22-250 for deer?

[Tex_Hunter]

Maybe I'm not expressing this clearly. What I was expressing in my opinion is a experienced shooter can shoot whatever he wants and will be fine but a new or young hunter probably would be better equipped with a slightly larger caliber.

You are just full of gems of wisdom this morning. That exact same logic spouted by my uncle led to my father purchasing me a featherweight 30-06 (one of the old school Winchesters with the 1/4" thick pink eraser butt pads) when I was 10yrs old as the first centerfire I ever owned. The thing anchored deer when I actually hit them... but I developed a really nice flinch that I didnt kick until my late 20s. I gut shot and flat out missed a lot of deer with that rifle.

 

[Terry Wink]

I have a extra sweet 22-250 with a 8 twist barrel it shoots 70 -75 Gr. stuff great!
But it ain't no deer rifle! Too Little!

With the new bonded bullets from Speer, I think we will see more and more people using the 22/250 and variants for deer and hogs.

I went with a 22/243 with a 14 T shooting the 60g Sierra hp at 4000, tough bullet, but it destroys a deer, about the same as a 300 Win with 125g ballistic tip.

I've shot numerous deer with a 22-250 loaded with 55gr hollow point or 55gr silver tip. Bullet placement is the most important factor with any caliber.

 

[Gater]

We've shot a pile of deer with 22-250's, if all I shot were deer I wouldn't shoot anything bigger. I've shot a lot of 60gr soft points, kills the heck out of an elk too 300 easy. When we loaded 60 gr Bergers we would run them out to 600 ish on deer and goats and it's done an absolute beautiful job, we haven't used any other bullet after shooting the Berger, just stomps them hard!![/QUOTE
In my opinion shooting elk with a 22-250 is unethical and in every state I have hunted it is also illegal.

 

[sturner]

The biggest thing with shooting a small caliber( or for any bullet) for a kill shot is knowing when not to take that shot

 

[mpayne]

You couldn't shoot deer with it in Washington state.

 

[nicholasjohn]

They work great I can't even count the number of deer I have shot/seen shot with the 22-250. My longest shot was 260 yards and I wouldn't hesitate to shot out to 350 if conditions are right.

Guys like me are posting facts based on real world experience [in this case actually using a 22-250 for deer]
Then you get the guys that have not shot deer with a 22-250 post disagreeing with us that have used them.

In fact I have borrowed my 22-250 out to multiple friends for their kids to use because it is a nice light recoiling gun for kids to start on.

You're right on the mark. Lots of guys bad-mouth things they've never tried. Unlike yourself, I probably could sill count how many deer I've shot with the 22-250, and it's right around a dozen. Not a lot, but the results have been very consistent. Many have posted here who have shot a lot more than I have, and their real world experience means a lot more than somebody else's opinions.

 

[sturner]

My first deer was killed with a 222 all I had did I want a bigger rifle then heck yeah but it got it done

 

[AKtrader]

I recommend using a 36 gr Sledge Hammer by Hammer bullets you can order them by request. I have mine doing 4300fps with a 22" barrel. Benchmark powder and no pressure signs. Plan to take it to Africa in August for plains game. Its a laser to 200 yards and will punch right through a deers chest at that range. No recoil to speak of at all.

 

[KyCarl]

A couple of years ago my wife killed a big 10 point with her Highlander
Right out in the middle of I-275. Dead as an anvil..But I wouldn't hunt with her Highlander! So just because it kills something it may not be the BEST choice!

 

[BigDon]

My first deer was killed with a 222 all I had did I want a bigger rifle then heck yeah but it got it done

Bump

 

[Chopaka81]

Back in "the day" my dad used a 220 Swift with 60gr loads for both deer and elk in MT. He always shot them in the neck.

Picked up a 22-250 from a gent on the forums and really enjoy shooting it! So I am thinking about picking up some Barns 50gr ammo and using it for white tails! I believe that a 50gr pill rolling over 3800fps will kill and get the dbl lung in a perfect side shot, my questions is how far would y'all use this rifle for deer, was kinda hoping I would be able to use it to about 200ish yds and allow my nieces and nephews a gun to take and let them pop one. It has a stock barrel with a slow factory twist or I would reload heavier pills

 

[19elkhunter51]

Oh well, may as well join this thread and enter my two cents and humble opinion.
I have over the years shot deer with everything from a 22lr (culling deer for a dairy farmer at night) to my 300 RUM. Some great success, some with very poor success.
I believe (YMMV) that 22 caliber rifles have a place in the hunt for deer and antelope. I have watched two of my hunting friends kill antelope with 62 grain Nosler bullets out of an AR pattern rifle. Due to **** poor shooting, the first antelope was killed with three shots at around a hundred yards. Second antelope was shot with the same rifle and load and did not take a step. Ranged at one hundred twenty seven yards. The difference was shot placement.
I have no question using .223/22-250 class cartridges at ranges under two hundred fifty yards. That is an arbitrary number that suits me. Not telling anyone else how far to shoot.
I have two rifles chambered in 22-250, one is a Browning 78 single shot and the other is a Ruger 77 with a custom tuned action and a 1:8 twist heavy Broughton barrel. Both shoot far better than my old eyes can see, both around a quarter inch at a hundred. I have killed deer with both of them at distances ranging from forty five yards out to two hundred yards. I have never had any shot with those two rifles take more than one or two steps before piling up. My brother did not listen to me and took a shoulder shot at about eighty yards and we never recovered that deer. Did I ever say anything about shot placement?
I am not prone to taking shots at moving animals unless they are already wounded and need to be stopped. I am very careful to use a rest whenever possible and make the most accurate shot possible. Most of the deer I have killed with 22-250 have been high neck or head shot at or less than a hundred yards. Past a hundred I will only shoot in the crease for lung/heart shots.
In the Browning with a 1:14 twist I only shoot 50-55 grain bullets. In the Ruger with the 1:8 twist I have been shooting 70 grain Bergers and will be developing a load for the 70 grain Barnes bullet. With the lighter bullets I will not take a body shot which is why I want to develop a load for the Barnes bullet. I believe that the 70 grain Barnes bullet will be very sufficient out to two hundred, two hundred fifty yards on our small deer and antelope.
As many others have stated, bullet placement is the key to killing ANY animal. With that thought in mind, that is the reason I will use the 22-250 on deer and antelope. Stellar accuracy that gives me the confidence to use the smaller caliber.

 

[rbTanzan]

I see that you have had a lot of responses.
Here is one more, also based on experience and observation on many animals.

We have shot quite a few smaller antelope with a 222 in Africa. The rifle had a slow twist and we used 50 and 55gn cup-n-core bullets. Be careful ! I've seen such bullets on impala sized game and while they were able to bring down the antelope they were not impressive and we soon limited our son to shooting spur-wing geese, oribi, and duiker with the 222. Yes, the 222 was impressive on 35-40lb oribi. Sending a cup and core bullet even faster than a 222 is not much of an solution because penetration will likely be even more of a problem.

If you want guaranteed penetration, then you need to get some mono-metals.
And with a .224" barrel you need guaranteed penetration. However, twist will require very light bullets at very fast velocities.

The Barnes bullets are too long for reliable stabilization, even the 45grain. Instead, I would recommend one of two speciality bullet makers. (You can try Barnes when you have rebarreled with a faster twist 22-250 or a 243 or 257 Roberts.)

GSC lists a 35 grain HV bullet in .224". They are listed as "in stock" so I would immediately order a box or two. Get a fast powder like H322, a magnum primer, and expect velocities above 4200fps.

As an equally good alternative, you can order some .224" 44gn HammerHunters. They should also stabilize reasonably well. The website recommends 12.5" twist or faster, but get a box and try them in a 14" twist. They should be fine, at least they give a 1.22 stability factor with a 14" twist. If your kids can see the deer, they should be able to drop it and maybe even have an exit wound.

Of course, if you are serious about kids using the rifle for deer, you owe it to yourself to consider a re-barreling with an 7" or 8in twist. Then you can use monometal bullets in the 60-70grain range and you will have a bonafide deer rifle, at least as far as a .224" can be bonafide.

Myself? Reload special bullets this year. Then, assuming that the kids would like to do more hunting, re-barrel the rifle to a 243 or 257Roberts depending on the magazine capability of the rifle receiver. If in doubt, consult your local gunsmith.

 

[ducky]

.22 Centerfire cartridges aren't legal in CO where I live. However, that didn't stop me from letting my daughter hunt with a .223 in Oklahoma using Barnes 55 grain TSX ammo.

Age 9.


Age 10.


Both shots were under 100 yards, both were one shot kills. She broke through the shoulder with the deer on a quartering to shot on her second doe. I wouldn't hesitate to put a kid/new hunter in a controlled situation with a good mentor in the blind with a .223 or .22-250 to whack a lot of deer.

She's 17 in January and had since moved up to a .50 Cal and a .308 but she'd still hunt with the old .223 given the chance.