22 Cal To Shoot Deer
02-02-2005, 05:27 AM
#81
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 2
RE: 22 Cal To Shoot Deer
this thread is a couple of months old, but when i see one of these "hack on the 22 centerfires for deer" threads, ive always felt compelled to jump in.
as a long time gun dealer and gunsmith, im asked this question quite often, especially by dads and husbands wondering about buying that first deer rifle for there wife,daughter or son. my answer has always been YES, the 22 cal. centerfires are more than acceptable for deer. generally, when you get this "sneer" when you ask that question, its from the guy who is just repeating what he has heard on the internet, or from that guy who loves the abuse of big caliber centerfire rifles, not from the guy who has actually hunted with them. personally, ive hunted with a sako .222 for YEARS AND YEARS. ive NEVER lost a deer. i used to be the butt of all the jokes in our hunting camp,everyone commenting on my "sissy gun",ect. until they had to help me pack a 225lb mulie out of a canyon, with the shot measuring out at about 515 yards+. awile back , i decided to hand my sako 222 down to my son for a first rifle, and bought myself a ruger M77 MKII in 223. one of the flatest shooting rifles ive owned. this year,i took 2 der with it, and a relative of mine tok one. all three deer were outside of 100 yards, and dropped like a stone when the 55gr ballistic tip bullet hit ( even though the one my relative shot was a running ham shot). the der pictured below were all taken with the 223 and 222
2 deer with the sako 222
taken with the ruger 223
now these pictures shot the emense damage the 223 can do. this is one of the hams that were hit by accident when my relatve took the running shot i spoke about
the round was devistating. my point to all of this is dont listen to someone who says the 223 is too small, as 99% of the time there just repeating what the other guy said, or what they "heard" on the next, and not speaking from actual hands on experience. yes, bullet selection and placment mean alot, but the same goes for a 30-06,7mm or 300 mag. in all of the years ive hunted with the 222 and 223, ive never lost a single deer, and have not had any one do anything exept drop in there tracks, good or bad shot
i even knew a guy who used the 22 hornet to hunt deer, and never lost a one.
good luck, and remeber, if your interested in hnting with the 223, go for it. do some research, and dont just listen to the guy who has never even huntied with one. in my opinion, experience in or on a subject is the best teacher. if you dont have any experience hunting with a 22 centerfire, how in gods name can you answer intelligently? you CANT.
good luck
John
GunsBay Administrator
www.GunsBay.com
as a long time gun dealer and gunsmith, im asked this question quite often, especially by dads and husbands wondering about buying that first deer rifle for there wife,daughter or son. my answer has always been YES, the 22 cal. centerfires are more than acceptable for deer. generally, when you get this "sneer" when you ask that question, its from the guy who is just repeating what he has heard on the internet, or from that guy who loves the abuse of big caliber centerfire rifles, not from the guy who has actually hunted with them. personally, ive hunted with a sako .222 for YEARS AND YEARS. ive NEVER lost a deer. i used to be the butt of all the jokes in our hunting camp,everyone commenting on my "sissy gun",ect. until they had to help me pack a 225lb mulie out of a canyon, with the shot measuring out at about 515 yards+. awile back , i decided to hand my sako 222 down to my son for a first rifle, and bought myself a ruger M77 MKII in 223. one of the flatest shooting rifles ive owned. this year,i took 2 der with it, and a relative of mine tok one. all three deer were outside of 100 yards, and dropped like a stone when the 55gr ballistic tip bullet hit ( even though the one my relative shot was a running ham shot). the der pictured below were all taken with the 223 and 222
2 deer with the sako 222
taken with the ruger 223
now these pictures shot the emense damage the 223 can do. this is one of the hams that were hit by accident when my relatve took the running shot i spoke about
the round was devistating. my point to all of this is dont listen to someone who says the 223 is too small, as 99% of the time there just repeating what the other guy said, or what they "heard" on the next, and not speaking from actual hands on experience. yes, bullet selection and placment mean alot, but the same goes for a 30-06,7mm or 300 mag. in all of the years ive hunted with the 222 and 223, ive never lost a single deer, and have not had any one do anything exept drop in there tracks, good or bad shot
i even knew a guy who used the 22 hornet to hunt deer, and never lost a one.
good luck, and remeber, if your interested in hnting with the 223, go for it. do some research, and dont just listen to the guy who has never even huntied with one. in my opinion, experience in or on a subject is the best teacher. if you dont have any experience hunting with a 22 centerfire, how in gods name can you answer intelligently? you CANT.
good luck
John
GunsBay Administrator
www.GunsBay.com
02-02-2005, 08:27 AM
#82
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wall SD USA & Jamestown ND
Posts: 11,474
RE: 22 Cal To Shoot Deer
Yours must be magical because I know of no other gun that will always drop them in their tracks with a bad shot. Thats pretty poor advice from someone who claims to kwnow a lot about guns and hunting. With A bad shot, nothing is going to drop them in their tracks. The 223 is legal in our state and it will do the job in the hands of a decent shooter BUT NOT WITH BAD SHOTS.[:@]
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