This will really stir some contraversy, but, I know a guy who took a nice 4pt mule deer{western count} with one shot from a 223 mod. 788 at about 150yds running. Broke 3 ribs and jelloed the liver. Handloads and a 55 grn spitzer. The deer went 25ysd and piled up. No exit hole didn't ruin a hand full of meat. ARC LITE

I shot a small whitetail in Texas with a .22-250, but frankly would not repeat that stunt on a bigger mule deer, nor at that range. And certainly not on a running animal!

Hate to be critical of success, but sounds like the guy was an inch or two away from a gut-shot animal. As far as I have been able to determine, the liver is the last vital organ you can hit before you get into the guts.

Kind of reminds me of the time, when I was about eight years old, that I killed a mallard with my Daisy BB gun. I hid in a hedgerow beside a big puddle that the ducks sometimes flew into. When the ducks came in, I let fly, and to my astonishment a big drake flopped around and then died. (My BB gun would not reliably kill blackbirds with body hits, so I was dumbfounded!) He had been hit right through the eye, almost totally though luck.

Kind of sounds like what your friend did!

A BB gun is not a duck gun!

A .223 can be used on deer, but I would prefer to see it used more cautiously. Glad he got that one, anyway.

Your both right, I thought he was darn lucky myself, but, he did get the deer. A bullet that small has got to be placed perfectly, he was just lucky. ARC LITE

Of course, you always hear of the eskimos and indians using 22 caliber rifles to hunt anything from rabbits to polar bears, but that doesn't mean I'm going to.

Knew a guy in Colorado that used a .220 Swift to shoot his elk every year. That is, until he got caught. Lost his guide license and paid a big fine.

A man just has to know his limitations.
Hunters are taking EVERYTHING with bows and arrows, even using traditional equipment, right? If you have a stable rest for a 22 centerfire with quality non-varmint bullets within say, 100yds., keep away from the shoulders and guts, and the animal is not spooked, Id take that shot on any North American ungulate, and Id fare just as well as an arrow with a good hit in the vitals.
Thinking about it, though, its probably a good idea to limit their use to smaller size deer, because 22 solids have been used to down animals during archery season. The unscrupulous hunter (poacher) just runs an arrow up the wound channel. They usualy go for neck shots.
Dont ask me how I know. I keep better company nowadays.:(
olyeller

P.O. Ackley wrote about killing power where something like over 600 wild donkeys were shot with a 220 swift. They weigh 500 to 600 pounds and he said the gun killed like lightning. They shot a bullet that was simillar to the barns but instead of hollow copper solid it had the hollow filled with a small amount of lead. It is illegal to use a .22 cal in Wyo. I don't think its a good idea to talk about illegal activities past or present what ever company you keep!

P.O. Ackley wrote about killing power where something like over 600 wild donkeys were shot with a 220 swift. They weigh 500 to 600 pounds and he said the gun killed like lightning. They shot a bullet that was simillar to the barns but instead of hollow copper solid it had the hollow filled with a small amount of lead. It is illegal to use a .22 cal in Wyo. I don't think its a good idea to talk about illegal activities past or present what ever company you keep!


Just for the record, if you check the location you will see the original poster is in Oregon! Don't know what the regulations in that state are for sure, but in many states a .22 centerfire is legal. Some states set an energy minimum, some a minimum cartridge overall length, and here in Utah any centerfire is legal for big game! Yes, ANY centerfire. Presumably a .25 ACP rifle would be OK, stupid, but legal!

The bullet Ackley used very frequently was by Western Tool & Copper Works. These were usually a spitzer with a small hollow which was filled with lead and the bullet swaged to final shape.

In the 1960's my father gave me a single-shot, break action, Savage .219 Zipper. I hunted with it for a few years but never hit anything, (I was 14.)
Years later I found a scope mount that fit and then purchased a scope. In 1997, I took it out deer hunting and shot a nice whitetail. Same result as the .223, small entrance, no exit, jellied liver. The deer was standing still, close range, broadside to me. When I pulled the trigger I, unintentionally, moved rearward a couple inches.
Since the 1970's I've always hunted with a 30-06, but this time I loaned it to my son. After all these years I thought it fitting to retire my 219 after getting it's first deer. I've also picked up a second Savage 219 but in 30-30 caliber.

In Idaho, like many other western states, any center fire rifle is legal on deer. Elk is another story.

I believe in using an appropriate caliber for the specific game your hunting. I also believe 75% of the hunters out there fall prey to hype from gun manufactures and writer's and think they need a huge caliber for everything. Shoot placement is more important than caliber. I shoot a 30.06 and even that is more than plenty powerful enough for 95% of the game I shoot. I personally don't see the need for something like a .338 0r 300WSM for small deer. I hunted my first year in Montana for mulies with a .223 mini-14 w/red dot scope, it's all I had.
I dropped my buck with one shot and he didn't run but about 10 yrds.
a .223 in the heart/lungs is better than a .338 in the guts.
just my experience, hope I don't offend anyone.
No matter what caliber you shoot, there is no substitute for practice & marksmanship.

Load the .223 Rem. with Barnes "X" bullets. Shoot for the head or heart, at a reasonable range, and I think you can take just about anything. I've taken a boar hog (about 300lb.) and a nice four point blacktail deer this mouth. The boar went about twenty yards after being hit, and the deer went down where he was standing. Both were hit it the heart. I have many gun, from a 22 Hornet to a .510 Wells Mag., but this Mini Mauser in .223 is just a nice easy carry rifle, so I thought I'd try it on something besides varmits.

hi all, I've always wanted a 22-250 but here in washington state theres a 24 cal.(4"bbl) minimum. That also means you could presumedly shoot an elk with a glock pistol, but why?

my 2 cents but if you are using a light round and are an expert shot there should be no problem...however the few people i know that do this pass on more game than they shoot because the angle of the shot is not perfect....and would never take a running shot...which is the responsible thing to do...i would say this shot is 1 out of 50...sounds like a near miss as well....best case you spend the rest of the day tracking in rough terrain worst case you wound and lose and animal....il stick with my 300 win...

Without a doubt shot placement is key. If your talking about deer, as long as you use a tough bullet from a cartridge hitting at a minimum of say, 500 ft lbs. when it strikes the animal there should'nt be a problem unless you don't do your part. And there is NO reason not to do you part. Personally I would shoot a Mulie with a .223, but I would keep my shots at around 100 yards or less, put it within an inch or so of where I aimed and would use the right type of bullet. It won't make a difference if it's 500 or 5000 ft. lbs if you do your part. The only advantage I can see in using a large magnum would be range. I mean if you use a large magnum is it O.K. to NOT hit the vitals?? A running shot on a deer at 150 yards would be tough for any caliber, if you can't make it, don't take it!

I agree with bodog. My daughter killed her first two mule deer with two shots hunting with my tack drivin' .223 Savage 112V. Both mulies folded up where they stood; distance was about 125 yards or so. Winchester 64 gr. bullets were used as this is a big game bullet designed to hold together well. Please do not confuse performance of this bullet with the highly frangible varmint bullets which produce explosive yet shallow wound channels.

I've personally witnessed many many pronghorn antelope topple over from one well placed shot after a hit from either 220 Swift or 22-250. These slower twist barrels produce amazing groups with the Barnes 52 gr. bullets and performance upon impact is what one would expect from .243 sized wound channels.

I feel that in the hands of a calm shooter, the .223 is quite lethal assuming the bullet is placed thru both lungs. Of course all sportsmen should obey their state game laws and for this reason alone many deer hunters should seek a larger caliber.
TR