Fight4yourguns, I feel the same as you do about the .22' s!
However, I do feel that the .243/6mm with good 100 grain bullets to be a very good minimum for deer sized game.
I shot a 6mm Remington for years with excellent results.
I have long since moved on to a .308 and 7MM Rem. mag.
If I ever went back to a lighter gun, I' d probably go with at least a .260, but I' d rather see people using a .243/6MM any day than to see them using ANYTHING in .22 caliber!