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From: case@leland.stanford.edu (Helen Ginzburg)
Newsgroups: rec.hunting
Subject: Re: .223 to little for deer, but big enough for people?
Message-ID: <578@erb1.engr.wisc.edu>
Date: 22 Apr 91 12:10:25 GMT
References: <544@erb1.engr.wisc.edu>
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In article <544@erb1.engr.wisc.edu> tas@sat.datapoint.com (Tom Stewart) writes:
>I've had a .223 Remington for several years.  It shoots great, with
>little recoil, and is accurate out to somewhere past 200 yards with
>a simple rest and no particular care in aiming.

***I have some friends who are ex-Marines.  The US M-16 rifle (which I
believe is 5.56mm aka .223) is accurate to 500 yards when used by a
trained Marine in clear terain with little wind.
************ This could imply higher muzzel velocity or better spin
characteristics, though I am no expert on guns or hunting.

>
>Although I've thought about taking it deer hunting here in the Texas
>Hill Country and along the Gulf Coast I've never done so.  All the 
>statements about "a .223 is too little to kill a deer" have had
>something to do with not using it.  However, I haven't really ever
>understood why a .223 is big enough for the military to shoot at
>200+ pound warriors in a battle but not big enough for a 50-130 pound
>deer at rest.  Obviously, an M16 is gonna push several rounds at
>a single man, but I don't believe all of them are expected to hit.

***** In my inexpert opinion, I suspect that ".223 too little to kill
a deer" means that shooting a deer with one .223 will not cause it to
reliably die conveniently close to the spot where it was shot.  A body
shot with any bullet would probably kill most deer eventually, though
possibly a few miles away.

***** The M-16 and .223 military FMJ was introduced largely to give
the infantryman greater firepower as in output of bullets.  The
lighter ammo allows a soldier to carry many more rounds than before,
and the lack of instant killing opwer is offset in war by the higher
rate of fire and extreme accuracy (for an assault rifle).

***** In war it is usually preferable to wound your enemy so that his
fellows must worry about transporting the wounded man, whereas if you
kill him, they can ignore the body and keep shooting at you.  A 200
popund soldier hit by one .223 is probably alive, and probably able to
move away, but he is not likely to keep firing at you and he has to
worry about keeping himself alive.

-Case Kim
Frozen Ghost

>If anyone would care to express an educated (or not so educated)
					     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ (key exp.)
>opinion on why 55-65 gr. bullets work on people but not whitetails
>I'd appreciate it.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Tom Stewart
>Canyon Lake, Texas