22-250 IS good for deer hunting!

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Sierra makes a .224 65 gr. Spitzer Boat Tail Game King, I expect you could get 3400 FPS from a 22-250. That has 1085 ft-lbs at 200 yards, and 864 at 300.

It wouldn't be my first choice, but if that was all I had I wouldn't be afraid to use that on a deer, especially CA's scrawny coastal Blacktails.
 
Sure you can shoot a deer with a 223 cal bullet and if everything goes right it will die. Ok, it will reliably kill a Labrador sized white tail. They are very accurate weapons, and with the right bullet it is adequate for small deer, but it doesn't really have tremendous energy, leaves a very small wound channel, which means that this deer will bleed slowly and leave a poor trail to track if not an instant kill. I have no problem with it within its limitations. I believe that all hunters should have ethics concerning their quarry. If you have the right shot, the right shooting experience, the right bullet, the right conditions , you see what I'm getting at here, too many ifs. I'm not saying don't, but I am saying you better get it right everytime or else you're not an ethical hunter, I have a 223 rifle, but here in Montana, year before last, while there are no restrictions on rifle caliber, there were 6 hunters attacked by Grizzly bears that beat them to their kill, if you were carrying a 22-250 you would be bearfood. I hunt mule deer with a 300WBY and with the right bullet it will not blow them half. I'm not sure that I could ethically hunt deer with a 22.
 
A 22-250 shot to the shoulder region will have the same effect as other calibers.....
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What bullet have you put thru the shoulder bones of a deer that penetrated the same as other calibers and didn't blow up?
 
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.
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It is good for whitetail with the right size bullet is a better way to put it. So far as the supposed 80% and what it means to my thread... NOTHING. I talking about the ability of the 22-250 to handle deer effectively, witch I have proven on a fairly large scale.

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.
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I would suggest that you take the .22 out of that paragraph and then you would be correct. Irresponsibility is a problem no matter what you are shooting. From a slingshot all the way to a 50 BMG, If the person does not use their equipment correctly they will cause more harm than good. To single out only .22 calibers is being extremely short-sighted . :rolleyes:

But I can't do that legally! And thats why the .22-250 isn't a good choice for deer, most places.
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I am not telling people to break the law. If it is against the law to use .22 in your state or area then don’t use it. (Duh!!!) The purpose of this thread is to inform you that the 22-250 WILL kill deer the same as most popular deer calibers with has been proven here with normal healthy sized whitetail deer.

For big game, all .22CF are "experts" guns. Capable of doing the job if expertly used. And capable of failing when not.
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After reading this last statement it is clear that you did not fully think or read my post through. What I have written is not merely an opinion that I have blindly come up with, but a collaboration of experiences of a very large group of hunters spanding all ages and levels of expertise. IT WAS A LAW that we could not use larger than .22 for deer hunting and not a choice therefore the conclusions were born out of necessity. In the end it is fact that through real world trials and experiences is that the 22-250 is just as capable at deer hunting as any other popular deer hunting caliber. No, this does not include larger game such as bear or elk because I have no experiences with these, but when it comes to white tailed sized game then YES 22-250, 220 swift and even .223 is just as capable as a 30-06.

And buy the way Flatbush Harry, all guns and calibers should be handled expertly and are capable of failing when not.;)
 
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What bullet have you put thru the shoulder bones of a deer that penetrated the same as other calibers and didn't blow up?
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Buy saying shoulder region I was referring to the front area or kill zone of the deer. And yes, the chance is there for the bullet to explode when hitting bone resulting in the same out come...dead deer. The worst that can happen is having to throw away one shoulder. It is not usually a problem with my 60gr soft points.
 
Obviously trolling here in the original post however I'll play along for a little. I don't know for sure if the .22 caliber bullet is banned in 80% of the States but it is here in CO, the smallest bullet I can use is a 70 grain .243 caliber rifle that must produce 1000 ft-lbs @ 100 yards. If the .22 caliber center fire rifle is legal where you live and hunt then I have no problems with people using it for hunting.

The main problem with the .22-250 since that is the cartridge chosen in the OP is the twist rate. 1:14 or 1:12 may or may not stabalize a 60 grain bullet again since that is what the OP stated he is using. To me 60 grains is on the marginal end of a bullet that will hold together at the speeds that a .22-250 can push it. The only real choice for me if I had to use this caliber is the 60 grain Nosler Partition. If you are going to use a .22 a premium bullet is a must Barnes, Nosler, and Swift are three that come to mind that offer bullets capable of holding together for use on deer, heavy match grade bullets for me are not an option.

There is no doubt to me that a properly placed .22 center fire bullet will kill a deer or any other animal. However the bullet selection and twist rates for these cartridges make it a far from ideal selection for me. I'll leave the .22's for targets and varmints and take at least my .243 Win with 95-100 grain bullets for deer sized game.
 
This post was not meant for trolling but only to educate any body else wondering about the capabilities of the cartridge. When searching TFL I saw the question of whether or not the 22-250 was adequate for deer and then the asker being bashed for even considering it. I do wish I had originally included a little more about proper bullet choices ( I may edit it in now) but my original thought was to get across that the cartridge has been used in a large scale for deer successfully without any problem.:)
 
What I have written is not merely an opinion that I have blindly come up with, but a collaboration of experiences of a very large group of hunters spanding all ages and levels of expertise. IT WAS A LAW that we could not use larger than .22 for deer hunting and not a choice therefore the conclusions were born out of necessity.
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Yeah, and none of 'em wanted to tell you about those times they tracked for miles on end, or searched (but never found) their wounded deer.

Thanks for the education, though.
 
Except for the following, I agree with you. I'd also keep shots a bit shy of 300 yards, but that's my opinion.

A 22-250 shot to the shoulder region will have the same effect as other calibers.
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If the shoulder shot is stopping a 22-250, then this simply isn't true. A 270, 30-06, or 7mm mag will break the shoulder and keep going on through a deer in most cases.

I've shot the 22-250 quite a bit, and I know what it's capable of. I also know that my .243 shoots faster by several hundred fps with the same weight bullet, and I wouldn't use it with the same lightweight bullets generally found in .22 caliber.

Those 50-70 grain .22 caliber bullets are perfectly capable of taking deer with well places shots, but they won't do as well when bone is hit, and a little extra penetration is needed. Every caliber/cartridge has it's limitations, and each has different capabilities. As long as the shooter recognized and honors the limitations and capabilities of his/her chosen cartridge, then all should go well.

For me, I hunt a lot of open country with big canyons to shoot across at times, and I'll stick with the 7mm mag for those uses.

Daryl
 
Tracking wounded deer has happened in the 22-250 camp but no more that in the 30-06 camp. It is simply not a problem, at least no more than with any other caliber. As I have already said, I have hunted with other calibers and along side other hunters and clubs using larger guns and then with my unusual situation of having to use .22 caliber in my home county has giving me more insight into this subject than most other people. Hunter error is what leads to that problem not it being a 22-250.
 
The .22-250 or any other .224 caliber center fire cartridge is marginal at best for deer sized game. Deer vary in body size by region what may work well for you in NC may not work in Northern parts of the United States and Canada, as well as out in the Mid West and Western United States for white tail deer. To make such a blanket statement as you did is just asking for an argument intentional or not. Before the laws changed in your county were pistol cartridge rifles and shotguns legal during your firearm season?

Bullet selection and shot placement are paramount regardless of what ever caliber rifle you choose. Again some of the bullets mentioned throughout this topic have either been the wrong construction or would fail to stabilize in the .22-250. And a bullet that will work in a .222 such as the 50 grain mentioned would more than likely fail in a .22-250 due to the velocity differences unless loaded down to a .222 Rem velocities.

There is just far less places to go wrong with larger calibers than there is in smaller ones as far as bullet selection is concerned. Especially when you use factory ammunition and most of them have the game use recommendations on the box. Plus the most common bullet found in .22 center fire cartridges is 55 grains and bullets for the .243 and larger calibers usually are found in 80 grains or heavier and tailored to the deer or elk hunter not the varmint hunter. When was the last time you walked in to your local big box store and found 53 gr Barnes TSX, 60 gr Nosler Partitions, or 75 gr Swift Scirocco loaded in .22 caliber cartridges for deer hunting?

Not one poster here has argued that it will not kill a deer, just that there are far better choices when it comes to deer hunting.
 
Daryl, Again as I said in post #25 I was talking about the shoulder region or the kill zone, front part of the deer (chest, lung, and heart area). My 60gr SP usually will penetrate the shoulder, although I have seen evidence of the bullet “exploding” when hitting harder parts of the shoulder but there is sill more than enough penetration and/or damage to take the deer down on the spot. I have seen more of this when making spinal shots witch only adds to the effectiveness of shot. The shoulder shot has not been a problem. I personally try to put my shots just behind the shoulder or in the chest if possible but am still confident in taking a straight shoulder shot if needed.
 
Before the laws changed in your county were pistol cartridge rifles and shotguns legal during your firearm season?
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No, rifle could be used larger than .22 including pistol cartridges. Yes shot guns was and is still legal. The law even covered black powder season in witch we could use only black powder shotguns as the BP rifles are, of coarse, larger than.22 (stupid, yea I know). Let me add that I was not a supporter of the law.

Again some of the bullets mentioned throughout this topic have either been the wrong construction or would fail to stabilize in the .22-250. And a bullet that will work in a .222 such as the 50 grain mentioned would more than likely fail in a .22-250 due to the velocity differences unless loaded down to a .222 Rem velocities.
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I have suggested the use of 55-70gr. I have 1-1.5” groups at 100yrds. And 2.5”-3” groups at 200 with my 55gr and 60gr soft points.

Not one poster here has argued that it will not kill a deer, just that there are far better choices when it comes to deer hunting.
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And I have not once said that the 22-250 is the best or better than any other caliber, only that it can be and has been efficient at killing deer.
 
If legal where you are, go for it.

It is a legal deer round in Oregon, but I am not going to rush out and buy one for deer hunting...
 
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
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What works in the past or now will not work in the future is what I am taking from this???? What is going to change this? Will the deer start growing Kevlar hair or something? I am not talking about the economy here just the ability of a 22-250 to kill deer. This will not change. A bullet entering the body of a deer will always have the same effect.

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.
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If I were kicking deer off a cliff I might give some credit to that statement. You are clearly missing the message of this post. I have had an extraordinary amount of experience with using the 22-250 for deer hunting and the simple fact is that the 22-250 is adequate to harvest deer with. I have not just shot a couple of deer successfully then called it a success. This conclusion is of sound evidence obtained over a long length of time and including a large number and varied group of test subjects (hunters and deer).

There is always the variables of life to contend with, As you stated earlier through the story of the deer that was able to run off after being shot in the heart, there is an uncontrollable element to the hunt as well as most things in life. When it comes to deer hunting however, using a 22-250 (properly equipped and deployed) plays no more part in increasing or provoking the variables than any other rifle.
Last, I would like to add that I have not said any thing against using larger calibers. I only point out the 22-250 being adequate for deer hunting.
 
If a man wants to hunt deer with a 22/250 he doesn't have to justify it to anybody but himself.

But, you are kidding yourself if you think that eventually if you shoot enough of them you won't lose one that you would have gotten with a 270 or 30/06, and you are kidding yourself if you think you won't eventually make a bad shot.
 
i will say only this...i have killed dozens of antelope with the 22-250. but yes they are smaller than a deer... never lost one though and usually dead within 25yrds
 
I once stalked within 50 yards of a water buffalo bull. Using a termite nest as a rest I shot the feeding buffalo behind the ear & it dropped like a sack of potatoes with a single 55grain bullet from my 22-250. While I wouldn't recommend the 22-250 as a buffalo rifle, I have also shot over a dozen fallow deer & 3 red deer with it, together with hundreds of pigs & goats. I have never lost a deer when hunting with the 22-250, although 2 deer were hit poorly & did need follow up shots. You will certainly get by with using a 22-250 on deer, but these days I prefer to use my 308. I find a 30 caliber rifle my prefered option for deer hunting, especially if a stag of a lifetime happens to show itself at 300 yards & there is a slight wind blowing.
 
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If a man wants to hunt deer with a 22/250 he doesn't have to justify it to anybody but himself.

But, you are kidding yourself if you think that eventually if you shoot enough of them you won't lose one that you would have gotten with a 270 or 30/06, and you are kidding yourself if you think you won't eventually make a bad shot.

Well said.
 
I am not well versed enuff to take on the efficacy argument of a round based on various energy type measurements. Our smaller specimens of florida white tail are likely not much bigger than a good annie goat. I wouldn't choose anything under a .243 and only if I thought I had all escape trails predetermined for easier tracking. I prefer my minimums to be the .270 bolt gun and the .30-30 in lever for my close in shots. I just can't imagine me opting for a .22 class round for white tail.
Brent
 
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