Thread: 223 on deer

Originally Posted by Tahr

77 Sierra TMK (last night)

325 yards, chest.
Attachment 208909

220 yds, neck.
Attachment 208910

good on ya thats xmas BBQ sorted -

Originally Posted by Steelisreal

Did the 325 yard chest shot exit @Tahr? Looks like a yearling maybe, not very big?

Well done on the neck shot, very tidy! Pays not to be a deer when Tahr is about with a rifle ��

It didn't appear to. I dropped the deer off whole for my son at midnight so I never really had a good look. She didn't go far. Ran 15 yards maybe.
She was heavy enough to make me grunt getting her on the ute


Here's the neck shot one

@Tahr you running those 77s at standard tikka mag length? any issues?

Originally Posted by Ground Control

A Chronograph is on the wish list , maybe a self funded Christmas present
The issue with these projectiles is that they are really long ( copper monolithic) and at the recommended seating depth they protrude down into the case quite a bit .
I knew when I started that 2206H wasn’t probably going to be the right powder , but it is what I have on hand at the moment.
The good news though is that my little test yesterday has shown that they will shoot in my rifle/ barrel .
A couple of guys that I’ve been in contact with who use these say that they up the .223 effectiveness by quite a margin on bigger / heavier Pigs etc and that’s what I’m chasing.

Out of my small experience there is a big difference in case capacity my staline brass is a compressed load at 25grn of 2206h but adi you can fit 27 grn of 2206h

Originally Posted by drunk_mexican

@Tahr you running those 77s at standard tikka mag length? any issues?

Yes. Just a snug fit. No problems at all. 2900fps standard 1:8 twist barrel

Originally Posted by Tahr

Yes. Just a snug fit. No problems at all. 2900fps standard 1:8 twist barrel

Thats hoofing it, good stuff.
How would you compare the 77 tmks vs the 69 targex on fallow?

Originally Posted by drunk_mexican

Thats hoofing it, good stuff.
How would you compare the 77 tmks vs the 69 targex on fallow?

Using 2206H. The 77TMK are next level but nothing wrong with the Targex on Fallow or Reds.

To be fair 223 would be fine for goats, fallow. But reds, Its boarder line, use something a bit bigger IMO

I would say there’s probably been more red deer shot in NZ with .223 & .222 than any other caliber.


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Originally Posted by JoshC

I would say there’s probably been more red deer shot in NZ with .223 & .222 than any other caliber.


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Yes the few ive shot with those calibres have not complained

Originally Posted by Nathan F

Yes the few ive shot with those calibres have not complained

They would complain if they could but they are stone cold dead, best calibre ever the mighty 223

Originally Posted by JoshC

I would say there’s probably been more red deer shot in NZ with .223 & .222 than any other caliber.


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you could probably say there has been more deer wounded in NZ with then too.......... the .303brit was up there for many years,the .308,243,270,30/06 came along and killed it off...
said it before..re read Philip Holdens chapter 222 the controversial one...... its as relevant today as when he wrote it all those years ago..the heavy for calibre and mono projectiles have changed things for the better but you still have to get in as close as you can and poke that wee bit of metal in the right place....a gut shot with a .50BMG is still a gut shot and will still crawl away to die horrible death....

@Micky Duck yip. Old acquaintance of mine spent a couple of years culling and such.
Wore 2 barrels out on a browning bar 308 using predominantly 180gr round nose.
Never had an issue.
Went to a sako 222 and first handful of deer were a right xock up. Had the habit of aiming for big bits usually and even if he was a little off the big pill still did the bizzo.
Had to quickly learn to aim at different spots.
He was a good enough shot to make it work but had to change his shooting habits

In a way it’s a bit like surfing.
If you’ve ever surfed some of the big waves at the internationally famous breaks like Pipeline or Waimea Bay, the smaller you call the wave, the bigger the man you are.
So 3 guys will go out, one will call it 30’ one will say it’s only 28, and so on. In actual fact it’s probably 35 foot.

Obviously successfully killing a deer with a light calibre at longer distances proves your hunting prowess. The lighter the bullet and the further….

funny thats a bit like a pissing contest.... who can go the furtherest..
for ME harvesting a deer is NOTHING like that... NOTHING AT ALL.
I usually use my faithful .270 but at times feel like a change so carry something else,I KNOW the range will need to be closer and my aim better... if I do my bit and poke that tiny bit of metal in right place all is good.