Best 223 for Deer Hunting: Taking Down Whitetails with 22-Caliber Bullets

Using 223 Remington ammo for deer hunting is a hotly contested issue in the whitetail community. And honestly, after hunting with the 223, I’m not a fan of using it for deer when there are so many other low-recoil rounds, like the 6.5 Creedmoor or 243 Winchester, that can take down a deer ethically.

Many states across America prohibit using 223 ammo for deer hunting, as the round doesn’t always have the kinetic energy needed to harvest a whitetail deer cleanly. However, some states allow the 223 Rem for deer hunting, and ammo manufacturers have taken upon the challenge of creating 0.224” caliber bullets capable of taking down Bambi’s dad.

Below, you’ll find our top 5 choices for the best 223 Remington deer hunting ammo on the market today. The rounds we tested give you the best chance to ethically harvest a deer with America’s most popular centerfire rifle cartridge.

If you simply can’t wait and need the best 223 deer hunting ammo available, pick up a box or two of Federal 55 Grain Trophy Copper ammo.

The Best 223 Rem For Deer Hunting

Best Overall	Federal 55 Grain Trophy Copper
Most Accurate	Federal Premium 77 Grain HPBT
Budget-Friendly	Fiocchi 55 Grain V-MAX
Honorable Mention	Remington Premier 55 Grain AccuTip-V
Honorable Mention	Winchester Super-X 55 Grain JS

Testing Procedure

During the testing process, we consider many critical factors, including, but not limited to, the following.

• Was the round designed for deer hunting?
• Ballistic performance
• Price
• How well it cycles in a rifle

Since the 223 fires lighter bullets, the rounds often must be designed for deer hunting. Otherwise, they lack the knockdown power and deep penetration needed to harvest whitetails ethically. I’ve harvested deer with several of these brands and rounds.

Even though ballistic performance will vary from gun to gun, I still like to use it as a gauge for how it should perform in the field. However, the bullet’s terminal performance matters most.

While price isn’t my main concern when purchasing hunting ammo, it’s often still a factor for many hunters. I tried to keep the ammo as affordable as possible.

The 223 Remington is chambered in various rifle styles, from bolt-action to semi-auto AR rifles, and knowing that a round will cycle through your hunting rifle without any problems is vital to a successful hunt. I’ve cycled many of these rounds through my AR and a bolt action 223 Rem.

Best 223 Ammo For Deer Hunting Overall

Federal 55 Grain Trophy Copper

Specs

• Casing: Nickel-plated Brass
• Bullet Type: Polymer Tipped
• Bullet Weight: 55 grain
• Muzzle Velocity: 3,240 fps
• Muzzle Energy: 1,282 ft-lbs

Pros	Cons
Trusted Brand	Expensive
Designed For Deer Hunting
Accurate
Solid Ballistics

Why We Chose It

As a seasoned hunter, I trust Federal Premium—it's a brand known for its high-quality ammunition, and it doesn’t disappoint with its 223 Rem 55 grain Trophy Copper designed specifically for deer hunting. Federal 55 Grain Trophy Copper is simply the best 223 ammo for deer hunting.

Federal Premium ammunition is trusted by thousands of hunters and shooters worldwide. Known for producing high-quality ammo, Federal offers hunters a wide variety of options, including 223 Rem 55 grain Trophy Copper.

Unlike many other 223 Remington ammunition offerings, Federal Trophy Copper was explicitly designed to harvest whitetail deer and other similarly sized game animals ethically. Although it’s a lighter 55 grain bullet, which might not be the first choice for some, I've found it incredibly effective within 200 yards—capable of stopping a trophy buck dead in its tracks.

One of the features I appreciate the most is the polymer tip bullet, which significantly enhances ballistic performance and accuracy. When I sight it in before the season, I can trust that these copper bullets will hit exactly where I aim. The quality of the materials, like the propellant and primers, also contributes to reliable performance and consistent firing. When you pull the trigger, these rounds will fire.

The biggest drawback for these rounds is the price. It seems incredibly high when you compare it to other 223 ammo, such as PMC 55 Grain PSP. However, the price is reasonable when you compare it to other similar hunting rounds because of the high-quality projectiles used in hunting ammunition.

Federal Premium 223 Rem 55 Grain Trophy Copper is the best 223 deer hunting ammo because it’s reliable, will cycle well in various platforms, and is designed to harvest deer-sized game animals ethically. Don’t hesitate to grab a couple of boxes today!

Most Accurate 223 Rem For Deer Hunting

Federal Premium 77 Grain HPBT

Specs

• Casing: Brass
• Bullet Type: Dual Purpose
• Bullet Weight: 62 grains
• Muzzle Velocity: 3,000 fps
• Muzzle Energy: 1,239 ft-lbs

Pros	Cons
Trusted brand	Not designed for hunting
High-quality components	Expensive
Incredibly accurate

Why We Chose It

Federal Premium 77 Grain HPBT is one of the most accurate rounds you’ll find for 223 Remington factory ammo because of the hollow point boat tail bullet design. It also uses a heavier bullet, which is less affected by the wind than lighter bullets.

As I mentioned, Federal ammunition is beloved by many hunters and shooters because it uses high-quality components that hunters know will perform when the deer are in their crosshairs.

One of those high-quality components is the projectile. Hollow point boat tail bullets are known for having a high ballistic coefficient (BC). The high BC aids in many things, including lessening wind drift, which allows the projectile to be more accurate. Since the Sierra MatchKing bullets were designed for shooting competitions, hunters can use this to their advantage, knowing they’ll be very accurate.

However, these rounds weren’t designed for deer hunting, so their terminal ballistics and performance won’t be as good as those of projectiles intended for hunting. This could mean more deer lost even with good shot placement.

Federal Fusion uses bonded soft-point bullets, which tend to be less accurate than polymer-tipped bullets. However, the terminal ballistics might perform better for most deer hunters because soft-point bullets expand on impact, causing more damage.

These rounds are also relatively expensive since they’re match-grade ammunition, but they’re by no means the most expensive ammo.

If you’re looking for an extremely accurate deer hunting 223 round, look no further than Federal Premium 77 Grain HPBT, as the bullet design allows it to be incredibly precise, no matter which hunting rifle you’re using.

Best Budget-Friendly 223 Ammo For Deer Hunting 

Fiocchi 55 Grain V-MAX

Specs

• Casing: Brass
• Bullet Type: V-MAX
• Bullet Weight: 55 grain
• Muzzle Velocity: 3,240 fps
• Muzzle Energy: 1,282 ft-lbs

Pros	Cons
Inexpensive	Lesser known brand
High-quality bullet	Designed for varmints
Designed for hunting*

Why We Chose It

Fiocchi 55 Grain V-MAX is the best 223 ammo for a small budget because it’s inexpensive and reliable.

Though fewer American shooters have heard of Fiocchi, that shouldn’t be a knock on the brand because they make excellent ammo. Every time I’ve used Fiocchi ammo, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by its reliability and accuracy.

Fiocchi uses high-quality components, such as the Hornady V-Max bullet, yet manages to keep costs low to pass to hunters. Even though it’s more costly than the Fiocchi 55 grain full metal jacket (FMJ), it’s still much less expensive than other hunting rounds, especially ones that use the Hornady V-Max.

The 223 V-Max bullet was designed for hunting, but not whitetail or mule deer hunting. It’s intended to hunt varmints, such as coyotes and prairie dogs, which means it drastically loses its effectiveness the further the deer is from you because it doesn’t have the knockdown power of other deer hunting rounds.

There is no better option for the deer hunter on a tight budget than Fiocchi 55 Grain V-MAX because it’s inexpensive yet very reliable.

Honorable Mention

Remington Premier 55 Grain AccuTip-V

Specs

• Casing: Brass
• Bullet Type: AccuTip-V
• Bullet Weight: 55 grain
• Muzzle Velocity: 3,240 fps
• Muzzle Energy: 1,282 ft-lbs

Pros	Cons
Well known brand	Expensive
Designed for hunting
Accurate

Why We Chose It

Leaving Remington off the best 223 Remington rankings would feel a bit sacrilegious since Remington designed the 223 Rem cartridge. Remington Premier 55 Grain AccuTip-V could very easily have switched places with Federal Trophy Copper as the best overall pick because it’s accurate, reliable, and designed for hunting.

Remington Arms and ammo are synonymous with the firearms industry. They’ve been around forever despite some major setbacks. While I used to be a big Remington fan, my enthusiasm has waned for its products. However, Remington seems to be getting back on the right track, and the AccuTip bullet is a big help.

The AccuTip-V bullet is very accurate and has a high BC because it’s a polymer-tipped projectile. The plastic tip helps it feed better, be more accurate downrange, and increase the effectiveness of the expanding bullet during impact—all things hunters need but rarely think about.

Remington Premier AccuTip-V was designed for hunting medium-sized game animals, such as hogs, coyotes, antelope, and deer. So, if you plan to hunt multiple species, this is a great purchase!

You will notice that the price is higher than most target shooting 223 ammo, but it’s right in line with 223 Rem hunting ammo.

Overall, you can’t go wrong with Remington Premier 55 grain AccuTip-V.

Winchester Super-X 55 Grain JSP

Specs

• Casing: Brass
• Bullet Type: Jacketed Soft-Point
• Bullet Weight: 55 grain
• Muzzle Velocity: 3,240 fps
• Muzzle Energy: 1,282

Pros	Cons
Trusted brand	Designed for small game/varmint hunting
Designed for hunting*
Less expensive than many options

Why We Chose It

Winchester SuperX 55 Grain JSP is another round; I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention it. While it’s nothing fancy like the Barnes TSX or Nosler Partition, these Winchester soft points perform time and again for me. I’ve lost count of the number of deer I’ve harvested with Winchester soft-point bullets.

Winchester is another brand that has existed since the dawn of firearms, and I’ve successfully used Winchester ammo while waterfowl and big game hunting for years.

These rounds are designed for hunting, but since they use a lighter-grain bullet, they’re intended for varmint hunting. However, they have similar ballistics to deer hunting ammunition, so close-range broadside shots should be fine. I would strongly advise you not to take the long-range shots.

Another significant benefit is the cost or lack thereof; Winchester 55 grain JSP is much less costly per round than Winchester Deer Season XP and much of the ammo listed above, except for Fiocchi, my pick for the best budget-friendly option.

As long as you’re not firing at deer over 200 yards, Winchester Super-X 55 Grain JSP will have enough stopping power to ethically harvest whitetail deer, so if you’re looking for a happy medium round, grab a couple of boxes today!

223 vs 5.56: A Note on Nomenclature

Please note that the 223 Remington (223 Rem) and the 5.56x45mm NATO round are often used interchangeably. However, there are differences between the two, which you can read about in this article: .223 vs 5.56.

In short, a 223 Rem can safely be fired from a rifle or handgun chambered in 5.56. However, the opposite is not true.

Basic 223 Ballistics Information

223 ballistics are often under fire in the hunting community because they don’t stack up against the 243 Rem or 6.5 Creedmoor.

However, the 223 Rem is capable of muzzle velocities exceeding 3,000 fps and muzzle energies exceeding 1,250 ft-lbs. The problem is that it doesn’t carry enough energy downrange to be a highly effective deer hunting cartridge.

While there are much better options for long-range shooting, the 223 Remington can accurately shoot 800+ yards in the hands of a capable marksman.

Parting Shots: Can You Hunt Deer With .223 Rem?

The simple truth is that the 223 Rem/5.56 NATO are not the best deer cartridges on the market. However, if you select the proper bullet type and focus on excellent shot placement, the 223 Remington can take down a whitetail rather effectively.

Although 223 ammo wouldn’t be my first choice for a deer hunting rifle, it is a cartridge with incredibly low recoil and is easy to learn to shoot accurately. If you plan on using a 223 Rem for your next deer hunt, make sure you pick one of the factory loads on our top 5 list, and you shouldn’t have any problem putting venison in your freezer this fall.

The only real problem you might have to deal with is where to mount the trophy!

If you’re ready to load up your deer rifle with some of the best 223 Rem ammo available, then make sure to click HERE to go back to our Top 5 list!