The 223 Remington (and its nearly identical twin the 5.56×45) is America’s favorite cartridge. That’s not just because it’s a hoot at the range and highly effective for home defense. It’s also a capable solution for hunting a wide range of small to medium game.

People often ask us what the best 223 ammo is for hunting X, Y and Z. Truth is, there are a lot of good options available for each type of game you could hunt with the 223.

Best 223 Hunting Ammo

Best 223 Ammo for Varmint Hunting: Winchester 40 grain Varmint-X

Top .223 for Predator Hunting: Hornady 55 grain V-Max Varmint Express

Best for Boar Hunting: Black Hills 62 grain TSX

Best 223 for Deer Hunting: Speer Gold Dot 75 Grain

For a more in-depth discussion on the best 223 hunting ammo, we’d rather recommend certain types of bullets rather than specific ammunition for hunting. That way hunters aren’t stuck searching for a specific line of ammo, as many bullets are loaded by multiple manufacturers. Lots of manufacturers load the V-MAX bullet, for example, and the TSX is available from Federal Premium, Black Hills Ammunition, and of course Barnes which actually produces it.

We’re going to go over the main categories of game you can hunt with the 223, and include a list of just some of the bullets that are suitable for each application. That ought to be enough for you to inform a good pick before you set out after your quarry!

Varmint Hunting

Federal 223 ammo loaded with Hornady V-Max bullets

Varmints are the smallest game you could hunt for and include ground squirrel, prairie dog, woodchuck and raccoon. These critters’ tiny size means two important things for bullet choice.

First, terminal expansion isn’t all that important. It’s ideal if the bullet does expand following impact just to promote a faster and more humane kill, but at the end of the day, when a 55 grain solid point bullet traveling faster than twice the speed of sound hits a 2.5 pound animal, that animal’s days are basically numbered.

Second, accuracy is highly important for varmints. Accuracy is always important, of course, but arguably even more so when your target is only a few inches wide and standing 150 yards away. That’s why lighter bullets, which benefit from super flat trajectories at the expense of retaining relatively less downrange energy, are more often used for varmint hunting.

Bullets We Recommend for Varmint Hunters

All things considered, you can get away with a full metal jacket (FMJ) bullet for varmint hunting. You might consider a hollow point boat tail (HPBT), which is a non-expanding bullet optimized to deliver match accuracy. You can also go all out with a jacketed hollow point (JHP) or polymer tipped bullet that is designed to start expanding or fragmenting the instant following impact.

  • FMJ
  • HPBT
  • MatchKing: Nosler’s extremely popular match grade HPBT
  • V-MAX: Hornady’s specialized polymer tipped varmint hunting bullet
  • TNT: Speer’s super accurate JHP that essentially explodes following penetration

Predators

Remington 223 ammo that's a good choice for hunting predators, like coyotes

Thin-skinned predators are usually bigger than varmints (although a raccoon could potentially outweigh a bobcat). This means you don’t want to forego a bullet that’s designed for terminal expansion, as failing to kill a predator right where it stands could cause it to run off somewhere and die over the course of hours in agonizing pain.

223 Bullet Types for Predators

Our advice is to leave the FMJs and HPBTs at home when you’re going for coyote and such. An accurate, lightweight (i.e. less than 55 grains), and expanding bullet will do the trick just fine.

  • JHP
  • V-MAX
  • Soft point (SP): A good SP bullet ought to deform and tumble around enough inside a predator to put it down quickly
  • BlitzKing: Sierra’s accurate spitzer profile SP bullet offers effective terminal ballistics on smaller game including predators
  • Ballistic Tip: Nosler’s premium hunting bullet will down pretty much any game the 223 is suited for hunting

Boar Hunting

The wild pig is a rugged animal – not to an extent that a well-placed shot to the neck with a regular FMJ can’t put one down, but you’re better off picking a resilient, expanding bullet for feral oinkers.

Boars have tough hide, thick layers of fat that act like armor plating, and unusually dense muscle tissue. You should hunt them with a bullet that won’t splinter apart as it meets with resistance, but which can still reliably expand to produce the wide, gaping wound channel that anchors game quickly.

Good 223 Bullet Types for Boar Hunting

That’s why we recommend a bonded or monolithic bullet for hog hunting. A bonded bullet’s core and jacket are welded or otherwise sealed together, so they resist fragmenting apart before the bullet can drill its way into the vital organs. A monolithic bullet is usually made of solid copper. It lacks a core and jacket that could have separated by design, and copper’s superior toughness to that of lead ensures a monolithic bullet will remain intact throughout penetration.

As a nice bonus, monolithic bullets are also nontoxic for compliance with certain jurisdictions’ bans on bullets containing lead.

  • GMX: Horndy’s monolithic polymer tipped hollow point – deadly on hogs
  • TSX: Barnes’ monolithic bullet which erects four razor-sharp cutting petals during penetration
  • TTSX: A TSX with a polymer tip for added accuracy and faster terminal expansion
  • Fusion: Federal’s bonded soft point bullet
  • AccuBond: Nosler’s bonded polymer tipped hunting bullet

Deer

Federal TSX 223 ammo with deer antlers

In all fairness, any bullet you could use for hogs is going to deliver the in-flight and terminal ballistics you would want for deer as well. But as a thinner-skinned, relatively more delicate animal, a bonded or monolithic bullet isn’t quite as necessary for taking deer.

Many people believe the 223 is too weak for hunting deer. There are more powerful alternatives, to be sure, and even though the 223 rarely strikes a deer with the 1,000+ ft lbs of force often recommended as the minimum for ethical deer hunting, with the proper bullet and aim any AR-15 is capable of felling a deer in one shot.

Best 223 Bullet Types for Deer

When you’re selecting a deer hunting cartridge, make sure to avoid a specialized varmint bullet. Both deliver terminal expansion, but the varmint bullet is designed to begin expanding immediately following impact. This is because varmints are small, and any delay in expansion would cause the bullet to pass clean through them. You want a bullet that begins to expand after a few inches of penetration, which will ensure it retains the momentum requisite for a wound channel that reaches the vital area.

  • Core-Lokt: Remington’s basic soft point, with a jacket anchored to its core to promote greater weight retention
  • Power-Point: Winchester’s basic soft point, used to great effect for decades
  • Trophy Bonded Tipped: Federal’s all-around medium game bullet with a solid copper shank
  • Gold Dot: Speer’s bonded soft point self-defense bullet can easily drop a whitetail
  • GameKing: Sierra’s medium game bullet offers virtually match grade accuracy (also available with a tip as the GameChanger)
  • InterLock: Hornady’s high-tech soft point with a jacket that anchors to the core at two points

Remember, this list isn’t exhaustive! The 223 isn’t the most powerful rifle round by any measure, but its massive popularity in America means it’s loaded to fit any conceivable application. Good luck out there!