Best round for deer??? .223 Remington

[Frnc4891]

Trying to figure what will be the best round for deer and hog in central Florida. A large buck is only like 110 pounds. Doe usually comes in at 80 pounds. The rifle that I'm trying to set up is a bull barrel handi rifle in .223 Remington. I think it is 1:12 twist. The barrel is a sb2. That being said, I have heard that I can't use the Barnes 70 grain tsx because of not enough twist. Is this true??? Also, I don't have a reloader so I have to buy factory loads. Any help is appreciated.

[Frnc4891]

Also any input on the Winchester psp I think it is a 55 grain. Walmart has them so they are readily available.

[carver]

The article below tells you that the .223 can be used for deer. I believe that the 1/12 twist will do well with bullets from 55gr, on up to some heavier bullets. Try some of the Nosler solid brass bullets, they stay together, and will give more penitration.

http://www.americanrifleman.org/arti...ton-specifics/

deer can cleanly and legally be taken with the .223 Rem. in most states. For deer, it’s best to keep shots inside 150 yards so impact velocities are high enough to cause the tough bullets to open wide. Both my sons and I have taken many deer with the .223 Rem. using bullets like the Nosler 60-grain Partition, the 55-grain Barnes TSX and the 62-grain Fusion. Just last year I participated in a cull hunt where several other writers and I used Dynamic Research Technology's (DRT) 60-grain, powdered-metal bullet to take 22 whitetails with ARs chambered for the .223 Remington. Shots stretched out to 180 yards. We did not lose a single deer, and several of the bucks were near 200 pounds live weight.

[aa1911]

anything smaller than .24 caliber is illegal here in WA but .223 will certainly do the job and I assume it's legal in FL. Not my first choice of rounds but it will work.

Best thing to do is try a bunch of different hunting ammo and see what your gun likes then buy a fair amount of it and do a good zero and practice with it. Lighter bullets will likely be best suited for that slow twist I think? Noslers would be my first choice of bullet brand too.

[mogunner]

SMALLER than .24?

[jedwil]

Originally Posted by Frnc4891

Also any input on the Winchester psp I think it is a 55 grain. Walmart has them so they are readily available.

I have used a 64 grain Winchester PSP and it has been effective on our small Hill Country Whitetails; and no shot was over 100 yards.
I have just purchased a new Winchester product called Razrback, I think, that is supposedly designed for the thick hides of hogs. I am anxious to try it on some of the medium sized pigs running around.

[cycloneman]

Originally Posted by Frnc4891

Trying to figure what will be the best round for deer and hog in central Florida. A large buck is only like 110 pounds. Doe usually comes in at 80 pounds. The rifle that I'm trying to set up is a bull barrel handi rifle in .223 Remington. I think it is 1:12 twist. The barrel is a sb2. That being said, I have heard that I can't use the Barnes 70 grain tsx because of not enough twist. Is this true??? Also, I don't have a reloader so I have to buy factory loads. Any help is appreciated.

sounds like yall need to put some does down.

[aa1911]

Originally Posted by mogunner

SMALLER than .24?

yeah, anything under .24 cal is illegal for big game. Must be centerfire also. Ironically, handguns are completely legal so long as they meet the .24 cal and 4" minimum barrel length criteria! So a .223 rifle is illegal but you could use a glock 23.... makes sense right?

[cpttango30]

Per Florida http://myfwc.com/hunting/regulations/taking-game/

Rifle for deer just has to be centerfire with not more than a capacity of 5 in the magazine.

If you keep ranges to within 100 yards a 223 will work great.

The Barns TSX in a .224 70gr flavor will NOT work in your rifle. Barns says 1:8" twist or faster. The 55gr bullets are going to be about your max.

[45nut]

Originally Posted by cycloneman

sounds like yall need to put some does down.

Small deer doesn't necessarily mean they are stunted, sometimes, as in the herd in the Hill Country of Texas, it's just a smaller sub-species of whitetail deer. This is in Florida where the deer there are a pretty small sub-species just like the largest sub-species of whitetail deer are in Canada, Alberta, I think.

But yes, I"m always ready to kill some does.

[ozo]

.243 but better yet......308
NOT a .223
Unless you are very,very precise.
Are you that good ?

[gun runner]

.223 on up. Just shoot the deer in the heart or directly in the head

[Zane71464]

Got to agree with OZO on being very precise.
We dont have a rifle season but I've taken a few, bigger coyotes and some at long ranges. With a .223 caliber, a well placed shot makes the all difference in the world.

[stumper1300]

I have killed more deer with a .223 than any other caliber and never lost one. Always hear about idiots taking risk shots with their big guns and losing hit deer because they thought they could get away with it because of the caliber they were shooting. A .22 long rifle will drop a deer in its tracks if the shot is well placed.

[langenc]

Use the Nosler Partition in 60 gr-the only one they make in that caliber.

[polishshooter]

MY 13 year old niece last year got her first buck from a treestand with her Dad in PA with a .223...it took two shots, she MISSED with the first....LOL

In PA it is any centerifre rifle, not a semi-auto.

One of the most popular deer rifles in PA is the .222, and can double as your turkey rifle.

[WHSmithIV]

Guys - I don't get so technical about shooting a deer. For me the best round for a deer is whatever rifle I have available with ammunition to shoot it. I have my 30/30 and I use it for everything. Deer, wolves, Elk.... Since it is the only rifle I have - it is the best for shooting a deer - or anything else for that matter that I would use a rifle for.....

I suppose one of these days I'll get a .22 for local varmints. Until then they'll just have to explode with 38 specials.

[Diamondback]

I've dropped deer with virtually everything from a .257 to a .458. The majority were taken with .30 cals. I follow Elmer Keith's advice. He preferred .30 cals and up for big game and .35 cals and up for self defense. I have heard too many ' I know I hit but I couldn't find a blood trail' from the gentlemen who used the smaller calibers. Give me a .30-30, .308, .30-06 or larger. I do like the .22's for plinking and small game. I have never owned a
.223 and probably never will. JMPHO.

[Zhurh]

I have a buddy up hunting with us along the Yukon right now, from Western Pa. He is quite impressed with my 6.8 stag AR; but in Pa they can't hunt with AR's; unreal how back East has become I'd say.

I have killed a bunch of caribou, bear, and a few wolves with the 6.8; 110 ttsx, 29.5 grains H322; goes 2780 outta the barrel. I really like having a 10 rounder in the gun too, so forgiving and with acog for quick shots, you have plenty of backup shots too if need be.

We use to hunt with 223's but stopped after getting the 6.8 stag. We have 6 223's in ARs & mini 14s; they sit in gun vault, haven't been fired for last couple years. Wish they were all 6.8s too.

[srt 10 jimbo]

I use a Kimber 243 for Deer down in South Florida and anywhere from a 17HMR to a 45/70 for hogs.

[Sandman]

Federal premium makes .223 loads with 60gr Nosler Partition and I think they have a load with either the 53 or 60 gr Barnes TSX. I would use one of those.

[Caneman]

Barnes 62gr TSX 3100 fps, would like to try it on deer someday, devastates yotes

[alex.cirabisi]

a .223 will take a deer down. From what I am told from the older gents in my area is that they are a good round, but a bad shot can result in losing the deer. Most common with the group I hunt with is 300 mag versions such as ultra, belted, and WSM. I use my lever action 30-30 for brush hunting and longer range with scope i head out with a 30-06.

You can find all rifles in a decent price range, but the rounds get expensive. I hardly spend more than $20 a box for 30-30 and no more than $45 for 30-06. Weatherby has some excellent prices on their rifles, but I am not completely sure how they are. I am considering getting a .308 from weatherby