mickb wrote:What have you 223 guys taken with your rifles? Also what is the largest game you have used it on?
mickb wrote:I always wondered how barnes x type bullets go in the calibre regards taking larger game
mickb wrote:What have you 223 guys taken with your rifles? Also what is the largest game you have used it on?
Hoppa 101 wrote:I've had instant kills on bulls weighing up to a tonne. It's all about shot placement. Running headshots on pigs out to 150 don't seem a problem. Headshots on fallow anf red deer have always been successful. The standard varmint bullets are all I use although I'd be hesitant to use vmax's on cattle.
animalpest wrote:Hoppa 101 wrote:I've had instant kills on bulls weighing up to a tonne. It's all about shot placement. Running headshots on pigs out to 150 don't seem a problem. Headshots on fallow anf red deer have always been successful. The standard varmint bullets are all I use although I'd be hesitant to use vmax's on cattle.
Yep and plenty of pastoralists will never bother with a .223 on scrub bulls. A .243 will barely do the job.
Would love to see someone regularly shoot running pigs at 150m through the head. Reminds me of when some dude told me he shoots running emus at 80m through the head.
For cattle, when shooting at the brain when facing you, where do you aim? It is all about bullet placement
animalpest wrote:
Would love to see someone regularly shoot running pigs at 150m through the head. Reminds me of when some dude told me he shoots running emus at 80m through the head.
bigrich wrote:animalpest wrote:Hoppa 101 wrote:I've had instant kills on bulls weighing up to a tonne. It's all about shot placement. Running headshots on pigs out to 150 don't seem a problem. Headshots on fallow anf red deer have always been successful. The standard varmint bullets are all I use although I'd be hesitant to use vmax's on cattle.
Yep and plenty of pastoralists will never bother with a .223 on scrub bulls. A .243 will barely do the job.
Would love to see someone regularly shoot running pigs at 150m through the head. Reminds me of when some dude told me he shoots running emus at 80m through the head.
For cattle, when shooting at the brain when facing you, where do you aim? It is all about bullet placement
Agree
animalpest wrote:Actually Hoppa that is a very common mistake but is WRONG spot! You will be hitting well below the brain on cattle.
On cattle that are facing you, the correct aiming point is to draw a line from the base of the horns to the eyes.
I had a client who shot a bull at the spot you suggested with no result. He continued to shoot higher until he hit the brain and only then it dropped. I have a picture of it.
animalpest wrote:You don't "adjust your aiming point to where it feels right". Brains don't move around in the skull.
Its either the right spot for all cows or the wrong spot for all cows.
That aiming point applies to cattle. For most other animals, shooting to the spot between the eyes and ears is correct. But not for cattle.
An 8 year old cow or bull has a thick skull. The skull thickens with age. A .223 will work on young animals but not older ones.
bigrich wrote:all the pigs i've shot at were running the other way or weaving through scrub and trees .rarely do they run across in front of me . actually they just about jump up under my feet sometimes . trying to chest shoot them at 80-100 meters when their going flat out is hard enough. a head shot on a running pig at 150 , offhand or using a tree for support is beyond my abilities i'm afraid
head shooting calm stationary animals at distance, yeah , no problem . i take my larger centerfires for such game as their is more room for error . i use my 223 as it was intended . rabbits , foxes , cats and such . as for head shooting scrubbers and such , id use a 150 accubond in my 7-08 as a minimum. i was with a fella i used to know down tenterfeild. the farmer who owned the property had some cattle in poor condition due to the drought at the time . we rang him to inform him a cow was down and wasn't looking like getting up again . got the go ahead to dispatch it . old mate had a 300 win mag with winchester "deer season" bt's . he aimed between the eyes . that poor cow didn't pass right away . AP's info woulda bin handy . these are my personal opinions and experience . not intended as criticism
mickb wrote:By the above it seems 223 fellas feel comfortable taking all sorts and size game with the calibre. Good to know
on_one_wheel wrote:mickb wrote:By the above it seems 223 fellas feel comfortable taking all sorts and size game with the calibre. Good to know
Small / lightly built medium but definitely not big game.
I've been asked to shoot the odd cow and bull typically because of broken legs (fancy owning a cattle / sheep farm and not having a gun ), I've never used the .223 for them, the 55g projectiles are too fragile, I use the .243 with 100g heavy jacket GameKings.
I don't shoot pigs with the .223 either regardless of what many shooters claim, I don't like taking follow up shots because I'm not using enough gun, it's not ethical... again I opt for the .243 with the 100g GameKings.
It's worth keeping in mind that the .223 runs out of retained energy really fast and deep penetration through thick hide and heavy muscle is something they can't achieve at any range.
NTSOG wrote:G'day,
on_one_wheel: "I've been asked to shoot the odd cow and bull typically because of broken legs (fancy owning a cattle / sheep farm and not having a gun ), I've never used the .223 for them, the 55g projectiles are too fragile, I use the .243 with 100g heavy jacket GameKings."
The local knacker here in Western Victoria has used a rime-fire, probably .22LR, to kill sick cows - at close range - when I have called him to come to my place. Similarly our farm butcher uses either a .22LR or, last time, a .22 magnum - again at close range as the chosen beast is yarded overnight with a 'friend' and some good hay to keep it calm. [These are yearling Angus killers.] I asked the butcher why he used light calibre rimfire rifles. He stated that he wished to avoid shooting through the skull into valuable meat behind. Also as the animals are calm and yarded he could be certain of his own accuracy at about 10-12 feet shooting with iron sights off the yard rail as a rest. The only time our butcher had a problem was after his firearms safe [and contents] was stolen and he was using a borrowed .22LR rifle with a scope: he had to back off a bit so he could get an accurate sight-picture through the low powered scope.
Jim