Armlite M15A4 mid-length.
New 5.56 chrome lined barrel.
A1 flash hider
Ambi-safety
Magpull p-mag plugged for 10 rounds.
Magpul trigger guard.
JP Industried hammer, trigger and low power springs.
M4 butt stock.
Slip grip  (MFR unknown)
Gas buster charging handle.
GG&G scope mount.
Leupold 3.5x10 50mm illuminated scope 30mm tube
Butler Creek scope caps.

Bullet:  55g Hornady TAP FPD.

Nice. I was just thinking about trading one of my AR's for a bolt action to shoot deer with but now that I see thi, nevermind. How's that 55g do against deer?

there is a big debate about that very thing.  some say that it does too much damage to the meat and hide.  (lol so use a 300 winmag).  Others say the 64 grain bullets are better because they are "hunting bullets".  

IMHO if you hit them in the vitals with a TAP FPD it will kill them reliably and extremity effectively AND that is true of ANY center fire cartridge.  likewise if you shoot a deer with any cartridge and hit them in the guts the deer will suffer and run like hell.  so don't take chances or try to thread shots around branches or thru brush and you will have deer drop dead in their tracks.    

Well I just thought 5.56mm was too small for a deer. I've got some 77g Mk262 I want to use.

do you honestly think that a high powered rifle round that incorporates modern technology and metallurgy and is designed to stop 250# men would not work on a 75# deer simply because of the bullets diameter?  

i will grant you a .22 cal lead slug traveling at 1500FPS will not kill while a .308-.357 cal lead slug will and a .50 will a lot better but those are black powder numbers and black powder thinking.

modern bullets are much more destructive and able to transfer most of their energy to the target.  you have no doubt heard the big slug big hole in and out making for a lot of blood loss and tissue damage.  but most of the energy is wasted.  what good does it do if you hit something with 3000 FT LBS of energy and only transfer 1000 FT LBS?     what if you hit that same animal with 1000 FT LBS and it absorbed the entire half a ton?  would it be just as dead?

Very nice rifle.



I'll take reliable expansion over a varmint round any day.  Not trying to piss in your thread, it's just my opinion.

nice deer slayer.
Last year decided to take one out with my ar and dropped a doe in its tracks on the run at 30 yards

I'm curious - why plug the mag?  Are you hunting somewhere that requires that?

I use an Armalite as well.  M14A4T
I've passed on a couple of shoots with the 5.56 that I would have taken with larger caliber, but It is very capable of taking deer humanly

What twist is the barrel?  1:7 or 1:9?

Well im a virgin and have yet to go deer hunting so im trying to figure out if I need to find a large cal. bolt action or if my Noveske 14.5" W/TA01NSN and Mk262 ammo will do the job all the same.

Why plug the mag,  there is no limit on rounds a rifle will hold in TX.

Quoted: Quoted: modern bullets are much more destructive and able to transfer most of their energy to the target.   I'll take reliable expansion over a varmint round any day.

Go read up about 223 Barnes TSX, then come back and talk about reliable expansion and what you call a "varmint round".  hk940 is absolutely correct in his post.  

A 30 cal 150gr BST @ 2900fps @ 200yds has 2096ft #'s.  Of course it goes all the way through the animal and buries itself in a tree behind the animal.  So maybe half your energy was transferred?  Kinda hard to tell aint it.    

My 223 tsx 62 grain hits with 1023 ft # at 200 yds.  IF what you say is true and there is a lack of penetration and the bullet does NOT come out, then all 1023 ft #'s were transfered to the animal.  

WOW, lookie there, my shit just hit as hard or harder than yours.....OH yeah, but my target didn't run since I can practice with my rifle because it isn't too expensive or punishing.  With that practice, I can put it in his eye @ 200yds.  

I have said before and will say it agian, if you can't really shoot as well you say you can on the internet, please shoot a large caliber when hunting.  It will give you a better blood trail to follow.  


ETA:  Oh yeah, sorry I got on my soapbox, Nice Rig HK!

Quoted: I'm curious - why plug the mag?  Are you hunting somewhere that requires that?

hunting in MO this year

nnnnooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!


you cant shoot a deer with .223/5.56!   jeez!



(nice rifle)



for those that have missed out:
linky

Nice rifle.
Hope this doesn't turn into another hijacked thread by those saying a .223 in not enough gun for deer!

Gosh some just want to piss on the guy's thread.

Personally I think a 6.8 spc is a way better choice!

Quoted: Gosh some just want to piss on the guy's thread. Personally I think a 6.8 spc is a way better choice!

That's Okay.....He does a good enough job pissing in other threads.  

WHy didn't you bring that rifle out and carry it through the glorified camping trip?  

And I would have no issue deer hunting with a .223.  If I can drop hogs with 68 gr BTHP, then I am confident in the abilities of that same round when I have a deer lined up.  

If you guys are confident that a .223 is good enough to kill a human target, why on earth would you question its effectiveness against a much smaller creature?

Nice!

Quoted: Quoted: Gosh some just want to piss on the guy's thread. Personally I think a 6.8 spc is a way better choice! That's Okay.....He does a good enough job pissing in other threads.   WHy didn't you bring that rifle out and carry it through the glorified camping trip?   And I would have no issue deer hunting with a .223.  If I can drop hogs with 68 gr BTHP, then I am confident in the abilities of that same round when I have a deer lined up.

That is a lot like the One I have that I carried on the Glorified Camping Trip.  Pick713 it sounds a lot like he spends more time posting on Arfcom than much else.

Oh yea, my vote is .223 is fine for Texas deer.  Nice looking rifle.

Man that is awesome for you that you get to go somewhere like that to hunt.  

Is it a yearly trip, or did you just score on something special?  

Either way, good for you.

Quoted: Well im a virgin and have yet to go deer hunting so im trying to figure out if I need to find a large cal. bolt action or if my Noveske 14.5" W/TA01NSN and Mk262 ammo will do the job all the same.

The latter is very similar to what my daughter uses to hunt deer with.

ARFCOM SEBR Bushmaster M4, 14.5" w/ 1 in 7 twist, ACOG TA01NSN, collapsible stock and a Troy Industries single point sling.

My son also uses it along with the Remmy 700 ADL .243 (clearance at WM) with a Nikon Monarch 3-9 x 40mm mil-dot.

I need to get some pics of them with the kids using them.

BigDozer66

I have a buddy that killed 4 last year with his bushmaster varminter.   Yes, we are in a 5 deer county with a max of 2 bucks but all can be doe.   He dropped all of them.  

He has MANY other rifles but both of us have kids that want to hunt in the next year or two so he was testing the .223 to see how it would do.  It performed fine.  Just FYI, he is a cheap ass and was shooting FMJ wolf.  

Now, flame me all you want but I saw this first hand.   It's in the shot, not in the caliber and by saying that don't think that we are some kind of army ranger sniper types.  We are rank amatuers and don't claim to be able to shoot a 2 inch group at 600 yards.  We go to the deer lease to have fun.

Nice weapon.  Congrats, and good luck on the hunt.

shot placement, shot placement, shot placement, i have taken many deer with 223, that said personally i think its a little light, but its a very viable round. i switched when i had a monster pig take four 223 rounds at 50 yds, all of them good shots not perfect, but on target. went to 308 and now back to the ar platform to the 6.8. we will see how the new rifle does this year.


btw nice rig.

Quoted: shot placement, shot placement, shot placement, i have taken many deer with 223, that said personally i think its a little light, but its a very viable round. i switched when i had a monster pig take four 223 rounds at 50 yds, all of them good shots not perfect, but on target. went to 308 and now back to the ar platform to the 6.8. we will see how the new rifle does this year. btw nice rig.

Had the same thing happen to me.  Shot a large hog 4-5 times and she still ran off.


Make sure to post how the 6.8 does on the pigs.  I'm interested.

AAR graphic.






AAR...

i spent quite a bit of time thinking about this before i decided to hunt with the 55 grain TAP FPD. i shot over 50 rounds at the range under varying weather and it shoots extremely consistently. from 45 deg up to 80 deg. i got 1 moa hits. after several range sessions i felt i could make the shot and the gun would put it where i wanted it. but would it do the job? would it really kill effectively and humanly? what is really humane? you be the judge.

this past weekend i shot two deer in Missouri. both were at about 50 yds and both broad side shots. i had cleaned and then fired cold bore shots to confirmed zero the day before the hunt.

the first deer was an 80# doe. she had trotted down a slope and paused at the edge of a clearing before crossing it. i lined up and shot her just behind the right shoulder. it was a perfect shot and she flinched and spun 180 degrees and bolted 15yds before piling up at the base of a tree. no visible entry or exit wounds and no blood on the ground. no leaking blood during transport. while skinning the deer we found a small entry wound about the size of a #2 pencil and no exit wound. it had neatly punched a rib and gone in and fragmented. during gutting the deer we found massive damage to the lungs and the heart was just blown to pulp. no other internal organs were damaged and there was no meat damage due to shrapnel on the back side of the deer. i am quite happy with the results.

the second deer was an 12# buck. he trotted cross and a little toward me on the hill and slowed to make his way thru some cedars. i shot him just as he was stepping into "clear air". i lined up and took careful aim and shot him just behind his left shoulder. it was a perfect shot and he dropped in his tracks. he kicked and then kicked again. he kicked a third time and that was when i put one in his neck that finished him.

(most the same) likewise no visible entry or exit wounds and no blood on the ground. no leaking blood during transport. while skinning the buck we found a small entry wound about the size of a #2 pencil and no exit wound. it had neatly punched between two ribs and gone in and fragmented. during gutting the deer we found massive damage to the lungs and perforations in the diaphragm. some stomach damage. no other internal organs were damaged and no meat damage from shrapnel. the damage from the second shot was localized to the neck and all the neck meat was a total loss as there was massive tissue damage and what was not shredded was blood shot. i have mixed feelings about the results. i don't like putting a deer down but i have done it with both the .308 Winchester and a 30-06 each time shooting core lock bullets.

in the past i have always felt that the only human way to take a deer is to drop it in it's tracks. i know bow hunters disagree with me. if i had not packed this gun i would have used a Marlin .444. a great deer gun and some would say a "brush buster". i only shot thru clear air so i don't know about that.

in conclusion i would like to say if you can pick your shoot and get close i feel you can take a deer with this round. the most surprising thing was the total lack of recoil. next jo to the trepidation of shooting a magnum in an awkward position this thing was a dream. i never lost the deer in the scope and could have fired constantly or at any moment after the initial shot. i will have to think and reflect on it some more but next year i plan to be shooting deer with this round. based on this i would expect to have to shoot a home intruder more than once to stop them.

I would say it performed flawlessly.
I've taken 3 deer in a sitting with that exact round and had identical results.

I now shoot 308 TAP in 110gr weight from my socom.  mostly because the blind I'm hunting now also has very large hogs coming in to it and when its go time, I want to put as many down as I can, so hit'em hard.  with the 308, can be less picky about my shots and take down 250lb pigs on the run.  they might need a finisher, but more humane than a 223 to the back leg to let fester and rot for a week or two.

shot 2 deer last year with the 110's and when you do, you ruin at least one of the front hams, if not both.

so for meat preservation, I'd definetely recommend the TAP from a 223/556.

as always, YMMV

ETA:
why?  if you shot an intruder and it punched a hole thru his chest and exploded his heart, I'd think that'd be pretty sufficient.  deer are a little more high strung that people....
(well, not always)

Do you honestly want to know how many out of season deer we have killed in Texas with a 22 l/r?  Probably not.

Shot Placement is key

PS This was in 1988 ish

I only hunt in season legally now.  But back in high school....  Anything we didn't get caught doing was legal.