Deer Gun .556?

[Dilettante]

There has been a lot of discussion recently here and other forums on .223 for deer hunting. Many discussions have gone on for ad nauseam. My question is, with several companies now manufacturing 223/556 caliber hunting rifles (Henry Long Ranger, Ruger American, etc) rifles capable of firing a 556 as well as a 223, how much better would a 556 quality bullet be over a 223 quality bullet? Would you feel underpowered with a 556 if you felt underpowered with a 223? And would you feel comfortable going on a deer hunt using a 556? (Asking for a friend! )

 

[Kracken McGraw]

Joe said those 556 bullets would cut you in half.

 

[ISS]

The bullets are all .224" diameter. Don't get caught game hunting in Idaho.

 

[mike mccormick]

Bullet selection would be paramount. There are a few decent game bullets out there though. At sensible range, there is no reason a 223/5.56 would not be adequate. There is a trend to think that deer are hard to kill. Tons were killed with the 22 hornet and the 25-20 in the bygone years.

 

[Oso]

Practically speaking there is minimal difference between a .223 Rem and a 5.56 NATO. The performance difference is easily blurred by each manufacturer's load variation made for each product line offering for both .223 and 5.56 ammunition. Both the 2.23 / 5.56 are capable, but have limited safety margin as compared to other cartridges of similar size. There are some specialty hunting bullets that help increase the effectiveness of .223/5.56.

The real question is: "Does a .224 diameter bullet of [XX] weight/design provide sufficient damage to ethically dispatch [YYY] size game animal within [ZZ] shooting distance & environment?"

Assume worst case scenario... not a head shot or perfect heart shot... will the bullet do enough collateral damage to quickly kill the animal? The skills of the hunter play a big part with a smaller cartridge.

 

[Mark W]

Six of one, and a half dozen of the other.

 

[GotRDid]

Some insight from a while back…

Nosler 64gr bonded performance

This little .224 diameter bullet is about as ugly as it gets but seems to perform pretty well. I load them up in straight 223 for my dad's truck gun and he's never had one not exit. Well this weekend he shot a deer with it at around 180yds the deer was quartering and it went through the of...

texashuntingforum.com

 

[GotRDid]

64 gr Nosler BSB after impact

Been shooting a bit this afternoon, and when I went down range to change targets, one of the bullets was laying there. Quite a nice even mushroom. I didn’t weigh it, but might in a couple of days.

texashuntingforum.com

 

[GotRDid]

22 Caliber 64gr Bonded Solid Base (Factory Seconds) | 100 Count

22 Caliber 64gr Bonded Solid Base (Factory Second) | 100 Count This product is sold as-is and all sales are final.

www.nosler.com

 

[vonb]

22 Caliber 64gr Bonded Solid Base (Factory Seconds) | 100 Count

22 Caliber 64gr Bonded Solid Base (Factory Second) | 100 Count This product is sold as-is and all sales are final.

www.nosler.com

Better price here:

Nosler 22 Cal 64gr Bonded Solid Base Bullets

Nosler 22 Cal (.224") 64gr Bonded Solid Base Bullets

ravenrocksprecision.com

 

[littlebuddybr]

This right here

Bullet selection would be paramount

 

[jwv2001]

I wouldn't be under or overpowered. If the opportunity presented allowed me to place my shot within 1" of my POA. 150 yds. or less. Whatever bullet would not make any difference.

 

[slm9s]

556 vs 223 is no appreciable difference.
Just my opinion, but I would be much more comfortable hunting deer and other game with at least a 243 vs a 223. 243 ammo is cheap, it is cheap to load for, and recoil is 100% manageable.
To those saying 223 is enough, why not a 20 cal bullet? 17?

 

[sacre]

Where are you hunting? If there's trees or brush, no.

 

[GotRDid]

Better price here:

Nosler 22 Cal 64gr Bonded Solid Base Bullets

Nosler 22 Cal (.224") 64gr Bonded Solid Base Bullets

ravenrocksprecision.com

Yes Sir! I get those notifications as well; great company to deal with, but had deleted that email, so could not recall the source.

 

[sw282]

Winchester Super X 223 Remington Ammo 64 Grain Winchester Power-Point

Winchester Super-X ammunition has developed a reputation as being hard hitting and reliable. This ammunition is loaded with Super-X Power-Points which...

www.midwayusa.com

My son kills a couple deer each yr with these Winchester 64gr soft points.. He shoots them in the only rifle he owns, a New Haven Model 70 Winchester Coyote in 223Rem. lt came from the factory with a 24inch Stainless Wilson Varmint barrel with 1 in 8'' twist. He shoots factory ammo ONLY.. Scope is a 6-18 VXII Leupold w/fine cross hairs.. He's never lost a deer with it. Less successful on prairie dogs:-(

 

[GotRDid]

Another option…

22 Caliber 70gr AccuBond SP (50ct)

22 Caliber 70gr AccuBond® SP NOTE: Requires a Minimum 1-9" Twist

www.nosler.com

 

[GotRDid]

…and another…

https://palmettostatearmory.com/aac-5-56-nato-70-grain-barnes-tsx-20rd-box-ammunition.html

 

[Bill K]

They both shoot the same .224 bullet. It is the pressure variance between the two cartridges that is different.
Choose a good bullet, along the lines of the 60 grain Partition or a copper one from Hammer, Barnes, etc and put into the correct spot on a animal, deer, etc. and it will kill them just fine.
It is bullet type and placement into a vital area/organ that counts. Not case/chamber marking.

 

[GotRDid]

Barnes LRX (Long-Range X) 22 Cal (224 Diameter) Bullets 77 Grain

The Long-Range X Bullet (LRX) line is designed after the best-selling Tipped Triple-Shock X Bullet, the LRX bullet design increases Ballistic...

www.midwayusa.com