My son took a nice white tail doe with my Mini and 64gn Winchester power points. One good shot to the chest, barely missing the heart. Blood in the cardiac membrane. It rolled over once and died.
223 works fine as long as you understand its limitations. Shorter ranges and good shots.
__________________
I'm not conservative. I just think everyone should serve 2 years in the Marines and when you go home....you take your weapon with you.
ooaahh
This is a big topic on a number of boards. Very good recommendations here.
I have seen many reports from hog hunters showing FMJ on hogs, with devasting ( DRT ) results on shoulder shots. Results show penetration through gristle, then fragmenting.
Another vote here for the 64 gr Power Point. My BIL took a spike buck with one using my Mini. It took about 4 steps then dropped. The shot placement was excellent, something which becomes increasingly critical the smaller the caliber.
I just love it when people read what they want to read instead what was actually written. I'm talking 556 here. I wouldnt use a 308 fmj on deer, ever. My experience with fmj coming from a 556 shows massive fragmentation and internal damage.
Your soldier buddy is probably using a carbine with a 14.5" barrel, velocity makes a huge difference.
I shoot deer with a crop damage permit and can use a 556 during the summer months+ I'm not from RI and have hunted in other states too.
The smallest deer I shot with a 556 was 90lbs and he ran further, maybe 30 yards than some of the bigger ones. I missed his heart but blew chunks of lung through his off side shoulder.
I've used an M30 for my doe tags and handloaded sp Hornadys. DRT at 75-90 yds.
IMO the .223 may do well with the Nosler 'partition' slug but as always placement is the key. but as I say I don't have the M14.
a neck shot near base where neck joins torso will bring them down pronto.
I've used an M30 for my doe tags and handloaded sp Hornadys. DRT at 75-90 yds.
IMO the .223 may do well with the Nosler 'partition' slug but as always placement is the key. but as I say I don't have the M14.
a neck shot near base where neck joins torso will bring them down pronto.
I have alot of friends who use a neck shot, but I have always been one to put my rounds into a more traditional kill zone...heart/lung. But again, I typically use a .270 WIn. Deer and hogs both tend to enjoy breathing and or a heart beat. Even with a .223 I have enough confidence that with a good heart-lung shot they will go down. I know others that use a heart lung while shooting a .223
It needs to be said though, even a heart shot deer can on occasion run up 100yds or more before they tumble. I was using some Winchester Supreme Silver Tips in my .270 and shot a nice eight and he ran straight down a ridge 100 yards, turned around and ran right back up the ridge and fell less than five feet from where I shot him...and what was left of his heart was right there waiting on him...that was over 20 years ago, and still one of the weirdest deer hunts on my record. I still have his rack hanging in my den.
My bow hunting has haunted me for years and keeps me shooting them in the boiler room..never lost one that was hit solod in the chest...but I know men that will say the same about the neck too.
__________________
I'm not conservative. I just think everyone should serve 2 years in the Marines and when you go home....you take your weapon with you.
ooaahh
Another vote here for the 64 gr Power Point. My BIL took a spike buck with one using my Mini. It took about 4 steps then dropped. The shot placement was excellent, something which becomes increasingly critical the smaller the caliber.
Sent my son to pick up a box today ! I have had great luck with Power Points iver the last two years. My M700 loves em.
__________________
I'm not conservative. I just think everyone should serve 2 years in the Marines and when you go home....you take your weapon with you.
ooaahh
__________________
" If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would send an entertainer..... our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent a Savior."
From the looks of her face she looks to be a young deer...1.5-2.5 ? Eating nothing but corn and alfalfa fills her up with carbs and protein and makes em fat. Not to mention both her momma and daddy were on the same diet, and that translated into great breeding. I would loved to have seen him after he pulled the trigger ! Heck, I would loved to have seen your son about 30 seconds before he pulled the trigger ! The first one is always the best one. Now you need to get a nice buck in front of him ! That would be worth the price of admission.
btw...are you hunting in eastern or western Montana ?
__________________
I'm not conservative. I just think everyone should serve 2 years in the Marines and when you go home....you take your weapon with you.
ooaahh
We are hunting around Harlowton/Twodot. Somewhere in the middle of the state.
Shows how much I know. I knew there was some great whitetail hunting in Mt. but I though most of it was in the eastern river breaks country, or on over on the northwestern edge of the state.
I had to the chance to drive through parts of Idaho and most of Wyoming and loved it. I drove from Salt Lake City up through S.E. Id, over to Jackson Hole then up to the north end of the park and took a diagonal route across Wy. back down to I-25 and then to Denver...What a trip ! It was great ! I bet I saw a 1000 antelope ! Elk, mulies, moose, and even a few big horn, but not the first whitetail ....they must put em' up during the day.
__________________
I'm not conservative. I just think everyone should serve 2 years in the Marines and when you go home....you take your weapon with you.
ooaahh
We only see whitetail in the early morning or early evening unless there's bad weather. They like to hide during the day. But we've taken quite a few from the same area, and it's not unusual to see 20-30 in an afternoon of hunting.
Very nice Guntech! I have to Mt about 13 yrs ago and we bought mulie, whitetail and antelope doe tags for $35 over the counter. I could have filled a mulie buck tag real easier than my doe tag. I love hunting the west, lost of animals and a change of pace from the hills! We were in a small town 75 miles south of Billings. It was so awesome to see the Big Horn range in the west, beautiful big sky!
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" If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would send an entertainer..... our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent a Savior."
77gr Mk bullet has the best track record for one shot stops you can try it in a mini-14 if you have a 1:9 rifle twist.
I keep hearing the heavier loads are a little more accurate in the Minis....I have soem Winchester Super X PP in 64gr that I will be checking out at the range in the next week or two.
__________________
I'm not conservative. I just think everyone should serve 2 years in the Marines and when you go home....you take your weapon with you.
ooaahh
Well if you can find them the Mini 6.8 is a real great game stopper. I use SSA 110 grain Nosler Accubonds, and also plan on 110 Pro hunters. For a Mini 6.8 though use only factory ammo with the standard SAMMI Chamber. Unless you get it reamed to Spec II. But still with factories its over 1000 foot pounds at 200 yards and still expands at 300 for the accubonds and 350 for the pro hunters.
about 2.5 inches high at 100 yards about 200 yard zero, 10 inch drop about at 300 yards. in case you were wondering
Oh I'm in Minnesota, 223s just became legal last year, I had a choice between the .223 and 6.8 for me it was a no brainer but it was a personal choice. I seen some badly shot deer with 223s last year, critical hit areas besides else where and they still kept going. I put the blame on bad bullet selection and marksman ship, that sort of influenced my decision...alot one might say. I know people who are tack drivers at any range can take them with head shots with 223s but I'm just a good shot so I go went with the Mini 6.8. But then we have deer that maybe a little bigger than down south.
Oops I have to admit there is still the Mini-30...but there was none in the shop still would of gone for the Mini-6.8 though. My next plan is the Mini-14 in 223. Well its really 5.56 Nato thats the real reason I'm going to get it. I begged to borrowing my friends Mini-14s for years, usually got them to let me use one since they took my 300 win mag out for elk some times, when ever I could get one some thing stole my money like car payments or rent!
But its nice to see people are finding and telling other people what proper bullet to use in a 223 for deer. And what can work for when its the only gun ya got. I know from experience on that, use to varmint with friends with the 300 win mag. It was the only rifle I had. Gophers and Hedgehogs...
Last edited by Rugerite; 11-24-2009 at 13:31.
Reason: Added some thing with out doing a new post.
6.8 SPC would be a better choice...I agree with you, but I have a .223 so I should have been more specific when I started this thread and said which .223 would be the better load. The .223 is not my gun of choice when hunting deer, but as a back up or loaner to my son. I shoot a .270 Win and have never lost a deer with it. At least I have neve lost a deer that was well hit...shot placement. I did lose one buck a few years back that I shot too high and too far back: my fault for not insuring I had a good zero. I had knocked the gun out of zero and did not realize it.
__________________
I'm not conservative. I just think everyone should serve 2 years in the Marines and when you go home....you take your weapon with you.
ooaahh
Since no one ever looks at the hunting thread here..check out this bruiser...209" and 440lbs--supposedly. That is all the info I have, but this is still a stud any way you cut it.
__________________
I'm not conservative. I just think everyone should serve 2 years in the Marines and when you go home....you take your weapon with you.
ooaahh
Wow!! That's a huge deer!! Wonder if it was shot with 223?
__________________
" If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would send an entertainer..... our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent a Savior."
I'm going to assume that anybody reading or posting in this forum isn't going to be horrified by a pic of a blown-up deer heart. If I'm wrong, mods- delete and accept my apology.
I killed a little 125 pound button buck this morning with my Mini 14 Ranch Rifle, which is a 580 Series with the accuracy improvements. I used a handload with Winchester's bulk 55 grain softpoint; a plain jane, el cheapo bullet. I run it about 2850 fps over H4895 powder in Lake City brass. I am happy with this velocity as it groups well at 200 yards, where the irons are zeroed, and I felt it more likely to give adequate penetration on deer at that speed. It also nearly matches the trajectory of the ‘house’ 30-06 load, which simplifies shooting at distance.
The button was just a meat deer and I shot him at 170 yards per the measuring tool on ‘Google Earth’, which also shows a near-exact 205 yards to my target frame. When I first saw the little booger he was laid up in tall grass and absent a rest, I shot a tad high when I tried to spine him. He then stood up and ran a little ways before showing his shoulder, where I sent the second shot. That one was good and he stumbled off 15 yards and dropped.
The bullet broke the near shoulder, blew a 2 ˝”hole in his heart and exited the off-side ribs.
I don’t know what more you could ask of a .223 or a game load in general. I’ve seen a 150 pound doe saunter off 25 yard & jump a 5 strand fence, with her heart blown out by a 30-06.
What I do know is that I need to work on my off-hand rifle shooting. I do hate to miss- even once.
A 125lb button head is a big button head ! Where are you at ? Up north somewhere I am guessing, or in the midwest ?
__________________
I'm not conservative. I just think everyone should serve 2 years in the Marines and when you go home....you take your weapon with you.
ooaahh
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