[353FMG]

I noticed the success the young man had with the .222 caliber rifle. Does that mean that I can use my Bushmaster, AR-15 model (cal,.223 Remington) for deer hunting? Would like to hear your opinion.

Thanks and Merry Christmas.

[Concho]

It falls down to could and should. In most states a .223 is not considered to be legal deer caliber. It is these sorts of discussions that fuel the anti gunners.

Can I? Absolutely I can. I am that confident of my rifle and my ability. Should I? No. .223 is not considered a legal or ethical round in most states. But it is this sorta talk that is going to get additional regulations put on your black plastic rifle.

[oldenuff2no]

I would say that depends on how big your local deer are and how good you are with your rifle. You also need to make sure that the bullets you are shooting are heavy enough for penetration and expanding not FMJ. I've killed a couple of bucks with an accurized mini 14 ranch rifle. Both of these bucks were black tails and I neck shot them at under 75 yards . Both were one shot kills and died instantly.
I wouldn't use that caliber on big white tails or on mule deer. I wouldn't use that round on anything over 75 yards either.
With a hunting rifle you should be able to hold a 4” group at 100 yards with open sights and a 1” group at the same distance with a scope. Moist people tend to hunt with a bigger caliber than they can accurately shoot. I call it the "magnum ego disease." A bigger cannon does not take the place of practice and/or accuracy.

[wolfcreek]

I don't see why not if you're a good shot, have a good shot and the rifle is scoped.

The guy in this article suggest swapping out your regular AR barrel for a competition version for more accuracy. http://www.huntingmag.com/guns_loads/phsar_022707/

[Old Teufel Hunden]

Don’t know where you live, but in some states (such as mine PA) you are not allowed to hunt with semi-auto rifles. Need to check to see if you can hunt with a semi auto rifle in your state.