Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Lou
Dare I post? Whatever. Flame me if you care to do so.
I’ve only once seen the results of a .223 projectile on a deer. Distance might have been 125 yards. 3.5 year old buck. One moment he was standing there loud and proud. At the report of the rifle, he vanished. We watched the spot. Not a sound, twitch, leg kick. Walked up and there lay our prize. I have no idea what the projectile design or weight was as it was long before I was paying attention to such things in detail and I wasn’t doing the shooting. Honestly, I was a little more than surprised on how it flattened that buck.
I don’t think there is any arguing that a .223 projectile can in fact be very effective medicine - used within it’s reasonable parameters. Sure, there’s some validity in concern over Tom, Dick, Harry and the like running a Varmint bullet but I feel it’s a slimmer chance of occurring at best. The same opportunity exists with our minimums as is. Isn’t part of this why a lot of us handload? So we can have control over using a projectile that best suits intended use. I love shooting bug holes as much as the next guy but it isn’t the be all and end all. We have the ability to play with and tweak the variables to suit intended use and everything out there has thresholds to operate effectively in. Personally, I love enjoying having those capabilities.
I know I’d be much more comfortable taking that same shot I witnessed with that exact combo than I would have been with my .460 Wby running 500gr solids. Who wouldn’t? It’s a poor choice for the intended use. That deer would most likely have torn out of there on a dead run with two .458 cal holes until it bled out. No arguing dead is dead but I’d much rather flatten my quarry where it stands.
Would a .223 projectile flinging rifle be my first choice? No. I prefer to be looking at more horse power than looking for it.
Would I hesitate to use a .223 projectile flinging rifle with a well suited pill for the task at hand? No. I’ve seen first hand that it’s very capable in the right hands and that deer would have been no more dead than it was had I squeezed the trigger instead.
My kids are close in age to Chuck’s. If it were legal here and when the time came; if either or both of them shot a .223 cal cartridge better than my .243/6mm cal cartridges, I’d much rather have them drawing down with something they are comfortable with. I’d have worked up the load. A suitable projectile and I sure hope I’m right by their sides in that moment. It’d be a situation where they’ve been set up to succeed. Not fail. I believe the bulk of folks who choose to go this route would be of similar mind.
I don’t look down my nose at folks who choose something different to employ than I do. For the record, my go to is currently a 300RUM but on any given day, you may find me running a 6mmAI, 257 Wby, 280 Rem, 300 Wby, 35 Whelen etc depending on the game I’m pursuing. If the .223 offerings were permitted then perhaps a smaller cartridge could be part of that list too. As stated previous, not my first choice but I wouldn’t doubt for a moment that I or someone else could get the job done in a clean and efficient manner.
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Nice post Big Lou.
Maybe the time will come, maybe not.
Young kids grow up in time, so it will still work out for them when they get older,,, purhaps this might be a plus or a negative.
It's all good no matter what F&G decide in the years to come, even I'm partly intrigued in a smaller caliber of rifle,,, but I'm ok in the middle category since my body said so. LOL
Cheers