I want to add that the size of deer matters IMHO. Never been hunting in the south or back east, but from what I hear the deer there are a lot smaller than the average whitetail around here in Idaho or Montaina. Also the mule deer here out west beside being bigger, can sometimes take a beating and keep ticking. I have seen many get shot with a .7 Mag through the boiler and ack like nothing happened. I konw that the 22's are outlawed in a lot of states here in the west and for good reason. I think that anyone who uses a 22 for deer is playing with fire. Yes their are hunters who are skilled enough to use the 22's to harvest almost all of the big game animals in North America. But the average hunter doesn't have the skills to accomplish that task, in fack very few do. I am friends with a lot of outfitters and the two of questions asked first to clients are. How good of shape are you in? And how accurate are you at shooting on live game? A smart client will tell the truth to both questions, because the truth will reveal itself on a hunt, lieing about it will only make you look like a idiot. Anyway back to the subject I think a premium 100 gr. bullet for a .243 is an minimum for deer size game, well at least for the local deer around here in the west. A hunter who uses a .243 needs to choose their shots carefully. I had a coworker who took his wife elk hunting, she shot a .243 which is not recomended for elk, but it can work if you keep your shots under 150 yards and broadside. BTW on that hunt she killed a 330 B&C class 6x6 bull at 70 yards, one shot kill using a 100 Gr. Nosler Partition. She has also killed a few bulls with her bow so she can control herself in exciting situations. My point to all this is that there are so many variables in hunting, that is why there are recomended minimums, so fewer mistakes are made. I can no more tell who here on this board is a excellent shot than any other hunter I meet in the field. In real life some people have skills and some people only have skills on the computer, and in their own mind. Remember hunting is a privledge not a right and we need to be ethical at all times. Just my 2 cents