i will likely be having to use 223/5.56 for any hunting,smallish WT and hogs mostly likely nothing > 200 lbs. will use 20" wylde 1/8. i have on hand 2 ammo choices: nosler 64gr bonded pres.protection 223,speer 75gr gold dots 223. anyone have any experience with either or both on the intended game?
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223 hunting ammo question
- Thread starter mosin46
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I’ve used the speer .223 75gr gold dots on whitetail before and I was very pleased with the performance. I’ve never used the nosler though. Possibly those would be better for hogs since they are bonded?
Yes and Yes. Both are excellent. It's really all about shot placement and angles anyway. One bit of advice when using 5.56 tho...treat it like an archery shot. Sit perfectly tight x 30 min. before starting to pursue your shot location/blood trail unless you see them DRT where you shot them. You will prevent pushing the animal as they often bolt 10-40yds and bed down. Push them up too soon and it's irresponsible regardless of caliber. Good hunting.
There's a post over on rokslide about hunting with a 223. The wound channels from a 77 tmk are extremely impressive. Comparable to those I've seen from my 30-06 and bonded or mono bullets
after reading that thread I'm in the market to get a 223 for texas deer and hogs. And it will be a great first gun for my kids when they get old enough to hunt.
after reading that thread I'm in the market to get a 223 for texas deer and hogs. And it will be a great first gun for my kids when they get old enough to hunt.
I’ve used 80 grain elds. It sounds like your using an AR platform so they wouldn’t fit mag length but headshot no more head. I second the 77 tmks that’s what I will be shooting in TAC class this year or Hornady 75 grain bthp cheap but effective
The bullets you picked will work, beware of 77smk’s or thinner jackets, they are very sensitive to impact velocity,
sometimes they grenade inside the vitals which is good as long as the critter doesn’t run far
other times, at slower speeds they punch through like a pencil,
yet other times I’ve seen them tumble and bounce and break - one bullet gave three exit wounds
they are deadly for sure, and @Flyinghunter is correct, treat it like archery for shot selection and you will be fine
sometimes they grenade inside the vitals which is good as long as the critter doesn’t run far
other times, at slower speeds they punch through like a pencil,
yet other times I’ve seen them tumble and bounce and break - one bullet gave three exit wounds
they are deadly for sure, and @Flyinghunter is correct, treat it like archery for shot selection and you will be fine
Both bullets will work just fine with decent shot placement. Use whatever shoots better with confidence.
I've put around a dozen hogs down with the older 64gr Gold Dots, and a good shot will kill just fine. I dropped a 230lb boar with a pass through (I was surprised) from about 60 yards.
That being said; shots on runners are noticeably less effective than with larger cartridges...but that comes down to placement again.
I've put around a dozen hogs down with the older 64gr Gold Dots, and a good shot will kill just fine. I dropped a 230lb boar with a pass through (I was surprised) from about 60 yards.
That being said; shots on runners are noticeably less effective than with larger cartridges...but that comes down to placement again.
My experience with the .223 as a hunting round has been limited to close range whitails and smaller critters. Having said that, I've had excellent results with the Sierra # 1365 55 gr. Game king. Several whitails, 100 yd and less shots, and many Jack's and reds out of .233's and 222 mags. Powder of choice is IMR 8208 or H4895.
They may be lighter than what you're considering but they've always worked well for me.
They may be lighter than what you're considering but they've always worked well for me.
I have used the 62 gr Gold Dot bullets loaded over AA2520 powder for 6-7 years now. I have killed 17 whitetails with it and watched several youth hunters kill another 15 deer with this load.
Almost all shots resulted in pass-thru hits. Deer have ranged in size from small does to 200lb 3 1/2 year old bucks and none have made it further than 50 yards after the hit. Shot distances ranged from 30 yards to 220 yards. Many were bang flop hits.. I have thought about the 64 gr Nosler and the 75 gr GD but I would have to say that if it's not broke don't fix it. Son I'll just keep using what I have been.. YMMV
Almost all shots resulted in pass-thru hits. Deer have ranged in size from small does to 200lb 3 1/2 year old bucks and none have made it further than 50 yards after the hit. Shot distances ranged from 30 yards to 220 yards. Many were bang flop hits.. I have thought about the 64 gr Nosler and the 75 gr GD but I would have to say that if it's not broke don't fix it. Son I'll just keep using what I have been.. YMMV
Gold Dots are bonded as well. The 75 gr bullets have a better sd and would likely penetrate better than the 64 gr Nosler bsb..
Pat Sinclair, Scenarshooter on 24hourcampfire, can’t recall his handle on the ‘hide, told me he uses Hornady 55 grain spirepoints.
Greetings! I'm new to the board, but not to rifles. Unfortunately, it's been a while since I focused on bolt guns and reloading. I rectified that this past year, but not in time for Alabama's deer season. At least now I don't have to rush load development.
Early last fall I picked up a Mossberg Thunder Ranch MVP LR in 5.56 NATO. It has a 20-inch barrel with a '1/7' rate of twist. I'm hoping to build an accurate load around the Speer 75gr. Gold Dot, IMR 4895, and CCI SR BR primers for deer/hog hunting out to 200-250yds. In the past, my .223 accuracy loads for my first AR (1989-vintage Colt A2 Gov't) used W748 and 52gr. Hornady bullets but I don't know if it's a suitable powder for heavy bullets.
Thanks for allowing me the privilege of joining.
Early last fall I picked up a Mossberg Thunder Ranch MVP LR in 5.56 NATO. It has a 20-inch barrel with a '1/7' rate of twist. I'm hoping to build an accurate load around the Speer 75gr. Gold Dot, IMR 4895, and CCI SR BR primers for deer/hog hunting out to 200-250yds. In the past, my .223 accuracy loads for my first AR (1989-vintage Colt A2 Gov't) used W748 and 52gr. Hornady bullets but I don't know if it's a suitable powder for heavy bullets.
Thanks for allowing me the privilege of joining.
4895 isn't a powder I would have chosen for heavier bullets. You would likely have better luck with Varget or AA 2520. Those powders have always worked well with 70+gr bullets,
I have used 62gr TTSX out of a 20" AR to great effect on Mule Deer here in Idaho. Its been a very effective combo. Longest shot with this combo was 325 yards and it was a bang/flop situation.
I see I've inadvertently given away my age. The current popular powders were just gaining prominence when I last did any reloading. My 'go to' powders from the early 1980s to the early 2000s were Unique, Bullseye, Red Dot, Blue Dot, W231, W748, and IMR 3031.
The last deer I shot was using a handload consisting of a Hornady 55gr spire point and H-335, IIRC, from a Mini-14 at 60 yds. The bullet shattered the right shoulder, destroyed the lungs, penetrated the left shoulder and stopped, fully mushroomed, under the hide. The deer went less than 20yds and dropped. Too bad Hornady doesn't make a 75gr version of that bullet.
I think Pat has rebarreled his 220 Swift numerous times, that might be what he flung those 55 Horns out of.
H4895 and IMR 4895 are both excellent powders for heavy bullets in 223 Remington.
They both are popular in NRA Highpower/CMP Service Rifle competition, which is the origin of heavy .224 projectiles.
I have no idea where you got your information but if it's personal experience then it's an outlier to a significant body of experience.
You should not have any problems related to your choice of powder and primers for that application. Whether your rifle ends up liking that bullet, only one way to find out.
W748 is a bit too fast for bullets heavier than 70 grains.
Which if I understand correctly is just a rebranded Gold Dot.. Not 100% on my recollection of that though.
I have had great luck with H4895 with the 75gr ELDM out of my bolt gun and the 73gr ELDM out of my AR. I get better velocity with it than Varget.
Hogs aren’t near as tough as people make them out to be. It’s usually shitty shot placement that makes people believe that. Any 60+ soft point, bonded, or HP has worked well from my experience. A Hornady 75 BTHP has downed anything I’ve pointed it at without issue including a few hogs in the 270-290 range. More than I care to count in the sub 200 range.
This question is one of the most frequently ask on SH. The replies are the same each time.
Most folks who reply like what they use from 55-80 grains and many express doubts about the other bullets they have not tried. A few place restrictions on range, follow up time or other things. These restrictions are normally based on things they have not tried.
Most have shot only a few critters with only one or a few different bullets. Some have shot nothing with a .223 and hate it anyway.
I live in the midwest and own and manage a fairly large ranch. I guide 10-20 hunters each year, many shoot several does and a buck. Our deer run large. 200-325# range. All hunters use my rifle. 18" Proof or Douglas barreled AR. I also hunt and at times do some culling on permit on my ranch and others. The numbers of deer killed is fairly high. Ranges run from 25 feet to 600 meters with most being from 100-400 M . Most often use issue Mk 262 ammo. (77 grain SMK) I also use a very similar reload. The results I see are as follows.
Almost without exception I note complete penetration with an exit wound regardless of range.
The more closely the shot is placed to the shoulder on entrance or exit the more quickly the deer goes down.
Average distance travled after shot is less than 30 M.
I see very little if any difference in the kills from larger rifles with well placed shots. With poorly placed shots results MIGHT be slightly less effective with the 5.56. I used a .308 for many years.
Young and inexpirenced shooters seem to place shots much better with the 5.56.
The larger deer seem to go down more quickly than the smaller ones. They provide more resistance to the bullet and sustain more damage it appears.
VERY FEW head or neck shots are taken.
On no occasion have I seen the mythical tumbling bullet effect. Not one time out of many hundreds. I am told it is well established but no one says where it is established. I do not shoot light FMJ bullets so that might be different.
Deer hit in one lung will travel a longer distance. Hitting both lungs and some bone is most effective.
I have never seen unusual bullet action. It is uniform as can be. No blowing up, no failure to expand, and again, no tumbling.
I have used 60 grain, 62 grain and 69 grain bullets with equal success, but to a far lesser extent.
If reloading, Ramshot TAC is as good any any powder I have tried with the 77 grain SMK.
Most folks who reply like what they use from 55-80 grains and many express doubts about the other bullets they have not tried. A few place restrictions on range, follow up time or other things. These restrictions are normally based on things they have not tried.
Most have shot only a few critters with only one or a few different bullets. Some have shot nothing with a .223 and hate it anyway.
I live in the midwest and own and manage a fairly large ranch. I guide 10-20 hunters each year, many shoot several does and a buck. Our deer run large. 200-325# range. All hunters use my rifle. 18" Proof or Douglas barreled AR. I also hunt and at times do some culling on permit on my ranch and others. The numbers of deer killed is fairly high. Ranges run from 25 feet to 600 meters with most being from 100-400 M . Most often use issue Mk 262 ammo. (77 grain SMK) I also use a very similar reload. The results I see are as follows.
Almost without exception I note complete penetration with an exit wound regardless of range.
The more closely the shot is placed to the shoulder on entrance or exit the more quickly the deer goes down.
Average distance travled after shot is less than 30 M.
I see very little if any difference in the kills from larger rifles with well placed shots. With poorly placed shots results MIGHT be slightly less effective with the 5.56. I used a .308 for many years.
Young and inexpirenced shooters seem to place shots much better with the 5.56.
The larger deer seem to go down more quickly than the smaller ones. They provide more resistance to the bullet and sustain more damage it appears.
VERY FEW head or neck shots are taken.
On no occasion have I seen the mythical tumbling bullet effect. Not one time out of many hundreds. I am told it is well established but no one says where it is established. I do not shoot light FMJ bullets so that might be different.
Deer hit in one lung will travel a longer distance. Hitting both lungs and some bone is most effective.
I have never seen unusual bullet action. It is uniform as can be. No blowing up, no failure to expand, and again, no tumbling.
I have used 60 grain, 62 grain and 69 grain bullets with equal success, but to a far lesser extent.
If reloading, Ramshot TAC is as good any any powder I have tried with the 77 grain SMK.
I've killed an assload of big game with that bullet in 223's, 22/250's, and 220 swift's.
Use it with total confidence.....55 SP's are one of the best slow twist 22 caliber bullets ever made in my opinion.
Nosler in my humble opinion. I have seen some pretty spectacular results on game out of their bullets
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