hunting deer with a .223?

[foxtrapper]

Since I have a new place in Cecil, which is still a rifle county, I'm wondering about hunting deer with my AR15. I found a newer HP .223 by Hornady that is something like 70 grains and says it's a hotter load. Good enough, or do I really need something heavier? I like a deer that falls right over or only runs maybe 20 yards with a good dbl lung hit. I was thinking of the AR10 in .308, but need to save up for it. However I could use that money elseware if a heavier hotter .223 would suffice. ( and yeah I know about the regulation that states no more than 8 rounds allowed in the mag/chamber when hunting deer).

I am not likely to try hunting there this season though, in case anyone is wondering. The only time I could would be that late modern firearms season, jan 8-9 or whenever it is this year. Not even going to try late muzzleloader either. I need time to pattern/attract deer, and to even figure out where to set up to hunt there.

 

[smokey]

could try this...

 

[BradMacc82]

Only deer I've ever taken with a .223 was with a Hornady 60gr Vmax. Both lungs and heart looked like shredded wheat. Ran less than 20 yards and he dropped like a sack of potatoes.

 

[steves1911]

Be careful if you are using a 16" or shorter barrell. Pretty sure MD law states 1200ft lbs and that may be hard to do in the typical ar15. I doubt dnr carry chronographs but I would hate to see someone fined/arrested and have their weapon confiscated. With that out of the way a barnes tsx or nosler partition would do the job at short range with a well placed shot but so will a 22lr. As for the deer not going far after the shot the only deer I have had make it more than 20yds or so was with a 300mag and it was a double lung shot. Knocked her off her feet and she got back up and ran across an open field almost 100yds somehow.

 

[Uncle Duke]

Since I have a new place in Cecil, which is still a rifle county, I'm wondering about hunting deer with my AR15. I found a newer HP .223 by Hornady that is something like 70 grains and says it's a hotter load. Good enough, or do I really need something heavier? I like a deer that falls right over or only runs maybe 20 yards with a good dbl lung hit. I was thinking of the AR10 in .308, but need to save up for it. However I could use that money elseware if a heavier hotter .223 would suffice. ( and yeah I know about the regulation that states no more than 8 rounds allowed in the mag/chamber when hunting deer).

I am not likely to try hunting there this season though, in case anyone is wondering. The only time I could would be that late modern firearms season, jan 8-9 or whenever it is this year. Not even going to try late muzzleloader either. I need time to pattern/attract deer, and to even figure out where to set up to hunt there.

Maryland's energy requirement for rifles is 1200 foot pounds. Also, be aware that FMJ ammo is illegal for deer hunting. There was once a time when Maryland had a .24 caliber minimum standard, but that is no longer the case.

That said, could you hunt deer with .223 so long as you had the correct ammo/barrel combination to meet the 1200 ft. lb. spec? Yep. And I've killed deer with very selective shots with .223 amongst a variety of other firearms. But in my opinion, you're far better off with more rifle.

 

[Kingjamez]

Why not go half way to AR308 and get a 300BLK upper for your AR15? Much better option for deer hunting in my opinion.

-Jim

 

[shrpshtrjoe]

I have taken several deer with the Barnes 62 and 70 grn TSX and it has done a incredible job of making mush of the vitals. All pass through's and all one shot kills..

 

[HogCommander]

+1 on considering a 2nd upper for your AR. Lots of calibers out there. If it were me, I would want a larger diameter bullet and more powder like maybe a 6.8 SPC. I lost the first hog I ever shot after hitting it with my 6.5 Grendel. Shot placement was a bit aft of where it should have been but might as well have shot a self-sealing fuel tank. Found fur and a few drops of blood where the hog was standing but never picked up a blood trail. Having acquired some experience since then, would feel comfortable hunting deer with the Grendel but to me it seems like smaller bullets mean smaller margin for error. Just my $0.02.

 

[redneckhunter]

I just noticed that you no longer have to hunt with a caliber larger than .24 this must be new this year

 

[VNVGUNNER]

Federal Vital Shok Ammunition ( P223Q), 223 Remington, Nosler Partition, 60 GR works.

 

[GUNSnROTORS]

Don't forget another limitation from MD regs:
"Firearms used for deer and bear hunting
may not have an ammunition clip loaded
with more than 8 cartridges or bullets. If
a clip has the capacity to hold more than
8 rounds, the clip does not have to be
physically blocked, but no more than 8
cartridges or bullets may be loaded."

 

[Deep Creek Rock]

Don't forget another limitation from MD regs:
"Firearms used for deer and bear hunting
may not have an ammunition clip loaded
with more than 8 cartridges or bullets. If
a clip has the capacity to hold more than
8 rounds, the clip does not have to be
physically blocked, but no more than 8
cartridges or bullets may be loaded."

But what if the hunter is using a magazine instead of clip .... Im just saying

 

[GUNSnROTORS]

But what if the hunter is using a magazine instead of clip .... Im just saying

Noticed that too - Not going to correct MD DNR, though!!!

 

[GUNSnROTORS]

I have taken several deer with the Barnes 62 and 70 grn TSX and it has done a incredible job of making mush of the vitals. All pass through's and all one shot kills..

Don't doubt these loads can kill deer like lightning. I think these new energy minimums are bogus .Both the 62 and 70 "can" be loaded to exceed the 1,200ft/lb energy minimum at the muzzle.

If loaded to 2915fps, the 70gr would produce about 1330 at the muzzle and 1050 at 100 yards.

If loaded to 3066fps, the 62gr would produce about 1240 at the muzzle and 992 at 100 yards.

Don't know what velocities (factory or custom loads) would be produced in the OP's rifle. Barnes load data were produced with a 24" SAAMI barrel. So the typically shorter AR barrel would result in lower velocities and corresponding energies. OP would also want a 1/9 minimum twist for 62s and minimum 1/8 twist for 70s.

 

[jimbobborg]

A 16" 6.8 SPC upper and some SSA ammo with 110gr Accubonds will have no problems taking deer or hogs. I should have kept my short 6.8 upper but that's a story for another time. Anyway, Bison Armory will build you a complete 16" upper with BCG and flash hider for $600.

 

[Calengor]

I can't find a factory load of TSX that the manufacturers state make 1200 ft.lbs. or more at the muzzle, even though I'd like to.

The Winchester 64 gr power point says 1296 ft.lbs. on their site and the Federal 60 gr vital-shok says 1330 ft.lbs. on their website.

Of course none state barrel lengths at which these velocities were achieved.

 

[Ab_Normal]

ft,

There is no magical bullet that is guaranteed to do what you want. The shot placement, stress level of the deer, other deer around, etc, etc, add a lot of variables that play into how far a deer runs after being shot.

I have had deer run 100+ yards after a double lung shot that blews the heart into 2 pieces. I have had deer take one jump and fall over dead after being shot with a bow.

My best advice would be to get out onto the property you have to hunt whenever you can with whatever legal gun you have. Especially the first couple days of gun season. I hear of plenty of "beginner's luck" stories where people stumble onto nice deer.

 

[Calengor]

Yeah, I kinda figured. I don't have a hunting permit, so it'll have to wait until next year at this point.

As I understand it, I have to take a hunters safety education course before I can get a permit, right?

 

[huesmann]

Don't forget another limitation from MD regs:
"Firearms used for deer and bear hunting
may not have an ammunition clip loaded
with more than 8 cartridges or bullets. If
a clip has the capacity to hold more than
8 rounds, the clip does not have to be
physically blocked, but no more than 8
cartridges or bullets may be loaded."

Eh, after the first round (maybe two) if you missed, the deer will have bolted anyway. So either way, more than a couple of rounds won't be useful.

 

[Ab_Normal]

Eh, after the first round (maybe two) if you missed, the deer will have bolted anyway. So either way, more than a couple of rounds won't be useful.

Not always true.