Factory load for deer?

[GaryO]

Around here deer hunting resembles deer culling; small whitetails at short range in the woods at short ranges. Lots of does and small bucks. Any experience with 223 factory loads for this? What say you? Thanks....

[A-Bear680]

I have zero experience with the .223/5.56 on deer but the first place that I would look is :
Terminal Ballistics Information.

[Toonces]

I would try this for starters:
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=891153


Or find this bullet in loaded ammo:
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=590017

These bullets are designed for big game. Good luck, shoot strait. Give a report when you shoot your deer.

[ST911]

Around here deer hunting resembles deer culling; small whitetails at short range in the woods at short ranges. Lots of does and small bucks. Any experience with 223 factory loads for this? What say you? Thanks....

I like larger rounds for deer. .223/5.56 can and has worked well though. Go heavy, get good placement. I've had really good luck with the BHA 60gr Nosler Partition. Other 60-64 JSP have done the job too.

[Showbart]

Winchester 64 gr Soft Points.

[leopard hound]

try the silver state armory stuff. they have a 70 gr barnes TSX load that would be appropriate. link at the top of the page

[Triton28]

I like larger rounds for deer. .223/5.56 can and has worked well though. Go heavy, get good placement. I've had really good luck with the BHA 60gr Nosler Partition. Other 60-64 JSP have done the job too.

+1 on the Nosler Partition

You'll be amazed what that 60 grain bullet will do. Still can't get sloppy with shot placement, but an excellent whitetail bullet nonetheless.

[Pumpkinheaver]

Nosler partition or barnes TSX would be my first choice. Never shot a deer with the 64gr powerpoint but I have heard good things.

[UVvis]

The deer culls I've been on were not really about hunting as much as just reducing the population. We shot from treestands at about 50 yards over bait. We usually had plenty of time to make shots and no rush.

Collectively, we mostly just took head shots. I was using 55gr Nosler ballistic tips, they worked well for this use. The other folk was shooting generic soft points, I think Hornady, and Vmax bullets. Overpopulated summer time whitetail deer have thin coats and usually very little fat you have to shoot through anyway. The NBT's were pretty destructive on the heart/lung shots on the skinny deer as well.

[-gary]

Illegal in every state I've lived in, but I've heard very good things about the TSX.

[moneymaker]

gary it seems most loaded ammo in hunting rounds high or out of stock,i reload 65grn sierra soft points,hornady 55grn soft points,60 grn nosler partition,prvi partizan 55grn soft points and would not hestitate to shot a missouri deer with any of them rounds,as a matter of fact i am building another AR platform to use just as a deer/varmit gun.

[tpd223]

Federal Tactical Bonded 62gr

Nosler Partition loaded by Winchester

Cor Bon DPX

Hornady Barrier TAP 62gr



I've shot several deer (injured that is) at work with #1 and 4, both will reliably shoot through even a rather big deer sideways on a classic broadside heart/lung shot.

If you treated it as though you were hunting with an iron sighted wheelgun (close shots only, no shooting at poor angles, etc.) then a .223 will do with any of these loads, especially for small deer.

[carbinero]

70gr Barnes TSX has been out of stock at SSA for a long time. Anyplace else I can get this loaded? Not reloading yet :(

[Todd.K]

Look for Barnes VOR-TX loaded ammo with 55gr TSX.
http://www.barnesbullets.com/products/barnes-vor-tx-ammunition/

[carbinero]

What's the effective range with a 16" N4?

Definitively superior to Winchester 64gr PP? Without looking up SD and BC, I assume the technology behind the TSX brings certain value...

[jk636]

cheap effective factory ammo for culling? Core Lokt, the deadliest mushroom in the woods.

[tpd223]

cheap effective factory ammo for culling? Core Lokt, the deadliest mushroom in the woods.

In .223 the Core Locked is a varmint bullet. The new Bonded Core Locked would be up to the task though.

The 30-30 and 30-06 Core Locked 150-180gr bullets behave far differently than the 55gr .223 version.

[carbinero]

Just for reference, here are 2 other threads on the same topic:

https://www.m4carbine.net/archive/index.php/t-23532.html

https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=22047

Just noticed Cor-bon loads the Barnes 62gr. Any reason to use soft point with the Barnes available?

December 14, 2006 http://stoppingpower.net/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=12710
16" velocity is 2825 fps, 20" velocity is 3,000 fps.
"We only manufacture ammunition to SAAMI specifications."
Mike Shovel
Sales Manager
COR-BON/Glaser
Mike@CORBON.com
412-496-0428

09-29-2008 http://www.warriortalk.com/archive/index.php/t-45421.html TeamCorbon
"We just shot the 62 gr DPX from a 16" gun into ballsitic gel...
4 layer denim barrier, velocity was 2,800 FPS. Penetration was 23" and recovered diameter was over .50"
As far as downrange performance. If you work it up on a trajectory output chart, at 150 yds the bullet would be going about 2350 fps..."

[Raven Armament]

I have personal experience with the 64gr Power Point, both factory Winchester and handloads. It's good to go.

[carbinero]

Also looking into Gold Dot 64gr and Fusion 62gr. I like the point being flush. Still curious how the all copper Barnes competes.