ipscshooter

I subscribe to Texas Trophy Hunters Magazine, and every month they've got pictures of junior hunters who have taken their first deer with a .22-250 or a .223. The Texas rule is that "any centerfire is legal", so even ridiculously underpowered cartridges like the .30 Carbine, .25-20, and the .17 Rem. are "legal". All of these have significantly less punch than the 22-250 or .223. With the right bullet, and the right shot placement, the .22 centerfires will work, although I suspect that part of the reason is the relatively small body size of most Texas deer. Note that the .22's are NOT legal in all states.

That being said, my personal choice is .243 Win....

Rebel Hog

Florida minimum, .243

mauser06

thanx techy...

seems 300 or less still packs the magic "800ft/lbs" or some say 1000ft/lbs is needed..so thats 200 or less..with a 60gr pill.

id honestly have no problem taking a 300yd shot with my rifle given the right shot and rangefinder and click chart in my hand. but its also the rifle i shoot the most and am most confident in. crank the leupold upto 18x and click in the distance and place the bullet where i want it to go. wish i woulda counted the number of groundhogs i head shot on purpose this summer...200 and less was always a head shot unless i was shooting freehand. 200+ id shoot the vitals...wish i kept track of my misses..though there honestly wasnt many to count..and when i did miss it was hairs away because i forgot the range finder or jerked the factory trigger...if next bow season dont produce, i will be shootin the 250 when im on stand..the right bullet and right shot is what matters...

i know groundhogs aint deer...but hitting a 3-4" groundhead head consistantly at 200yds makes the 8" deer vitals look huge..

srwshooter

i've killed deer 22cal (22mag,221fb and the 22-250) but its taking a chance on loseing one everytime you shoot.iv'e seen some walk like a fly landed on them.there are to many other calibers out that will work way better for a all around gun. i used to varmint hunt all summer ,sometimes taking 400 groundhogs a yr. with my 270win loaded down to 85-100grn bullets and then go deer hunting with 140grn. it just makes more sense useing the right gun.

spike76

i like a 22-250 for deer hunting, a 270 is nice for deer hunting as well

wyotimberghost

Like the others have stated, I see no problem with it as long as they use the proper bullet and make sure it's legal in their state (.243 is the minimum in WY). If ranges started getting a little long, just go for a head shot so that if you miss its no big deal and if you hit it you know it's going down.

RugerM77.270

That is if you don't punch it in the jaw. Then it just starves to death.

Pioneer2

It's funny how the 5.56x45[.223] is fine for shooting humans [NATO cartridge]but inadequate for deer? Amazing..............................Harold

DannyD

Pioneer.
In a war, I don't think wepick a cartridge for it's ability to make an ethical quick kill. Shoot a guy in thevitals with a 223 or 30-06 and he's out of the game. In fact if he's still alive, well now we've taken a few people out of the action. The guy who got shot, the guy dragging him to safety and the guy trying to patch him up in the field.
Not to sound cold but 223 or 300winmag. I'm not caring if he dies quickly or dies later in the triage.

All that aside. I think a 223 or 22-250 at reasonable range is fine for deer. I was just making the point that in war we are looking for something different than when we hunt.

driftrider

cas·u·al·ty /ˈkæʒuəlti/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[kazh-oo-uhl-tee] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun, plural -ties. 1.Military. a.a member of the armed forces lost to service through death, wounds, sickness, capture, or because his or her whereabouts or condition cannot be determined. b.casualties, loss in numerical strength through any cause, as death, wounds, sickness, capture, or desertion.
The primary purpose of any military weapon is, like Danny said, to produce CASUALTIES. The 5.56 NATO is very good at fullfilling it's role, as well as having a number of other desirable characteristics for military use. A military application, when any available shot is acceptable and possibly necessary, is completely different from a hunting situation where the hunter has a duty to make the cleanest, quickest and most humane kill possible. Of course, a hunter, unlike a soldier, has the option to NOT hunt if his weapon doesn't match his intended game, and NOT shoot if the shot is questionable.

It's unfortunate that some people can't understand this difference.

Mike