Missed Another, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree buddy!
I bet you've never seen me touting the "greatness" of the old tutty-tutty here either!
Before I get strung-up though, let me just say that the 30-30 is a good caliber, with major limitations! For those who are well practiced with it, and have the discipline to know its range, it is as good as it needs to be!
Back to the .22's! I'm not saying that they can't kill deer, its just that they are way down the list, when it comes to capability!
My biggest concern for the .22's is again, they have absolutely no margin for error! That alone makes them poor choices fordeer hunting.
Also, I am a very big fan of supporting LEGAL hunting, so if its legal, go for it! I'd rather you not, but if you are going to anyway, at least use the best bullets, practice a lots, and don't strain the ranges!
Finally, I guess this could go in the list of my "be sensitive peeves," don't recommend .22's to people who's abilities you don't know! Or, if you are going out to spend money on a new deer gun, why buy the .22's? When for the same money, you can get any number of better calibers, that have much more punch on the business end, with no more real punishment on the shoulder!
There are just too many ways of dealing with recoil, than to settle for the .22's!
If you are outfitting a new hunter, for a little extra, you can go with a heavier gun, a porting system such as the "boss," and /or good recoil padding. By doing this, you are getting a good hunting caliber, that can grow with the kid! Look at it this way, The extra cost of fitting one good gun, will be cheaper in the long run, than to buy another one latter! Not that one can possibly have too many guns!