wv singleshot

If I could only have one gun it would be a 22 mag. It does a number on Coyotes and Foxes. I have never shot a deer with one.

mauser06

maybe he was just trying to tell you that even though its small it still has alot of power and you must be carefull even if it is "just a 22" when your out shooting or hunting small game with it.....trying to get the point across that you have to be careful with any weapon....just because its small it still has the power to go far and kill.......i highly doubt any insturctor was telling you to hunt deer with a 22.....

driftrider

Capable, yes. Suitable, no.

If your hunter safety instructor was endorsing the use of any rimfire for deer hunting, then he's an idiot, or a poacher, or both. I would call the your local Conservation Officer/Game Warden and ask him what he thinks about what your instructor said.

Mike

Doe Dumper

I will agree with Ridge Runner....and I can also say in the areas that Bigcountry and myself lived...the 22 mag is definitely the poachers #1 choice!!!

fairchase Larry

When I took the concealed to carry handgun class the instructor also talked broadly about the .22 mag.
He said it was the most feared round by law enforcement officers.
He gave several occasions that the .22mag had pierced armored vest.
He stated that the vest would stop a .357 mag or a .44 mag but due to smaller bullet diameter that the .22mag went thru and told of many officers killed or wounded by them,as well as several civilans on cases he had investigated.
He also gave examples of the local DNR using them to kill deer for research studies.
He only gave those as examples and certainly did not recommend them for deer hunting.
He did however recommend them highly as a self protection handgun.

He is a conservation officer here in WV and certifies local state and federal law officers in handgun training,he has many awards and shooting records and is a no nonsence kink of guy.
I highly recommend him to anyone that wants to take the concealed to carry class to get their permit.
His name is Richard Robinson and can be contacted thru the wv Dept. of natural resources.

DM1975

All I would say to that is that I have seen nearly into the hundreads, if not more deer killed with a 22 mag and never one lost to it. I will not say when where or how but I am a believer in it. I hunted most my life with a .222 without any problem, I live in Kansas at the present time and had to go out and buy a .243 just so I can hunt due to caliber restrictions. I worked in a processing plant in Texas for a while and constantly saw deer killed by big city hunters with 7mm mags and bigger because they thought they needed a big caliber to kill deer. The results were always a large amount of meat lost to the wound and a mangled deer. Just my $0.02

fairchase Larry

I have killed many deer myself with the .22 mag
I will tell you where and how,they were legal.
West Virginia,the how is that the DNR issues garden and crop damage permits to landowners for enough deer to stop the damage and compensate for the damages.
This is usually in the summer and you can use anything you want to shoot the permit deer.
I helped a friend shoot 15 a few years back,we shot 2-3 per evening as we saved the meat and that was all we could take care of before they could spoil.
All were one shot kills in the head or neck at 30-50 yds.
when used properly they will certainly do the job,that is why they are the gun of choice for poachers.

The point I was getting across was that the instructers did not advise anyone to deer hunt with .22 mags.

smokepolehall

Will the 22 mag. harvest a deer yes indeed i have taken 8 of them with a 22 & shorts. I just shot them between the eye and the ear, dead deer. In the south half dz. states allow them for deer hunting. Its an experts rifle cal. So please keep an open mind, it maynot be your cup of tea but anothers sweet peach. I don't suggest folks run out and buy one just because they can harvest game with it and very light recoil. Hey were in the real world and folks do many things they shouldn't. [&:]

craig

.22 (of any sort) for deer is the experts gun at best, not for a new shooter. And the expert is going to wait for the proper shot placement to be possible.

The .22 rim-fires are used by poachers due to the very low report. The poacher is shooting illegal and so this is a big point in favor of the .22 mag. But poachers also waste a good deal of game this way when a bad hit is made they just drive on.

I know a man who, when younger & quite poor, killed a lot of deer with a 222 by shooting them in the head. Local land owners thought nothing of the crack of his rifle as he was always glad to eliminate any chucks the wished to be rid of. He was never caught for this reason. Per this man the 222 when used for a head shot will take off about 1/3 of the top of the deers head..........dead is dead.

I know he also took a deer legally with a 1/9 twist savage 22-250 handloaded with Swift 75 gr. Sirocco bullets. He shot a doe right behind the shoulder taking out the top of the heart & punching through both lungs as well. Deer still ran for 80yds however, which shows that even a expert shooter & perfect placed shot has limits on deer sized game. The thing I found of interest with this doe is that the bullet passed through & exited.....with over 2" exit. I was surprise the bullet did not blow up, but it clearly did not.

.22 center-fire rifles are legal in Mi.

Rim-fires are not.

Mojotex

My $.02. I ahve no doubts that the 22 mag. can kill deer sized game. I read a very good book written about a plane crash survivor that made it out of far north western Canada in the dead of winter back in the 1950's ... he had a "survival" rifle in 22 LR., with which he dropped a mature cow moose. No body I know would based upon that incident of taking a moose out of necessity that the 22 LR is a moose cartridge !

Likewise, legal or not, the 22 Mag. in my opinion is not a "wise" choice for deer sized game. My personal minimal would be the almost forgotten 6 mm Rem. or the popular 243 Win.