What do you guys think about using this deal for hunting deer in eastern NC?

http://www.palmettostatearmory.com/1433.php

I wouldn't recommend any 5.56mm round for hunting deer or any animal larger than a coyote, never mind the projectile, which, in this case is evidently designed to penetrate barriers, and so probably doesn't expand much on soft tissue. I've shot plenty of coyotes with softpoint .223 bullets, and while they're usually effective, now and again one survives its injuries, at least long enough to escape. I don't think it's ethical to hunt with an inadequate weapon, in which category I'd place the 5.56mm/.223 for deer.

Still not a good deer round.  Doesn't have controlled expansion.

Gel tests have not been released for this round.  

Its anybody's guess as to how well it would perform.  Personally, I would expect for it to be similar to a Nosler partition which seems to get excellent review for whitetail deer.  With that said, I'd be cautious and not use a round that hasn't had any published data suitable for evaluating.  

Dr. Roberts has said he will be running a battery of tests on this round this fall.

Some folks get high and mighty when you want to use a round for hunting deer that is not totally textbook. Usually they don't know crap and are just regurgitating what they have read elsewhere.  However,  In this case I would lean that direction.  Until more info is known I wouldn't risk it myself.. I think that is where you are coming from also, that's why you posed the question.  

I've shot more deer with the 55 grain .223 than any other one caliber. I have always used a 55 grain soft point and loaded my own with the Winchester bullet most of the time. BUT, I hunt in Texas where the deer are not like the deer in the north, theyre about half that size here.
I favored BLC-2 powder and any quality bullet.

GA is the same way.  .223/5.56 is plenty for our deer if you place the shot.  I would suggest the Barnes 62gr TSX, however

Probably a bad choice.  OTM's aren't really likely to expand, rather than frag, are they?

I gotta agree with everyone else.  For deer you don't need to stock up on large quantities anyway so why use a round that your not sure about.

How big are the deer?  if they are like here they rarely get over 150lbs unless you go far east or west where the bigger whitetails and Mulies live.

Deer hunting is pretty expensive around here so it doesn't make sense to not use the best tool for the job.  And if you choose to use .223/5.56 then you need the best bullet you can get.

Go with a proven bullet in 5.56 like the Barnes TSX in 62 or 70 grains or the Winchester 64gr Powerpoint.  Federal has a 62 grain SP too that would work and Sierra has a 63 (?) grain SP bullet you can load if your reloader.

Depending on your state's laws you may not be able to use something smaller than .25 caliber.  Here in Texas any centerfire rifle is allowed and for Whitetail here a .223 is adequate as long as you keep the shot's close and hit the vitals.

The Mk318 is not a traditional OTM.  It was designed as a barrier round.  It may very well be the greatest deer round ever... but until we see some real data and evaluations we don't know jack.

The TSX is considered an OTM yet it is an expanding round(and an excellent one at that).

6.8 kills them dead

The Nosler is exactly what I was thinking after seeing a picture of the cross section of the bullet.  I must confess I was looking for a cheaper alternative than premium hunting rounds.  I was thinking weight retention would be great, and under expansion shouldn't be a problem with the way the fron tof the bullet is made.  Fragmentaion of the front half was my main concern.  Since we have no detailed perofrmance data, I'll stay clear of it.  Deer are usually under 150 pounds, and hunting in NC with a 223 has been legal for years (not 100% sure about any changes this year though).  I've had a RRA 20" for years and never used it for deer hunting because I don't think a 223/5.56 is an ideal caliber.  With that said, my 270's scope is in the shop, so I was looking to have some fun until I can get that back.  I have til mid october before gun season opens anyway.

Thanks for all the great input guys.

This round is actually more like the Trophy Bonded Bear Claw bulllet.  It is not bonded at this point but it could easily be, is what they are saying.  They should work on deer but there are definitely better choices.

P

I do not stay abreast on these things but this could be mis-information???

The SOST round has been out and in use by SOCOM for about a year, at least in 7.62.  I thought the new round the Marines were using is the M855A2???  The one with a bronze looking tip???

One thing I do know is the rounds are not the same.

P

Clean out your inbox.

CapitolP-
The Army is starting to field the M855-A1.  The Marine Corp has been fielding the Mk318-Mod0.  This ammunition is legitimate.  Molon bought some and did a velocity and accuracy evaluation of it which included a few sectioned rounds.

Cool, thx for the clarification.

P

Darn beat to it.