Guest CDN Report post Posted May 21, 2003 coueshunter84- I dont want to offend anybody, but at what distance do you think the .223 is good to? What have your killshot distances been? Where was your shot placement? Did you use a premium bullet. How far did the deer travel? Was wind drift a factor with such small bullet weight? I too like lightweight rifles, but my minimum caliber advice for anybody in whitetail country is .243/6mm. I like clean, 1 shot , knock'em down shots in which all the variables above are factored before pulling the trigger. I also believe that shooter capability is the most important of all the variables. I just think there are wiser choices for deer in which longer shots are more common. CDN Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
coueshunter84 Report post Posted May 22, 2003 My longest kill shot was 426 yards by rangefinder. A one shot kill on a mulie. shot placement was right through both lungs, he dropped in his tracks. I use either 55 or 60 grain btsp hornadys hand loads, pushing 3300fps. I am also kind of picky on my shots. I'm mostly an archer, and that plays into my decisions. I know both my guns and my bows. The .223 I will not shoot in the wind( 10+ mph) past 300 yards. anything less than that with a standing still shot where I can place a bullet either in the heart or both lungs and its toast. I will and have taken several shots on deer out to the 426. and coyotes out past 500. The only times I have not made a one shot kill were back in my younger days before I had the patience to wait for the right shot. And a couple of years ago I had to take a second shot as my target stood right as I shot. He stood on the run and I caught him in the hip. That was at 70 yards. couldnt get a shot any further away due to where he was bedded and got winded ( I forgot about the morning wind change to up slope). . I am a firm believer in shot placement and patience. 2 years ago I had to pass up shots on 2 coues that were 110"+ due to adverse shot conditions. I spent the last 2 days of my hunt trying to get a shot on either one of them and ended up taking a little 3x2 just for freezer meat. Would a bigger caliber have allowed me to take one of the big ones? possibly. But concidering the distance from camp, I'll take the 3x2 instead of the .300. My .223 weighs in about 5-6 lbs. shoulders easy, and there is no recoil. granted the .243 is about the same. I just got a .223 as a birthday gift 15 years ago instead of something bigger so I learned how to use it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest CDN Report post Posted May 23, 2003 I guess that's why they make chocolate and vanilla.(LOL) I applaud your committment to making the right decisions when shooting at game. I shoot the non magmum medium calibers in a mountain rifle set up. Lightweight and easy handling suits me best. My reason for the .270 and 130gr bullets is because recoil is "0" and the bullets will buck the wind better. Anyway, thanks for the explanation. Good luck in the draw. CDN Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
coueshunter84 Report post Posted May 23, 2003 Thanks for the luck on the draw but I've already used it up. I tagged a nice little mulie back in January. Hopefully I get either an elk or antelope tag. And if you would like to see a pic go to www.hhh-usa.org and look in the message board for pics and trail cam. I was headed up the hill to chase a coues and couldnt pass a shot on him. Biggest I have ever taken. Of course now I'm a little bummed about not being able to go after a rifle tag. But come January 1 I will be back out chasing the coues. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
