Thread: .223 can knock over a stag?

So is everyone just marking time on this topic, waiting for the 'sully little bugger' to come back for another crack.

Yup
Even checked his page, hasn't come back today.
Probably doing his school work before he's allowed on the computer

Originally Posted by Daggers_187

One. There you go. I've shot seven deer with it in the the last 10 months. Eight if you count the one I couldn't find.

Rambo? Was that really necessary?

Probably not, was in a hurry.

Clearly, you are happy to shoot large animals with an inadequate for task tool, nothing I can or will say is going to change your m/o, just as you will never convince me to change mine, which by the way is to use a projectile that always punches deep, no matter what the angle, and loses enough off the nose to generate secondary wounding, and expands to create a decent wound channel, with more than the generally accepted minimum energy levels.

The scary thought for me, is that an inexperienced young fella reading/listening to these types of ....... debate, gets thinking he can run around with a .223 and "knock over stags", the fact that it is possible and has been done lots of times does not make it eithical. There are some states in the US and hunting areas around the world where it is illegal to use calibres that small even on smaller deer. There is a reason for that.

I find it amusing that someone who shoots a 257 weatherby is slinging shit at calibre selection

Originally Posted by big_foot

Yip, real close, like jump the fence and poke it with a stick close, works best round easter they are especially docile at that time of year

ooh,thats nasty

Originally Posted by PerazziSC3

I find it amusing that someone who shoots a 257 weatherby is slinging shit at calibre selection

It's hell on the magpies

A fragile projectile out of a larger caliber at decent speed gives a lot more margin for error on a neck shot than 223, for instance a 130gr hp or 150 sst stoked up out of any half decent 30 cal chambering will all but amputate the head of the biggest stag on a high neck shot weather the spine is hit or not.
However those same projectiles up close on a worked up stag covered in mud in the shoulder just make a big mess of the shoulder and fail to do any real damage to the engine room.
A sturdy projectile out of the same enables within reason any angle shot at the engine room, but plus 300 while it will penetrate it won't do a whole lot of damage and it may run a bit.
Heavy fragile projectiles out of the same will still drop lung shot deer on the spot +600y
Projectile selection for the job is absolutey the key.
I am not a ex culler too young for that dam it and i don't own a massive farm covered in deer either, despite that I have shot more than a few deer and witnessed at least as many shot with all sorts of calibers.
I have had a few cockups of course if you haven't then you have shot Fuck all.
Witnessed a fair few too,but the lost animals can be counted on one hand.
I have even witnessed a fallow buck taken at over 500y with a 223 and Kentucky windage before the range finder revolution and ranged ten years later.
It went about 20 yards.

A new hunter is unlikely to be reloading, is probably on a tight budget and will shoot whatever is cheap that works.
federal blue box fits the bill for most in most calibers for close to medium ranges.
All this taken into account while the 223 is a capable caliber I personalbly would never recommend it as a deer caliber to a new hunter.



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I took three fallow hinds over the weekend. Hit with 55gr zmax out of my AR. First one was hit straight in the head and went down before I heard the smack return, other two were shoulder hit and went all of 5-10 metres. Recovered those two projectiles under the skin on the off side shoulder. Its all about the placement as has been said. Know your limits and only fire if damn sure its going down.

I have seen a mate drop a 12pt Red on it's arse with a LH T3. It weighed 75kg on the hook. Can't place enough emphasis on placement. So critical on larger animals
I used the same rifle on a Fallow. Felt strange shooting a LH

I think all the Scully posts are just a pisstake from someone

Originally Posted by sako75

I think all the Scully posts are just a pisstake from someone

Be interesting if the admins could do a match on the IP adress and see if he's a regular

"I think all the Scully posts are just a pisstake from someone"

My thoughts as well Sako75....was a good laugh though....aye!

He did seem to know who all the old buggers were aye

Having the right shooting skills, good judgement and enough self control, a 223/222 should be fine for deer(including stags).

However, only once these things above are sorted, try to go for something bigger. a 243 will offer both Varmint and Big game abilities.

I've shot 8-10 deer (including stags) with a 223 Rem and now my 223 Max. Personally, I believe that having enough self control to shoot or not shoot, consider what shot options are presented at the time(including bullet path/angle once in side the animal) and if you can be a very sneaky bastard while stalking, get into in. Otherwise, go bigger!

This was a summer time stag, stalked into about 10-12 meters and shot though the front of chest, down though the heart, with a 60gr Nosler Partition, going very, very, very fast(3550fps) out of my 223Max. It didn't take another step.

Bullet construction is pretty important too. The Partition is a great, well constructed bullet for deer, but can struggle to group in some rifles. I over came this by making it go faster.



Also had a few around 50-70 meters on spikers. Again, waiting for the correct shot to present itself and understanding that not shooting the deer in front of you is actually OK. I've walked away from animals after deciding that I cannot make the right shot at the time.

For the record, I do most (90%) of my hunting with 270WSM (140 or 150gr bullet) to ensure that I have a greater range of options when I find and animal, this includes; greater distance, better in the wind and if shooting just before dark, preventing the animal from running as far after a shot and not been able to recover it in the dark.

Originally Posted by Gibo

He did seem to know who all the old buggers were aye

Yep. He sent me a few PM`s

I shot 3 deer with 3 shots last night with the 223. A large hind, a large spiker and a stag. All 3 were shoulder shots at ranges between 150 and 200 metres. The spiker I pulled the shot slightly and shot him a bit far forward and he ran about 60 metres down into the scrub before keeling over. The other two dropped on the spot