22-250 For Deer?

i use a 223 for deer mostly
i keep shots under 150 and use hot loaded 60 grain partitions
i have gottena few complete pass throughs on broadside shots with this combo
 
I've ran my .223 & 223ai's out to almost 400yds on deer. Everyone has died VERY quickly and traveled less then 50yds after being hit and some were bang...flop.

These topic always seem to spark fires throughout the Internet forums. Some people are all for it (people who have 100% success), some people are totally agaisnt it, either had bad luck or never even tired it.

If any of you are 24hr members, search for "Scenar Shooter." I personally don't know Pat, but he's shot some mighty fine Mule deer with the .22cals. Some of you would be surprised...

The fact is, 22cals kills. Place a bullet into the vitals and you'll witness instant death. Reason I suggested premium bullets. You want something that's going to pass-through to get a blood trail if you happen to not make that 100% shot.

Bigger doesn't mean better, IMO. I don't know how many times I went to the local range a few weeks before gun season starts. Joe blow is there with his new 300 win mag and happy he's shooting a 6" group because the person was afraid of the recoil. Same goes with 12ga slugguns. I've witness a fair share of people that are happy with a 12" group out of their guns. "If it's on a pie plate at 100yds, im good to go."

YMMV, just my $.002 worth.

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When the .22-250 was introduced, everyone thought this was a great idea for deer hunting...and then the reports of wounded deer started pouring in, and they quit advertising it as a deer caliber.

I am of the camp that would not use any .22 caliber bullet for deer hunting. I don't have to, I own a .270, a .30-06, a .243, a 6MM, a 12 gauge slug gun, and a Super Blackhawk .44 mag. None of them give me more recoil than I want. I have hit the magic pie plate offhand at 100 yards with the slug gun. No big deal.

As a hand loader, I would never use a NBT for any caliber to shoot a deer.

And to take a neck shot on purpose is a combination of arrogance and ignorance in my opinion. I don't care if your the greatest shot in the history of earth. Just a bad idea.

You may start bashing me now.
 
I've killed several, the 55g Hornady Sp is a really good bullet, tough and very accurate. Also, the Sierra 63g Seimi point will stabalize in a 1-14 twist and is extremely accurate.

The 60g Nosler partition with about 39.0g of IMR 4350 with a win primer will group 1 1/2" in a 1-14 twists that I have shot(700's). The nosler partition is the mack daddy of the 22 bullets for deer, they are not however a target grade bullets that will achieve tiny groups...not necessary for deer.

I shot two does with a 223 loaded with 26.5g of 748 with a 55g Rem Hp, they dropped right on the spot, lung shots.

My brother killed half a dozen deer last year with a 223 and the 53g Tripple shock, one at 270 yards.

As usual, it is not about caliber so much as it is about shot placement.

PO Ackley wrote much about how fast the 220 Swift killed deer with a 45g Sp. I believe most of his shots were head and neck shots. His ultimate confidence of how accurate his rifle was lead him to make some really great shots with the Swift.

The 63g Sierra Semi point in a Swift is a great deer round as long as you pick your shots and angles.

For a guy that gets very excited when he sees deer, I would not recommend a 22 caliber of any kind to that that guy(my dad). My dad got very excited and every buck he saw was a Hartford kind of deer that would score 120-180. He was just as apt to hit them in the butt as shoot an antler off, we did lots of tracking for him. No amount of practice got him out of getting so excited all his life, we thought he was going to have a heart attack on several occasions, barely able to talk...he has gone on to be with the Lord now.

If you are prone to get excited, then opt for a 30 caliber with a 150g Hornady Sp or a 7 Mag with a 160g Sierra BTSP that will leave a HUGE blood trail.
 
ackleyman
I agree with you on the 63gr SEI sp, It should work very well on deer! I haven't used my .223 on deer ,but if a was too it would be the bullet I'd use! When I used it on a yote I shot at 134 lasered yards it went completely trough and mushroomed nicely! I know because it was a caliber hole going in and .75" coming out!
 
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Originally Posted By: getfoxySuperseal...did you paint that stock yourself or have it dipped or ordered?

Ordered. McMillan Mountain rifle stock. 50% org 50% blk.
 
.22's aren't legal where I hunt so not really an option. I've done 1 deer with .243 and wasn't real impressed with the performance. But it's also the only bullet I've ever recovered.

3 years ago I pulled a 300 yard shot on a broadside and standing still heavy mule deer. Instead of the vitals I got straight into the shoulder. But I was using 180gr elk load in 30-06 and it destroyed that shoulder as well as the opposite before passing through. 30cal hole on both sides, I don't think the bullet even knew it had hit anything. Using a 50gr varmint bullet, I would expect a splash and a lost deer.

I'm pretty darn confident in my ability to place a bullet, but sometimes I screw up. I like a little more screw-up room than an absolute, when the stars align, minimum.

I tried a 25-06 this year and took 4 animals out past 400 yards. Great shooter and probably the minimum I'm comfy carrying for the shots I normally see, which is wide open prairie.
 
In the last few years I have shot probably 15 deer with a 223. We have a landscape business and have shrubs planted in the field so my dad gets those permits. All I ever used was a Remington 55 grain soft point. In all of those deer I can only remember having one runner. Ran about 30 yards. Point being I know that with proper shot placement a 22-250 will work fine. That's the key proper shot placement. I cannot stress it enough. If you don't posess the skills to make clean shots maybe a 30 cal is what you need. Whatever you choose .. Happy hunting and goodluck
 
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Originally Posted By: KATTRAKERWhen the .22-250 was introduced, everyone thought this was a great idea for deer hunting...and then the reports of wounded deer started pouring in, and they quit advertising it as a deer caliber.

I am of the camp that would not use any .22 caliber bullet for deer hunting. I don't have to, I own a .270, a .30-06, a .243, a 6MM, a 12 gauge slug gun, and a Super Blackhawk .44 mag. None of them give me more recoil than I want. I have hit the magic pie plate offhand at 100 yards with the slug gun. No big deal.

As a hand loader, I would never use a NBT for any caliber to shoot a deer.

And to take a neck shot on purpose is a combination of arrogance and ignorance in my opinion. I don't care if your the greatest shot in the history of earth. Just a bad idea.

You may start bashing me now.

Nothing to bash at all in your post. It is the truth except that Nosler does make some Ballistic Tips for Big Game and some for Varmints. The ones designed for Big Game are still explosive but hold together better and are typically a heavier weight than the Varmint Ballistic Tips.

But I do agree in the sense that people should use appropriate bullets for Big Game. Leave the Varmint bullets to the Varmints.
 
Some good insight into this subject. I think the point to remember is where you actually hunt the deer at. I grew up in the North and now reside down in South Georgia and have lived in Florida. The first thing I noticed when I moved down here were how small the deer looked. It's not an illusion as the average deer is much lighter than a Northern deer of the same species. Here's a stat on Florida deer just for an example from a university there.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw121
Whitetails tend to be larger in the northern states. An adult white-tail buck (male) from northern states may exceed 136kg (300lbs) and stand 100cm (40in) at the shoulder; a typical adult buck from Florida weighs about 56kg (125lbs) and the average adult female (doe) weighs about 43kg (95 lbs). Adult Florida deer are about 90cm (36in) tall. Deer raised in the south tend to be smallest of all.

That's one of the reasons the state allows you to use a .22 centerfire rifle. Deer in the Northern part of Georgia seem to be larger than ours down South but I can't find a link quickly that verifies that. I am more of a predator hunter than a deer hunter so I usually don't even give the deer a second thought. I will probably use the 30-06 if I choose to take a deer, but for our South varieties I think that's probably on the upper end of what's needed.
 
Why not? We have killed a few with the .223 over the last several years. I use the Win 64g PP bullet. I don't think the 55g Vmax would be a good choice however. If you are a reloader I would get a heavier bullet if the 22-250 has a fast enough twist to stabilize it(I can't figure out why manufacturers continue to handicap the 22=250 with a 14" twist) or maybe slow down one of the Sierra semipts a bit. JMO TTT
 
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I've killed several doe of varying size with the 22/250. 60gr Nosler partitions. These were relaxed deer out in the open with the luxury of picking the shot. The white patch on the front of the neck. All shots were supported at ranges under 100 yds with bang flop results. I'm not saying it is an ideal whitetail round,but in a controlled environment it will work just fine.
 
If the 22-250 is what you have then use it within its limitations, I have killed 2 mule deer and an antelope with my 22-250 using nosler 60g partitions, certainly did the job. the type of bullet in my opinion makes a big difference as most of us have an opinion for coyote rounds that work better than others, I personally use seirra game king BTHP for coyotes out of mine.
 
Bullet choice (and placement) means far more to me than any headstamp.

A 53gr TSX in the vitals from a .22-250 is better than 180gr Partition through the guts from a guy whose latest WonderMag makes him flinch....YMMV
 
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