Mini 14 .223?

Question

I plan to go deer hunting with my mini 14. is the .223 round enought to knock down a deer? the other rifle i have is a 45-70 govt. but i think that might be to much power what u think?

Answer 1

Check your state regulations. In some states rifles under .250 are not legal for big game. If it is legal for deer in your state go ahead and use it. I, personally think it's a bit lite for the Mule deer we have in Idaho and Oregon. Fair size mule deer can weigh 600 to 700 lb on the hoof, I think it would take a headshot to put one of those down with one round from a .223. On the other hand, we used to put down full grown beef steers on the farm for butchering with a .22 long rifle hollowpoint round. U might consider using hollowpoints in your .223, I hand load 170 grain hollowpoints for use in my antique .32 Winchester Special. Any Mule deer I ever hit with one of those never got up again. I've shot a lot of deer with a .25 cal Savage model 99 rifle throwing 150grain slugs and had no problems. If you're able to pick shots of 100 yds or less and are a good shot, you should be able to bag your deer with your .223. Your 45-70 might be a bit much but lotta folks out here in Idaho use 7mm magnum for deer as well as Elk and Moose.

Answer 2

the 223 has the capability of taking a whitetail deer no doubt. But is still a marginal deer round at best. Make sure ur shot is both well placed and ethical. The 45 70 is entirely to much gun for such a thin skinned relatively week animal. good luck

Answer 3

Some areas do not allow one to hunt anything besides varmints with a .22 of any type. In any case, I'd want a much more powerful gun than that for deer. Your .45-70 is a much better bet, for sure. Depending upon what load you use, it can be great for deer. What you really need is something between such extremes. For deer alone, I like a 7mm (.284) or a 7.62mm (.308). There are many variations of these calibers.

Answer 4

More deer have been taken with the 30-30 than any other round. It's the bare minimum for ethical kills, regardless of what the state says(legal or not) The 45-70 is a bit too much in my opinion, but you could also buy some custom low grain loads made to decrease impact.(There's plenty of websites for this, google "custom 45-70 ammo".

Answer 5

Definately not ideal, but certainly capable. I wouldn't take a real long shot though, and when your close best off with a head or spine shot probably. .45-70 would be better, but up to you. Also, watch out cause some states have laws restricting the chambering of your rifle (.223 might be too small) and some also have laws concerning high capacity clips used for hunting.

Answer 6

The .223 is too small for deer. It kill them too slowly. If you don't have anything else, use your .45-70.

I consider the .243 Winchester the smallest humane deer round. And that's with perfect bullet placement.

H

Answer 7

Not legal unless the deer in your state are very small. The 45-70 government isn't too big, it's more than adequate though.

Answer 8

I love the Rugger mini-14. But won't be enough to take out a deer, just inure him. The min. to take out a white tail I think would be a 30-30.

Answer 9

it depends on the distance you will be shooting. short open distance a .223 will be adequate. I do not think that a .223 could be considered ideal under any circumstance for deer.