OK guys Im taking my AR with me to harvest a NC whitetail this year.

What are the cool new rounds available in 2017 for critters? (that work) 

The three rounds that I use for hunting deer in NC are

BH Mk262 77gr OTM  (3 deer so far)
Fed Fusion 62gr JSP
Win 64gr PP

CD

I was thinking of using 77g Razorcore. How are the wounds with those BH rounds?

Destructive.

CD

NICE!, did the bullet seem to start to tumble fairly quickly once it hit and did it pass through?

Shot location?

Two in the chest and bullet exited sideways thru rib cage IIRC.  One neck shot and exited too.  Shot distance were one at 50m and two at 25m.

CD

Seems like most of the places I have hunted would be about a 75 yard max range unless its across a field. 

Place I have picked out this year Id be lucky to get a 50 yard shot. At least I know that my round will have some damn good energy and close in I can put it right where it needs to go. 

NVM got lost

I got hold of some Black Hills 556 loaded with 70 g TSX bullets. 

They were not offered to public but I know a guy that knows a guy 

I am really having a hard time choosing a bullet 62gr or 70gr TSX or picking up Federal Fusions from RMR.

I will be loading these under a 5.56 level charge of TAC in a 16" 1x7 twist AR.  Average range is less than 50 yards Max is about 75.

All three of those will work very well under those conditions.  But... if I had to choose, I'd remove the 70gr TSX from your list.  The Barnes bullets are VERY dependent on a high impact velocity and the 70gr TSX would be better suited for longer barreled rifles.  It is also a very long projectile and takes up a lot of case volume when loaded to mag length.  After that, I'd select the winner based on accuracy, then on price.

Thanks DPeacher

I will take the 70gr TSX off the list.  I am leaning towards the Federal Fusion strictly based on price as this isn't a dedicated hunting gun and having to re-zero it every year if I continue to use it will use up that pricey box of 50 bullets real quick.

I am going to make my decision sometime in the next day, need to order some 5rd mags as well.

Jbizzle, have you looked into the Speer 64gr Gold dots? Usually $10/box at PSA.
VERY accurate out of my 18” and a proven performer.

Well, I was picking the TSX as a result of some testimonies. My shots would be under 100 yards out of a 16" 

What is the velocity threshold on those TSX?

I checked PSA and they were out of stock.  Everywhere else seemed to be much more expensive I saw.

The 62gr Fusion is the same bullet plus I'd like to take a deer with one of my reloads after using a slug gun for so many years.

Decided to go with the Fusions.  Just placed an order hopefully will be able to test them next Saturday.

Lots of writing here.

Lots of pictures here.

For .223/5.56 out of shorter barrels, I'm more inclined to lean towards the lighter TSX offerings 52/55 grain.  Those are some wicked tough bullets that don't shed much if any weight on even at 3000+ FPS impacts.  I've shot several deer and pigs with 62gr TSX with 16" & 20" barrels, and it is a deadly bullet as long as the impact velocity is = or >2200 FPS.  

IMHO the 70gr TSX is probably a rock star from a 1/7 twist .22-250, .22 Nosler or a 26"-28" barreled .223 but I would want to chronograph my loads so I could accurately determine at what range the bullet meets the 2200-2300 FPS threshold.  These are really long for their weight bullets!  The 62gr is just about the same length as a 69gr HPBT Match and the 70gr is about as long as a 80gr HPBT Match.

What ammo are you guys using for the 1/8 twist barrels?  This is my first time using 1/8 twist for hunting.

Pretty much whatever hunting bullet you like best.

I am setting up a Ruger American Rance (16" 1:8) to hunt with this year. I am looking at mainly 55gr and 62gr offerings due to twist rate. Ive always hunted with 30 cal in the past and have done dead center of the shoulder hits. After reading this thread, it seems many are taking neck and head shots while others are taking the typical behind the shoulder shot.

Round depending, how far do you think I would be able to safely take a dead center should shot with a 5.56? Sometimes, thats appears to be the only shot opportunity available.

*** Edit to add. Picked up some Federal Fusion 62 gr today to try. Seems to have good results. Also have some Atlanta Arms equivalent of MK262.

Well I guess the only way to see what my stuff will do is to test it in gel at 100 yards 

I know the high shoulder shots put them down, but you are probably tearing up a lot of meat. I personally don't have a lot of faith in neck shots (though I know they work for many) and sure wouldn't take a head shot on a live-moving animal. Too much to go wrong.

I've always shot deer right behind the shoulder for a lung/heart shot and all but one has dropped in place and you lose no meat.

Most deer I've killed have been .308/30-30/.270/50cal muzzleloader, but I would have the same confidence with a .223 and a good bullet making the same shots within 250 yards. (I've shot one deer over 100 yards. The rest were 20yards-60yards.) I'll be taking deer with a 223 this year just to try it out.

Center of the bullseye is where I shoot.

Has anyone tried Maker Ammo yet?

What ammo would yall recommend for a 12.5" 5.56 SBR on Texas deer? (Keep in mind we're taking 100-120#)

My barrel is the Noveske Crusader so it does put out higher velocities than a standard barrel (fancy pants polygonal rifling). Heavier stuff will start inching past 14.5"ers even

Wanted to give a quick report on the Hornady 55 gr. GMX bullets we used for the youth hunt in our state this weekend.

I loaded up 20 of these that I picked up from Midway USA this fall when they ran them on clearance.  I've always been impressed with the monolithic bullets I've used in the past from Barnes and really wanted to try these out from Hornady, hoping the 55 grain pills would stabilize in my old A-1 style upper with a 1-12" twist.  

So I loaded these up with a max charge of H-335 in some once fired Lake City brass.  They performed well at 75 yards from the slow twist barrel and all the hits on the target were nicely cut round holes.  They also shot well out of my 16" AR with a 1-7" twist and my son's Ruger American Ranch Rifle.  The former my daughter used to take her first doe with yesterday morning.

She hit the doe just a little too far forward in the shoulder, but it ended up only making it about 30 yards before piling up after leaving a fantastic blood trail.  The bullet had broken the shoulder it enter and then broke the rib going into the chest cavity.  I'm not sure if it was the a piece of the shoulder or the rib, but a large fragment of one along with the bullet sliced through the heart and the bone was found on the other side of the chest cavity.  The bullet then complete exited the other side and shredded the opposite shoulder bone going out.

I was very impressed with the performance of the 55 grain GMX bullet and will be using them for hunting often.  My daughter, who is 7, was very excited about taking her first deer and the .223 round makes shooting a pleasure for her.

Attached File

For the neysayers... I’ll contend that .223 puts deer down in a more humane manner than a bow or crossbow.

While I agree I'll also say it depends on the hit.   I got into a discussion in another group about this very thing.  Bullets vs arrows.   I'm sorry it got stupid at that point.

I have been shooting whitetail with AR15/M16/M4 rifles and carbines since the '70s. Have taken many dozens with every interesting load I could get my hands on going back to factory LC M193 BALL & a 70GR. SPEER semi-spitzer over .223 pressure H335 handload. For the past decade or so, I have depended on a 5.56MM pressure 70GR. TSX load especially when going after the largest whitetail bucks during the December rut with a 10" class suppressed 5.56MM carbine. The younger DOD guys I hunt/shoot with were very much impressed with the terminal performance of the DOD 5.56MM Optimized X135 brown tip load they used in the GWOT. So they were using the same basic load in their carbines when they managed to get away from work to go hunting with their kids. It makes a bit more than 2600 FPS @80F/300FT. MSL/29.92" from the suppressed 10.5" Noveske N4 barrel I am currently using for hunting. With a minimum impact velocity of 1800 FPS for expansion, a 5.56MM 70Gr. TSX load has an expansion envelope of approx. 300yds. from this 10.5" which is plenty for my purposes. Have also used the 62GR. TSX, 64GR. Gold Dot, & 75GR. Gold Dot bullets over 5.56MM pressure TAC & they all worked very well from a 10" class carbine, no sweat at all. Will use the relatively new LEHIGH 62GR. CC Cu bullet over 5.56MM pressure TAC on the first legal whitetail I can put in the sights this year. The 62GR. CC Cu is an all-copper bullet that expands & fragments as it penetrates. It was designed to be a very friendly SBR bullet needing only 1400 FPS impact velocity for expansion/fragmentation. This should give it an extremely large expansion envelope approaching 500yds. even from a 10" carbine. Batter-up! HTH

240LB. 10pt. taken during the peak of the rut with a 5.56MM 70GR. TSX from a suppressed 10" M4@150yds. The bullet smashed thru the spine then exited. I came close to taking a 300LB. class whitetail with the 5.56MM 70GR. TSX load in a suppressed 10" carbine but just could not close the deal in a sportsman-like manner. I am very confident that the 5.56MM 70GR. TSX load was up to the task as long as I did my part. .02


Water-shot expansion testing of the 5.56MM 70GR. TSX load: Barnes said that we can expect expansion at slightly less than 1800 FPS on flesh & bone targets.

Then i'll have to say that you have never made a good hit with a decent broadhead, I have taken many deer with both, and a expandable 3 blade broadhead kill's them so quick I more than likely watched them die, some never knew what hit em, bled out and fell over, I shit you not. I also have nothing bad to say about the 223 , with hornady's 55 sp's, Winchester's 64gr pp, 65gr sgk's all worked great, pick your shot. But this is fact - with a sharp broadhead through the heart-lungs a deer usually goes down within 40-60 yds with a blood trail from hell to boot.

Just concluded my 2017 deer season, two .223 kills and one .45 kill.

#1 was from 25m, with a 14" firing 75gr Gold Dot. Round impacted the buck in the center of the neck from a broadside angle, buck dropped, twitched a few times, and was probably dead almost instantly.

#2 was from 100m, with a 16" suppressed firing 77g TMK. Round impacted the doe broadside in the center of the chest 2 inches above the heart. She ran 30m, dropped, and ceased all movement. Round exited, leaving a nickel sized exit hole, and lungs mostly shredded from fragmentation.

Bonus: #3 was a .45 230gr HST fired from a 5" Sig 1911 at 30m on a doe. Round impacted center chest broadside, also about 2" above heart. Doe ran 30m, piled up, and ceased all movement. Round exited ribcage, but stuck in the offside hide. Round was recovered intact, perfectly mushroomed.

Glad others have had luck this year.

I attempted to take my first deer with the AR this year but it didn't pan out.  Horrible weather and some logging in surrounding properties appear to have changed the deer patterns.

I had a decent sized doe in my scope one night just before it was too dark to shoot.  Was ready to flip my safety off when the yearling with it freaked out about something and started to run and so did the doe.  Would have been a slam dunk as she was only about 25 yards broad side.

I only saw deer 2 other mornings about 100 yards out in thick stuff and they wouldn't stop moving.

The 3 others in my group all got skunked too, either missed or didn't see anything.

I shot a very big fat whitetail doe with the 64 gr Winchester Power Point on a friends game reserve in Missouri Saturday evening from a 16” carbine. The range was about 45 yards and the bullet entered behind the shoulder and absolutely obliterated the lungs. It did not exit. The deer ran about 30 yards and piled up dead mid stride.

I would use the 64gr PP again for sure in those conditions.

Cmon deer hunters !!!

We need more .223 kills.

I’ve had good luck with 62gr fusion out of both 16” and 18” barrels.

I'm going to try my luck with some Barnaul 62gr soft points out of my 18" if I get to go out this year....all the gel tests look nasty with good penetration and expansion

I’ve had fantastic results with the fusion

just an FYI

Black Hills Ammunition 5.56 70 Grain Hornady GMX

This is Hornadys version of the Barnes TSX

https://www.midwayusa.com

This last week I took 2 does with Speer 75 grain Gold Dot. was hunting in a buddies wooded backyard.  It's only 5 acres so I needed the deer to drop quickly.

First one was at about 20 yards.  Hit it in the lungs, it did a 180.  I hit it again, same spot.  It dropped right there.

Next doe was at about 60 yards. I had clipped the lung.  She jumped about 2 yards.  I hit her again, too far forward and the round punched through both shoulders.  She fell down a small hill and was attempting to get up.  To make it a quick, humane kill I shot her in the neck and she was done.  I'm positive she would have expired with just the first 2 shots but I didn't want to watch her suffer.

This grandson took his doe at about 50 yards.  He used Federal 62 grain Fusion.  He hit it in the shoulder, the bullet then destroyed the opposite shoulder and exited.  This is the second year he has taken a deer with his AR15.  Mine was a spike buck at 80 yards.  I used the Sierra 65 grain Game King in a handload.  Perfect shot just behind the shoulder, missed the heart, but took out the lungs.  This the fourth year I have hunted with a AR15.  Seven deer shot, seven deer recovered.

5.56/.223, no difference for deer. I've been hunting with them for over 20 years. First it was a Mini 14 with a scope. Head shots for all. Never a problem all dropped. Done plenty with AR's. 75 and 77 grain HP's. The first 10 years with the Mini I used Wolf 55 gr.

Now my son 8 has taken 6 bucks and his first was at 5. With 223 for all his hunts. All his dropped too.

I'm finishing a pistol build with a 10.5" Faxon Pencil, Strike Viper PDW stabilizer, and a TA31 Acog. It will make an ideal handy little deer slayer.

It’s that time of year again!!!! What 223 round we using on deer and any results yet? And meat on the ground!!!?

If I was taking one of my 223s, it'd be loaded with Fusions.

Any recent kills!??

Looking for local deals on 223 deer rounds.

Any experience with Sig's ammo?

https://www.sigsauer.com/store/223rem-60gr-elite-hunting-ht.html

Dropped a nice doe not too long ago...14.5" pinned AR running a red dot and 64gr Power-Shok's. DRT - not even a twitch.
Damage to the lungs and spine were substantial. Distance was about 75 yards. I was in my gym shorts and flip flops, so pics won't be loading

No experience with that ammo in particular, but it looks rather similar to Barnes TSX.  The TSX is a killer as long as impact velocity is high enough to ensure reliable expansion, 1800 FPS or so IIRC.

One thing I learned hard when it comes to shooting things that bleed-  You want two holes, an entrance and an exit.  To get that, you need a bullet that stays together...and nothing stays together like a TSX.

For light bullets (less than 250gr)...the TSX is my go to.

Picked up a box will test accuracy tomorrow and on deer hopefully Saturday.

I'll post results

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