Which bullet for Deer hunting w/ 1:9 twist?

[J Crew]

i know some don't like the idea of hunting with a .223 caliber. but in alabama ou can hunt with any centerfire round. i've read some good reviews of others using a .223. so without opinions on using or not using this caliber or that caliber... i'd like to know which brand/grain do you recommend for a 1:9 twist barrel? thanks.

[Cold Zero]

Take a look at the 60 gr. nosler partition. Blackhills loads this, this works for a 1 in 9 twist.

[OD Green]

Winchester 64 gr. power point. Inexpensive and will mushroom nicely in a deer.

[deadwood83]

60-69gr NBT. I know it's meant for varmints but the enhanced expansion works very well on deer, too.

[jem375]

I would take a look at the Hornady 68 gr. bthp and see if it will shoot ok in your rifle..........I think Black Hills makes this bullet in their ammo......

[HeavyD]

Here's what I handload:
65gr Sierra Gameking over 23gr Hodgden Benchmark, Win Brass and primers.
I get 2800 ft per sec out of a 20in 1:8 twist RRA Varmit barrel.

I have tried the 64 gr Win Power Point and it does not group as well. The Gamekings will smoke a Coyote, I'm not convinced about effectiveness on deer though.

[adobewalls]

Gotta know your limitations with the .223. I have taken four deer with the .223, all but one were good shots and clean kills. The one that was not, I double tapped the buck in the neck, and he staggered but didn't go down. So I dropped my aim to his chest and put two in the boilerworks as he now angled away. Those two dropped him.

Doing the post-mortem the two shots to the neck left two holes the size of golf balls at the base of his neck, but did not penetrate to the bone. The two shots into the chest, one bullet went completely through and the other bullet was found just betwen the ribs and the skin under the off-side foreleg.

Distance was 225yds, load was 55 gr. Sierra Gamekings over 25.0 IMR4064. For this load the distance was probably just at its limit. But for deer between 80 and 200 yards its probably spot on. The other thing, is to try to angle the shot to take out both lungs, rather than just centering up on the shoulder.

[PALADIN-hgwt]

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