22-250 for deer?
 

I had a guy tell me that he knows of people that hunt for white tail with a 22-250. At first I thought he was full of .... Well you know whatI mean.
It really struck my curiousity so Idid some checking and Barnes makes their awesome TSX bullet in a 70 grain for the 22 cal. Also Swift makes a 75 grain Scirroco in for the 22 cal.
I don't know...
With one of these bullets, and the right bullet placement, (of course)is the 22-250 enough medicine fora nice white tail??
What do y'all think?

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

I am not a fan of 22-250 for whitetails, but my brother has been killing deer with one for 15 years. He has never lost a deer or had one take a step after being shot. As far as I know, he has never used anything but 55 gr "varmint" bullets. Like I said from the beginning, I am not a fan or advocating the use of 22-250 on deer, but it is being done and being done successfully.

If you "love the big guns", I would stick to them for deer.

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

I do love the big guns! I personally deer hunt witha Winchester Model 70 300 Win mag, or my beloved Winchester Model 94 Big Bore 444 Marlin. Both area little "Overkill" at times but I don't have to track much!

My kids will be hunting in a couple of years and that's why I'm asking.

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

My Dad started my brother when he was 10 with a borrowed 22-250, and it did the trick. For high school graduation, my parents gave me a 270, but they gave my brother a 22-250 which he hunted with until last year. I started my sons on a 223, but I moved them up to 243 their second year to hunt. With alot of range time and lessons on shot placement, 22-250 is O.K. for a kid caliber, but I would sure go bigger if your kids can handle it.

I lean more toward the bigger calibers myself. I am current shooting a Blasers in 375 H&H and 300 WSM.

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

As long as you use the right bullets, and limited shots to 200 yards or less, it should work fine. I would think you would have to be picky with the shots though. Broadside, and right behind the shoulder. Another option is the 243 as it has very light recoil. Good luck

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

it will work just fine. I've had many deer meat their demise to a 223rem with 50gr Vmax BT's. I'd hit em and they wouldnt take a step. Put in some range time with the 22-250 and go hunting.

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

Here we go again....while we are at it...which is better for bears...a .243 or a 30-30?

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

NC why ya want to act like that.
I know y'all might get tired of posts like this but we're not all experts like you might be, so some of us need to ask questions like this or we'll never learn.
Sorry if my post bothered you.
And I do thank the rest of you for helping me out.

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

Just check your laws... .243 is the smallest allowed in a lot of states. There is a reason for that law. Sure a 22.250 will work but is designed as a varmint round. There are better choices for deer.

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

Since you asked and given the choices, I would go with the 30-30.

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

A .224 caliber rifle will kill deer. I know some individuals that have had more success with .222's than many hunters have with 30-06's. I've decommissionedplenty ofhogs with my .223. All it takes is the right bullet in the right spot. If the bullet has enough power to make it to the vitals, then you have enoughgunto do the job. That's not saying that there aren't better calibers out there for the job. But it will work. If somebody is comfortable shooting one, they can take a deer.

The one thing I have noticed in .22-250's is most of them come with a fairly slow rate of twist, so they don't always stabilize heavier bullets reliably. Light weight varmint bullets don't always penetrate well. Although if you are taking neck shots, those may be the bullets to have. I have seen larger bullets pass through the necks of smaller deer and not expand. They went between all the vitals, and although the deer was knocked unconcious from the impact, they came back to life about 10 to 15 minutes later.

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

That is very hard to believe, unless he shot every single deer right square in the head. Most deer run a little ways with just about every caliber imaginable, some fall, some run, and caliber size usually doesnt negate the outcome.
But back to the question, yes the .22-250 will kill a deer, it'svery popular here in Texas along with the .243, but our deer rarley see 200 lbs. A well placed shot with just about any centerfire will kill deer very affectively, would I choose the .22-250 for northern 300 lb deer ? no, but it can be done if your skilled and limit yourself to take only great shots.
I took a 160 lb 11 pointer this past year with a 15 yd shot to the neck with a .22 hornet, he dropped in his tracks.
Would I have taken that shot on the same deer to the body at a 150 yds ? Nope! You have to be disciplined with small calibers just as bow hunters are with arrows.

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

.22-250 is a little light for deer sized animals. It can be done, but if your kids need something with a little less recoil, I'd suggest a .243.

Now if you hunt down there in Florida where all the deer are emaciated from their long travel from the northern states....it's probably good enough.:D


respect?



GH

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

The statement I made is completely true. There was not a question posed on shot placement, so I didn't go into it. Since my integrity is being questioned I will veer off topic, my brother takes all neck shots with his 22-250. He is very careful with his shots and does not take stupid or even questionable shots. As far as deer dropping in their tracks, I have personally dropped deer with 243 to 50 cal muzzleloader (and many caliber in between). I killed 8 deer in two states in 2005, and the only deer that ran (only 15 yards)was with my 50 cal muzzleloader. I killed 4 with a 30/30, 1 with a 270, and 1 with a 300 WSM, and the end results were all the same. SHOT! DROP!

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

;) Personally, I would not use a 22-250 for anything except Southern deer, particulary those low quality tiny Florida deer! ;);) Ya see, up here in the magnificent North, where the deer are burly and have 16 inch guns,... and DEMAND respect...;)

Naaa. JK, The 22-250 with a good shot and decent bullet will do the job within reason.....extreme distances or any situation where the shooter isn't confident about calling the shot should be avoided with any caliber, including the 22-250, but one of my pet rifles is the .243, so I'm sure that in the hands of some the 22-250 would be fine.

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

Where is everybody hunting that it is legal to use a 22.250? Just curious as anywhere out west that I have been I could have sworn that a .243 was the smallest legal gun on deer.

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

Here in Texas, there are many 22-250 shooters. Mainly insouth and west Texas, where shots tend to be longer and haveless obstruction that might cause a deflection. Here in east Texas, our woods are too think for it to be feasible. We are more 30/30 country.

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

I wouldn't use the 22-250 for deer myself,but in reality,with a properly chosen bullet,the 22-250is just as suitable for deer as the 270win is for moose or elk.

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

My buddy has loaded his .22-250 ackely with the Barnes XLT and the Nosler Partition both bullets listed for deer size game and has had no trouble anchoring them with a scapula or high shoulder shot. But then hes only shot 2 or 3. A goodcal. for whitetails but not a greatcal. for whitetails. Personally Iprefer a.243 or.257 over a.22 cal.

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

Here in WI you can use any center fire rifle, except a 17 cal.

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

I view any 22 cal as being too light for deer. True, a well placed shot will drop a deer but come on......they demand more respect than that.....:D

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

Well ,I did a google search on the smallest recommended rifle caliber for deer. Several authors noted that you should keep your shots at 150 yds or closer due to needing proper bullet placement with something so small of a caliber as wind can be a big factor with a little bullet. As several noted there are much better choices than a .20 caliber bullet for deer. The Arizona Cous deer link states that these are the smallest deer and that you should hunt with a .257 or bigger due to wind pushing little bullets.. Here are a couple of links. http://www.fishandhunttexas.com/debate_over_22_center.htm
http://www.arizonahunting.net/coues.htm
Will a 22.250 work? Yes. Butchers kill 1000 lb steers with a .22 rimfire to the head every day. Hunting is all about shot placement. Are therebetter choices to hunt deer with..I will let you decide? I have my opinion and that is what makes America great..freedom of speech and opinions.:)

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

Id feel fully confident with one of my .22-250 loads with a premium bullet and knowing where my guns shoot. If my loads dont shoot under 1.000" I wont use that load.

Jason

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

A .22 anything for deer is not going to give you good results every time. THe minimum for deer should start at .25 bullets.

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

I agree 100%

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

The .22's will kill deer, the .22 RF's will kill them too! My question would be why??? There are sooooo many calibers that work sooooo much better!
I understand that shot placement is the key factor, but the .22's leave zero room for error! And the icing on the cake, is after talking about shot placement, you give one of these .22's to kids or other inexperienced shooters! It just doesn't make good sense to me!

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

You are 100% right! BUT, we as fathers are not going to start our kids out on something like a 270 that will kick the piss out of a 75+/- pound kid and make them not want to hunt/shoot ever again. The situation is a catch 22; small caliber/risk losing game or larger caliber/excessive recoil for the kid. I don't have an answer. I started my sons on a 223 and got lucky that both my boys made great shot on their first deer. If I had to do over again (which I do now that I have an infant daughter), I will more than likely do the same thing as before.

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

:D

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

I don't really understand this. Do you have something to contribute to the topic?

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

I wasnt saying a .22-250 is great for deer but in the hands of an experianced shooter it can be a good cal. Id feel more than confident of getting the job done if i had only a .22-250. I agree there are better cals. out there. I disagree fully that the min. should be .25 because a .243 is a great deer caliber. And a great caliber for kids or beginners. There are alot of great premium bullets out there for the .243 that will give great penetration and give you a margin for error if the need did arise due to poor placement. Barnes makes some great bullets for smaller calibers to get the penetration job done.

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

I agree with the .243 as a great beginner deer gun. Mild kick and will do the job better than a .22 cal rifle.

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

I think the 22-250 would be a little light weight for a beginner, depending on his skill level. With excellent shot placement, no problem. But with a beginner, I would think you would want to beef up a bit, just to be safe.

My buddy just picked up a 7mm-08 for his son who is just starting out. Nice rifle... very little recoil (very comparable to a .243), with a more killing power than the 22-250.

Good luck,

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

In Michigan, any caliber CF can be used except .17. I think that 22-250 would make a good gun for everything - squirrel, deer, pheasant, rabbit and moose - just make sure you hit 'em in the eye - that'll get their respect!:D

IM jaybe :)

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

I agree that the .243 is a great deer rifle, especially where I hunt in the Texas Hill Country, where the deer aren't exactly huge.Bucks in the area run around 150 lbs, and does average around 100 lbs. I've taken two bucks with my .243, and both were complete broadside penetrations using (non-premium) 100 gr. Remington Core-Lokts.

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

Ok...heres my take on it...If a .243 is mainly for expert marksmen and hunters then the 22-250 (and .223) are even more so....It can be very effective if a hunter is willing to only take (or set up to have) "perfect" shots and angles...I have killed about 25 deer with a 22-250...most in the early '70s when I was a teenager as a pest (crop control) weapon...I only took broadside lung shots and neck shots (where the neck joins the body)...back then we only had 55gr hollow point or pointed soft point bullets....When that bullet hits the lungs at 25-125 yards it turns into shrapnel...it can make a nasty wound....I never had a problem with deer getting away, but I had no exit wounds and lung shot deer usually ran 80-125 yards or so...but you had no blood trail, if you let the deer get out into the field 75 yards or so, you didn't have a big problem finding them just inside the woods...When I was hunting in the summer for crop control, the deer were more apt to move into the field earlier in the afternoon and come out farther from the woods line than during the fall season...I could literally wait until I had the perfect shot...I killed a nice 10 point buck in '75 with a 22-250....he was 50 yards into the cut corn field and didn't make it back into the woods....

So...if you are sure of your marksmanship and have the patience and ability to find your deer without a blood trail, you are in good shape...Fortunately I grew up on a farm and started squirrel hunting with a .22 at about age 9...My dad only believed in head shots for squirrels...If you are that good then a 22-250 will put meat in the freezer...Now that they have "deer" bullets in 22 caliber, it does somewhat better....My brother acquired a 22-250 a couple of years ago in a trade, he remembered me using it to kill deer with when he was younger....I bought a couple of boxes of Federal Premium 60gr Nosler Partitions and his 14 year old daughter killed 2 does one afternoon with that gun this past season....both were within 100 yards and both dropped at the shot...perfect shoulder shots...Both had exit holes about the size of a quarter....

In NC there is nothing in the rule book about a minimum caliber for deer rifles...In fact back in the early 70s some counties would not let you use a caliber larger than .22...for anything....So many hunters went out and bought a 22-250... I know several hunters that still use .223, 22-250s and .220 Swifts....Most of these guys are target shooters and groundhog hunters, most hunt on their own land, usually over a field and we have a 2-3 month season, depending upon which end of the state you live on....Most of these guys can hunt every afternoon and kill a couple of deer at their leisure....2-3 deer are all they kill a year and they don't (or won't) go out and spend more money for a "deer" rifle....The ones I know best are handloaders and shoot alot....I would bet that they lose less deer because they know they can hit what they aim at then some of the other guys I know that use much larger calibers...and flinch...I'm not going to get into a big "ethics" discussion with guys that have used these guns for years with no problems....The average doe in NC probably will weigh 80-90 pounds....I have seen a few Boone and Crockett does....but these guys are looking for meat to put in the freezer...They aren't going to Canada or Iowa to kill a 250 pound B&C buck...they are quite happy putting a few does in the freezer each year.

All this being said....The .243 is much more of a deer rifle than a .22 centerfire...
There is a large selection of factory bullets to choose from that will give a hunter whatever he wants...I have used one since 1980....no problems...It is a much better selection for a young hunter than a .22 centerfire....If the child in question can't handle the recoil of a .243 then they should stick to the .22s and squirrels for a few more years.

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

Can you kill deer with a 22-250? Yep. Can you wipe your @$$ with a corn cob? Yep. But in both cases I'd rather use something better suited to the task at hand.

Ihear a lot of people making comments like, "wait for a perfect shot and you will be okay" or "with perfect shot placement you won't have a problem". Well gee folks the person in question who is going to be using this caliber is a kid, right?. Kids are far more likely to make a bad shot or not wait for that perfect opportunity. I've seen deer shot with everything from a 223 to a 375 H&H magnum and I'm telling you that these little high velocity 22 caliber bullets can be rapidly lethal when all goes well but if you hit them too far back or pull the shot and hit their scapula bone (as perhaps a kid might) then good luck finding that one. A 243 will at least allow you to use a 100 grain bullet that is designed for deer sized game. And nooffense butthe recoil of a 243 is so mildthat if a child can't handle it......wellperhaps they aren't old enough for hunting deer with a rifle yet.

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

LOL...well said

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

Could'nt have said it better.

RE: 22-250 for deer?
 

Well said, Todd!

i know...
 

I know that I can take a dear with my savage .22-250 but it is still against the law in most places to hunt dear with anything under a .24 round