.223 for rabbits

Bryan8

Bryan8

New member
When Im out coyote hunting, I always see a bunch of rabbits in the field. Im getting my .223 Stevens soon, and i want to know what ammo can i buy, that wont blow them up like a v-max or a hollow point will. Alot of times, i dont got time, to bring the shotgun back and run the places with my beagle.

Any suggestion? I want a ammo, that wont ruin that much meat out of a .223, if thats possable.


Also whats your option, on a .223 for deer, with you limited shots to 75-

100yrds, and used 60gr federal noselers, or whatever they are called.

thanks
 
A full metal jacket would probably be your best bet on rabbits, you may still get big exits if you hit bone though... My wife has shot all her deer with .223 55 gr soft point - no shots exceeded 150 yards - furthest runner went about 50 yards and was double lunged.
 
Bryan8...for those pesky rabbits, don't waste your .223 ammo. Man, just buy a GOOD .22LR handgun, practice in the off-season until you feel comfy, then carry it in a holster while calling predators. Ammo is a heck of a lot cheaper & you'll save a LOT of meat.

As far as using a .223 for deer...even if it wasn't illegal here in Kansas, I still wouldn't use it. Sounds like a good reason to buy another gun, in .243-25/06-270/ect.
I mean, if you really want to use the .223, then by all means do. It's just not what I would do.
And for ANY kind of hunting, please do not use FMJ bullets!! You just never know where they may wind up.
Ok, that's my penny & a half!
 
If you ever get the chance to see tracers fired you'll know why you don't want to hunt with FMJ ammo. You guys probably know what I mean.
 
True rabbit story!

I had my long heavy bull barrel in 223 layed out on a
bipod sniping tiny ground squirels (look like chipmunks
but burrow) at 100-200yrds. A rabbit hops out from some
brush and is just kinda bouncing around......you know
what happens next! Anyway we're walking up to collect
the remains of the squirels and rabbit for the compost
pile and as I look at this rabbit I realize there is no
entry, no exit would???? I cut him open to examine and
the stew that flowed out answerd the question, the rabbit
took the shot...well "in the rear" so to speak and the
tumbling bullet stopped short of leaving high in the neck!

My father is law likes to say I can shoot a rabbit in
the "blank-hole" from 200yrds but we know it was just
the rabbits bad luck on the exact entry location!
 
I dont know if you have cottontails or jackrabbits there but if you are wanting to keep the meat after shooting them with a .223 your best bet are FMJ's.I've never shot a cottontail with a .223 but I've killed alot of jackrabbits.The 55gr. FMJ's will leave a pretty good sized hole in one side of the jackrabbit usually.The .55gr V-Maxes will cut them in half and so will the HP's.Im guessin that no matter what you shoot them with you wont save alot of meat off of them with anything out of a .223 but I could be wrong.Maybe try to shoot them in the head and you might be alright with any round for the .223 since you dont really save much meat from the front half anyway.
If not then I would take a rimfire. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
As long as you do not have any assets you can try the FMJs, nobody will sue you for the ricochets if you have no assets. If you do have any assets FMJs are a real bad idea if you want to keep your assets.

Jack
 
Jack, I couldn't have said it better myself. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowingsmilie.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Speer #14has reduced loads for the 223. The loads are real close to 22Mag speed you just need to check that they shoot to the same point as your other ammo. They are good for about 150 yards+ for rabbits, and a lot less meat loss than full power loads.
 
Get yourself a good 22lr. When my brother and I were kids we use to shoot rabbits with a 223 and a 243. And after the first couple we changed their names to puff bunnies. Because that was all that was left was a puff of fur. If you was the meat the go with 22lr. If your on rodent patrol the use the 223.
 
Stick with some kind of frangible bullet to avoid ricochets. Use the rabbits to refine your long range abilities (assuming all you are going to do is leave them). Keep backing up until the shots are difficult. Don't waste good rabbits on easy shots. The are large enough to really stretch your range out.
 
When I was a boy we used to shoot rabits in the head with a .222 it worked fine, we shot spurce hens with .270 and 30-06 in the head also. When I was in my 20s I used FMJ out of a .223 on small game, but that was really remote country I was trapping then and covering an 85 mile loop and not see anyone elses tracks for months I don't think that is possible in New York. It is never a good feeling to wonder where your bullet went. Definitely not worth it for a rabbit. Shoot them in the head it will give you bragging rights.
 
Unless you can load down some cast .224 diameter bullets you best figure on killing and dressing the rabbit at the same time a .223 will turn a Jack inside out. If your good enough to make head shots you will still have the back half. I agree in the 22 RF handgun Ruger single six with a 6" barrel.
My opinion on the 223 for deer sized animals is mixed Yes they will kill deer, a lot of the time, but a lot of the time they do not. That is why manystaets do not allow anything under a .24 Cal minimum for deer. Heck a 22 Rimfire will kill deer. Poachers all over the world will tell you that, but as a choice for deer they are not advused by anyone.
 
I hit one with a 55gr SP one time at around 10 yards and the last time I saw it turned inside out and 8 feet in the air. Can't recommend it unless you just want to shoot at something.
 
Get one or two of those .223/.22lr chamber inserts and see where the 22lr bullets hit and you will have two calibers in one.

I used these a great deal while in the service to use sub-sonic .22lr hollow points to hunt while on deployments (in my M-16A1/M-203). It was fairly quiet and killed the rabbits very well.

Karl in Phoenix
 
Quote:
Get one or two of those .223/.22lr chamber inserts and see where the 22lr bullets hit and you will have two calibers in one.

I used these a great deal while in the service to use sub-sonic .22lr hollow points to hunt while on deployments (in my M-16A1/M-203). It was fairly quiet and killed the rabbits very well.

Karl in Phoenix



Wouldnt the .22lr bounce around in the barrel, and cause damage to the rifleing?
 
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