Deer hunting with .223/5.56

[akm4guy]

Where is up here? A friend of mine used .22lr befor he grew up and got a license and did it the right way.

Alaska, my bad. Guess I better finish my profile.

[trigger45]

It's ok.

[6920_enthusiast]

I don't see why you couldn't use 5.56, it has more ballistic energy than a .44 magnum.

[svh]

NEVER AGAIN. Colt 6920, 16"bbl, with 5.56 63 gn soft points. Two deer, two different results.

1: Doe at +- 80 yds.

Shot 1 - standing, broadside, right through the boiler room, she took off. Shot was through and through with little blood trail, and no expansion.

Second shot - quartering at me, on the run, a few inches behind the first, through the diaphragm and into the abdominal cavity. Shot didn't exit, lodged in ribs on opposite side. Minimal expansion minimal blood trail. Still running.

Third shot - standing on wobbly legs at about 25 yds, just behind the left eye. Large exit wound, dropped like a sack of hammers.

No doubt she would have expired from shot number one .... but after how long ? No indication of a good hit. Wasn't sure of placement, no visible signs of entry/exit.

2: Decent buck at walking speed at +- 50 yds. Same loadout, next day.

Shot 1 - No visible signs of a hit, no blood trail. Miss ??? I don't think so, but it happens.

Shot 2 - Through and through, decent exit splatter, bright red bubbly blood, little hair/tissue. Lung shot. Tracked for over 4 hours, and what had to be a couple miles to property line. Blood trail quickly dissipated after a few hundred yards, but kept finding spots here and there. Never did recover the animal. No doubt dead well onto the neighboring property. This was NOT from a lack of tracking skills, been hunting deer for just over 40 years.

Soooo, I drove 100 miles home to get my M77 30.06 with 155 gn. soft points, came back the next day and harvested a trophy buck, one round through the heart at about 60 yds. Saw the reaction of the deer getting hit, saw the "pink mist", and saw him crash a few yards from impact, NONE of which I saw with the 5.56.

Personally, I don't think the 5.56 has the ass to ethically harvest a deer sized animal consistently. NEVER AGAIN. For this reason, I'm in the process of putting together a 300 AAC, based on a SIG M400 pistol lower with a Advanced Armament 100884 9 inch upper and either a Saker or Omega can.

[BufordTJustice]

Svh, I understand what you've relayed, and I don't doubt your account, but ammo selection is everything and your ammo sucked.

There is plenty of ass to the 5.56 when using proper ammo. See this thread: https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=94628

[tylerw02]

I watched guys wound deer with a .300 Win Mags and not kill them. Guess they should switch to .338 Win Mags?


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[OIPactual]

I have used my ar's on deer for a few years now. I use 70 tsx bullets and all but one have been drt (that one went 35 yards with good blood). I hate hearing that the .223 is to small for deer, you just have to get a good shot. If you don't have a good shot, you shouldn't shoot anyway. I feed my family each year with three deer, and never once have I come up short because of the .223 round.

I'm in Michigan where the deer are around 175-250 pounds. I get complete pass through shots every time.

Aim small miss small.

[svh]

Svh, I understand what you've relayed, and I don't doubt your account, but ammo selection is everything and your ammo sucked.

There is plenty of ass to the 5.56 when using proper ammo. See this thread: https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=94628

I understand and agree with everything you said. Ammo and shot placement. Ideally I wanted heavier gn. bullets, but it didn't work out that way..... I've harvested well over 100 deer, mostly with a firearm, 30 cal, 7mm, etc., and FOR ME, the 5.56 just doesn't SEEM to do the job efficiently. JMO.

I really wanted it to work well for me, but it didn't. and I personally wouldn't recommend it anyone. Besides, it's giving me an excuse to go the 300BLK rout.

Respect
Steve

[BuzzinSATX]

Svh, I understand what you've relayed, and I don't doubt your account, but ammo selection is everything and your ammo sucked.

There is plenty of ass to the 5.56 when using proper ammo. See this thread: https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=94628

These two conflicting posts sum it up well for me...5.56 sucks with the wrong bullet, even with great shot placement, while it performs great with the right bullet. I used to hunt deer and antelope with a 22-250 and found the same thing. had issues with light bullets, but when I went to a solid copper bullet and all the critters pretty much dropped in their tracks.

[MBtech]

So pretty much use the right ammunition and hit the right spot and deer dies and goes to the freezer?

That is just too simple.