.22 Centerfires on Medium to Large game

Berger is a practical company. They make what sells. For years, they stayed away from heavy-for-caliber projectiles in .277 caliber. It drove me nuts as I was shooting a 277 Allen Magnum at the time. Matrix bullets was just about the only comany making them. I finally called Berger to see if anything was on the horizon. In short, they stated they were demand driven. Few people were shooting the .277 caliber - at least not enough to cover R&D, testing and then cost of re-tooling for a run. Especially when they were already at max capacity just trying to keep up with their bullets that were already on the market. Then the 270 WSM hit the market. A couple of years later, Berger came out with the 170 gr. bullet in .277. I suspect the same is true for the .22 cal hunting bullets. Just not enough demand for a .22 cal. hunting bullet when compared to their other .22 cal bullets that seem to be selling very well. BTW - I run their 85.5 gr. bullet in my 22 Creedmore. Deadly combination.

I've used 22=250 and 60 gr bullets for years on muleys….300yds is the extreme range….
Cons: every shot has to be the perfect shot
wind sensitive….you look dumb to other hunters.

Pros: every shot has to be the perfect shot.
Other hunters tell you to use more gun cuz you look dumb.
Aids immensely in considering 2506 for next new gun buy.
New gun shoots flatter hits harder out to 600yds.
Potential path to wisdom and ballistic bliss.

I believe that bullets have gone through several evolutions over just the last 35 years or so.
I have thought about this a lot lately. Many years ago, large game animals were being taken with relatively small and modest performing lead or crudely copper jacketed bullets fired from lever action rifles. Many of which, like the 32-20, had a pistol that fired the same round and to match the rifle.
Fast forward, Nosler had the ballistic tip, state of the art, at the time. Nosler also offered the partition, both so innovative that they are either copied in basic design or still being used as is in the case of the partition.

The reason I say all this is to point out, now we have rounds with amazing external ballistic potential. However, we now have bullets that make use of this power without simply separating on impact with large game. There are many examples but, the Hornady CX solid copper comes to mind as an example.

This has opened up the playing field for what can be done with virtually any caliber rifle, in the hands of a shooter than can genuinely make use of it.

I remember being invited on a hunt in Colorado over 30 years ago and I bought a Savage 300 win mag just for that open country. The person who invited me shot a 7mm weatherby mag. Had I thought about it, I would have just used the Ruger 270 that I hunted whitetail with in my home state. I thought I needed more gun but what I needed was extended range time and better bullets. Not more gun. I shot a deer at around 700 yds with a gun I was only fairly familiar with. Spent a few hours tracking and eventually recovered the deer.

That was the first time I had to track one of my own and it taught me a lesson that I never forgot.

It ain't the gun, it's just me. I spent the rest of my life working on the me part.

The bullet and shooter matter most. The gun, eh, not nearly as much as we often claim. However, so often the discussion is, what gun should I use or caliber. Simple answer, the one you can shoot the best.

Thanks for reading vol. 1

For me, no. Even though I am sure my 22GT pushing a 90SMK @ 3089 would do the trick, I want more.

I have plenty of other rifles from fast 6mms to big cased .308s for pronghorn/deer and up.

Give me a .257 to 6.5mm for deer-sized game. And 7mm to .308 for elk.

xsn10s said:

This has been pretty well covered on RS. They have a pretty good thread on .223 77gr TMK.

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" Pretty good ". Last time I looked, 385 pages. That`s a lot of justification!

Well--let me say--there have been two things that have changed things. Heavy good construction of 22 bullets and mono-metal bullets. They made 22 caliber viable.

I grew up in a ranching family, where my father always carried a varmint rifle in the truck. His favorite was a Sako 222 or a Sako M78 22 hornet--we also had a Winchester 43 in a 218 bee. We carried it mainly for "pest control" but if the odd nice buck we saw while feeding cattle he might fall victim too. Shots were not far and most of the time--"we were not hunting. Ranges close and shots were really chosen. I have seen a number of deer killed with each. I will say when he loaded an x bullet in the hornet it changed it--it killed bigger

When we went "hunting" my dad liked a 257 Robert's in a BBR , and my brother and I used a 25-06 and a 257wbys. Hunting shots could be futher, and they were better deer killers all around--I will say the same thing when we started using bonded bullets and monos they seemed to "kill bigger"

The first large capacity 22 I ever played with was a 220 swift we had loaded a 45 grain x bullet it killed exotics and deer wonderfully--dropped them like lightning and made it to the the vitals.

With what we see today. It is just better--instead of a 40-50 grain mono-metal we have 60-75 grain and instead of 50-60 grain cup and core we have higher BC 75-90 grain bullets with the proper barrel twist. Are they perfect for big game--I'd say on the light side, but they work. I will say again--everyone that has shot and messed with my 22 creedmor has not hated it.

Ed

The Eskimo's would use a 222 to hunt polar bear. They did not want to damage the hide with too much gun.

I would venture to guess probably 1000's of deer/antelope get whacked every year by a woman/child/young adult.....seems to be good enough for them but not for a grown man......got it. People are killing deer/hogs with sub's but a 22/6mm high power rifle isn't enough gun......got it.

Exit wound from a 80.5Fullbore at 266yrds IIRC.....how much bigger does the exit have to be before it's "manly enough".

Varmiter71 said:

The Eskimo's would use a 222 to hunt polar bear. They did not want to damage the hide with too much gun.

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I have seen this many times. Lot of 223 and 222 killing huge bears at distances of 50 yds or less.
Now, before you tell me it's not wise, or just because you can it doesn't mean you should or all of these other phrases that are generated from this fact.
These are guys that live there, they aren't the ones being mauled by wounded bears.im sure things happen but not that often. They do this as part of their normal life. They could get big bore 375s are anything they want but the Native Alaskans really really like light rifles in 222 and 223.
I would submit they are more familiar with the largest North American animals than anyone and they often shoot 22 cal center fire.

Food for thought.

I have a vision of a hillbilly in coveralls kicking a poor dead horse. It's been proven that you can kill deer with a .22 long rifle. Poachers do it all the time. .223 or 22-250 is better. But I personally will not set out on a hunt with less than a .243. It's a free country (so far). So use what you like where legal and leave the dead horse alone.

Ol' Red said:

I have a vision of a hillbilly in coveralls kicking a poor dead horse. It's been proven that you can kill deer with a .22 long rifle. Poachers do it all the time. .223 or 22-250 is better. But I personally will not set out on a hunt with less than a .243. It's a free country (so far). So use what you like where legal and leave the dead horse alone.

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I got laughed at in my teen years for shooting a 243. Only days later to be asked humbly to help track a deer wounded by one of the big 300s.
Big 243 fan. I shot 270 win for years. Then 308. Recently I've picked some of the newer 6mms.
They all work real real good.

INVICTUS said:

I got laughed at in my teen years for shooting a 243. Only days later to be asked humbly to help track a deer wounded by one of the big 300s.
Big 243 fan. I shot 270 win for years. Then 308. Recently I've picked some of the newer 6mms.
They all work real real good.

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I have never used my .300 or .338 WinMag to shoot deer and pronghorn. I never felt the need. .270 and 25-06 has been what I used most. I have a Browning BLR in .243 that is great for 250 yards and less. I won't try to convince anyone to use what they are not comfortable with shooting. I won't put anyone down for using a .375 on medium game either.

Hondo64d said:

Trying to determine what percentage of opinions on .22 centerfires on medium and large game are based on actual experience doing so vs conjecture or intuition.

Definitions:

Good shot placement: putting a bullet through heart and/or both lungs.

Good bullet: said bullet will penetrate to reach heart and/or lungs with adequate expansion to disrupt function of said organs.

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There's a reason there isn't just 22 centerfire rounds for all game (not including dangerous game) and why there's a reason for larger caliber, higher case volume rounds. As many have probably heard on here, there isn't any animal that's been made too dead

Beluebow said:

I would venture to guess probably 1000's of deer/antelope get whacked every year by a woman/child/young adult.....seems to be good enough for them but not for a grown man......got it. People are killing deer/hogs with sub's but a 22/6mm high power rifle isn't enough gun......got it.

Exit wound from a 80.5Fullbore at 266yrds IIRC.....how much bigger does the exit have to be before it's "manly enough".
View attachment 583700

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No way. That had to be a 30 cal magnum. There's no way a measly 80 grain bullet could do that type of damage.


Sarcasm of course