Hunting & Fishing What all have you killed with a 223?

[Mike Casselton]

Hard to beat an old VS front that era!

Agreed. Like a dumbass, I let a few others from that era and earlier go...
Had some heavy varmint Winchesters too. Those had the H-S stocks and Schneider barrels. Great guns. Long gone...

 

[benchmstr]

Have a former buddy who killed a 340lb red stag with a mini 14 and 55grain FMJ...was about 50yards away and was DRT..shoulder shot, exploded the heart completely..was pure luck and one of, if not the most unethical kills I have ever witnessed....but it was a an instant kill


Bench

 

[JTJACKSON]

I've killed tons of turkeys with a 223, out to 400 yards. Several deer, beavers, groundhogs, coyotes, rabbits, squirrels, skunks, and crows. Have used anything from 40 grain hollow points to 75/77 grain handloads.

To me, a .223 is a must have. Cheap to shoot, and fairly versatile.

 

[DaleGribble82]

I’ve killed coyotes, hogs, and whitetail using a few different rifles chambered in .223. I’ve only ever had one issue and it wasn’t a terminal ballistics problem per say.

I shot a doe down in Albany, Texas one year and she didn’t drop right on the spot which was unusual. Anyways I came out of the stand in search of a blood trail thinking it was gonna be quick and easy do to the snow fall. Didn’t find a single drop of blood not one smudge. So it took me a hot minute to find her. It was snowing pretty hard for Texas, but I eventually found her.

She died about 10 yards from where I shot her and fell into a huge pile of snow. The snow fall covered her pretty quick, the fatal shot was right in the heart but oddly enough no blood at all. When we cleaned her out internally she was filled with blood.

I always attributed it to the small bullet diameter but who knows. Definitely can take down some game or predators/varmits with that caliber no problem.

 

[Mike Casselton]

I’ve killed coyotes, hogs, and whitetail using a few different rifles chambered in .223. I’ve only ever had one issue and it wasn’t a terminal ballistics problem per say.

I shot a doe down in Albany, Texas one year and she didn’t drop right on the spot which was unusual. Anyways I came out of the stand in search of a blood trail thinking it was gonna be quick and easy do to the snow fall. Didn’t find a single drop of blood not one smudge. So it took me a hot minute to find her. It was snowing pretty hard for Texas, but I eventually found her.

She died about 10 yards from where I shot her and fell into a huge pile of snow. The snow fall covered her pretty quick, the fatal shot was right in the heart but oddly enough no blood at all. When we cleaned her out internally she was filled with blood.

I always attributed it to the small bullet diameter but who knows. Definitely can take down some game or predators/varmits with that caliber no problem.

That reminds me of how rock chucks are inside when they've been shot with a 17 Remington. It's like picking up a ten pound bag of jello.