.223 Remington in Africa?

Mr. 16 gauge · Mar 11, 2015

BillC's thread on the tiny ten got me to thinking.......there are a lot of smaller critters in Africa that are worth hunting, not just "big game".
Caracal, jackal, Serval, duiker, steenbok, klipspringer, monkeys.......I was wondering if anyone here has taken a rifle chambered in .223 and used it to hunt these species.....might be fun!!
On a side note, what would be the largest critter you would use this cartridge on (for humane kills)? Currently using an AR platform to hunt 'yotes and other predators, but thinking about adding a bolt action to the stable.

Amon458 · Mar 11, 2015

The largest I would probly go would be for wolf maybe pronghorn but I only use mine for prarie dogs and I will admit I am bias against this round but I own and use one since thats what we have to use at work and like to be proficent with the tools I have to use.

greyfox · Mar 12, 2015

I have taken one whitetail in the states, my son has taken 2 with the 223, it is too small in my opinion, kills, yes, but not humanely.

Foxes, turkeys, (where legal) bobcats, OK,

Too small for springbuck or Impala, IMO.

bluey · Mar 12, 2015

I thought mountain rehbok and springbok , would be fine with .223
impala would be about the biggest antelope , l would use it on .....
if its legal of course .

spike.t · Mar 12, 2015

as a comparison finn has shot a puku and a lechwe with his .22 hornet . the lechwe didnt take another step and the puku ran 20yds and that was it. he has shot a bushbuck, reedbuck and waterbuck with his .223. the bushbuck one shot ran 10yds and down, the reedbuck straight down, and the waterbuck ran 50yds went down very sick and would have died pretty quickly, but one more shot to finish it, but that could of happened with larger calibres as well...........not saying i am recommending the .223 for animals that size (waterbuck)but if the bullet is in the right place it works. he was also confident with his .223 as opposed to a bigger calibre which he was wary of back then.

Mr. 16 gauge · Mar 12, 2015

Sorry guys, I guess I should have been more specific: What is the largest African species you would use it on?
I personally feel that it is too small for whitetails; if that's all I had, I'd use it.....but there are better choices. I think that the biggest critter here in the States that I'd use it on would be javelina (if I ever get a chance to hunt them).

Nyati · Mar 12, 2015

I shot two warthogs with a .223 FMJ, headshots.

JimP · Mar 12, 2015

I know of hunters that us it regularly on mule deer hunts in Utah along with pronghorn. It is all in the hunter doing his part and being able to place the shot into the vitals. Of the hunters that I know that use it on the mule deer none of the deer have wandered off wounded or were not recovered.

Wheels · Mar 12, 2015

I don't own a 223, but I have some 22 comparisons:

I know its bigger but I have shot several deer with a 22-250.

Have shot a mule deer with a 22 mag. (mercy killing, the yotes had eaten her crotch out)

The topi in my avatar was shot with a 220 Swift. Granted it is more powerful than a 223.

Knew a lady along time ago that shot everything up to zebra/kudu with a 22 Hornet. This includes leopard. I would much rather have a 223.

I know people that have shot 100's of hogs with a 223. James Jeffrey (here on AH) has probably taken 1,000's of hogs with a 223. You might want to ask him how that works.

Wasn't the 223 designed to kill people? Isn't it the parent cartridge of NATO ammunition?

As Spike indicates, I have no problem using it on human sized animals....up to say 200-300 lbs. Your PH might disagree. You should clear everything with him. (Having said all this my everyday rifle in Africa is a 375)

Not sure if this helps but it is more info.

Code4 · Mar 12, 2015

OP you are so right. Some of the best hunting in Africa is for the smaller game.

I know of a Springbok being taken very cleanly through the shoulder with a .223. That is about as large as I would go with a .223.

The .243 will take anything up to Impala in size as well as the smaller species. I would take a .243 over a .223 to Africa. It's just more versatile.

lcq · Mar 14, 2015

Code4 said:
OP you are so right. Some of the best hunting in Africa is for the smaller game.

I know of a Springbok being taken very cleanly through the shoulder with a .223. That is about as large as I would go with a .223.

The .243 will take anything up to Impala in size as well as the smaller species. I would take a .243 over a .223 to Africa. It's just more versatile.

Agreed on the 243. It is the minimum caliber for deer in Canada with the exception of the moronic province I live in, Ontario. Here "any centerfire .22 and larger" is good to go for deer. Could you kill a deer with a 22 hornet, probably the question is should you?

Code4 · Mar 15, 2015

I've had a few ethical discussions on-line with people about .224 cal use on game. Its very much a regional thing. North Americans have very strong ethical issues about .224's and deer size game. Other continents less so.

My first three cull Impala were head shot under a spotlight with a .22lr. It worked, but a Hornet or .218Bee would have been perfect.

K-man · Mar 15, 2015

I would love to take my .223 with 75 grn bullets to africa next time for smaller game like impala, warthogs, small antelope, small cats, etc. But..... I wouldn't want anything smaller than a .30 cal along, because..... you just never know whats around the next bush.

lcq · Mar 15, 2015

Code4 said:
I've had a few ethical discussions on-line with people about .224 cal use on game. Its very much a regional thing. North Americans have very strong ethical issues about .224's and deer size game. Other continents less so.

My first three cull Impala were head shot under a spotlight with a .22lr. It worked, but a Hornet or .218Bee would have been perfect.

Well like everything else it usually boils down to the lowest common denominator, the shooter. Sad as it may sound most hunters aren't capable of head or neck shots without leaving powder burns on the animal

greyfox · Mar 17, 2015

Code4 said:
OP you are so right. Some of the best hunting in Africa is for the smaller game.

I know of a Springbok being taken very cleanly through the shoulder with a .223. That is about as large as I would go with a .223.

The .243 will take anything up to Impala in size as well as the smaller species. I would take a .243 over a .223 to Africa. It's just more versatile.

HUGE fan of the 243 and 270. a 223 woul dbe fine for the really small stuff, but again, suppose that monster kudu or bushbuck makes an appearance and you've got a 223....

BTW, I shot my deer with 60 gr Nosler Partition, I thought it would be Thor's lightning - it wasn't.

Robert Ruark's book Use Enough Gun started with shooting a Lion with a then new 220 swift - hence Use enough gun....

larry4831 · May 30, 2015

you can kill anything with a 22 long rifle, but I believed 223 Remington small deer would be as big as I would go. I think the excellent caliber for whitetail deer is the 270 loaded with a good 130 or 140 grain bullets

H AUSTIN · Aug 12, 2015

Nothing wrong with a .223 for Impala, blesbuck and bushbuck size game. The 223 loaded with 62gr TSX or 60gr Nosler PT will drop them with ease. I know a guy who shot a hippo with a .243 and 100gr PMP Proamm ammo and the hippo dropped in its tracks

enysse · Aug 12, 2015

I always thought 270 Win or .243 would be ideal. I absolutely hate all the wind drift with my .223. And it gets windy in Africa.

dory · Aug 12, 2015

I havve owned one of the first Tikka 222 to arrive in NZ . I brought it in 1977 and still own it now . I have cut the barrel down twice to keep it acurate . I have fired thousands of rounds through it , mainly at pigs and deer . I have shot hundreds of red deer and white tail deer and a few pigs with it . Would I take it to africa ? You bet !!!!
Even though I used a 308 in Namibia , I would have confidently shot most of the animals with the 222 . There damn accurate , no recoil and under 200 yrds I would be able to neck and head shoot animals in most situations . Springbok and impala would be no problem for the wee calibre .
I have shot 300 pound stags here with it .
Im thinking about rebuilding it and taking it with me next time as a second rifle . Cull animals shot behind the ear mean no meat damage , I cant wait !!!

Amon458 · Aug 12, 2015

I will take some logic from the 45-70 in africa thread and say sure the 223 will work but there are many better options available.

.223 Remington in Africa?

Mr. 16 gauge

Amon458

greyfox

bluey

spike.t

Mr. 16 gauge

Nyati

JimP

Wheels

Code4

lcq

Code4

K-man

lcq

greyfox

larry4831

H AUSTIN

enysse

dory

Amon458

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