Thread: .223 ammo choices for farm pest control

I'm getting my first .223/5.56 soon, and have no experience with them at all, having only ever fired one a could of times. I've been getting some conflicting advice about ammunition choices, so time to ask the experts here.

My new rifle is purely for farm pest control at short to medium range, I chose .223/5.56 because it's not too big for rabbits and hares, and still suitable for goats and deer with good placement. Also the ammo is cheap and likely to be available for a long time. I don't reload.

Rifle is 16" barrel (for ease of getting out of farm vehicles), 1/8 twist. What is the best ammo for farm use for this combo for farm use? minute-of-rabbit accuracy is fine, low price for bulk is great (belmont black sounds good). But what projectile size? Obviously almost anything will knock down rabbits and hares, but what about deer, and red deer in particular? I've had people tell me I need 72gn or heavier for reds, other people told me I need 55gn because the 72gn+ slow down too fast out of short barrel and are less effective at any range while the 55gn hits with greater hydrostatic shock, and other people have suggested 55gn 5.56 FMJ are the best of all due to the tumbling effect creating much more knock down than hunting projectiles.

Looking forward to some advice here.