Thread: .223 ammo choices for farm pest control

The 55 gr Hornady SP is a great bullet for all the game you mention be them handloaded or factory loaded. In a 16 inch barrel they will be a little under 3000fps ( most likely) but will work well.
My 20 inch Mod 7 has shot the Belmont ammo at over 2900fps, and my hand loads with the same bullet (55 gr Hornady) averaged a bit over 3000fps. On larger game good bullet placement will result in dead goats and deer, also limit your range on the bigger animals to about 200- 250 yards.
The 223 is great within it's limits.