RE: Best 22 Caliber for Deer... and why?
 

My dad has a 220 Swift and hes killed plenty of deer with it. Its also a good varmit too.

RE: Best 22 Caliber for Deer... and why?
 

.22-250 my son is 6 and he uses this caliber it is deadly. Teach them patience and make them wait for the right shot and you will have no problems. I forgot to mention have them practice with the gun so shoting it is second nature. The one my son uses is cut down to fit him and the stock is filled with sand I also put a bipod on it. This helps cut down what recoil there is. The bipod also comes in handy sometimes.

RE: Best 22 Caliber for Deer... and why?
 

Unless the rifles are too big for them I would say you already have the perfect deer starter rifles in .243. If you have your heart set on a .22 caliber I would get the heaviest deer hunting bullet I could find/shoot well and limit them to only broadside shots. Good luck and good job getting those young men involved in hunting

RE: Best 22 Caliber for Deer... and why?
 

Part of me wants to say .22-250 or .220 swift for more energy.....no matter which .223 I used I'd use a heavy bullet, something that hopefully wouldn't explode on impact, like a 68gr+ Though the 2 I mentioned with more energy more velocity that bullet will want to explode on impact, I wonder if a .223 Rem with a heavy bullet would have more penetration than those two. I knew a guy that used .22-250 on whitetails, with 68gr I believe, said it was safe out to a 100yds or so. I'm sure it can be done, just wouldn't be my first choice or at all I don't think. I'm considering a .243 as "light" setup mainly for antelope, though maybe a muley.

RE: Best 22 Caliber for Deer... and why?
 

I have 2 243's. One is a Weatherby that I got when I was about 15, the other is a Model 7 I got from my Dad.. Both are great guns and the boys will move up to them eventually.. ButI want to start them off slow on a low low recoil gun and let them work up to the 243..