone + those cutting edges really do work. I don't use them much in my deer rifles only becasue they like heavier bullets and don't need any more penatration unless deer start lining up shoulder to shoulder for me LOL
kyle1974
Member
just out of curiosity, why does everyone always refer to the "small texas deer"?
the average buck off my lease weights around 200-210 lbs on the hoof. We have killed them as large as 245 lbs.
certainly not as big as canadian deer, but still.... 200 lbs is small?
the average buck off my lease weights around 200-210 lbs on the hoof. We have killed them as large as 245 lbs.
certainly not as big as canadian deer, but still.... 200 lbs is small?
Kachok
Member
I have no idea either. The largest deer I have ever seen were all in TX, grandpa had a whole room full of trophies that these hunter in the "Black Belt" would drool over, and he ONLY hunted the TX hill country. Then again I saw a bunch of tiny ones around the Wimberly area.
kyle1974
Member
I'm not even talking horns... we've got more bone in south texas than most places in the country.
Kachok
Member
Nobody hates the magnums, everybody hates being told we NEED a 300 or 338 magnum. My friends and family that use large magnums tipicaly don't shoot very well, it is like the expect the extra power to make up for their lack of practice. My cousin has blown body parts off of deer without killing them, one case I remember he blew a leg off of a deer at about 80 yards!! We tracked the poor thing for a mile and a half before giving up. I myself have and love a WSM for those "just in case" hunting trips, but my 6.5x55 goes with me the vast majority of the time. You don't need 4,000 ft lbs to cleanly kill a deer, but I do recomend something pushing a little bit heavier bullet then a 55gr 223 as well.
dogsoldier0513
Member
If it wasn't dead, why did it allow me to field dress it, skin it and then eat eat? (roll-eyes)
Guillermo
member
playing possum
ZeroJunk
Member
He must have gotten to it before it woke up.
Bonesinium
Member
I have heard that deer are some of the deepest sleepers in the animal kingdom.
dogsoldier0513
Member
Trolls have them beat. They only wake up to stir the pot.....
ZeroJunk
Member
It never occurred to me that anybody could take my original comment seriously or literally.
millertyme
Member
.23 caliber restriction in KS, so I would know nothing about it.
saskcop
Member
I have used handloaded winchester 64 grain and hornady 60 grain sp and both drop deer like bad habits out of a mini 14. The winchester bullet is excellent and has exited the far side almost every time leaving a wound channel that looked every bit as good as a .243.
Kachok
Member
What bullet kills this or that is kinna subjective. You can cleanly kill a deer with a 22 short if you can hit him in the left eye socket at a 23.5 degree angle while he is looking up and to the right LOL. But if you have a 460 Weatherby you can blow him in half length wise from 400 yards out with a marginal rump shot 
You can kill anything with a 223 cal bullet if you are an exceptionaly good shot, you have the right bullet, and you are close enough range. But in the real world we deal with things like less then perfect angle shots, long shots, nervous deer that just won't hold still, cross winds, and buck feaver. In order to give yourself a real world margin of error use nothing less then an 85 gr SGK or TSX .243 cal, but a 120 6.5mm 130 270 cal or 140 7mm are much better still IMHO.
You can kill anything with a 223 cal bullet if you are an exceptionaly good shot, you have the right bullet, and you are close enough range. But in the real world we deal with things like less then perfect angle shots, long shots, nervous deer that just won't hold still, cross winds, and buck feaver. In order to give yourself a real world margin of error use nothing less then an 85 gr SGK or TSX .243 cal, but a 120 6.5mm 130 270 cal or 140 7mm are much better still IMHO.
d2wing
Member
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Many Texas deer are desended from deer imported from Northern states. A 200 pound deer is a big deer anywhere. I was told once that the average dressed weight of deer here up nort is 134 pounds. Live weight would be under 200 on the average. Also deer here are most likely not as well fed.
Guillermo
member
who did?
Two shots Two Deer
Opening morning in Ok. can kill two does in my area. At 8:30 saw doe at about 60 yrds,shot an all hell broke loose, does running everywhere. The one I shot ran around in about 30 yd circle an fell dead. Looked up, another doe standing about 75 yrds shot, doe ran about 40 yrds behind brush. So I knew I had one down an maybe another. Walked over towards the second doe an there she lay. Have hunted that spot for a few years an never saw a deer, now in a few seconds two nice does on the ground.
Gun, Stag Ar15 M4 5.56 with bushnell 1.5-4 ill.dot.
Ammo, Fusion 62 gr
Also heart an lungs were tore up real good, overall real satisfied with the outcome
Opening morning in Ok. can kill two does in my area. At 8:30 saw doe at about 60 yrds,shot an all hell broke loose, does running everywhere. The one I shot ran around in about 30 yd circle an fell dead. Looked up, another doe standing about 75 yrds shot, doe ran about 40 yrds behind brush. So I knew I had one down an maybe another. Walked over towards the second doe an there she lay. Have hunted that spot for a few years an never saw a deer, now in a few seconds two nice does on the ground.
Gun, Stag Ar15 M4 5.56 with bushnell 1.5-4 ill.dot.
Ammo, Fusion 62 gr
Also heart an lungs were tore up real good, overall real satisfied with the outcome
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