Barnes TSX in .223 for Deer?

[Dixie Dude]

I know in larger calibers these bullets are good perpetrators.  In Alabama you can hunt deer with .223.  I have never done it and think the caliber is too small, but has anyone ever tested these for penetration and expansion in the .223 with a hot load?  Energy wise, it looks like a .44 mag in a rifle at 100 yards, but hole size is the problem unless it penetrates deep enough and opens up well.  I posted this in the small bore rifle section, but I think it should have been here. 

[chutesnreloads]

Replied on small bore forum.Didn't add that the exit holes for the old Barnes X bullets were about as big around as my pinky finger.Would think the TSX would give similair expansion.Seen the 60 grain Nosler partition penetrate all the way through a 75-100 lb. hog the TSX may do better penetration wise.

[Grumulkin]

I've taken 3 deer with .224 caliber centerfires:

1.  Taken with a 22-250 at about 80 yards using factory Remington cartridges loaded with, if I remember correctly, 55 gr. bullets.  No problem putting the deer down.
2.  Taken with a 22-250 at 360 yards using Speer 70 gr. Semi-Sptizers.  Deer DRT and a complete bullet pass through the upper part of the lungs.
3.  Taken with a 222 Remington at about 80 yards.  One shot entering medial to the left shoulder and exiting the right chest.  The deer didn't go far before dieing.  I used Speer 70 gr. Semi-Spitzers for this one as well.

You should be fine with Barnes TSXes.

[Graybeard]

Personally I don't even completely trust the 6mm for use on deer so am unlikely to ever use a .224" bullet on them. However some while back I saw an article but Layne Simpson I believe where he decided to put the .224" bore to the test on deer. I seem to recall he was using it on crop control deer kills and ran up a pretty fair number of kills with it.

He used the Barnes as well as the Nosler PT and the Hornady they make for deer hunting as I recall it. He seemed to feel that properly placed they were no less effective than a .243 or other more powerful rifle for that matter. I seem to recall he used a .22-250 mostly and reported some pretty spectacular kills with it.

I kinda doubt I'd ever try to duplicate the test he did but if I some how got a bunch of crop control permits and was able to take out a bunch of does from a very controlled situation I might would give it a try just for curiousity sake.

[Lone Star]

One year on Kodiak I hunted with a CAR-15 and 60-grain Nosler SB bullets.  Took five deer with six shots.  The first deer was hit well but showed no reaction to the shot, so I fired again.  The buck traveled about 30 yards and laid down.  The next four were all lung shots - very little reaction to the hits, almost no blood trail, each traveled between 20-50 yards and tipped over.  That year there were a LOT of deer on the island and I passed up a bunch of deer to get perfect shots.   I consider this as a stunt and would not duplicate it today.   IMO a .22 CF rifle has no business as a still-hunting deer rifle.


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[Grumulkin]

However some while back I saw an article but Layne Simpson I believe where he decided to put the .224" bore to the test on deer. I seem to recall he was using it on crop control deer kills and ran up a pretty fair number of kills with it.

I returned from South Africa a couple of weeks ago.  The PH I hunted with does a LOT of culling.  Species include Blesbok, Blue and Black Wildebeest, Springbok, Zebra and every thing else that needs culling.  His weapon of choice; a rifle chambered in 22-250.  He uses it for head shots at up to 400 yards.  He told me that he is on his third barrel in the rifle he is using now.

On my trip, I also met a guy from Alaska.  Since I'm going there this fall, we had a discussion on legal calibers for deer hunting, etc.  Native Alaskans frequently use the likes of the 223 Rem. on Caribou, etc.  If you use the proper bullet and don't try to shoot a deers heart through its butt, a .224 caliber centerfire works fine.

Bullet placement trumps power.

[yooper77]

I assume you are talking about the 223 Remington and not the 223 WSSM (223 Winchester Super Short Magnum).

If I had to use it as a minimum I would use a 22-250 Remington and 60 grain Nosler Partitions if my shots were broadside within 100 yards.

I don't like any Barnes copper bullets ever since I seen the older 100 grain Barnes X-bullets fail to open with a 25-06 Remington on Antelope.  I am sure people have good success with them, but they are far too expensive compared to my Nosler Partitions.  Granted I bought a bulk load of Nosler Partitions many years ago, and I routinely pat myself on the back for doing so.  Plus you can still get good deals on Nosler 2nds.

I did like Barnes originals in my 243 Winchester with excellent success on deer.

yooper77

[Lone Star]

Native Alaskans frequently use the likes of the 223 Rem. on Caribou, etc. 

No disrespect intended, but having worked closely with Alaksan Natives and having hunted with them for two decades, I can point out what your "guy from Alaska" buddy failed to mention.  It is common to subsistence hunt caribou (which is what Alaskan Natives do) in deep snow from the back of a snowmachine, or to shoot them while they are crossing waterways.  Nothing wrong with that - few animals get away - but subsistence hunting is a LOT different than sport hunting.  Generalizations based on a few minutes of BSing with an "Alaskan" are of dubious value and are laughed at by those who have lived the facts.  You won't find many Alaskan sport hunters carrying .223s - regardless of how well they shoot.  The few Alaskan Natives I knew who actually sport hunted, did not carry .223s.


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[NONYA]

.17hmr TNTs are built just like a TSX,why not give them a try,heck its all about shot placement.

[SharonAnne]

off topic but: a native American in northern Canada was asked about his use of a .30-30 for moose. "works good"   "shootum ribs,follow 2-3 hrs, moose lay down".    parallel situation??

[Grumulkin]

.17hmr TNTs are built just like a TSX,why not give them a try,heck its all about shot placement.

I think they differ in several important respects from the TSX.  If I get the chance sometime, I may try it.  I would go for a shot just behind the ear at no more than 100 yards.

[jhalcott]

 I've killed a few deer with the 223 and 22-250. They were crop damage does and I was hunting ground hog when the deer appeared. The bullet and it's placement is very critical to success. I would NOT carry a 22CF if I were REALLY hunting deer. EVEN though I know it would work IF the correct shot was presented.