223 shot placement

Daleo8803

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I plan on using one of my ARs in 223 to hunt with ( deer). Only rifle I have that is in a bigger caliber is a mosin but with my eyes I don't trust hitting a deer correctly with iron sights. I know some don't like a 223 for deer but it's what I have atm.

I will be using Hornady soft point ammo in 55gr unless I can find some federal fusion 62gr local.

Max shot will be 75yds.

Should I go for a neck shot? If so where? Right below the skull or by the shoulders? Head shot?

I have my rifle sighted in to be dead on at 50yds. I will be doing some shooting this weekend to double check my zero. Thanks

And yes I'm a total newbie at hunting! Lol
 
Head shots and neck shots. My cousin has dropped them with heart and lung shots but he shot one seven times to get it down. Thats not good.
 
Do you aim for the lower part, middle or top near the spine? Sorry but this is a first for me :)

Honestly just about anywhere on the neck is lights out as long as it’s anywhere near the spine.

Some people really like the neck meat for a roast but I’ve never been a huge fan.

The cavitation of the bullet will destroy the spinal column especially with a fast moving round like a 223 or 5.56.

I once dropped a 7 point buck with a 22 while I was squirrel hunting during deer season. It was facing away from me at 50 yards. Hit it right in the spine about midway up the neck.

Because a 22 doesn’t carry the same velocity it dropped but didn’t kill it. I walked over and put a round in the head to kill it.

Other than that one time I have killed and dropped probably 10 deer with neck shots with several different calibers.

Edit: Before anyone starts blasting me for shooting a deer with a .22, I was 11 at the time and in the woods by myself with a dog that was fetching the squirrels for me. I had been hunting for 3 years and never gotten a shot on a deer.
 
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What Chdamn said. Anywhere in the neck seems to be good to go. You can clearly see on the doe where I aimed and hit. Buck was looking straight at me and was a bit more rushed of a shot. Hit about midway of the neck, ~2" to the left of center. This was all with a 100 yrd zero. Doe was about 25 yrds and buck was at 65. I did not hold off or anything. I think a 50 yrd zero will work just fine.

Repost from another thread:

6 pt 140 lbs
90 lbs doe last weekend
Wife’s PSA AR 15. 60gr Hornady spire points (America Whitetail line) to the neck was the game plan this year. Prove the rifle and minimize both meat loss and time spent finding them in the swamps of Rob Co. so far It’s all DRT. Back the truck up and off to the processor View attachment 27695 View attachment 27693
 
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You can't just cut & run....spill it man.

Agreed. I'd like to think that we are talking about very humane kills here. Small deer (comparatively speaking vs say GA). Short distances and precise fire. Helped a guy, to no avail, try to find one that was hit with a 12 ga sabot round on opening day of gun. Witnessed an 8 pt run a little more than 150 yrds after a dead on hit to the boiler room with a .30-06. So far this year, both of mine dropped on the spot and were dead by the time I could get to them (getting down immediately after the shot). I shoot all year. Probably 500 or so rounds out of this particular rifle between Jan and Aug. 700+ through my 308 in the same time frame. I'm of the opinion that a majority of the time its has a lot to do with the Indian and very little to do with the arrow.

I'm confused.....
 
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And the “ your not using a big enough gun “ debate begins. I’ve seen the dropped in their tracks with a 22 magnum. So let’s just say I too think it’s more about the shooter than the round.


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I've said it before and I'll say it again: The .223/5.56 from a carbine barrel carries more ballistic energy over distance far better than any handgun short of .454 casull, yet people think all those deer shot with a blackpowder gun in the 1880s must've been a different animal.

Guess that goes for all those archery deer also.

Good bullets, medium range, it'll get er done.

If you are a shitty shot, stick with the buckshot range of 65 yards. Or just don't hunt.
 
Study their anatomy at different angles. The neck has a lot of space that isn't a quick kill. Search on line pics & examples.
https://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/big-buck-zone/2012/09/where-aim-kill-deer-one-shot

Yep. I've never shot one in the neck except straight on and I was aiming into the chest cavity (for the heart). It worked.

"Neck
Pros: A correctly placed bullet will kill with massive shock to the spinal cord and vertebrae while damaging very little meat.
Cons: The vital area on a neck shot is quite small. Hit low, and you will wound a deer with very little chance of recovery. Plus, this shot often merely paralyzes a deer, requiring a second shot or throat slit to finish the job."

no thanks.
 
I have never had a neck shot deer take a single step. Not one step. In nearly 15 years of shooting them there with a rifle. If given the opportunity I'll neck shoot one all day long and have done it out to 120 yards with a .270. I wait until the deer puts it's head down to feed or sniff something. That seems to be the most stable position they have. Then move a few inches up from where the neck meets the chest and pull the trigger.

That said, I do not take a neck shot on a moving deer. Period. If they are moving I set the cross hairs for them to step into them and pull the trigger as soon as they walk into the cross hairs with their chest.

If you can't stack rounds on each other at the distance you intend to shoot your rifle at, then stick to the chest. You have a larger target there. But if you are confident the bullet is going where you want it to, nothing wrong with a neck shot.
 
Ok. :)

If you've never made shots on a deer, stay out of the woods with a .223.
Neck shots can be made from a steady rest but shaking hands will just produce a deer with a hole in its throat. It 'll run off and you won't find it and you'll be posting threads here about the one you shot and couldn't find.
Why not take @Bailey Boat up on his offer and use a .308?

@Chdamn .. Boy do I have some stories for you about a kid with a .22
 
Just to get this out of my system, .223 is marginal at best and a "wounder" at it's worst. I'll loan you a 308 if you don't have anything else...

The last three deer I’ve shot were with 64gr power points out of my 16” suppressed AR. All three dead on the spot, no walking or running; and the very last one was at 150yds per my range finder. My supervisor hunts with a .30-06. His last two have gone 30+ yards.
 
I think those higher caliber rds work better average distances longer than say......150 yds or more.

Anything closer and they just pinch through that 16” wide abdomen of a deer
Deer i have shot with .30-06 165gr fusion look like you could stick a fist in the exit wound from 40-150yds. Same with 64gr Noslers in .223, no real difference.

All about boolits dumping that energy and that only happens with expansion.
 
My cousin has killed more deer with a 223 than I have with everything I’ve ever used combined. He’s never had one walk , ever, ttbomk . He rotates between 25-06, 7mm, 7mm short mag, and 223. I think it’s small if you’re not a great shot.
 
Do you guys think there is much difference between the 55gr and the 62gr as far as impact?

The rounds I can find local are the federal fusion in 62gr and the Hornady SP in 55gr. The main difference besides weight is the Hornady are $25 for 50 and the federal are $22 for 20.
 
Kinda off topic as well, but for naysayers of the .223 for deer hunting, while I’ve never killed one with a .223, I found out on an 8 point buck if you shoot him right behind the ear with a .17HMR, he drops like a rock. And that little bullet doesn’t mess up the cape.
 
Not much to add but I will say a well placed .223 rd will work much better than someone with a large caliber that flinches because of recoil and pulls a shot.
 
Just say NO to head shots...especially since you've never been deer hunting.

I've seen a walking doe with entire snout (nose mouth jaw) shot off.

I've never shot a deer with a .223/556. Probably won't since I've got bigger and better caliber rifles to use.
 
And yes I'm a total newbie at hunting! Lol

I've been thinking about this part today. And here is my no nonsense honest opinion to you. Nothing personal, but this is experience talking. Take Bailey Boat up on his offer, and keep your first few deer shot to the boiler room. There is so much going through your head when you are trying to pull off a shot on a deer, keep it as simple as possible. Decent caliber, easy shot. You are going to find it very hard to focus on much for the first few anyway. Your brain will potentially go to mush and processing anything extra just does not go well. Buck fever is real, but for new hunters deer fever is very real too. Until you get a few on the ground. Once you kind of get things under control, you can change things up a bit.

When I said I prefer a neck shot, I very much do. But that was after hunting for several years. Bagging enough deer that I could keep myself focused on the task at hand. And having confidence in my ability to take and make the shot. A new hunter really has none of that going for him. Keep things as simple as possible at first. Can a .223 kill a deer with a good shot to the chest? Sure it can. But a .308 can kill a deer quick with a poor shot to the chest. You want margin for error until you get your feet under you.
 
The easiest/best way to kill a deer is a shoulder shot--the deer is DRT and they are more forgiving than neck shots.. I hunt a lot of swamps/rough cutovers and even a thirty yard death run can be a huge pain in the ass. I have seen heart/lung shot deer run like hell and be a headache to track.
 
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Thanks guys for all the awesome info guys! I think I will wait for a while.

I thank @Bailey Boat for the offer to borrow a rifle but I just don't like to borrow guns. I know I'm weird. Lol

I have decided to build a 6.5 Grendel upper. I will be ordering the barrel and BCG tomorrow.

:) :)
 
low neck shot?

More like the throat which is exactly what we were talking about up thread...

Let me sum up my feeling this way, I am a guide for ducks and that's when I (or the client) usually take a deer. I don't specifically hunt deer just to kill one. Deer don't seem to recognize danger from the water like they do from the land so shots are normally close, well within 75/80 yards.
I personally carry a S&W 629 44 Mag with a 2X scope and 185gr Hornady soft point handloads that I can group into 2" or less at 100 yards. If a client says he's bringing a .223 I refuse to take them out. That's just MY policy and since it's MY boat, my policies rule.
I had a guy shoot a medium sized doe with a .223 one morning and I spent the next 3 hours trying to find the damned thing and NEVER did. The longest "track" I've had to follow after a 44 Mag shot was maybe 20 yards. I keep my shots close (50/75 yds) and in the chest and they don't go anywhere.
Use enough gun, you owe it to the animal...
 
IF I take a neck shot it's at the base of the neck on the front of the shoulder. I've seen deer run for days with their windpipe blown out by someone who took upper neck shots. I also don't take head shots because of all the movement there. A couple inches off on a shoulder or lung shot and I'm good, a couple inches off on a head shot and I've got a deer with a blown off jaw.
 
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low neck shot?

Yeah, if you mean “low” as towards the jugular vein. But not low as in at the bottom, towards the shoulder. My primary driver here is to minimize meat loss and a quick kill. I don’t hunt for trophy bucks, A 2nd year doe is where it’s at for me . My thought process is that I’m not hitting bone and creating shrapnel (bone or bullet) and that I’m basically immediately cutting the blood flow to the brain. No animal will go far if that’s accomplished.

I see the negative opinions of this and like everything in life, someone will disagree. I’m more than happy with the results I get. Bring enough gun, yes. I do that. Get good at hunting and getting close enough (20yrd in this instance). Shoot a whole hell of a lot during the off season, from unstable positions. And keep a cool mind on when you are going to take the shot vs when to just let em walk. And then bring enough gun for your capabilities or lack there of. As long as I’m hunting deep woods like this, all I’m gonna use is this trusty AR. Been working perfectly for me so far. Haven’t lost a deer yet and I’m approaching double digits under this methodology. Either dead right there or down within 30yrds. Anything over 125yrds, yeah I like a bit more for increasing margin of error.

Gotta have haters to keep the universe in balance! Luv y’all!!!!
 
I won’t intentionally shoot for the throat, but did miss my aim spot on a quartering away doe once and it went through her throat. She dropped like a sack of bricks and didn’t even kick luckily. That was also with a 12 gauge and I’m sure that helped. Also know a guy that killed a big doe at about 75 yards with a .22 to the throat. Only reason I believed it was true was because I cleaned the deer and he gave me the meat. I thought he was dumb as hell but it worked.
 
I won’t intentionally shoot for the throat, but did miss my aim spot on a quartering away doe once and it went through her throat. She dropped like a sack of bricks and didn’t even kick luckily. That was also with a 12 gauge and I’m sure that helped. Also know a guy that killed a big doe at about 75 yards with a .22 to the throat. Only reason I believed it was true was because I cleaned the deer and he gave me the meat. I thought he was dumb as hell but it worked.

Reminds me of a guy who was a friend of my BILs. He brought in a little 4 pointer for us to help his clean. I asked him what he used because it was a tiny little hole. 17HMR! At like 120yds. I was like no way he's messing with us. Upon opening up the deer, we found that he spine shot him, therefore A. it was a lucky shot and B. no way I would hunt with a .17HMR at 120yds. But yeah, it worked just this once.
 
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