[Aramark]

i need advice on what you guys believe would be the best .223 5.56 round for whitetail. short story, my sister in law got a 5.56, and wants to use it for deer hunting. Sense she is a woman she knows what is best, and i have talked to her about getting a 6.8 upper for deer hunting, as i believe the 556 is to small. (yes i know you can hit them in the head and kill them, but trust me she is not that good)
it may sound like i'm running her down, but i just want to get the facts out there. i have been looking at SSA 63gr softpoint and 70 grain Barnes Lead Free TSX BT, if there is any others that would be good to let me know. i did get her some 77gr OTM.

i told her i was willing to sell her my stag 6.8 upper after i order one from ARperformance.

thank guys

 

[paulosantos]

Anything loaded with the Nobler 60 GR Partition, Winchester or Federal 64 GR SP, 75 GR Scirocco, Federal 55 or 62 GR Bonded bullets, Cor-Bon SP ammo, SSA 63 GR SP.

 

[constructor]

i need advice on what you guys believe would be the best .223 5.56 round for whitetail. short story, my sister in law got a 5.56, and wants to use it for deer hunting. Sense she is a woman she knows what is best, and i have talked to her about getting a 6.8 upper for deer hunting, as i believe the 556 is to small. (yes i know you can hit them in the head and kill them, but trust me she is not that good)
it may sound like i'm running her down, but i just want to get the facts out there. i have been looking at SSA 63gr softpoint and 70 grain Barnes Lead Free TSX BT, if there is any others that would be good to let me know. i did get her some 77gr OTM.

i told her i was willing to sell her my stag 6.8 upper after i order one from ARperformance.

thank guys

I know a few guys driving 70gr bullets at 2900fps out of a 20" 5.56 so IMO that Barnes handloaded hot will do the job as long as it's a 200yd shot or under.

When the 8 twist poly barrels come in I'll start testing them for max performance loads and light 3 gun/carbine class loads.

 

[ArtFWTx]

Hand her a 6.8 loaded up and tell her it's a 5.56

Would that work?

 

[Aramark]

she does want my stag, but she can have it after i'm dead, the thing as treated me really good. ok thanks guys. i have also told her to just sell the upper and get a 6.8, but yeah. thats like pissing into the wind.....

63gr SP it sounds like i'll get, thanks.

 

[ArtFWTx]

The 63 SP should work with a good shot. I have some Winchester 64's that I keep around for 5.56 hunting.

 

[marinesg1012]

I wouldnt want as new hunter using a 556 on deer sized game.

 

[LKirchoff68]

If she ends up using the 556 for deer hunting, have here do neck shot only. Unless it is a huge buck that needs to be shoulder mounted. By shooting for the neck, it pretty much gaurantees a kill if hit. On the other hand, a miss will usually end up being a clean miss.

When I was younger I was taught to shoot for the neck. I killed many deer that way with my old .222. Later on down the road is when she starts shooting a little better have her shoot for the heart. But until then, get her to only take neck shots until she gets more comfortable.

 

[fireguy]

I agree completely with marinesg1012. Most people consider hunting deer with .223/5.56 to be inhumane. Is your sister so enamored of her new rifle that she just has to go out and kill something with it? No offense intended by that remark; I remember the feeling of having a new deer rifle and itching for season to open. If that's the case, coyote hunting might be great.

Explain to her that with that a deer could wander around for a couple hours with a collapsed lung before dying, if her shot is not perfect. That's not satisfying to any hunter. From the perspective of meat quality, ease of finding the kill, and sportsmanship, a larger caliber that offers greater forgiveness for a shot that's not perfectly centered in the vitals will make your sister more likely to have success. As a sportsman yourself, you owe it to her future as a hunter and to the game she pursues to help her make the right choice.

Also, and finally, try to switch her to a suitable caliber for the sake of your other fellow hunters, for two reasons. First, the number of hunters is declining. We need more deer hunters to join the ranks, and if she's successful it will help achieve that goal. Second, everyone who goes into the woods and uses a rifle that looks cool, but is ill-suited to the job of hunting, gives credence to the arguments of anti-hunters and anti-gunners alike. Their arguments are that assault rifles/EBRs/etc just aren't right for hunting. We believe that platforms such as ARs are great for hunting, as long as the caliber's appropriate for the job. Let your sister help prove us right, not them.

 

[Aramark]

no i agree with you all. i did tell her to go for the neck. 2 years ago my brother got her a 308. (great gun i shot it a few times) and now he got her this. and yeah. she is just itching to get out there and use it on deer. i have talked to her about sticking with her 308, but she looks at me like i'm from a different world.
that is why i'm trying to find the best rounds i can find for her. if i don't go hunting this year i'll let her use my 6.8m

i did tell her to get a 7.62x39 upper,, but like i said the sister-in-law knows best

 

[Jamesb74]

Anything loaded with the Nobler 60 GR Partition, Winchester or Federal 64 GR SP, 75 GR Scirocco, Federal 55 or 62 GR Bonded bullets, Cor-Bon SP ammo, SSA 63 GR SP.

Hey Paulo, Where do you find the Nobler's are they new? LOL

I agree with most everybody. 5.56 is pushing it. If you are the one that is taking her hunting say she has to qualify first and has to shoot under 1" groups at 100 consistently

 

[borderpatrol]

I imagine the .308 kicks more than she likes, the stock is too long or both. Perhaps loading some 125 grain Pro Hunters would help on the recoil. Speer 125 grain .308 bullets work well too. This is a much better option than .223.

Michigan outlaws the use of anything smaller than .243/6mm diameter for deer.

 

[biglucky]

If you were in Texas shooting at our dog sized deer then 5.56 is more than sufficient in the hands of a competent marksman. In Minnesota where the deer are considerably larger I don't know if it will be enough short of a perfect heart shot or head shot. Good luck with that. Maybe the first time she hits a deer and doesn't kill it she will see the light and get a 6.8 upper.

 

[rushca01]

You guys that can use rifle to hunt deer are lucky. Around these parts no rifle for deer. We have to use "fud" guns etc. I have heard mixed reviews about the 5.56 on deer, since we can'thunt them with rifle I have no sound advice. If I had to choose, I would agree with "Marines". I'm sure it can be done with correct bullet and shot placement etc....

Has she ever killed anything? When I was kid I shot alot with Dad and shooting paper was easy, put those cross hairs (shotgun with scope) on a living animal all of a sudden heart rate jumps breathing jumps etc... and with the adrenline pumping makes things a different ball game.

Almost forgot to add cause I know how much H loves to here from me

When the 8 twist poly barrels come in I'll start testing them for max performance loads and light 3 gun/carbine class loads.

Are they here yet!!!!

 

[ccoker]

I have killed quite a few south Texas whitetails with a 223
put it in the rib cage or neck and it's time to get to work
64g SP works wonderful
Federal started shipping their tactical load with the 55g TSX, picked up a box the other day to check out of my 5.56 Sabre 16"

my son killed his first deer (at 9) with a Fed 64g SP at about a 100 yards, perfect heart shot, game over
he's now using my old Sako 243 with a cut down stock

the 223 is a very popular deer cartridge in south Texas and as long as you have decent bullet, keep the ranges realistic (no 400 yard shots) and put the bullet where it needs to go, it'll be fine

now, would I go after BIG deer?
no

 

[Megalos]

Without knowing the shooter, it's hard to pass judgment on her ability to make the shot with a .223. Using a .223 AR may be preferable over the .308 so she doesn't worry about recoil and end up making a bad shot.