.222 for deer ?

[NCDixieboy]

Has anyone used this caliber for deer before? My girlfriend has been shooting this gunall of this summer. Will it work?

[Champlain Islander]

Not a real good idea. If it were me I would step up to something with more punch and still easy shooting like a .243 minimum. Respect for both the animal and the hunter dictates the proper tool for the job.

[Paul L Mohr]

That caliber is legal in some states, MI being one of them, at least up north. Can it kill a deer, sure it can with a well placed shot at the proper distance andwith the proper bullet. Is it the best choice, not in my opinion or most others on this board. Especially for a new hunter. I agree the .243 would be a better choice and the minimum I would use for deer at ranges beyond 100 yards.

If you do decide to use that rifle, pick a bullet suitable to the job and learn shot placement because it will be key. With that small of a round you won't have a lot of leeway for a poor shot. And even with a well placed shot don't expect that round to drop one in it's tracks like a 30-06 or .270 might do. Chances are you will have to track what you shoot with that gun. Not saying that is deffinate, but the odds are higher that you will than you won't.

If I had no other choice I would use a .222/.223 for deer, but in all honestly I would use a slug gun or inline muzzle loader first. And a 30-30 or 7.62x39 would be even better yet.

Just my opinion though, take it for it's worth.

Paul

[JagMagMan]

Not a good choice! Will it work? a .22 RF will work, but still not a good choice!

[terbzz]

yah it will kill a deer my brother uses a 223wssm for deer he has dropped a lot of deer with it i have a friend who shoots a 222 he dropped a nice 5 by 6 ithink it was and his brother and dad shoot a 22-250 and it kills a deer just fine he just shot a deer at 200 yard with it and it ran i little ways and dropped

[cowboy4513]

Dont use it atleast a 243 is my recomendation

[atcfisherman]

I think it depends on where you are hunting and how far a shot you have. I south east Texas in the thicket woods, you might have a maximum of 100 yards to shoot depending on the clear cut and lease you are on. In that situation, it would be ok if you are a good shot. But, for the price difference, I would go with a 243 or 270.

[bradisthebest]

I have used this caliber and shot many deer. I shot one at 250 yards last year with this caliber and the deer dropped in it's tracks. My advice is this if you are accurate with it and you are confident that you can place the bullet well i would say go ahead and use it. I also agree with the other guys on this issue that is you are not real accurate with this gun use somthing bigger.

[NCDixieboy]

I have found that most hunters these days have their mind set that bigger is better, but I've found out the opposite is true. I started gun hunting with a .270,at the age of 10. Doesn't sound hard kicking, but at 10 I was petrefied to shoot the thing. To this day I can't shoot the first deer I see (unless it stays around for a long time)because I flinchreally bad. Instead I sit there holding it on a spot where I could shoot it praticing breathing and squeezing.
I didn't want my gf to go through all of that so I started small and we worked up together. ( Yep I shot to) At this time we are only up to the .222. I know how good of a shot she is and shotplacement isn't a problem for her. Well see how it goes. I'll post pics if we get one this week.

[Sylvan]

You can kill a deer with a .22 rimfire but it would be foolish (and I think nearly always illegal) to hunt with it. I agree with others here. 243 minimum.