.223 rifle advice

[oldillini]

Would the Ruger American be a good gun? In my opinion it is one of the best for the money. I have one in 223 (blued & synthetic stock) and a 7mm-08 (stainless & synthetic). Very happy. No issues with either. Bought the 223 ($340) when my Remington 700 went back in for the trigger recall. (The 700 is now being sold.) Bought the 7mm-08 ($450) when thought Indiana might vote in use of rifle for deer (that feel through). Are they the most accurate? Definitely note, but for a starter they are more than adequate.

As you can see I thought something a little larger would be better for deer. Would 223 be adequate? I will let someone else make that argument. For me I considered a 270 or 7mm-08.

 

[Rancho Loco]

I won't swear to it, but I believe if you look closely, you'll find that .228 is the minimum caliber in most states for deer hunting. That being said, there are a raft of soft recoiling calibers to choose from. 257 Robert, 250 savage, 6.5X55 are the first ones that come to mind. Any one of them perfectly suited to hunting deef and soft enough for the most tender shoulder.. like mine..

.228" in most states?

Which ones exactly?

 

[HighDesertSage]

.228" in most states?

Which ones exactly?

Colorado, for one. The minimum here is 6mm (243). I think the 243, 260, or 7mm/08 would be a much better deer rifle, and recoil would still be negligible in those calibers.

 

[Rancho Loco]

One out of fifty.. That's most?

Just for chits and giggles, what other gun laws should I be concerned about in Colorado? Sounds like your bureaucrats are on top of things..

 

[Tjay]

The 223 with 50, 52, 55 or 62 gr TSX bullets will kill deer just fine. Nosler 64 gr. BSB bullets work great also. Then that leaves a ton of cheap 223 for practice. That to me sounds like a wining combo for a 12 year old. Then take him out to shoot some P-dogs.

 

[Rancho Loco]

The 223 with 50, 52, 55 or 62 gr TSX bullets will kill deer just fine. Nosler 64 gr. BSB bullets work great also. Then that leaves a ton of cheap 223 for practice. That to me sounds like a wining combo for a 12 year old. Then take him out to shoot some P-dogs.

That's how you do it.

You are welcome to now live in Montana...

 

[----]

What sort of problems? The detachable magazine looked like it could break given it was plastic.

The spring in the mag that came in the gun either wore out or got gunked up and stopped pushing rounds up. I called ruger and the swapped it out for a new one. The new one must've been made to tighter specs because it put side pressure on the rounds and I got the same result, new rounds wouldn't pop up. I took a file to that one and now it's working fine.

I wouldn't worry about breaking one of those magazines, that polymer they use is tough stuff.

 

[thomas89]

I have a Mossberg MVP that I absolutely love to shoot. Cheap trigger time still counts as hunting season prep to me. Topped with a Redfield Battlezone scope with the ballistic turret, this gun is just plain fun. Easy to shoot a long time using standard AR mags, I have 5, 20, and 30 round mags that I shoot regularly.

Took an antelope with it last year with 62gr Fusion ammo. First shot was 200 yards (my personal limit for hunting purposes) and hit right below the shoulder, and a follow up shot at around 280 after she ran up the hill. Both bullets fully penetrated. Awesome performance and I'll definitely hunt with it again.

 

[danr55]

I'm not going to do the research for you, but I suggest you check the state you plan to hunt before you go looking for deer with a .223. Your call.... just don't get caught in Arizona or Colorado or any one of several others I can think of off the top of my head.

 

[Rancho Loco]

Several others?

 

[Deleted member 20812]

I'm not going to do the research for you, but I suggest you check the state you plan to hunt before you go looking for deer with a .223. Your call.... just don't get caught in Arizona or Colorado or any one of several others I can think of off the top of my head.

A .223 is legal for deer in Montana. Elk too. And pronghorn.

 

[Rancho Loco]

A .223 is keeping my freezer full of Montana deer,,

 

[gman82001]

.223 is an unbelievable deer killer I was a bit worried at first but my daughter killed a doe one evening then a really nice buck the next morning. Both deer dropped like the hammer of Thor fell in them. My wife killed her first deer with it this year. Not quite as lights out but a 30yd Sprint and he piled up hard. I load a 65gr Sierra game king and they're shooting a rem 700 sps tactical. It sucks to carry very far but they shoot it all summer at rocks or Prarie dogs and shoot it well so I know they'll be comfortable with it. I have 270's for both of them but until they go elk hunting I don't see a need to cause a flinch in them with a bigger gun yet

 

[RobG]

Not exactly favorable performance with the Ruger American Rifle .223
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw1UBfy5Pys

 

[Rooster52]

I bought my granddaughter a 22 - 250 she has no problem killing Michigan whitetail with it.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Typical.

2 pages and nobody has given the correct response:

Buy the .223 for practice/fun, get a 243 for hunting.

You guys are awful enablers.

 

[HSi-ESi]

My suggestion would be to get a gun that fits him - and that he can shoot tons of ammo through this summer. Plinking all day with cheap ammo is a great way to spend a weekend - and he'll start building confidence and a strong shooting base for years to come.

You can step up in caliber as he becomes more comfortable.

 

[RobG]

Typical.

2 pages and nobody has given the correct response:

Buy the .223 for practice/fun, get a 243 for hunting.

You guys are awful enablers.

LOL, I'm leaning towards the 243 and a higher quality one than the Ruger American unless I can be convinced the groups are going to be better than that video - and I'd have to try it first. I'd like to plink with a .223 but not unless it is is capable of 2" groups at 100yds. Sheese, I can get that with my 75 year old Savage in the Livingston wind.

I looked at a Savage Axis but the bolt was stiff and you had to buy a cheap weaver scope. I want something decent with a reasonable scope (say VX-1) but don't want to blow a grand. Is there a mid range alternative to look at (either 223 or 243) that I can swap out the stock when he gets a little bigger?

 

[BuzzH]

I had both of my nephews (8 and 10), shooting a 243 a couple weeks ago. I used a starting load of H380 and 75 grain nosler solid base bullets...no recoil and they were both ringing the 6 inch steel at 200 yards.

 

[RobG]

My suggestion would be to get a gun that fits him - and that he can shoot tons of ammo through this summer. Plinking all day with cheap ammo is a great way to spend a weekend - and he'll start building confidence and a strong shooting base for years to come.

You can step up in caliber as he becomes more comfortable.

Or this. Hell I don't know