Reloading 5.56 NATO for Hunting

[Pepe-lepew]

Barnes 70gr TSX is a devastating round for deer and two legged critters. It also was very accurate from a 16" 1/7 barrel. Nosler 62gr partition is also effective on deer. Both are designed for killing things, not paper punching.

There is many powders that will work for both, H4895, Varget and others.

Use new brass or once fired. I like LC and sort it by year. I push the TSX pretty hard and don't bother reusing the brass again.

 

[osprey]

Have you found a clear advantage to sorting LC by year?

 

[Flymph]

Thanks for the advice guys.
I'll order bullets, probably some 64gr Nosler and 70gr Barnes. Might as well order some new brass too.
I'm glad I didn't order any Hornady Match yet, it seems widely known to you reloaders that bullet is not good for game.

At least I know that if push came to shove, regular 55gr with a well placed shot will do the trick. It will be nice to have something I can trust a little more to the 100yard line tho.
Good thing .223 is legal for deer in Oregon, and luckily I live on the west side with tame deer...

 

[osprey]

Thanks for the advice guys.
I'll order bullets, probably some 64gr Nosler and 70gr Barnes. Might as well order some new brass too.
I'm glad I didn't order any Hornady Match yet, it seems widely known to you reloaders that bullet is not good for game.

At least I know that if push came to shove, regular 55 gr soft point expanding with a well placed shot will do the trick. It will be nice to have something I can trust a little more to the 100yard line tho.
Good thing .223 is legal for deer in Oregon, and luckily I live on the west side with tame deer...

Fify

 

[Flymph]

Thanks! lol

 

[sobo]

Yeah, definitely the soft point, like I mentioned way back at the top of this.

 

[Pepe-lepew]

Have you found a clear advantage to sorting LC by year?

There is differences in LC brass over the years. I mostly do it so the brass is more consistent when swaging the crimps and to ID my brass at matches. There likely may be accuracy differences but I am not going to waste time or resources to determine that. I have seen chrono results that show changes in brand of 223/5.56 brass have an impact to velocity.

 

[osprey]

The reason I asked is because I have been shooting allot of lc 5.56 brass. I have dialed in on a varmint load and have tried same year vs mixed and could not find any discernible difference in velocity ,sd or poi so I quit worrying about it. I can see the other reasons to sort though. As always ymmv.

 

[deadeye]

A 69gr hollow point or a 55gr ballistic tip will do just fine, well they have for me anyway.......course nowadays I use a 243 with 55gr Nosler ballistic tips. It's all about shot placement and a 1in8 will do both fine but may want to do small batches to find the right powder combo for consistency (max is not always best).

 

[2ndtimer]

I will echo other posters recommending staying away from match bullets, and then depending on your budget:
Nosler 60 gr Partition or 64 gr bonded. ( I bought some of their factory SSA bonded and it was mediocre, accuracy wise), or Barnes TSX or TTSX, if price is no object.
Sierra 65 gr Game Kings or Speer Gold Dot 62 or 70 gr for very good performance at reasonable prices.
Or if you are a bang for the buck guy (like me), the Hornady 62 gr HPBT from Mid-South Shooters Supply (more accurate than their SP, IME) which has a cannelure and is a hunting bullet, according to reports I have read, or even cheaper: the Hornady 62 gr BTSP from Graf and Sons. OK accuracy, slightly cheaper than the HPBT from Mid-South. I have about 700 rounds loaded up with the SP and 24.5 gr of TAC for SHTF, and just ordered another 1000 of the HPBT from Mid-South this morning. My son has taken several coyotes with the HPBT with excellent results out past 200 yards with both a 16" carbine and 12.5" AR pistol, I am confident it would work on deer under 200 yards. Of course, not in the state of Washington, since that would violate local game laws.
A friend in Montana has taken many deer and antelope with a 22-250 using Federal Premium ammo with the 60 gr Nosler Partition. He is an excellent shot and can afford to wait for a perfect presentation.

 

[osprey]

I would caution the use of the hornady 62 gr hpbt for anything but paper punching. It is by no means a hunting bullet and penetration is inadequate for defensive purposes as well. It comes apart too quickly hindering lethality. The hornady 62 sp-bt is a much better choice for both applications.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Swift Scrioccos have always been my Go To for most of my hunting needs, and they do quite well in this caliber!

 

[Member 5605]

I've been doing a little research here and there and thought I'd ask my favorite bunch-a guys what they think.
What would be a good bullet to reload to keep around for hunting deer?
Grain weight?
Powder?
Should I buy new brass?
Can I use old Federal cases?


I have an AR 556, 5.56 NATO chamber, 16" barrel, 1/8 twist... just want something for SHTF and to keep the my pop's busy at home.

Sure, you reload .223 specs and if you can shoot the load accurate, go ahead.
55gr soft points
Recycled brass does fine if you have a good load.

 

[Flymph]

I guess everyone has had the same idea, almost all of these recommendations are out of stock...
Am I right to assume the 64gr Nosler has been discontinued? Seems odd for such a highly regarded bullet...

 

[ron]

Have you found a clear advantage to sorting LC by year?

I have found significant accuracy improvement with commercial brass. I have loaded identical loads with only
different brass. Once fired LC sorted by year verses Winchester commercial brass. All brass was trimmed ,
swaged (LC). I have done this multiple times with different bullets and powders. I am looking for LC brass that
will match my Winchester brass match loads. So far I cannot get LC to shoot as well?????????????
Winchester delevers sub 1/2" groups @ 100 yards. While the LC is a little under 1". I have tried different powder
charges in the LC but to no improvement.

 

[osprey]

I find lc brass has the same accuracy potential as commercial brass but like anytime you change other components, you must adjust to find accuracy node. Military spec brass is slightly thicker so internal volume is slightly less so a slight drop in powder charge should get you back on that accuracy node. In your case It sounds like some other issue with the lc brass like neck tension inconsistency or sizing difference due to brass needing annealed maybe? Maybe some differences in primer seating depth due to crimp removal process? Most of my lake city was non crimped to begin with. I find lc brass to be some of the most consistent out their and noticed no accuracy degradation after switching from pmc brass.

 

[No_Regerts]

If you want to shoot monolithics, which is how I'd roll with a 223, go LIGHT and FAST. Remember, they don't have lead cores to shed and will retain their weight. A 50gr TTSX will retain more weight than a cup and core that weighes 50% more. I'd abandon the TSX and go tipped variety to initiate expansion. You'll already be at a handicap given case capacity, mag length, and barrel length. Don't bother with the 60+ grain Barnes bullets, you likely wont have the speed to open them up reliably.

 

[Spitpatch]

Actual specific described experience here shooting deer with the .223 seems kinda thin. (Stomper was the exception: this time in a good way.)

My father elected to carry an Interarms Mini-Mauser in .223 as his primary rifle for deer and antelope in Montana the last few years of his life. (He appreciated the light weight and touted its effectiveness.) He was a careful hunter and a very good shot. 4 or 5 deer and a similar number of antelope fell to that gun, all with one shot delivered forward in the ribs. I was present at most of these kills.

My best friend's daughter began her hunting career with another Mini Mauser .223. Seven antelope and two deer were taken with the gun, her first (at age 12) antelope at 275 yards, broke the forward shoulder. All one-shot kills. I was present at each kill.

The bullet used for all of this was the Nosler 55g Ballistic Tip, propelled by H335 in a high-book load (25+ grains).

Prior to the advent of Ballistic Tips, I took two antelope and a big Mule Deer with the .223 and a 55g Remington Powrlokt.

It is true that most would consider Ballistic Tips strictly a varmint bullet: too frangible for big game. But in nearly every single case, the copper disk that makes the base of these bullets (probably with some jacket) exited out the far side of the animal, and the swiftness of each kill was no different than had it been done with cartridges of much greater energy. This is a very long-for-diameter bullet which allows for some penetration.

If the hunter is the type that believes 600 yard shots at unwounded big game is an ethical choice, or is in the habit of shooting big game in the fanny, then the .223 is not the cartridge for that hunter. (I would submit such a person needs more practice toward becoming a HUNTER.)

Given a shot allowing for placement forward in the ribs and a shooter capable, the .223 is very effective on deer-sized game.

 

[osprey]

While I would not question a 55 gr ballistic tips ability to kill a deer I would question it's choice for non emergency use, as there are so many better choices and many that are cheaper as well. With a well placed shot many non big game calibers and bullets can be lethal. Hit bone on the entrance and all bets are off. You are likely to have a wounded deer on your hands. As I stated before, in emergency situation use what you have but for a planned deer hunt, do the deer a favor and use a bullet designed to have controlled expansion. Spitpatch, you have to take into account many here are not likely the field marksman that you and your father are and were.

 

[Spitpatch]

While I would not question a 55 gr ballistic tips ability to kill a deer I would question it's choice for non emergency use, as there are so many better choices and many that are cheaper as well. With a well placed shot many non big game calibers and bullets can be lethal. Hit bone on the entrance and all bets are off. You are likely to have a wounded deer on your hands. As I stated before, in emergency situation use what you have but for a planned deer hunt, do the deer a favor and use a bullet designed to have controlled expansion. Spitpatch, you have to take into account many here are not likely the field marksman that you and your father are and were.

1) Bone WAS hit with Megan's first goat. Broke that shoulder and destroyed both lungs (even from 275 yards away). Megan's training at that stage had only advanced to basic marksmanship, accompanied by familiarization with that gun (over the course of less than a year). Certainly no "field marksman" by any measure. She shot from prone, resting on a fanny pack. She had all the time in the world (due to a long, careful stalk), with her Dad and I coaching and spotting. On other animals, rib impact on entry was no issue at all. Dad killed at least one goat hit a bit far forward. Shoulder and neck were broken.

2) The 55g Ballistic Tip was specifically CHOSEN for the work based on what we'd seen on coyotes and such. The bullet is more durable than most think (especially at .223 velocities), and its ongoing effectiveness on the (rather significant) number of animals in my experience solidified and continued the choice. Had there been even ONE failure, the choice would have been reconsidered.

3) I would concede the caliber itself is not the BEST choice for everyone, regardless of bullet choice. It WAS the BEST choice for my father (for his reasons). It was the BEST choice for Megan (whose nickname is "Shorty"): even a .243 would have negatively affected her ability to shoot.

4) (And on this I can only speculate based on experience with other calibers and bullets): The Ballistic Tip (in any caliber) delivered into the chest cavity of big game regularly produces dramatically fast kills. On the other hand, bullets such as the Partition, Hornady Grand Slam, A-Square and other bullets built for structural integrity will do their job in penetration and bone crushing, but the shooter will probably not frequently get the sudden kill demonstrated by the Ballistic Tip to the ribs. More than once when I delivered a Partition where it needed to be, the animal hardly reacted at all. Dead on its feet, yes. But the end came noticeably after.

The point here is that on deer/antelope (if one has already chosen the .223), the Ballistic Tip MIGHT be a better choice than a long, heavy, sturdy .224 diameter bullet. The .223 might find a killing power boost from a bullet more willing to expand quickly.

I can relate no direct experience toward heavy-for-caliber bullets in the .223 on deer-size game. The need was never demonstrated.