22-250 for deer

I just read an article in Field and Stream regarding a wolf hunt in Nunavut, Canada. Aside from the wolf hunt itself, I read with interest the paragraph where the Inuktitut guide took a large caribou cow with his Ruger .22 Hornet.

I believe it's as much what's on the back end of the rifle as what's coming out of the muzzle. But I'm just a scatter gunner. What do I know?
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Raptor
 
Originally Posted By: tflick9Try 22/250 with Nosler 60gr partition. Have to find your own load.

60g partition with max load of IMR 4350, Win primer, wicked on deer.
 
I've killed a few hundred coyotes with the Sierra 52 gr HPBT's out of a 22-250 and I can't recommend them for deer. At 22-250 velocity they do some serious damage. I would be inclined to listen to heavier bullet suggestions.
 
This is probably heresy, but my plan is to go for whitetail (in Texas) at NOTHING OVER 50 YARDS with an Encore 15" 22-250 w/Hornady 60 gr. VMax. Team of two - the backup has the 12-gauge.
These bullets are chronoing at 2950 using 4895. I wouldn't even consider a head-shot attempt. In 10-years of bowhunting in NH, I came across a few past-tense-mutilated deer carcasses by careless hunters. I'll continue to respect my quarry.
 
Here is my two cents worth on this topic. You can not get deader than dead any .22250 with a half decent hunter behind it can humanely kill deer, i have never shot a whitetail but shot sika and reds by the score here and in New Zealand. I can not record a single time i ever even felt under gunned with a.22250 i have used v max 50 grain on roe deer in Scotland never a problem and if the .22250 was legal there for reds and sika i would use it without hesitation.
I have other calibers 30 30 .2506 7mm rem mag .308 win all tikkas apart from a ruger 77 7mm mag. so i got more gun if i need it, but to say the .22250 is light for deer is wrong, deer are not dangerous they are not going to be a threat to you, if you get in on them and deliver a well placed shot with something in the 50 to 55 grain area at typical .22250 speeds they are going down no debate needed.
For what its worth i use the 55 grain game king by sierra most of the time they work fine expand ok and i feel they do a better job. These were shot with my .2506 because they have to bee here in England but i have shot many just as dead with .22250 in New Zealand plenty of times.

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I've actually had more projectiles pass clean through a deer with my .50 cal flintlock than any of my rifles. I've never had a pass through with my .35 rem, but every one dropped where it stood. I'm planning on using my .22-250 this year on deer, just because I know it will kill em just as dead as any of my other guns. With any luck though I'l have a buck in archery, a doe in early muzzleloader, and one more doe tag for late season flintlock.
 
Under the load data in the sierra manual for each matching bullet there is a note saying "sierra does not recommend matching bullets for hunting applications" this means they have not been tested or proven by sierra for hunting. It does not necessarily mean they will not kill.
If somebody is using them for hunting and they work then I guess you can't argue with that. Imo I would personally try to choose a bullet meant for the job, but that's just me.
 
Any bullet including a .22 will kill even an elephant. But what's the point?
As hunters aren't we supposed to kill the animal as quickly as possible without causing much suffering? Why not use the proper caliber for the job?
 
Originally Posted By: wvyotehunter68It will be plenty good for.deer just think poachers use 22 shorts. And they kill just as much or more deer then hunters do. Its all about shot placement.

I'm not so sure than 22 shorts are a poachers first choice...



Originally Posted By: DoubleplayAny bullet including a .22 will kill even an elephant. But what's the point?
As hunters aren't we supposed to kill the animal as quickly as possible without causing much suffering? Why not use the proper caliber for the job?

Who's saying a 22-250 with a 60gr bullet isn't the "proper caliber for the job"? I can guarentee you it's MUCH more leathal than any archery equipment ever made.
 
Originally Posted By: coleridgeOriginally Posted By: wvyotehunter68It will be plenty good for.deer just think poachers use 22 shorts. And they kill just as much or more deer then hunters do. Its all about shot placement.

I'm not so sure than 22 shorts are a poachers first choice...



Originally Posted By: DoubleplayAny bullet including a .22 will kill even an elephant. But what's the point?
As hunters aren't we supposed to kill the animal as quickly as possible without causing much suffering? Why not use the proper caliber for the job?

Who's saying a 22-250 with a 60gr bullet isn't the "proper caliber for the job"? I can guarentee you it's MUCH more leathal than any archery equipment ever made.

Who? Millions of people who have been on the field for years hunting deer with bigger calibers like 30-30, 30-06 etc.. or states who does not allow anything smaller than .24.
Also apple to apple comparison please. Archery is not a caliber.
 
22 250 with a good HP or SP bullet is very much up to the job. Most important is to be able to hit where you aim. There are lots of deer lost to bad shots from larger calibers.

I stay behind the front shoulder or if they are facing me i put it straight down the chest. Most are dead within 10 yrds of where they were shot some might run up to 80-100yrds till they realize they are dead.

Call up sierra, they say to stick to the 60hp or 63-65 sp spitzer bullets. Winchester 64gr power point is a very good choice also. Turns insides to mush!
 
Originally Posted By: Doubleplay
Who? Millions of people who have been on the field for years hunting deer with bigger calibers like 30-30, 30-06 etc.. or states who does not allow anything smaller than .24.
Also apple to apple comparison please. Archery is not a caliber.


Millions of people rob, steal or do drugs. Does it mean it's right if a lot of people do it??? The fact that .30 calibers can kill deer has no bearing on wether a 22 caliber centerfire will or won't other than it works the same way.

Why do we have to omit Archery? Even if it's not a fair comparison can't we still deduct that if archery is human enough for deer & the 22-250 is better than archery - the 22-250 is human enough for deer.

IIRC there are only 5 or 7 states that do not allow .22 cal centerfires for leagal taking of deer (of course some states don't allow rifles for hunting big game at all - does that mean the 30/06 is less leathal than we thought?) . I think if you add that up; MANY more states say it's just fine (since the majority of states allow 22 cal it must be fine huh?). Some others will come arounds soon just like the current shift of several states now allowing suppressors.

A LOT of deer get wounded because of guys false sense with there .3** magnum & think as long as they are in "brown" it's good. Of those some are lucky to hit "brown" because they are scared to death of the gun because it kicks so hard. Not to mention they won't shoot/practice it because the ammo is $3+ a round. A man with a small caliber that can shoot it is MUCH more deadly.

I've killed well over 200 deer, a bunch of those with "bigger calibers like 30-30, 30-06 etc..". I've also killed a pile with smaller calibers like 22-250, 220 swift, 223, 6x45, 6BR (inadaquate calibers most would say). With a lot of TRUE personal field experience, I can tell you FROM EXPERIENCE: small calibers can "kill the animal as quickly as possible without causing much suffering".

Might I ask exactly how much experience you have taking larger game with .224" rifle? Trying to guage were you are coming from with your argument? Please change my mind if I have been doing it wrong the last several years. I havn't ever lost a deer with a 22 caliber rifle. I hope this thread doesn't change that.
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Originally Posted By: coleridge I can guarentee you it's MUCH more leathal than any archery equipment ever made.

Couldn't disagree more...there is no way you can even begin to say that archery equipment is less/more lethel then a rifle...I have seen pletny of deer shot with an arrow make it less then 20 yds...or LESS. Again, SHOT PLACEMENT!!!

Sorry for the off topic action there!
 
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Originally Posted By: Smokin250
Couldn't disagree more...there is no way you can even begin to say that archery equipment is less/more lethel then a rifle...I have seen pletny of deer shot with an arrow make it less then 20 yds...or LESS. Again, SHOT PLACEMENT!!!

Sorry for the off topic action there!


Are you one of the millions on drugs? Your saying that hemorrhaging alone is more dangerous than extreme shock, trauma, massive tissue damage WITH severe bleeding (read - same hemorrhaging)??? I'm not saying a sharp blade won't kill a deer very efficiently, just a high powered rifle does it better, there is no argument there.
 
In your treestand, big buck comes into your shooting lane at 30 yards. What weapon has the best chance of killing the deer quicker and more humane,.22-250 or a bow and arrow? .22-250. This is a ridiculous thread!
 
We have a county here in NW Indiana that is known for it's rifle poaching on deer. Their weapon of choice? Their coyote rigs- generally in 22-250.

Im betting a Nosler Partition or BT, a Sierra SBT, or Hornady Spire Point coming out of a 250 will put a whitetail down without issue.

I saw a hunting show the other day where a guy was using a 300RUM on Speed Goats. Spell it with me.....O-V-E-R-K-I-L-L.

Sierra has to say that about their MKs. They are used by snipers in combat. Read the Geneva Law on hunting bullets in war. A complete No-No. LongrangeHunting.com is full of members that smash Big Game with Match King bullets. They say that after a few hundred yards, they tend to act like hunting bullets. And it was said before- a .30" hole through a vital or a 2" hole through a vital is dead.
 
I know for a fact that a 60 grain Nosler Partition out of a 22-250 placed into the front shoulder of a 180 lbs. whitetail deer will anchor them very well. Even better than an arrow into the front shoulder!
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