I guess you are talking about 5.56/.223?

Some folks would say yes you could. However, the Great Majority of folks that are serious deer hunters wouldn't use that caliber to deer hunt.

I know shot placement is most important, but there's many calibers that will do a better job on deer.

"Better" means...more humane, less chance of just wounding, less chance of having to track or even losing the deer, etc., etc.

...and you did say "effectively"

 

I wouldnt, just personal preference. I dont htink .223/5.56 is legal for deer in SC not sure about NC

 

is there anyway I can tailor a 5.56 round in favor of deer? I know shot placement is important and I would be taking shots from 150 yds and under. I'm just trying to avoid buying another gun( I don't mind but the gf does). Anybody take a deer with an AR? If so, what was the range and what type of ammo?

 

Nosler makes a 60 gr Partition round for .223 I believe. I wouldn't use anything less if it were me.

I've got no problem with someone using a .223 for deer. The biggest buck I ever saw killed was killed with a .22 LR, through the heart, but chances of wounding one by poor shot placement is too great for me.

If I pout one too high in the vitals for a "knock down" with my .270 shooting a 150 gr. bullet, there's a much better chance of having a good blood trail to follow than if I were using a .223 with a 60 gr bullet.

Larger exit wound equals more blood to trail.

Now, if you take nothing but head shots....that might be a different story.

 

it IS legal to hunt deer in SC with a .223.
Yes even on WMA lands.

here is the statement from the SC DNR website:
3.3 On WMA lands, big game hunters are not allowed to use military
or hard-jacketed bullets or .22 or smaller rimfire.

so, No FMJ ammo,
No rimfire that is 22 or smaller.

This means that if i wanted to, i could use ANY centerfire cartridge deemed humane enough to hunt with.

 

Use the Nosler partition or 64 grain WW bullet, do not take iffy shots or Texas heartshots, and you will do fine.

 

it IS legal to hunt deer in SC with a .223.
Yes even on WMA lands.

here is the statement from the SC DNR website:
3.3 On WMA lands, big game hunters are not allowed to use military
or hard-jacketed bullets or .22 or smaller rimfire.

so, No FMJ ammo,
No rimfire that is 22 or smaller.

This means that if i wanted to, i could use ANY centerfire cartridge deemed humane enough to hunt with.

No mag restriction either.

 

Yeah, I was thinking about the Noslers. I'm pretty patient so I don't mind passing up a deer. Anybody have anyother ideas on this.

 

Anybody have anyother ideas on this?[

I'm just trying to avoid buying another gun( I don't mind but the gf does)

I've got another idea...get another girlfriend that is not controlling before it is too late! Then, get a rifle in a caliber that is known to be adequate for deer hunting.

That is if you are seriously considering taking up deer hunting.

 

she's not controlling in the least bit. She is very much into guns so there is no problem there. However she can be very persuasive when she wants to be. Plus if I gave her up, I don't think i could find another pretty girl to date my ugly self .

 

. Plus if I gave her up, I don't think i could find another pretty girl to date my ugly self .

Ohhh it could happen. I'm about as big and ugly as they come but I seem to stumble into some pie once in a while. :twisted: :twisted:

 

or get another upper, 7.62x39?

thanks bttwiceborn didnt look just posted what I "thought"

I would feel better about it with partitions in .223

 

You could always build an upper in 6.8 or 7.62x39. Both are decent deer cartridges. I am planning to build a 6.8 to hunt with.

 

Why not do some half MMA and half Chuck Norris hunting. Jump out of the tree and kick the deers a$$. Wear some garbage bags full of leaves if you are hunting bucks tho, you will need the body protection. And wear some good goggles.

 

Thanks for making me bust out laughing in class. I was thinking about another upper but that would prolly cost what 600-800$. I might get me a box of the noslers and try them out before the season starts.

 

Thanks for making me bust out laughing in class.

I try.

 

It is legal to hunt with as there are no caliber restrictions for rifles.From what I gather in the regulations digest,you could hunt with a .17 caliber if you choose to(Rifle only).Pistol regs state a .24 caliber minimum.

As stated by others,I would go with the Nosler Partitions as a minimum in your .223.

I have thought about this same thing but with a 22-250 and I just think I will stick with a .243 as my minimum caliber.

Just remember shot placement will be even more critical.
Good luck on the season and show pics of the AR slain beast

 

As already stated the 60gr Partition will work for deer sized animals. The 55gr Trophy Bonded BearClaw will work on deer also. The 64ge Winchester PowerPoint load would be another good choice for your rifle. Buy a box of each and use the one that shoots the best.

I had an old Howa in .223Rem and used it to good effect hunting a couple of our leases that border housing developments. While the .223 was still loud it never rasied the "neighbors" like my .300Win did. :twisted:

<><Fish

 

+1 on the Winny power points. I've used them with success from a tree stand many times. Shot placement is important, but no more important than if I was using a larger caliber. Big bullets don't really make up for poor marksmanship when hunting larger game.

 

she's not controlling in the least bit. ...However she can be very persuasive when she wants to be. ... .

That's called "PW!" :wink:

 

What kind of optics are you using on the rifle? Not to sound cliche, but shot placement is critical, especially with smaller calibers. If you are using a scoped AR, and you are a proficient shooter, you should be ok. I wouldn't try it with open sights though. There just isn't that much margin of error with .223 on something the size of a deer.

On the other hand, you should be able to find a cheap, used, bolt action rifle in a much more appropriate caliber pretty cheap.

 

you could also get a mosin for less then a $100 too.that thing should work pretty good.when i get back from ny,i'm going to by some wolf sp to see how it shoots for hunting this year.

 

I'm glad you mentioned the Mosin chris, I saw one today in the gun shop for 129. That is just a little tempting. I'm most likely going to add a scope to it, just need to figure out which one I'm going to go with.

Zack

 

Not off topic but a slight change of course...You could purchase this and never have to worry about being under gunned in any deer woods.

http://carolinashootersforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=8601

It looks like a good buy to me. If the GF gets really mad and leaves that's one less Christmas present you have to buy. Either way you'll have a new rifle and that is never a bad thing. :twisted:

<><Fish

 

I shot a doe last year with my AR-15 in 5.56
My rifle is a DPMS 16" Mforgery. It has a flattop reciever with Eotech sight. I used 75gr. Hornaday TAP hollow point.

I only did this once, and don't plan on doing it again. I was succesful, the doe didn't take a single step after being shot in the vitals from 30 yards. However, I did it under very careful circumstances where I knew my longest shot would be 40 yards and shot placement was virtually garaunteed. I only did it to see if I could should the NEED arise. I would not feel comfortable making a habit out of it or shooting at 150 yards. Yeah the spotlighting poachers around here do it all the time with .22 mags, but their judgement is automatically irrelevant. Bottom line for me personally, I can, but that doesn't mean I should.