bigbuck270

I am reloading for my Encore 15" 22-250. I have loaded 50 gr nosler balistic tips and had good luck. I want to load something heavier, perhaps big enough to take a deer. What is the heaviest bullet this bbl can stabalize?

driftrider

The longest (and hence heaviest) bullet the rifle will stabilize depends on the twist rate of the barrel. Most 22-250's are 1-in-14" twist, which will stabilize bullets up to 55 grains. If it's 1-in-12" then it'd probably do ok with 62 grain bullets.

But it would be irresponsible for me to not caution you against using a .224cal rifle for deer, especially the larger northern deer. .224cal rifles are just not powerful enough to reliably make a clean kill on deer sized game, period. Don't let the velocity numbers lull you into believing that a 22-250, or any other .224cal rifle for that matter, is good for deer. Velocity isn't the only thing that factors into the killing power of a cartridge. Bullet construction is one, and there aren't too many bullets in .224cal designed for the type of penetration and controlled expansion necessary for large game. Another is the sectional density of the bullet, which determines how well it penetrates relative to other bullets. The SD of .224cal bullets, especially the 55grain and lighter, is pretty pitiful, and will not guarantee that the bullet will penetrate layers of bone and muscle to reach vital organs if your shot isn't absolutely perfect. Thirdly, even with 1.5-2x expansion without the bullet coming apart, that still leaves a very small hole. All this translates to zero margin of error for a shot against a deer.

Lastly, .224cal rifles nay very well be illegal for use on deer, as they are in most states and for good reason. If you have your heart set on hunting deer with your Encore, then go get yourself another barrel in .243Win or 6mm Rem. at a minimum. A couple other good rounds would be .308Win, or in pistol cartridges you could go with .44Mag, .480Ruger or .454Casull. All of which will do a very good job on deer at reasonable ranges.

But I'd admonish you to stay away from hunting deer with a .22cal rifle. Even though a .22-250 CAN kill a deer (and so can a .22LR, but that would clearly be ill advised, wouldn't you agree?), that doesn't mean that it's the right cartridge for the task. As responsible hunters it's our duty to select a cartridge that is capable of the terminal performance necessary to ensure a clean kill provided we do our part by placing the bullet in the kill zone. Any .224cal is NOT a cartridge that meets that standard.

Now if you were shooting at coyotes it'd be a different story!

Mike

bigcountry

I have never hunted with a 22-250 for deer but do know alot of deer hunters with 40 years of experience that have had great luck with a Nosler Partition 60gr and Barnes 53gr X bullet. With these bullet construction, you should not have any problem taking a deer within 200 yards. I have not due to I have better calibers for the job of deer hunting IMHO. I joke with them about using thier 22-250 but in actuality, I have yet to see them lose deer. I have however in front of them with a 300Win Mag, which of course gave them alot of ammo to blast my fun making of their choice of calibers. I used to believe what they were doing using a 22-250 for deer was just wrong. But after losing a deer while hunting with them with my 300Win Mag, I couldn't say much. Think I will keep my 300Win mag even though.

With all that said, these guys are better shots than me, and practice twice as much as me.
To each his own, who am I to know your skills or advise you on what you should use.

Wolf killer

Nosler makes a 60-grain partition
Barnes makes a 50-grain X-Bullet.

good luck,

bigbuck270

Thanks for the help guys. I have been loading some Nosler 68 gr. in my .223 and I can shoot them sub MOA. I guess I will try them and see what happens.

Driftrider,
I am not specifically going to use this for deer hunting. I carry it on my side while I bow hunt. If a good shot appears out of bow range you can bet that I will take itwith the Encore. I have seen small deer lost by people shooting 30-06s and have seen a good sized deer drop with a .223, which is not illegal here in Maine. Shot placement is what matters on deer not the size of the bullet. I have faith that my 22-250 that will shoot MOA w/ 50 gr. bullets will cleanly take down any deer.

Thanks for the insight!