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Posted: 8/8/2010 8:41:06 AM EDT
[#1]
IIRC - the 7.62 have very similar ballistics as the 30-30, and the 30-30 has dropped way more deer than probably could be counted..
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Posted: 8/9/2010 5:45:38 PM EDT
[#2]
Quoted:
IIRC - the 7.62 have very similar ballistics as the 30-30, and the 30-30 has dropped way more deer than probably could be counted.. Your right. The dirty thirty takes the 7.62 once heavier bullets become involved... But with that being said, an SKS, some SP or VMAX hornady ammo, and a capable shooter will make for a formidable deer rifle. |
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Posted: 8/9/2010 6:25:35 PM EDT
[#3]
My dad has killed countless deer with a Sako bolt action in 7.62X39 and a few more with a CZ carbine in the same caliber. I don't think I would recommend the VMAX bullet for deer though. Many better choices out there.
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Posted: 1/26/2011 2:11:26 PM EDT
[#4]
I feel that with more bullet choices in 223 as well as the wide variety of factory hunting 223 ammo , that the 223 is the way to go vs the AK47 round.
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Posted: 1/26/2011 2:28:32 PM EDT
[#5]
Quoted:
IIRC - the 7.62 have very similar ballistics as the 30-30, and the 30-30 has dropped way more deer than probably could be counted.. I concur SIR !! |
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Posted: 1/26/2011 2:46:31 PM EDT
[#6]
Quoted: Quoted: IIRC - the 7.62 have very similar ballistics as the 30-30, and the 30-30 has dropped way more deer than probably could be counted.. Your right. The dirty thirty takes the 7.62 once heavier bullets become involved... But with that being said, an SKS, some SP or VMAX hornady ammo, and a capable shooter will make for a formidable deer rifle. Yep, .223/5.56 will certainly slay deer, but, it has less margin for error than a bigger caliber. The modern bullets do help immensely in ..223/5.56. |
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Posted: 1/27/2011 7:42:31 AM EDT
[#7]
7.62x39 for the win hands down IMO
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Posted: 1/27/2011 8:35:19 AM EDT
[#8]
I killed a deer with a 55 grain vmax this year and I will never use .223 on deer again. It was supposed to be a heart shot but I was just barely too high and hit him in the lung. He didnt jump or act like I hit him at all. I watched where he went and then went to where he was standing when I shot him. There was not a drop of blood. I went to the specific spot I saw him jump the fence into the woods. Not a drop of blood. I was thinking I must have missed but I better go looking for him anyway. I walked about 150 yards into the woods and found him in a pool of blood dead.
When I got him open it looked like the bullet went in hit the left lung then turnd back into his body cavity. it smelled like a gut shot even though I nailed him behind the shoulder. When I got him strung up he puked what smelled like shit. Im thinking the infamous .223 did the infamous "it tumbles and seeks babies". |
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Posted: 1/27/2011 8:51:36 AM EDT
[#9]
Quoted:
I killed a deer with a 55 grain vmax this year and I will never use .223 on deer again. It was supposed to be a heart shot but I was just barely too high and hit him in the lung. He didnt jump or act like I hit him at all. I watched where he went and then went to where he was standing when I shot him. There was not a drop of blood. I went to the specific spot I saw him jump the fence into the woods. Not a drop of blood. I was thinking I must have missed but I better go looking for him anyway. I walked about 150 yards into the woods and found him in a pool of blood dead. When I got him open it looked like the bullet went in hit the left lung then turnd back into his body cavity. it smelled like a gut shot even though I nailed him behind the shoulder. When I got him strung up he puked what smelled like shit. Im thinking the infamous .223 did the infamous "it tumbles and seeks babies". the 55 vmax is WAY too lightly constructed for Whitetail. |
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Posted: 1/27/2011 8:56:01 AM EDT
[#10]
Quoted:
Hornady has a new factory load with the VMax bullet. Now does anyone use a 7.62x39 in a AR15 for deer? Results? Is the 7.62x39 better then the 223 for deer ?...considering the vast array of 223 bullets out there? This my first year with it. I'm using Hornady 123g soft points, winchester cases, and 23g of IMR-4198 (I'm not sure on this I'm not at home). It has worked very well! This load has killed 4 deer and all but one was DRT. I've been looking at loading .308 bullets insted of the .311, so I will have more otptions. I'll have to do more testing after this seson. The gun is an Armalite lower, Superior Arms upper and BCG, and Olly barrel and bolt. YHM folding back up sights the past 2 weekends, this weekend it will have a Bushnell 3200 5x9. |
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Posted: 1/27/2011 10:17:56 AM EDT
[#11]
Quoted:
I killed a deer with a 55 grain vmax this year and I will never use .223 on deer again. It was supposed to be a heart shot but I was just barely too high and hit him in the lung. He didnt jump or act like I hit him at all. I watched where he went and then went to where he was standing when I shot him. There was not a drop of blood. I went to the specific spot I saw him jump the fence into the woods. Not a drop of blood. I was thinking I must have missed but I better go looking for him anyway. I walked about 150 yards into the woods and found him in a pool of blood dead. When I got him open it looked like the bullet went in hit the left lung then turnd back into his body cavity. it smelled like a gut shot even though I nailed him behind the shoulder. When I got him strung up he puked what smelled like shit. Im thinking the infamous .223 did the infamous "it tumbles and seeks babies". The key point that needs to be learned in this case is the "V" in V-Max stands for "Varmint". Varmint bullets are a very poor choice for hunting deer sized animals. There are many .224" bullets that are designed for deer sized animals. Barnes TSX, Nosler Partition, Swift Scirocco... use one of these and you will have excellent results. No bullet can guarantee a blood trail. I've killed several critters with my .416 Rigby. Two of them didn't leave a drop of blood on the ground until they were hanging on the gambrels. |
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Posted: 1/27/2011 12:35:29 PM EDT
[#12]
Quoted:
Hornady has a new factory load with the VMax bullet. Now does anyone use a 7.62x39 in a AR15 for deer? Results? Is the 7.62x39 better then the 223 for deer ?...considering the vast array of 223 bullets out there? I've harvested my share of deer and knocked down my share of hogs/coyotes with 7.62x39. SP 123 gr seems to work pretty well at less than 150 yards. Haven't had many shots further than that where I wasn't using .270 or .308. Have had good results with shotguns, too. |
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Posted: 1/28/2011 12:37:00 PM EDT
[#13]
Cabellas has .310 cal (7.62x39) Barnes Tac-X bullets (the same as the famed TSX bullets) for $38.99 per 50, or about .78 cents per bullet. For a handloader, that's about 20 bucks a box.
But, that bullet, in an AK, SKS or AR in 7.62x39 will have amazing penetration and stopping power. If you don't reload, now is the time! If you know someone who reloads, buy a set of AK dies and ask your firend to make you some boxes. After a few deer seasons, they will certainly pay off... |
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Posted: 2/11/2011 5:30:42 PM EDT
[#14]
Quoted:
I've killed several critters with my .416 Rigby. Two of them didn't leave a drop of blood on the ground until they were hanging on the gambrels. They were small enough to hang on a gambel and shot with a .416. Was there anything left of them. 
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Posted: 2/11/2011 7:27:31 PM EDT
[#15]
Quoted:
Quoted:
I've killed several critters with my .416 Rigby. Two of them didn't leave a drop of blood on the ground until they were hanging on the gambrels. They were small enough to hang on a gambel and shot with a .416. Was there anything left of them. White Tails and a big feral boar hog. The 400 grain Hornady round nose soft points break more ribs than a .270/.30-06/7 Mag but really doesn't do significantly more damage to the organs than the standard calibers do. |
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Posted: 2/18/2011 1:04:02 PM EDT
[#16]
Think I read somewhere that the 7.62x39 and 30-30 were extremely similar performance wise, with one (can't remember which) better out to 100 yards and the other superior to 200 yards. I would definitely prefer a Russian short to a .223 for a deer round.
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Posted: 2/22/2011 1:29:48 AM EDT
[#17]
when properly loaded .. either will do the job. its more about shot placement and shooter ability than the round he chooses in my honest opinion!
ETA: a V-MAX bullet is a poor choice in a hunting bullet. v=varmint and while some may consider whitetails to be varmints .. that bullet is NOT the choice for a clean recoverable kill. |
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Posted: 7/7/2011 10:37:31 AM EDT
[#18]
there are a host of good bullets in the .223 for white tails at medium range, you just have to be conscious of your bullet selection and shot placement. The barns in any weight, the hornady 75 grain hpbt, the 63 grain sierra load by SSA ect. In the 7.62x39, I have used several loads and find that my preferred factory load is the winchester soft point. For hand loading, I use the hornady 123 grain soft point.
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Posted: 7/7/2011 11:44:04 AM EDT
[#19]
I'm going with .223 and a 62gr TSX bullet or the new 70gr Hornady GMX bullet which will supposedly stabilize in a 1:8 barrel.
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Posted: 7/7/2011 12:13:05 PM EDT
[#20]
Many deer have gone down humanly with heavy .223 bullets, but you need to ensure that you have a good shot that you can make 100%. You should only take broadside shots as well with the .223 and keep it within 200 yards. Also be sure you are using at least a 65 grn bullet to ensure a linearish path of the bullet through tissue. A bullet such as this one is appropriate: Barnes Triple Shock x 70 grn bullet
The 7.26x39 is a better cartridge so long as you are under 200 yards. The larger diameter bullet will have less of an issue of causing damage if it hits bone while entering the animal, basically allowing you to have some "breathing" room if your shot isnt perfect. If you have an accurate 7.62 I'd go for that one first before the .223. |
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Posted: 7/7/2011 12:25:17 PM EDT
[#21]
Quoted:
I killed a deer with a 55 grain vmax this year and I will never use .223 on deer again. It was supposed to be a heart shot but I was just barely too high and hit him in the lung. He didnt jump or act like I hit him at all. I watched where he went and then went to where he was standing when I shot him. There was not a drop of blood. I went to the specific spot I saw him jump the fence into the woods. Not a drop of blood. I was thinking I must have missed but I better go looking for him anyway. I walked about 150 yards into the woods and found him in a pool of blood dead. When I got him open it looked like the bullet went in hit the left lung then turnd back into his body cavity. it smelled like a gut shot even though I nailed him behind the shoulder. When I got him strung up he puked what smelled like shit. Im thinking the infamous .223 did the infamous "it tumbles and seeks babies". That's why you shouldn't hunt deer with varmit bullets (I'm referring to the 55 Vmax, NOT the 223). You should have chosen a proper medium game bullet that is heavily constructed and designed for deer sized game. The 64gr PPT, 64gr Fusion/Gold Dot, Barnes 62 or 77 tsx, etc. would be more than sufficient. |
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Posted: 7/7/2011 1:30:58 PM EDT
[#22]
Hornady has a new 123 gr SST bullet for the 7.62x39mm. (not V-max). The SST is a great medium game bullet.
I chrono'd it out of my vz58 at just above 2300 fps. At the muzzle the ballistics are not comparable to a standard .30-30 (i.e. 2200 fps with a 170 gr bullet), but due to its improved BC, it catches up fast. I consider it good hog/ deer medicine. I have shot many a hog (never deer) with the .223. Using the .223 for medium game, to me, is mostly dependant on what type of hunting you will be doing. Shooting from a blind at moderate distances where a well placed shot can be made (headshot/ heartshot)? Then the .223 will get 'er done. Stalking/ chasing up game in the woods/ heavy brush where a snap shot to the midsection is the shot du jour? I'd recommend something bigger that will punch through and leave a blood trail/ break bones. Here is a pic of a dead piggie dispatched with a brain pan shot with a .223. Shot was a 2:00 am with night vision. Hog never new what hit him. 
BTW, my favorite .223 hunting load for medium game is a 65gr Sierra pro-hunter over 25.2gr Varget. I've also had luck with 55 and 62 gr barnes. - AG |
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Posted: 7/10/2011 1:20:29 AM EDT
[#23]
I have a CZ 527 Carbine in 7.62x39. I've taken it deer hunting a few times, but haven't had the chance to see how it does.
I've been thinking about having it rebarreled to a caliber with a little more range. I've heard that rebarrelling that rifle to 6.5 Grendel is a very popular option. |
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Posted: 7/10/2011 6:12:39 AM EDT
[#24]
50/53/55/62/70 grain Barnes TSX out of a .223/5.56 will crush about any game you want to take. Bone will not stop it. The improvements to bullets in the last decade have changed the rules. 7.62x39 would do the trick, too. It's difficult to even find a cartridge that is not effective anymore, provided a good bullet is available & chosen for a properly twisted barrel.
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Posted: 7/13/2011 8:46:11 AM EDT
[#25]
I plan on hunting this year with both my 14.5" AR and SKS in both calibers with suitable bullets. Haven't hunted since 08' due to being down range.
CD |
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Posted: 7/17/2011 11:53:02 AM EDT
[#26]
I've killed deer with an SKS. As most here know, it has similar ballistics to a 30/30. I've hunted with a 223 several times but never shot at a deer. Now I'm a little (very) reluctant to bring the 223, b/c our large bucks can reach 250#. I certainly won't risk wounding/ losing a buck of a lifetime to a 223. I spend too much time in the woods to finally get a chance to see a large deer but need to let him walk b/c I'm undergunned. I've never had a deer shot with a 308 run more than 50 yds. The deer size in your AO should determine what you use. YMMV.
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