A 22-250 is plenty big for deer. I use a .223, which is about the same only not quite as much bullet energy,and have never had a deer go more than 10 yards after i shot it. It is all about shot placement. A 55 grain V-max bullet in the lungs of a deer will drop it. I have shot the shoulder blade before, but it demolishes the front quarter it hits. Just as long as you choose a good expanding bullet and not a full metal jacket, and get it in the heart or lungs it will be all the gun you'll ever need for deer and smaller animals.