5.56 kill a deer

Will a 5.56 Kill a Deer?

A 5.56 caliber round will kill a deer. Even without a perfect shot either a 75-grain or 77 grain 5.56 round carries enough force to put down a deer. However, you want to ensure you use bullets designed for hunting the BTHP line from Hornady, Nosler and Black Hills with their new 77 Grain MK 262 Mod 1-C.

The Difference of a 5.56 and a .223

There is some confusion among many shooters that a 5.56 and a .223 are the same thing. While they are very similar in size, and in fact many rifles will fire both calibers, there are some slight differences. 

For this reason if you are wanting maximum performance when attempting to hunt deer with a 5.56 make sure that you select a round specifically made to fit that caliber. 

You should not fire high powered 5.56 rounds in a .223 chamber. The 5.56 was designed to withstand 3000psi more pressure than the .223. Using 5.56 rounds in a .223 could result in higher than normal stresses on the weapon and catastrophic failure of the chamber housing.

The Weight of a 5.56 For Killing a Deer

Often considered to be too small or inhumane when used for deer hunting it is important that you select ammunition that is heavy enough to transfer the needed force into the deer you intend to kill. 

While a 55 gr bullet may do the job under optimal conditions it is recommended that you start in the mid 60s on grain weight with optimal being the variants offered in 75 gr and 77 gr. 

There is a 112 grain bullet made by Atomic and several other companies. However, these are subsonic in velocity traveling at around 1000 to 1050 fps compared to the 2300 to 2500 fps common with the 75 grain bullets.

Having not tested these 112 grain bullets myself I expect that the lower velocity of the round coupled with the increased mass will result in less overall energy delivered to the target and some loss in accuracy.

Legally Can You Use a 5.56 or .223 to Kill a Deer?

This is going to depend largely on your state’s laws. Links to each state’s hunting regulations are located here.

You can legally use a 5.56 to kill deer in the following states.

AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansas
CaliforniaFloridaGeorgiaHawaii
MichiganNorth DakotaWisconsinIdaho
KentuckyLousiannaMaineMaryland
MinnestoaMississippiMissouriMontana
NebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew Mexico
New YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOklahoma
OregonPennsylvaniaSouth CarolinaSouth Dakota
TennesseeTexasUtahVermont
West VirginiaWisconsinWyoming
List of states that allow hunting with a 5.56 or .223 caliber

The remaining states either require a larger caliber round or do not permit hunting with modern rifles.

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4 Comments

  1. I have some Hornady 5.56 in 75 grain soft point InterLock how would you feel about those for deer hunting. My wife hunts and is getting pretty crippled up and can no longer shoot her 25-06 so I bought her a 243 this year. she hasn’t shot it yet but if it hits her to hard I have a 5.56 she could hunt with. Could you give me your opinion on them.

  2. Hey Rodney, thanks for checking out the site, In regards to your question I have not used that particular round. However, I have used bonded ammo in other calibers and been impressed in its performance. Given the 75 grain weight I feel a decent shot under 150 to 200 yards should still carry enough force to take out a white tail. Just remember to make sure your state allows the use of a .223 for hunting.

  3. Great content although unless in a SHTF survival situation why would you choose the 5.56mm? I’ve taken plenty of whitetails with the puny .22LR. in 40gr. HP. Use what you’re able to fire accurately at modest distances. 50-100 yards. I use the .308, 30-06 or 45-70.

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