okiewita40
New member
A guy I used to work with grew up and still used a 22-250 until he he was injured in a motorcycle wreck. He said it was was good for whitetail up to about 200 yards. I know he always got his limit of three every year.
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.22-250 capabilities
- Thread starter Irish B
- Start date
spclPatrolGroup
New member
Oops I was thinking about .22 hornet, not .220 swift, that is what my cousin has started to use along with a 35gr vmax, sure does a nice job of preserving the pelt.
The 22-250 cartridge with a good bullet is entirely capable of killing deer. Whether the shooter is might be a different story. I'd feel a lot better carrying a 22-250 for deer than a .357Mag pistol. But that's just me, I guess.
My first centerfire was a 22-250 Rem Mod 788 and I used it to shoot everything I hunted back then. Killed several mule deer and lots of coyotes and lots and lots and lots of ground squirrels. My load for everything was a
55gr Speer and 38.0gr of H380 - Bruce Hodgdon's personal load. Nowadays I'd go for one of the heavier premium bullets for deer.
My first centerfire was a 22-250 Rem Mod 788 and I used it to shoot everything I hunted back then. Killed several mule deer and lots of coyotes and lots and lots and lots of ground squirrels. My load for everything was a
55gr Speer and 38.0gr of H380 - Bruce Hodgdon's personal load. Nowadays I'd go for one of the heavier premium bullets for deer.
If a .22-250 was all I had, taking deer would be no problem. Heck a .22 LR will take deer if you do your part. I never used a .22 LR or .22-250 on deer, and prefer at least a 30.06 for deer.
I have taken many varmints at long ranges with my .22-250. It is a heck of a varmint round and a tack driver. Use the .22-250 for deer if want, but there are most definitely more forgiving rounds for thick woods hunting.
I have taken many varmints at long ranges with my .22-250. It is a heck of a varmint round and a tack driver. Use the .22-250 for deer if want, but there are most definitely more forgiving rounds for thick woods hunting.
Actually, the .22-250 is not really any more likely to deflect in brush than any thing else. The old "brush-buster" myth is pretty well debunked. But where you have a good point is this: In heavy brush, it is easier to find game that goes down hard, and leaves a lot of spoor. In a stand of from a rest at a stationary whitetail, this does not automatically rule the sub-.25 caliber guns out. But a simple 50 yard broadside running shot can turn into a lost cripple real quick. Again, the key is restraint. A mere .30-30 or .257Roberts will shoot clean through both a leg bone and the vitals. A 55gr fast .22 will do it sometimes, but not every time.
Since the OP asked "..What you feel comfortable..." I'm thinking it is a personal decision. I have killed deer with a 22-250 with a shoulder shot and had a complete pass through. So I guess my answer is a deer for the largest and ground hog for the smallest since that is where it shines.
22-250 is great for longrange jackrabbits, javelina
Back in my grad school days in UT some buddies and I would head out to a valley N of the Great Salt Lake and hunt up a mess of jackrabbits.
Some of the guys used their deer rifles, but I had a 22-250 for that purpose. Most of the meat in the front quartes was pretty stringy and sparse, but from the ribs back there is a lot of meat...made the cleaning of a couple dozen jacks go a tad faster when you only skinned and gutted to the ribs.
Many stews and casseroles with jack meat back then.
As long as you hit them in the front half, most of the meat was untouched.
As for larger game than jacks, it is also perfect for javelina.
I did walk the UT woods once with my .22-250, but didn't have a chance to take one. Usually reserved my .270 for that job.
Back in my grad school days in UT some buddies and I would head out to a valley N of the Great Salt Lake and hunt up a mess of jackrabbits.
Some of the guys used their deer rifles, but I had a 22-250 for that purpose. Most of the meat in the front quartes was pretty stringy and sparse, but from the ribs back there is a lot of meat...made the cleaning of a couple dozen jacks go a tad faster when you only skinned and gutted to the ribs.
Many stews and casseroles with jack meat back then.
As long as you hit them in the front half, most of the meat was untouched.
As for larger game than jacks, it is also perfect for javelina.
I did walk the UT woods once with my .22-250, but didn't have a chance to take one. Usually reserved my .270 for that job.
sc928porsche
New member
I love my 22-250 and use it for varmits ie: Marmots, Prarie Dogs, "dillers" and such. Coyotes and Pronghorn, Sheep, and Goats are left up to my 25-06. For Deer, Elk and Moose, its the 300WM. And for the Bruins, 378WBY.