.22 Centerfires on Medium to Large game
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Hey…watch that…I like steak! Mind you I still enjoy shooting the big bores…offhand or sitting. Behind a rest, not so much. Trust me, if I were to get chosen for "anything", I would love it. Older age is a bitch!!!No worries and thanks for chiming in. I understand your discomfort with the idea being as you've never used it. Though to me it's kind of like saying I've never tried steak before but I just know it won't be any good.....Kind of right
I on the other hand have been in and around the taking of deer, elk, antelope and black bears with the 22/250 and Swift since 1978. My family alone is well into the triple digits of game taken. I'm very comfy to a quarter mile (farthest we've used them is 505) and will take any angle of a shot that I'd take with my bigger guns (6/06, 270, 7 Mashburn Super).
Now that you mention the .17 Rem I got my first one for yote calling in 1982. I went thru two barrels with it. And yeah we did take out a few head of small big game (lope/deer) with it. Mainly we used the old Barnes "Original" which as I recall was a 30 grain sp that held together very well! Farthest I shot game with that load was a lope @ 308 yds. Bullet went in behind the left front, zipped thru trashing the lungs and exited behind the front. The buck took a very short dash and went to Croak City Wyo..........
For some time I tried to get Ty @ Barnes to build a 25 or 30 grain TTSX for the .17. Never happened.
I have tried the Hammers in my Howa "Mini" .204. Think they're 39 grain, they'll do very well also.
Best of luck to ya, hope you get that tag soon. I'm not 79 but at 65 I'm catching up rather quickly.
Enjoy your weekend
It can work, especially with quality bullets and accurate shooting, but there are better options for most big game. I've tried it once, with my 12 year-old daughter on pronghorn. We used a .22-250 with TTSX. The shooting wasn't perfect, but not that bad, either. The first shot entered behind the shoulder and angled from there into the paunch. Best I could tell it took out one lung. She had to shoot him again 2 or 3 more times. None of the bullets exited. Even after a decent chest shot the results took a little longer than I expected. A buddy quit using .22-250 on deer after one took a very long time to die, even after a good hit in the vitals. Right before dark that's a bad thing in coyote country.
I imagine it would work every time if you snuck it behind the shoulder through both lungs and the heart, even on elk or moose-sized critters. But, the real world isn't exactly like that, and sometimes it's nice to have a big hole that goes all the way through. If you scale up to elephant, they're hunted all the time with itty-bitty 300 and 400 grain solids. They weigh 10,000 to 14,000 pounds. Or, 50 times more than a 200 lb deer. 400 divided by 50 is 8. Nobody on earth is running around suggesting an 8 grain solid bullet on deer. The reason it works is that the heart is as big as a 5-gallon bucket and shot distances are usually in the 20-50 yard range. Frontal and side head shots are usually inside of 20 yards.
I see little downside to going up to a .243 or even 6.5. The recoil is manageable by almost everyone, and it just seems to work better in real-world situations.
I imagine it would work every time if you snuck it behind the shoulder through both lungs and the heart, even on elk or moose-sized critters. But, the real world isn't exactly like that, and sometimes it's nice to have a big hole that goes all the way through. If you scale up to elephant, they're hunted all the time with itty-bitty 300 and 400 grain solids. They weigh 10,000 to 14,000 pounds. Or, 50 times more than a 200 lb deer. 400 divided by 50 is 8. Nobody on earth is running around suggesting an 8 grain solid bullet on deer.
The reason it works is that the heart is as big as a 5-gallon bucket and shot distances are usually in the 20-50 yard range. Frontal and side head shots are usually inside of 20 yards.I see little downside to going up to a .243 or even 6.5. The recoil is manageable by almost everyone, and it just seems to work better in real-world situations.
willfrye027
Well-Known Member
Probably would have played out better using a different bullet. Even a 30 cal Barnes probably would have done the same..not much damage beyond what the bullet itself touches. Glorified broadhead.It can work, especially with quality bullets and accurate shooting, but there are better options for most big game. I've tried it once, with my 12 year-old daughter on pronghorn. We used a .22-250 with TTSX. The shooting wasn't perfect, but not that bad, either. The first shot entered behind the shoulder and angled from there into the paunch. Best I could tell it took out one lung. She had to shoot him again 2 or 3 more times. None of the bullets exited. Even after a decent chest shot the results took a little longer than I expected. A buddy quit using .22-250 on deer after one took a very long time to die, even after a good hit in the vitals. Right before dark that's a bad thing in coyote country.
I imagine it would work every time if you snuck it behind the shoulder through both lungs and the heart, even on elk or moose-sized critters. But, the real world isn't exactly like that, and sometimes it's nice to have a big hole that goes all the way through. If you scale up to elephant, they're hunted all the time with itty-bitty 300 and 400 grain solids. They weigh 10,000 to 14,000 pounds. Or, 50 times more than a 200 lb deer. 400 divided by 50 is 8. Nobody on earth is running around suggesting an 8 grain solid bullet on deer.
I see little downside to going up to a .243 or even 6.5. The recoil is manageable by almost everyone, and it just seems to work better in real-world situations.
There is very little difference between the wound that a 80+ grain .224 bullet is making and a .243 or .264 bullet. Not enough to change the outcome of a bad shot, or a good shot.
Links to hornady law enforcement site where they show FBI ballistic gel test
6.5 creedmoor 147 eld:
.223 rem 75 bthp:
Spoiler, the maximum wound cavity depth is about the same between the two..
Boatninja
Well-Known Member
I've shot 20-30 South Texas White Tail does and inferior bucks with .220 Swift never wounded-lost any and only had one run maybe 20 yds. Most all neck, base of skull shots, most at 100-200 yds.
Best measured shot was 450 yds on a song dog.
All with an early '80's Remington Sendero 700, used 45-55 grain bullets in various premium Remington and Winchester ammo as well as handloads. Only rifle I've owned that didn't like any flavor of Hornady ammo.
I have had that rifle retired for a few years, can't even estimate how many various critters have fallen to that rifle, been thinking about pulling it out again and trying some new bullets or loading out further. It was a once in a lifetime rifle.
Best measured shot was 450 yds on a song dog.
All with an early '80's Remington Sendero 700, used 45-55 grain bullets in various premium Remington and Winchester ammo as well as handloads. Only rifle I've owned that didn't like any flavor of Hornady ammo.
I have had that rifle retired for a few years, can't even estimate how many various critters have fallen to that rifle, been thinking about pulling it out again and trying some new bullets or loading out further. It was a once in a lifetime rifle.
340 in Va
Well-Known Member
Never used 22 CF here for deer (not legal). We(family) have used 243's with 87 to100 gr. for the last 60 + years with many of one-shot kills, but there has been a few mishaps. Really, the fast 22 with 80+ bullet is not much different then 243 with 85 or 90 gr. For me, I would not use the 22 CF past 300 yds for deer size game. Out west I like the 340 with 215 Serria at 3125. Its like saying 6.5 CM won't kill elk. It makes a difference on who is pulling the trigger.Poor placement always has the possibility of an ensuing rodeo. But from my experience a poorly placed (behind the diaphram in the guts) shot from a Swift or 22/250 with the 55-63 HP's and SP's has always resulted in the critter hitting the turf and or not having any interest in going anywhere.
Hit them with a bigger round, in particular with a hard bullet (mono) and things will be a heck of a lot tougher to recover than if the bullet was placed in the same place with a 22/250 or Swift.
When I first started using the Big 22's (back in 1978) I was a bit of a skeptic as well. That quickly changed once I really started to use them. Guess the world wasn't flat after all eh
340 in VA: what bullets have you used on deer/lopes out of 22/250's and Swifts?
pickens72
Well-Known Member
RichCoyle
Well-Known Member
Do you like "poor shot placement"?
Varmint Hunter
Well-Known Member
Now that's one fine buck! Congratulations
That it is, but the foilage looks so weird to me, ours is never that green in the northern states during Oct/Nov.
I've used the 340 a ton load as well, went thru a Schneider on my 70 and my 700 shooting chucks, pd's, yotes and all sorts of big game. One heck on an accurate and under used round!
Al Diamond
Active Member
Josey Wales:
I came here to die with you. Or live with you. Dying ain't so hard for men like you and me. It's living that's hard when all you've ever cared about has been butchered or raped. Governments don't live together--people live together. With governments, you don't always get a fair word or a fair fight. Well, I've come here to give you either one or get either one from you. I came here like this so you'll know my word of death is true, and my word of life is then true. The bear lives here, the wolf, the antelope, the Comanche. And so will we. Now we'll only hunt what we need to live on, same as the Comanche does. And every spring, when the grass turns green, and the Comanche moves north, you can rest here in peace, butcher some of our cattle, and jerk beef for the journey. The sign of the Comanche, that will be on our lodge. That's my word of life.
Ten Bears:
And your word of death?
Josey Wales:
It's here in my pistols and there in your rifles. I'm here for either one.
Ten Bears:
These things you say we will have, we already have.
Josey Wales:
That's true. I ain't promising you nothing extra. I'm just giving you life and you're giving me life. And I'm saying that men can live together without butchering one another.
Ten Bears:
It's sad that governments are chiefed by the double tongues. There is iron in your words of death for all Comanche to see, and so there is iron in your words of life. No signed paper can hold the iron. It must come from men. The words of Ten Bears carries the same iron of life and death. It is good that warriors such as we meet in the struggle of life... or death. It shall be life. [Draws his knife and cuts his palm, and Josey does likewise. They then grasp hands with each other, becoming blood brothers] So will it be.
Josey Wales:
I reckon so.
This will never happen in the " my cartridge can beat up your cartridge " or it my way or the highway " these are the hills that hunting and gun rights will die on. These petty wars that won't allow the choice to be life, will kill the sport and hunting heritage we all love. Use this waisted petty effort on something that will promote and preserve instead of divide and help the anti establishment
Varmiter71
Well-Known Member
- Joined
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The anti 22 cent crowd says that the smallest cartridge that should be used is a 243 win.
The pro 22 cent crowd says that 22 creedmoor 80 grain factory round beats the 243 80 grain factory rounds.
So to me if the 243 is the inferior round. Then the 243 is the smaller round and the 22 creedmoor is the larger round.
After all that is how the 243 came into existence.
You had the tried and true 250 savage that was very successful, and it is now almost obsolete because the smaller caliber cartridge was loaded to a higher pressure. Now if the 250 savage was loaded to modern pressure there would not be a 243.
I guess we will see how the 243 does when the 25 creedmoor is released. After all it's just a 250 savage improved.
The pro 22 cent crowd says that 22 creedmoor 80 grain factory round beats the 243 80 grain factory rounds.
So to me if the 243 is the inferior round. Then the 243 is the smaller round and the 22 creedmoor is the larger round.
After all that is how the 243 came into existence.
You had the tried and true 250 savage that was very successful, and it is now almost obsolete because the smaller caliber cartridge was loaded to a higher pressure. Now if the 250 savage was loaded to modern pressure there would not be a 243.
I guess we will see how the 243 does when the 25 creedmoor is released. After all it's just a 250 savage improved.
