Biggest Animal A .22-250 Can Take Down

If a shot to the brain usually kills a human why is it so ineffective against an animal?
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1) A human's brain is a much larger target and as such is easier to hit.

2) A deer's brain is about the size of a smallish tangerine.

3) Much of the time when a head shot is attempted, it misses the brain but hits the head resulting in a lingering death from wounds such as the lower jaw being ruined by the bullet. The shot to the brain is not ineffective. It's just that most people who attempt the shot, can't reliably make the shot under hunting conditions. I can shoot a target the size of a tangerine all day long on the square range at a hundred yards. I can't reliably make that same shot from a deer stand.

That's why.
 
My grandfather did a lot of hunting in Africa with the .22-250. It was his favorite chambering for deer to large antelope sized game in his later years. He was a big fan of the Roy Weatherby school of projectile tossing (speed is better than weight, but both is best) until he couldn't hack the .300 Weatherby anymore, then he switched over to light-recoiling small-caliber laser rifles.

For large bears and other dangerous game he grudgingly stepped up to .25-06 where there were no legal restrictions on caliber.

My family has dozens of mounts that seem to say ".22-250 kiiiiiiiilllled meeee" if you look into their glass eyes long enough. :D

It works if you know where to shoot.
 
I have taken one deer with a 22-250 in Oklahoma. He was about 35yds away and since it was a tack driver I put the cross hairs high on his neck, really right below his chin. Well it dropped him, a couple seconds later it was all over. I say get to know your limits with this gun, and use heaver bullets like the 55Gr. Don't just wound another deer like others we all know.
 
I've been doing a little research into .22 centerfire projectiles and it seems that now Speer no longer lists the .224 70 grain as a big game bullet. Although they still produce the .224 70 grain semi-spitzer, their present .22 big game bullet offering is the 55 grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw. I'm sure this information is nothing new to some of you, but I was a little behind the times on what Speer's latest and greatest .224 big game bullet was.

Anyway while I'm positive that the 70 grainer will still take down deer, the 55 grain TBBC looks like the one I would go with now. Hunters will no longer have to worry about whether their rifles barrel twist will stabilize the heavier bullets. If you shoot good groups with your .22 centerfire and 55 grain varmint bullets chances are you will with the TBBC as well.
 
While the conventional wisdom was that Varmint cartridges were bad deer cartridges, it was really a case of varmint bullets make bad big game bullets.

Loading a Nosler partition, TBBC, or CT Gold type bullet into a .22 250 makes a lot of sense for smaller deer, WHile maybe not the best choice for 200 or more pound dress weight deer, for the many deer in America where 125 dressed weight is a big animal, they are near perfect particularly if you compare a .22 250 to a .222 or .223, where the velocity with a heavier bullet might be harder to get.

WHile I personally would prefer to you use the parent cartridge for deer, (the 250 savage) the .22 250 is not a bad small deer round ONLY when loaded with bullets rated for big game, and not varmints.
 
Do not confuse CWD with BSE (mad cow disease). They are not the same and have significantly different symptoms. BSE is cause by a bad protein that eats away the brain. CWD causes the animal to waste away like they are starved.
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They are both prion diseases and both result in the destruction of the brain.

To my knowledge, there have been no confirmed cases of CWD being transferred to a human, but there was a time when the same could have been said of BSE. I'm not saying that CWD is a danger to humans, but it is something to be aware of and to treat with respect.
 
Lots of opinions I looked at the AZ regs and couldn't find a LEGAL definition for use on game animals.. Here is the one from Oregon I would assume that its similar in AZ been too many years since I hunted down there.

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If the velocity of the 22-250 is reduced to 22 Hornet levels, it does well on game.

Several of my African friends use the 22 Hornet for plains game.

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My take on the 22-250 for medium game:

Biggest Animal a 22-250 will take down?: this looks like a reputable website to me: http://www.biggameinfo.com/BalCalc.aspx

Approximate answer: up to 150 lb game out to about 150 yds. Depends on bullet weight (55 gr and up is better), muzzle velocity, BC and Sectional densities. I ran a few examples using factory data from Corbon, and CustomCartridge using Barnes bullets and got the above numbers.

1-Only use big game bullets (not varmint), Barnes TSX, and others mentioned here, lots of good advice from experts.

2-The biggest drawback I can see is 22-250 factory barrels don't seem to come with faster than 1:12" twist rates, heavier bullets like faster twist in general to stabilize them giving better accuracy. Some 223 barrels come with faster rates (from the factory) and overlap with the 22-250 because they can shoot heavier bullets. Aftermarket barrels can fix this for a price.

3-Lots of experienced advice here says heart-lung shots and maybe neck. Studying the anatomy is a good ethical idea also. Pig hearts are between the front elbows, not behind the front shoulder like a deer for example.

4-Better Marksmanship=More ethical.

5-There is understandably alot of 'use a cannon (30-06/7mm mag)' advice assuming you are inexperienced and will make bad shots, are unethical, a wimp about recoil, will use rabbit bullets or some combination of the above, so just make sure its dead no matter how far or what angle by using a cannon. Not crazy advice.

I'd say there is a wide range of adequate calibers, 22-250 is on the light end but perfectly adequate if used properly. There is no black or white answer and arguing doesn't help at all.

If I have overlooked something please let me know, always willing to learn.
 
"...What is Chronic Wasting disease?..." Go here. http://www.cwd-info.org/index.php/fuseaction/about.main. Have you passed a hunter's safety course?
Using a .22 centrefire on deer depends on the bullet. Most .22-250 factory ammo is loaded with varmint bullets. Varmint bullets are designed to expand rapidly upon impact with little penetration. They are not suitable for deer sized game. There are .22 calibre bullets that are made to penetrate then expand though.
"...Several of my African friends use the 22 Hornet for plains game..." Another 'depends' thing. Most African countries require .375 or better.
 
"Most African countries require 375 or better...for plains game" - not true. Whilst African countries specify minimum cartridges for dangerous game- usually minimum 375 magnum, they do not pose the same restrictions on plains game- some of which include species of antelope that are only 2 feet high. The 22 centerfire calibre(mainly 222) was the choice of New Zealand red deer cullers. Many tens of thousands of red deer have been harvested from the bush in New Zealand using 22 centerfire calibers.
 
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