...But would you use .223 for deer?

Yes, I have and have taken two does with it. Winchester 64 grain power points. I wouldn't use it before I got my buck though. With does I could care less about passing up a shot because of poor shot angle. I will just wait for the next one. But I wouldn't want to see a buck of a lifetime while carrying a 223. To be %99 effective the 223 requires that you make smart choices in shot selection. Nothing past 100 to 125 yards and nothing but broadside shots. No bad angle shots. If you follow these guidelines the 223 works perfectly fine. However I wouldn't want one as my only deer rifle because those guidelines are pretty strict when compared to say a 308winchester.

No, I would not use a .223 for deer, nor would I use a .243. I know a lot of people do it and get away with it. The only deer I ever lost I shot with a .243, and after that I traded the rifle for a .25-06. My minimum whitetail deer cartridge is .257 Roberts.

The most consistently accurate centerfire rifle that I own is a bolt action .223. I know this rifle inside and out and know exactly where it hits at various distances. It's a Savage Model 25 LVT.

All that being said, and it's legal to do so where I live in NC, I will not use that rifle or caliber for deer.

Just because something is allowed doesn't mean you should do it.

It depends upon the situation. I would do it if I knew that the range would be limited, say 50 yards or so. Around where I live, that's a fairly normal range for taking a deer. I'd almost rather use buckshot at those ranges.

Even then, I'd only take a shot if I knew I could connect and get a clean vitals hit.

The only extenuating circumstance that would get me to take a longer or more risky shot would be if my family was starving.

It is illegal to use anything less than .23 caliber for deer in the state that I live in. If it were legal, I would use my AR-15 for doe hunting. Deer are like vermin around here. I would probably continue to carry my .357 Mag revolver or .243 Win for buck season.

In my state you can use a 22lr.

Deer don't grow very big here and for many years in a county in my state you couldn't use anything bigger then 22-250. So its possible but I wouldn't try it. Besides I have a 30-30 and a 30-06.

Nope........ Yeah yeah yeah -- all the armchair commandos are going to tell you that its ok to use a .223 for deer..... But I say you got to use the right tool for the job.... A .270, 30-30, .308, 30-06, 7MM are all so much better choices......

It is FAR from the ideal caliber, and I wouldn't use it unless I was desperate for food and had no other rifle available.

It will work, sometimes, if you are either a spectacularly good hunter or amazingly lucky -- but generally it just wounds the deer, or tortures it to death slowly.

I retired my 6mm from deer, and I'll only use 257 Roberts in special circumstances. You don't get bonus points for using the smallest caliber you have, and I see no sense in choosing marginal calibers when better ones are available.

Yes I would and have. I shot a 6 point buck with one this year. Bullet size has nothing to do with it when it comes to whitetail deer. It is all about shot placement, and knowing your firearm and ammunition capabilities. I shoot mine broadside and put him on his back. He was down and it was over. You have to know your limitations when it comes to any firearm and ammo. I reload and know about ballistics, kinetic energy and velocities. It is legal in my state to hunt with a 223.