.223 sucks for deer

[grasshopperglock]

Of all the rounds Ive shot deer with. 223 sucked the most at it.

Years ago I was hunting on a 50acre pasture. The Grove, Texas. So you can guess the size of the deer. At about 70yards, holding a Ruger ranch, heaviest weight bullet I could find. Two does pop up.

None of my tags had been filled. anyway...

The first one took a round in the lower neck and dropped like a wet sack of meat. The second one turned and came back to check out why it's buddy wasn't running too. "Impressed" with the drop of the neck shot. I decided to see what it would do in the vitals. She took one right behind the shoulder. "Heart shot"

For all I know, she's still running. I spent two+ hours looking for her. Most of that time was on hands and knees looking for a blood trail. Which was two drops on the ground, where she first got poked. What a piss off knowing she had to deal with some major pain.

Even if the Ruger threw the round off and it hit the lungs. Something bigger would have blew them out into a pink fluffy mess. She wouldn't have ran more then the 200yard circle area I looked. Plus had a blood trail. And hell no, she wasn't under some cedar tree. They were only on a fence line. And thats the first place I checked. It was not that bushy.

The one that took it in the neck. Had a neat hole, with a pathetic exit wound. I'm surprised she dropped. So if you're gonna be using that AR15 in 223 this year to hunt deer. Good luck. Cause it sucks.

 

[TXARGUY]

I've taken plenty of deer with .223 but this year I'm going with .308 for longer stands and .300 blk for shorter.

 

[Charlie]

head shots fix that.

 

[Younggun]

Of all the rounds Ive shot deer with. 223 sucked the most at it.

Years ago I was hunting on a 50acre pasture. The Grove, Texas. So you can guess the size of the deer. At about 70yards, holding a Ruger ranch, heaviest weight bullet I could find. Two does pop up.

None of my tags had been filled. anyway...

The first one took a round in the lower neck and dropped like a wet sack of meat. The second one turned and came back to check out why it's buddy wasn't running too. "Impressed" with the drop of the neck shot. I decided to see what it would do in the vitals. She took one right behind the shoulder. "Heart shot"

For all I know, she's still running. I spent two+ hours looking for her. Most of that time was on hands and knees looking for a blood trail. Which was two drops on the ground, where she first got poked. What a piss off knowing she had to deal with some major pain.

Even if the Ruger threw the round off and it hit the lungs. Something bigger would have blew them out into a pink fluffy mess. She wouldn't have ran more then the 200yard circle area I looked. Plus had a blood trail. And hell no, she wasn't under some cedar tree. They were only on a fence line. And thats the first place I checked. It was not that bushy.

The one that took it in the neck. Had a neat hole, with a pathetic exit wound. I'm surprised she dropped. So if you're gonna be using that AR15 in 223 this year to hunt deer. Good luck. Cause it sucks.

Apparently the shot wasn't as well place as you thought.

Large exit wounds tend to waste meet IMO. .243 with 80gr Remington power lokt leaves a dime size exit and they always drop with a shot to the heart.


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[itchin]

What kinda ammo were You shooting?

 

[grasshopperglock]

Apparently the shot wasn't as well place as you thought.

Large exit wounds tend to waste meet IMO. .243 with 80gr Remington power lokt leaves a dime size exit and they always drop with a shot to the heart.


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The heart was what I was aiming out. Seeing how the Ruger would get a 3moa at 100 yards. I know the shot had to be off. But not that much. Were talking 70yards with a scope. The lungs had to have taken the blow. If not the liver took it, which I doubt like hell. You can kill a deer all day long with 223. Deer don't have bullet proof heads. But it better be dead on. A perfect shot is not always the case in hunting. You try to do it, but sometimes its a few inches off.

A 243 would have stopped it. At least not let it run more then 100yards. Due to blood loss alone. A 270 would have threw it to the ground. These deer were no more then 90lbs.

If youre confident you can place a 223 right where it's needed. Go for it. But if you end up shifting a little. 223 just doesn't give enough "wound" to make sure the deer's down for the count.

 

[scap99]

3 MOA at 100yds?
Is that even acceptable accuracy?

If you hurried that second shot, that 3 MOA could have expanded exponentially.


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[grasshopperglock]

What kinda ammo were You shooting?

Winchester power point. 65grain.

 

[grasshopperglock]

3 MOA at 100yds?
Is that even acceptable accuracy?

If you hurried that second shot, that 3 MOA could have expanded exponentially.



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This was a Ruger Ranch. It shot groups like an AK. It wasn't all that hurried. She was at a dead stand still, sniffing her buddy. And yes I sold the POS

 

[scap99]

This was a Ruger Ranch. It shot groups like an AK. It wasn't all that hurried. She was at a dead stand still, sniffing her buddy. And yes I sold the POS

Can't say I blame you. It's sad that a rifle of such poor accuracy is allowed to leave the factory.


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[grasshopperglock]

Can't say I blame you. It's sad that a rifle of such poor accuracy is allowed to leave the factory.


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You'd think it would shoot as tight as a M14, being just a smaller scale version of it.

I laughed when they came out with a Mini14 target. Seeing all the factory had to do to make it shoot better.... Heavy barrel with a heavy weight on the end. Good grief.

 

[scap99]

You'd think it would shoot as tight as a M14, being just a smaller scale version of it.

I laughed when they came out with a Mini14 target. Seeing all the factory had to do to make it shoot better.... Heavy barrel with a heavy weight on the end. Good grief.

Oh shit. I just realized it was a mini 14.
Thought it was a bolt gun.


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[Mexican_Hippie]

Not sure what you mean by "behind the shoulder."

The heart is directly underneath the shoulder, behind it - as in - you shoot through the the back/lower part of the shoulder to hit the heart (broadside deer).

The lungs are behind the shoulder - as in- you shoot horizontally behind the shoulder not through it.

Edit: found a pic

 

[grasshopperglock]

Not sure what you mean by "behind the shoulder."

The heart is directly underneath the shoulder, behind it - as in - you shoot through the the back/lower part of the shoulder to hit the heart (broadside deer).

The lungs are behind the shoulder - as in- you shoot horizontally behind the shoulder.

The way she was standing at the angle to me, right behind the left shoulder(arm pit) was the aim point. The exit would have been the frontside of her right shoulder/chest. If it hit father back, up or down. It would have been lungs, exit out right shoulder. Farther front and the left shoulder would have taken it. She was bleeding. Not much but bleeding. Dark red. So it probably wasn't the lungs cause, you tend to get a lighter, pinker shade. She didnt take it in the heart. No way, and run like she did.

She got a punch. It was a hard hit. She stumbled back, then ran like hell.

But I could have shot her with a 270win behind the lungs, got the liver, and she would have dropped. Just from the damage of the 270. The 223 was too damn small.

 

[Younggun]

A deer can run a surprisingly long distance with a shot through both lungs.


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[Younggun]

The way she was standing at the angle to me, right behind the shoulder. The exit would have been the inside of her right shoulder/chest. If it hit father back, up or down. It would have been lungs. Father front and the left shoulder would have taken it.

But I could have shot her with a 270win behind the lungs, got the liver, and she would have dropped. Just from the damage of the 270. The 223 was too damn small.

Wouldn't bet on it, the liver is not going to cause the instant loss of blood pressure that a heart shot would. The deer could still run till it blead(sp) out.


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[grasshopperglock]

Wouldn't bet on it, the liver is not going to cause the instant loss of blood pressure that a heart shot would. The deer could still run till it blead(sp) out.


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70 yards, my man. If she had ran after a 270, if that. There would have been a blood trail you could follow. And not far. I didn't chase her. I gave her time to drop. I did a crime scene grid type search. I hated losing her and did my best to locate her. She ran past 100yards in any direction, from the area she was standing when she got shot. This was next to a tree line on a plowed field. Surrounded by weedy areas. Only the fence line had any sorta trees. And 7-10 ft cedars at that.

I watched her take off. Then followed that line. She did take off into cedar trees. But nothing you couldn't walk through or find a deer in. the ground was weedless in the trees. The area past them had grass. But not higher then your knee. It had cattle ran on it, so it wasn't all that tall

 

[Younggun]

I'm also curious as to what type of ammo you were using, unless I missed the answer somewhere.

 

[scap99]

I'm also curious as to what type of ammo you were using, unless I missed the answer somewhere.

Post #8


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[5 Screw Smith]

Can't say I blame you. It's sad that a rifle of such poor accuracy is allowed to leave the factory.


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They were all like that. I 'm not sure about the newer models but Ruger ranch rifles/Mini 14s were all known for poor accuracy.