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 Bonded Performance 64gr Solid Base bullets

Tough, accurate, and bonded for deep penetration. Nosler 64gr Solid Base bullets offer flawless feeding and terminal performance. Bulk packs available—shop now!

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 Bonded Performance 64gr Solid Base bullets

Tough, accurate, and bonded for deep penetration. Nosler 64gr Solid Base bullets offer flawless feeding and terminal performance. Bulk packs available—shop now!

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