Which 'heavy' .223 for deer?

brmfan · September 30, 2014, 10:51 PM

First off, I'm a die hard .308 fan, but I'm planning on trying out .223 this deer season (southern white tail) on a small hardwood patch on my property that is overrun right now.

My setup is a 16" 1:7 PSA dissipator (mid length) with a 4.5x14 Leupold. Max distance will be 75 yards so there will be plenty of velocity on hand. My concern is penetration and expansion.

So... I have the following on hand:
Black Hills 62 gr TSX (my top pick)
Black Hills Mk262 Mod 1 (not really my first choice but I have a ton of it)
TAP 75's in .223 (wish I had some 5.56 with the T2 bullet!)
Federal Fusion 62 gr spitzer

Of these which would be the go-to round? If none of the above, what would you recommend? I'm debating getting a set of dies and loading some Barnes TSX... all terminal ballistic reports I've read say it's a wicked little bullet.

Please, no flame war about .223 being to weak for deer. I simply want advice on load/ bullet choice.

Water-Man · October 1, 2014, 12:23 AM

Black Hills TSX. For the distance you're shooting, the Black Hills 55 gr. TSX is fine.

Brotherbadger · October 1, 2014, 01:59 AM

Black Hills TSX or federal fusion 62gr. Both will take care of business, assuming you place it where you should.

skizzums · October 1, 2014, 05:15 AM

The Winchester 64gr "power-point" has great ballistics although not a super accurate bullet, but a great choice for deer. Also relatively cheap and always available. The hornaday 60gr SP is a popular choice as well. I don't like any of the 70-77 gr OTMs, but I hear the 80gr a-max does great but not suitable for magazine length loading.

skizzums · October 1, 2014, 08:19 AM

Btw, I am sure your TSX is a fine bullet and probably even better than what I listed. I just don't have firsthand experience. YouTube could show you some deer or yotes being taken out with it if you look hard enough. Other than the fmjs they will probably all do the trick as long as the are loaded fast enough

Mobuck · October 1, 2014, 08:30 AM

16" 1:7 PSA dissipator (mid length) with a 4.5x14 Leupold

Well, you should have plenty of scope for the job. Considering the capability of a 16" .223 carbine, I regard 4.5x magnification as the upper end needed for hunting.
If you feel you must use this for deer hunting here's some proven bullets to try. Hornady 60 grain soft point(oddly enough this bullet works pretty well on deer). Nosler 60 grain Partition(#1 choice). Nosler sells ammo loaded with a 6? grain "bonded" bullet which is reported to be good enough.
Back when I was in the gun shop business, I laid in several cases of Hornady "Barrier Buster" 60 grain ammo and have been doling it out to those who feel they must use a .223 for deer. This bonded, tough jacketed specialty bullet punches a decent size/length hole and kills deer as well as can be expected from the little .223.
You should understand that you're not getting much over 2700-2750 fps with those heavier bullets from a 16" barrel so your thoughts of staying within 75-100 yards are on track.

taylorce1 · October 2, 2014, 09:56 AM

My daughter has been using 55 grain TSX on Oklahoma whitetail the last two years with great success. If using anything other than a mono metal bullets I wouldn't go lighter than 60 grains.

Unlicensed Dremel · October 2, 2014, 10:17 PM

My .223 rifle is currently sighted for Nosler brand factory ammo with the Nosler 64 gr "BSB" - bonded solid base - which is a flat pointed bullet - there was a thread recently on these bullets where a member here used them to great effect on WY speed goats.

Panfisher · October 3, 2014, 08:20 AM

I used 60 grain Nosler Partitions in my AR to take a buck a couple years ago, they are vicious little bullets. Currently loading 55 grain TSX's wanted to move them fast to keep up the speed. I would think that eht 62 grain TSX's would work just fine. Put a good bullet in the proper place and keep a sharp knife handy.

October 1, 2014, 01:59 AM	#3
Brotherbadger Senior Member Join Date: November 10, 2010 Posts: 1,149	Black Hills TSX or federal fusion 62gr. Both will take care of business, assuming you place it where you should. __________________ Once Fired Brass, Top quality, Fast shipping, Best prices. http://300AacBrass.com/ -10% Coupon use code " badger "

October 1, 2014, 05:15 AM	#4
skizzums Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2013 Location: Douglasville, Ga Posts: 4,615	The Winchester 64gr "power-point" has great ballistics although not a super accurate bullet, but a great choice for deer. Also relatively cheap and always available. The hornaday 60gr SP is a popular choice as well. I don't like any of the 70-77 gr OTMs, but I hear the 80gr a-max does great but not suitable for magazine length loading. __________________ My head is bloody, but unbowed

October 1, 2014, 08:19 AM	#5
skizzums Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2013 Location: Douglasville, Ga Posts: 4,615	Btw, I am sure your TSX is a fine bullet and probably even better than what I listed. I just don't have firsthand experience. YouTube could show you some deer or yotes being taken out with it if you look hard enough. Other than the fmjs they will probably all do the trick as long as the are loaded fast enough __________________ My head is bloody, but unbowed

October 2, 2014, 09:56 AM	#7
taylorce1 Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 2005 Location: On the Santa Fe Trail Posts: 8,237	My daughter has been using 55 grain TSX on Oklahoma whitetail the last two years with great success. If using anything other than a mono metal bullets I wouldn't go lighter than 60 grains. __________________ NRA Life Member

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September 30, 2014, 10:51 PM	#1
brmfan Senior Member Join Date: October 21, 2008 Posts: 557	Which 'heavy' .223 for deer? First off, I'm a die hard .308 fan, but I'm planning on trying out .223 this deer season (southern white tail) on a small hardwood patch on my property that is overrun right now. My setup is a 16" 1:7 PSA dissipator (mid length) with a 4.5x14 Leupold. Max distance will be 75 yards so there will be plenty of velocity on hand. My concern is penetration and expansion. So... I have the following on hand: Black Hills 62 gr TSX (my top pick) Black Hills Mk262 Mod 1 (not really my first choice but I have a ton of it) TAP 75's in .223 (wish I had some 5.56 with the T2 bullet!) Federal Fusion 62 gr spitzer Of these which would be the go-to round? If none of the above, what would you recommend? I'm debating getting a set of dies and loading some Barnes TSX... all terminal ballistic reports I've read say it's a wicked little bullet. Please, no flame war about .223 being to weak for deer. I simply want advice on load/ bullet choice.

October 1, 2014, 12:23 AM	#2
Water-Man Senior Member Join Date: March 23, 2008 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 2,126	Black Hills TSX. For the distance you're shooting, the Black Hills 55 gr. TSX is fine.

October 1, 2014, 08:30 AM	#6
Mobuck Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2010 Posts: 6,846	16" 1:7 PSA dissipator (mid length) with a 4.5x14 Leupold Well, you should have plenty of scope for the job. Considering the capability of a 16" .223 carbine, I regard 4.5x magnification as the upper end needed for hunting. If you feel you must use this for deer hunting here's some proven bullets to try. Hornady 60 grain soft point(oddly enough this bullet works pretty well on deer). Nosler 60 grain Partition(#1 choice). Nosler sells ammo loaded with a 6? grain "bonded" bullet which is reported to be good enough. Back when I was in the gun shop business, I laid in several cases of Hornady "Barrier Buster" 60 grain ammo and have been doling it out to those who feel they must use a .223 for deer. This bonded, tough jacketed specialty bullet punches a decent size/length hole and kills deer as well as can be expected from the little .223. You should understand that you're not getting much over 2700-2750 fps with those heavier bullets from a 16" barrel so your thoughts of staying within 75-100 yards are on track.

October 2, 2014, 10:17 PM	#8
Unlicensed Dremel Junior member Join Date: February 13, 2014 Location: Flathead Valley, MT Posts: 2,187	My .223 rifle is currently sighted for Nosler brand factory ammo with the Nosler 64 gr "BSB" - bonded solid base - which is a flat pointed bullet - there was a thread recently on these bullets where a member here used them to great effect on WY speed goats.

October 3, 2014, 08:20 AM	#9
Panfisher Senior Member Join Date: July 30, 2010 Location: Missouri Posts: 1,337	I used 60 grain Nosler Partitions in my AR to take a buck a couple years ago, they are vicious little bullets. Currently loading 55 grain TSX's wanted to move them fast to keep up the speed. I would think that eht 62 grain TSX's would work just fine. Put a good bullet in the proper place and keep a sharp knife handy.