RE: 22-250 for deer hunting
 

I was thinking about shooting a doe with mine this year... The shot would be around 150 yards in a open field... I will definetly try it out...

RE: 22-250 for deer hunting
 

But alas with a FMJ as per the Geneva convention it will wound more then kill . Like another poster said the intent is to take a few people out with one shot. The guy dragging or 2 guys dragging him to safety.

RE: 22-250 for deer hunting
 

The .224 Cal and FMJ bullet's are very remarkable. I have experimented for years with them in the .223 and the 22-250. Both are fully capable of killing deer effeicently. Now, for the use of FMJ bullets. If you have ever tried them, you will find that they do not react the same way consistantly. Meaning that sometimes in a given situation, they will leave a tremendous wound channel and exit wound , other times they just punch a small hole with minimal damage. However, if the bullet strikes in the vital area of the body the animal will die shortly. There is asignificant difference in the kinetic energy transfer between the .224 cal and larger calibers. Ultimately, it is the hunters choice to pick the weapon and caliber he/she feels appropiate to ethically harvest an animal. So, with all that said go enjoy the hunt.

RE: 22-250 for deer hunting
 

Friend of mine calls me up yesterday and tells me he killed a doe and says he shot it with his 22-250... Shot was around 60 yards and he said he shot the deer right behind the shoulder and dropped it in it's tracks... He said it really tore up the inside thoe!!!!

RE: 22-250 for deer hunting
 

Oh dear lord...I was gonna stay out of this post until I read this nonsense.

How in the world can you spout off this crap?

I'm not going to debate this any longer. My opinion on this subject has been well established. I just wanted to let driftrider know that he is full of it for posting this rediculous statement.

RE: 22-250 for deer hunting
 

A 22-250 has got speed, but its a little light for deer, unless you role your own. The 220 swift you can kill deer with but if you dont have the right kind of bullets, you have to head shot them. Aand unlees your swift is almost dead on, you are gonna miss a lot. I would try and use something a little bigger. A .243 is a great gun for deer, but as little light for larger big game animals like elk. Try and see if he roles his own for the 22-250 and tell him its not recommended for the swift. But something like a .243 or bigger will work great.

RE: 22-250 for deer hunting
 

Well, I suppose I will stir the pot a little more. In my previous post I never stated wheither I was supporting or against the use of small caliber rifles to deer hunt. So, I might as well state my opinion and my opinion only. Don't knock it until you try it. I have used a model 7 Remington in .223 REM to deer hunt and I found it to be a very efficient Caliber. People have a tendency to believe everything they hear and/or read. That doesn't necessarily make it the truth. Wtiters, who write articles for gun magazines write to get the consumer, namely hunters in this case to buy the newest, hotest and fastest caliber on the market. Remember they are getting paid to write and to influence your opinions. That being said, it is very difficult to believe that people will believe that the .223 or the .22-250 are incapable of efficently taking deer sized game when they will advocate bow hunting. Now, someone will want to talk ballistics, Sectional Densities and Ballistic Coeffients. Ok, compare your compound bow to the .223 or the .22-250. I am also a bowhunter, so don't think I am degrading archers. I personally think there is nothing wrong with the .223 or .22-250. I have used both and I like them equally. Now the subject of FMJ, they are the deadliest bullet arround. I know someone will disagree, however past experience tells me other wise. Try this, load some FMJ's in the .22-250 and run them out of the muzzle at 3600 fps and shoot a deer behind the shoulder at 100 to 200 yards and I think you might be impressed. The fact is the average hunter can not tolerate recoil well. Why carry a .300 Win Mag and not be able to shoot it well. With any hunting rifle it is more about bullet placement and making a clean ethical kill. Like I stated previously you have to make the choice as to which caliber you think is the correct one for your use, but please don't knock someone else for there choice. This is only my opion and evreybody has one. Happy Hunting!!!!!!!

RE: 22-250 for deer hunting
 

my sister with her first buck, first day in Pa. . shot with a 22-250 at 30 yards. he ran less then 100 yards. no exit hole. i reload 60 grain sierra soft points for it. this is her 4th deer with this gun. i was sitting right beside her when she shot, i did tell her she needs a little bit bigger gun because of mornings like this, rain and lots of other people close by. it works, but a little bigger caliber wouldn't hurt.

RE: 22-250 for deer hunting
 

I'd personally consider a .243 to be the bottom end of the line for whitetails....but I know of one man that lives nearby that hunts with a M1 carbine, the .30, and his daughter hunts with a .22 Hornet....both keep their shots inside 50 yards, and both get a deer. I've had to help them track a few but we've always found them.

I'd second the .224 TTH though, that's a mean little cartridge. Not sure if anyone plans to produce a rifle in the caliber but I'll be buying if they do.

And as far as using FMJ's ina .223 on whitetails....[:'(].....just not smart. I've seen coyotes shot with that round in FMJ and never been seen again. I'm not sure if you're aware that the FMJ is not expanding or delivering much of it's energy inside the animal...just punching a hole smaller than a quarter inch in one side and out the other.

RE: 22-250 for deer hunting
 

Every one I have ever shot expired promptly.

RE: 22-250 for deer hunting
 

Give the 64gr powerpoint a try, expands and puches on through even on double shoulder shots. The swift 75gr scirrocco II at 3500 fps out of the 224 will do more than any 243 load I have used, talk about impressive!! Ive used the 223 and 22-250 on tons of deer and hogs and as long as you use and good bullet and put it in the right place you have no problems. The hornady 55grspwc leaves dang good blood trails as well if they manage to make it very far. I use the 22's on small tx deer and hogs with great success, several hundred does and hogs on culling operations cant tell the difference in .019 in starting diameter of the 243.

RE: 22-250 for deer hunting
 

Never had any problems with 22 caliber rounds on deer.. You would be suprised how much better a shot you are with a lighter caliber..

RE: 22-250 for deer hunting
 

I highly recomend reading PO Ackley's Volume 1 on ballistics and cartridges, it will put to rest any concerns you might have regarding the use of a 22 250 or 220 swift on deer.

RE: 22-250 for deer hunting
 

What's difficult to believe is that people don't realize bullets and arrows are designed to do completely different things. The object of the bullet is to penetrate, then expand and deliver shock (by transferring energy) to the animal. Arrows are supposed to pass through the animal. They kill by cutting as they go through, causing the lungs to collapse and/or the animal to bleed out quickly. That's why it's key to have broadheads razor sharp. A compound bow will deliver an arrow THROUGH a metal bucket filled with sand, whereas a .30 caliber bullet will stop inside the bucket.

So yeah, I'd feel much better about my chances of killing -and tracking- a deer hit through the lungs with a good broadhead than I would one hit in the same spot with a 223. The broadhead exit hole is going to leave a bloodtrail a mile wide. A 223 with fmj is going to punch a tiny little hole that will likely not bleed all that much.

This is also why fmj bullets are not legal for hunting in some areas.

I personally don't think there is anything wrong with a 223 or 22-250, either - depending on what they're used for. I just don't think they are a good choice for deer or other big game.

RE: 22-250 for deer hunting
 

One of my hunting buddies shot a doe last weekend with his bow. Said he could see 6" of arrow stick out both sides of her. We couldn't find a drop of blood.

RE: 22-250 for deer hunting
 

That EXACT same thing happened to me three years ago. I have not bow hunted since.

RE: 22-250 for deer hunting
 

"One of my hunting buddies shot a doe last weekend with his bow. Said he could see 6" of arrow stick out both sides of her. We couldn't find a drop of blood."

Several years ago i shot asmall buckon Ft. Sill with a crossbow. The bolt was sticking out both sides. The buck took off and there was not a drop of blood to follow. Heard a vehicle stop on a nearby road when i was trying to track the buck. In about five minutes the vehicle drove off.

Few days later i met a drill sergeant hunting in the same area. He told me that a buck with a "shortarrow" in it droppeddead right in front of him a few days before and that he had taken it and checked it in.Told him that the bolt had green and white fletching. Yep, it was the deer i shot. He said there was only acouple drops of blood on the road where the buck fell.

RE: 22-250 for deer hunting
 

I've heard of that happening to people. (arrow not exiting or passing completely through) If the arrow doesn't go all the way through, you'regoing to have blood trail issues, since the arrow itself isrestricting the flow of blood through the wounds.

It shouldn't happen, though, really. If you're at a reasonable distance and shooting sharp broadheads with a tuned bow, that arrow should go right through the ribs. I've had arrows go through and continue on to bury themselves 8" into the ground and I don't shoot heavy draw weights. I've also had arrows that *didn't* pass through turkeys, though. (which is often times better when hunting turkeys, but that's a different matter.) Found out that my bow wasn't tuned and the arrows were coming out slightly off-kilter, which saps a great deal of their momentum upon impact. Think of it like a drinking straw. If you hold your thumb over one end and jab it hard into a potato at a right angle, it will go all the way through. But if you were hitting it at less than a right angle, it'll bend/fold up and there's no way it goes through. The force needs to be directly behind (in line with) the tip. If the tip is off to one side of where the back (where the force is coming from) you're going to have problems.

RE: 22-250 for deer hunting
 

You don't have to get a pass thru on a deer to kill it and recover it. Many traditional set ups do not have the power to get complete pass throughs every time. And smaller people like me don't always get them either because of the reduced draw length and draw weight we shoot.

If you make a good shot on a deer into the lungs it should still leave a blood trail. A lot of the blood coming from the deer comes out of the mouth and nose because it is choking on it's own blood. And I have shot deer with the arrow in them that still left a decent blood trail. I mean the broad head is at least an inch in diameter and the arrow is only between 18 and 24/64's of an inch in diameter. That still leaves plenty of room for blood to poor out of.

I will agree though, a double lung pass through is always better.

Paul