22-250 IS good for deer hunting!

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treefarmernc

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I am making this post to clear up some misconceptions about hunting deer with the 22-250 and other similar cartridges. First of all shot placement. I have read in other posts here that shot placement is more important with the 22-250 than compared to other calibers (“has to be in the spine or head shot”). Shot placement for the 22-250 is the same as would be for any other deer hunting caliber. A gut shot is a gut shot weather it is 30-06 or -250. A 22-250 shot to the shoulder region will have the same effect as other calibers.

I keep getting the insinuation that people are thinking of the22-250 as if it is a .22LR rather than as the high powered cartridge that it is, more than capable of killing 140-220lb (the weight range around here) whitetails at distances of up to at least 300 yards.

Another common comment is that if you use a 22-250 you should expect to do a lot of tracking. I have not seen any difference in the amount of tracking with those that use 22-250 or 220 swift as those that use larger calibers. Any deer that I made a decent shot on with my 22-250 did not get much further than 50 yards, most dropping where they stood or close to it. I did have one that was never found due to a gut shot that was a result of me making a hasty shot:mad:.

And of coarse I have missed, witch brings me to the only disadvantage of deer hunting with the 22-250. It does take less to deflect the bullet, such as twigs and stout weeds accounting for one of my misses ( I believe). I am a little bias being that my 22-250 is my favorite, but the statements I have made here is due to me having more experience with the use of this caliber for deer than most other people. These experiences come not from just me but a whole county of deer hunters spanning 2-3 decades.

The county I grew up in (here in NC) had a very unusual law stating that no caliber larger than .22 could be used for hunting:eek:. This meant the 22-250, 220 swift and .223 was our only options. This law stood until somewhere around 1998-2000 when it was finally changed allowing larger calibers. Most of my hunting took place in this county but I did hunt in other counties, with other hunting clubs, and with larger caliber guns witch counts for what I believe to be a rounded view.

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I would like to add that I suggest that you use at least a 55gr bullet choice or higher. My 22-250 will throw up to a 70 gr accurately. I am getting about 2.5-3" groupings at 200yrds with my Hornady 60gr soft points of witch I mention a few post down. I use an unaltered Remington 700 rifle.
 
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>>>the high powered cartridge that it is, more than capable of killing 140-220lb (the weight range around here) whitetails at distances of up to at least 300 yards<<<

Been one heckuva lot of mammals in the 140-220lb range killed by 5.56! And .22-250 packs quite a bit more punch than good ol' .223 so yes, I don't doubt one bit that it's a perfectly capable white tail deer round.

Would it be my first choice up North? No, but doesn't mean it wont work just fine and frankly here in Tucson with our white tail deer running more like 90-110lbs I'd use my .223 without hesitation were I a deer hunter any longer.

Just curious, what bullet/load or ammo do you generally use for deer in the .22-250?

Regards,
Oly
 
i normally use .308 or .06 for my whitetails... have been thinking of using my ruger .223 for the first of my whiteys this year.... would like to use my pet load so far.... 26grains of ram-tac,,, 69 gr hpbt hornady.
 
You are probably going to get some rather heated replies on this one!

It is not "good" for deer hunting. It is adequate, with the right bullet. It is NOT legal for deer hunting in about 80% of the US! Think about that for a moment.

I love the .22-250, its my favorite varmint round. Using a suitable bullet (not a varmint bullet) I could cleanly, humanely take deer, as you have done. But it isn't a good choice, when better (bigger) rounds are legally available, and it isn't a good choice for the less than dedicated hunter/shooter.

The reason most states ban the use of the .22 centerfires for deer is numbers. Numbers of "hunters" that don't take the time and effort to use the correct "deer class" bullet, or to take shots that are simply beyond the capabilities of the round. Result, large numbers of crippled, wounded (and usually lost) deer. It has more to do with the way people use them, than in any lack of capability in the cartridge itself.

I've got a Winchester M70 varmint in .22-250, and with me behind the stock, using ammo suitable, I can take any game animal within 300 yds, including really big deer, even elk, with confidence, because I know my abilities, and my rifle's. But I can't do that legally! And thats why the .22-250 isn't a good choice for deer, most places.

For big game, all .22CF are "experts" guns. Capable of doing the job if expertly used. And capable of failing when not.
 
You are probably going to get some rather heated replies on this one!

It is not "good" for deer hunting. It is adequate, with the right bullet. It is NOT legal for deer hunting in about 80% of the US! Think about that for a moment.

I love the .22-250, its my favorite varmint round. Using a suitable bullet (not a varmint bullet) I could cleanly, humanely take deer, as you have done. But it isn't a good choice, when better (bigger) rounds are legally available, and it isn't a good choice for the less than dedicated hunter/shooter.

The reason most states ban the use of the .22 centerfires for deer is numbers. Numbers of "hunters" that don't take the time and effort to use the correct "deer class" bullet, or to take shots that are simply beyond the capabilities of the round. Result, large numbers of crippled, wounded (and usually lost) deer. It has more to do with the way people use them, than in any lack of capability in the cartridge itself.

I've got a Winchester M70 varmint in .22-250, and with me behind the stock, using ammo suitable, I can take any game animal within 300 yds, including really big deer, even elk, with confidence, because I know my abilities, and my rifle's. But I can't do that legally! And thats why the .22-250 isn't a good choice for deer, most places.

For big game, all .22CF are "experts" guns. Capable of doing the job if expertly used. And capable of failing when not.
__________________
All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.



Excellent post, AMP.

FH
 
I started out using standard 55 gr Remington High Veloc. soft points with satisfactory results. I now have gotten into reloading and use 60gr Hornady soft points with 35gr of IMR 4064. I find that this combination will throw the 60 gr the same as the store bought 55gr at 150-200 yards allowing me to switch between the two if need be.
 
I wouldn't do it, but if you have luck with it, then more power to you.
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Nice post, no bashing and level headed.

i normally use .308 or .06 for my whitetails... have been thinking of using my ruger .223 for the first of my whiteys this year.... would like to use my pet load so far.... 26grains of ram-tac,,, 69 gr hpbt hornady.
Click to expand...

Don’t take this the wrong way but this is why most people should not use a 22 centerfire, they select the wrong bullet!

You can’t use a varmint/target bullet and expect it to perform on larger game, reliably anyway.

I have used a 22-250 for years but have always used Speer’s 70gr semi-spitzer. I take any shot with that cartridge/bullet combination as I would any other. I have dropped deer from 10 - 240+ yards with the 22-250 and the Speer 70 grainer.

Use a 22 centerfire if you want but please always use the correct bullet.

44AMP's post is spot on. We can use it in my state and I happen to have a favorite walking varminter in 22-250 that is a dream to shoot and carry so I often carry it while hunting the fringe of field and wood.
 
ive never killed a deer with my .22-250, but i have killed a number of them with the .222rem and a 50 gr soft point, the same load i used on groundhog, i kept shots under 100 yards, and shot them in he neck or head just to be safe, with the modern bullets like the 60fr partition and 75gr sirocco, i would have no problem using a .22-250 with normal bullet placement.
ken
 
Love the caliber but I leave deer hunting for deer bullets and varmint hunting for varmint bullets, the 22-250 is a great varmint gun. It isn't prohibited in Wisconsin but a 6MM or 25 caliber and above make more sense for the average shooter who only shoots a couple of times a year if that much.
 
I've never owned a .22-250 but if I did, I wouldn't be scared to use it on the whitetails around here. I've use a .223 for many years and it's always worked great for me. The only reason I won't be using the .223 this year is that I finally got my father's old .30-30 that I'll be using.
 
Past success with a 22-250 does not guarantee future success. Forward looking statements about what has worked in the past are certain to fail in the future. Statistical reversion to the mean is a natural law. I’m thinking, 'Dude, use a bigger gun.' :D

Last year, I shot a doe with a 235 grain, 50 cal slug, while black powder hunting. She ran, turned uphill and jumped a five foot fence. I was cussing at myself, "How could I blow that shot?" But, about 15 yards beyond the fence (at least 70 yards in aggregate travel) she abruptly fell dead.

I went from thinking I had missed, or foul hit at best, to thinking I had made a weak lung hit - a distal base of a lung lobe, perhaps. But when I field dressed the deer, I discovered I had made a through-and-through hit on the center of the heart. What more could anybody ask for? So why didn't she drop right there?

I'm not saying 50 cal is not enough gun, obviously. What I am saying is that experiences like this have taught me that it is difficult to be over-gunned, and much easier to be under-gunned. While this deer wasn't typical of a deer shot through the heart, how far could this deer have gone with a .22 cal wound? (I understand the improved factors with a 22-250’s expansion and the benefits of velocity, but work with me here.)

There's a statistical axiom in medicine that says 50% of the people who fall from a height of 25' onto a hard surface will die. Adjust the height up or down and the percentages scale accordingly. It is the same for factors determining the suitability of hunting rounds. Excusing exceptions and considering the averages, a bigger round is better.

Personally, I'll stick with bigger stuff for game, because, sometimes, even what seems like it should be substantial over-kill will disappoint. Eventually, what you witness will defeat everything you thought you already knew about the topic. An animal that turns into a marathon runner teaches you nothing if you leave thinking you missed it. The only thing that’s worse is knowing you hit it, but being unable to find it. Game officials understand this because of the unclaimed deer they find lying in the woods - deer that have traveled miles - with a fairly placed hit but not enough bullet. That’s the reason some States exclude the CF .22s for deer size game.
 
it is verry eaisy to be overgunned. i have killed pa whitetails with the .375H&H, that is overgunned, am i wrong?
ken
 
I think it all depends on your area of the world. You know the size of the animals you're hunting and hopefully you know how to properly use the equipment you're using, which includes it's limitations.
 
no, it didnt move, it was nocked out of it tracks, but it didnt move under its own power. i just wanted to give it a try.
ken
 
Its not just the "power" of the round, its also about bullet weight and weight ratention(sp?) on impact. You also owe it to the animal to make a quick clean kill so why not use a claiber that leave nothing to speculation.
 
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