Using a larger caliber doesn't always mean the deer will drop in it's tracks, especially if you still make poor shots. The percentage might go up, but it isn't a guarantee. If you deer hunt you will have to track deer sooner or later. I gun hunt with shotguns and muzzle loaders which push a very heavy bullet at decent speeds and deliver quite a bit of energy to the target. I haven't had a deer drop in it's tracks yet, they all run 50 to 100 yards.

Hawkeye, while a 22-250 wouldn't be my first choice in deer rifle I don't really think it was the caliber that was your problem, it was the fact that you were using the wrong type of ammo for the job. If you would have used a bullet more designed for the game you were hunting and limited your range I bet you would have had the same success as you would have with just about any other rifle when taking a shot in the vitals. I really wouldn't have suggested taking shoulder or neck shots with that rifle either because of the lack on penetration, but it seems to have worked for you.

I bet if you would use the same 55 grn varmint bullets out of your .243 you would see the same results. It doesn't matter what rifle fired it, you would still be using a similar projectile moving at near the same speeds. The reason the .243 worked better was because you used ammo better suited to the game you were hunting.

My opinion anyway.

Paul