I'm thinking of using my 22-250 with 55grn Sierra Game King HPBT on a Javelina hunt. To you who have more experience than I, is this adequate? I understand the need for good shot placement, and am very familiar with this rifle.

I have seen a few javelina taken with the 22-250, good shot placement and they go down fast.

You should be fine.

GWB

That's enough gun to take a peck of peccaries.

will work like a charm as long as you put the bullet where it needs to go

Could even be considered overkill. They have very small bones and aren't very hard on bullets. A 22-250 will hit them like a lightening bolt.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
That's enough gun to take a peck of peccaries.

Very Nice!

quote:

Originally posted by Rusty:

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
That's enough gun to take a peck of peccaries.

Very Nice!

Or, a jatfull of javalinas.

One year on the hunts I do in Pecos county, I decided to shoot a javelina with my CZ550 in 458 Win Mag using 350 gr. hornady RN bullets.

I was amazed at the amount of destruction caused by that bullet on such a light weight animal.

Not so fast. The 22-250 will knock a javalina down hard, however it might not keep it down. I've taken one javalina with a 22-250 and then handed the same gun to a friend who shot another one from the same herd. The distance was exactly 257 yards. The load used was a factory premium load using 55 grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw bullets. I shot my pig broadside through the lungs. It went down and stayed there for a few minutes, then it got up and I had to finish it with a couple handgun shots. The 22-250 bullet entered leaving a small hole, crossed through the lungs leaving moderate damage and then exited through a small hole on the other side. No blood was visable from either hole. My friend shot his pig broadside in the same place, but hit toward the bottom of the lung. The pig ran off and I brushed it out of a canyon and the friend hit it again with the 22-250, at 100 yards, through the lungs. It went down and stayed down. Neither animal wieghed more than 40 pounds. I concluded that if I were to hunt javalina again with such a small bullet I'd get closer and hit it in the head. I have shot numerous javalina using 357 and 44 Magnum, both from handguns and rifles. My best killer is a 357 Magnum with either 158 grain soft points or a 44 Magnum using 240 SWC cast bullets. I have killed javalina from 7 feet away out to 100 yards with the 357 and 44 Magnums and they always knock them down and keep them down - even with marginal chest shots (lungs, liver, etc.). So, do as you want, but I think the 22-250 doesn't quite damage enough tissue to be absolutely dependable. And if you do use it, shot it in the head - even a 22 Magnum will work with that shot.

Nothing beats a big hole all the way through.

Not sure, but I don't think the problem was with the 22-250, but the range. Even a 55 grain bullet, and one like you were using is not really going to expand that much on as lightly built animal as a javelina. If you did not hit anything but ribs, the bulllet had slowed down enough and had dropped enough energy, that you would have had to hit the shoulder blade or front leg bone to have gotten reliabe expansion.

I have shot javelina with stuff from a 22LR to a 458 Win Mag, and with the 22 calibers, once you get past the hundred yard mark or so, shots that don't hit bone are not going to provide a lot of expansion especially with premium bullets. I have killed quite a few with a 22 Hornet and 50 grain Barnes "X" flat base bullets, and if bones are hit, the expansion of the Barnes are perfect, but a shot thru a rib or two into the chest cavity does not produce the results desired.

22-250/223 or 222 at 100 to maybe 150 and a shot about 1/3 the way up the body, right behind the collar and javelina go down quick.

There it is. Sum up the last two responses and you get "get close and hit it perfectly." If you want more margin of error, either in range or shot placement, use a bigger caliber cartridge. Personally, I think big game cartridges begin at 24/25 caliber - anything less is not completely reliable. Have fun.

And remember, shot placement is still very important, however a bit more cartridge does in fact increase your margin of error and success.

I think you missed my point.

Shooting at javelina at 257 yards is not neccessary.

I have killed javelina at 20 yards with one shot from a 22 LR. I have seen a bunch of javelina killed at 20 to 35 yards with bows.

The only reason to shoot at javelina at more than 100 yard is just to say you did it.

Javelina are practically blind and their sense of smell is the only thing they have working for them, and it ain't all that great.

Since 1998, I have been involved in the deaths of about 250 javelina and seen them shot with bow/22LR's and various centerfire rifles from 22 hornet thru 458 Win Mag.

Javelina are not that hard to kill or that hard to get way too close to under normal hunting conditions.

Had your shots been at 57 yards or 157 yards the results would probably have been different AKA bang-flop, but at the range you took your shots at, there was simply not enough critter to cause the bullet to perform the way it should have.

Crazyhorseconsulting, I got your point and even reinforced it. Get closer, and if you get closer you can place your bullet precisely. I will add to that, to further reinforce your point, get within the range limitations for proper expansion of your particular bullet. My additional point was, if you choose to shoot at long range, for whatever reason, use a more suitable cartridge.

And I agree, if you get within hand shake distance, just about any cartridge will work. Heck, even a hammer will work at that range.

I've killed most of my javalina within 35 yards, but on the day I used the cartridge in question, I wanted to see what a 22-250 with a good bullet would do beyond 200 yards. If it performed well, I wanted to use it on some of the small whitetails we have in Arizona. AT THAT DISTANCE it did not perform well and I sold the gun to my friend (who took the second javalina that day with the same gun). I didn't take the shot just to say I did it, as you assert - although that would have been a plenty good enough reason.

Was not meaning to offend you, but because of the experience you had, pushing the envelope with the 22-250, you seemed to question the capabilities of the cartridge.

I am not a fan in any sense of the word of the 22 centerfires. I am also not a fan of blaming a cartridge/caliber/rifle because of the choice of the shooter.

I stan by my opinion that it was not because the 22-250 was inadequate for the task it was submitted too, but that the shooter, you, pushed the envelope beyond where it was supposed to function.

Had the shots you took been at 157 yards the results would have been different. You were asking a cartridge/bullet combination to function beyond its limits.

This is not a pissing contest, you purposely chose to take shots that were at the edge of the capabilities of the cartridge and the bullet, yet you turn around and express resevations about the use of said cartridge/bullet by folks that will most likely not be pushing the envelope.

You and your hunting partner made a choice on what shot to take, without taking the limitations of the cartridge or the bullet into consideration, and the results you got were just exactly what the cartridge/bullet were capable of at that range.

Hey, Crazyhorse: Try arguing with a stump. You'll make more progress.

The automatic response from the uninitiated when an animal isn't killed as quickly as the shooter might believe it should have been is to say "I should have used a bigger gun", when the "size" of the gun has nothing at all to do with the results.

Your penpal has described a bullet which failed to expand significantly, and thus failed to create sufficient trauma for a quick kill. That's not surprising on a 40-pound animal. A 25-pound coyote shot by the same bullet would have also likley have taken a bit of time to expire. Had he used a typical quick-expanding bullet from a .22-250, the little piglet would have expired pronto.

Also, anyone who has had much experience with guns and shooting knows that a .22-250 rifle is significantly more powerful than a .357 handgun. Of course, the ammunition used in one or the other can, depending on the target, behave in a fashion that is better or worse. Understanding how to match bullet design to the game under pursuit is a big part of ultimate success.

Stonecreek,

This is getting irritating. I find myself agreeing with you about 90% of the time now.

You summed it up just fine.

Cessna, I take two each year (our limit) here in Texas with either my 22-250 or .223 using a 55 gr. or 65 gr. Sierra SBT. I have yet to have one run off.

Here is a link to an article I wrote for "AR Guns & Hunting" about hunting them with a .223:

http://www.arshunt.com/arshunt/201004?ammoland#pg99

Good Hunting,

Bob

Thanks guys,
I'll take my 22-250 and the 55grn bullets. I shoot them quite often at PD's and coyotes. Thanks for the help.
Photo of my 22-250 rifle below.

Cessna, that's a fine looking rifle - have fun.

I will likely give the 22-250 another shake after reading the posts. I want to use it for longer range shooting at javalina (and small whitetails), and will give it another go with a lighter constructed bullet. Until then, I'll get close and use my two handgun cartridges. Thanks for the topic, it benefited me as well as you. The "Stump"

Ugger: Thanks for the good humor. Lot's of folks get all bent out of shape over a discussion. You're okay!

Ugger,
When you say a lighter constructed bullet, what are you leaning towards. Just curious.

A couple years ago I went on a predator and javelina hunt with two other people. The hunters used two .223s and a 22-250, all using 55 grn Hornady v-max bullets. We took 6 javelina. All were taken cleanly with one shot. Each dropped in it's tracks. Shots were all under 75 yards. I took several coyotes and a bobcat at longer distances. The .223 also dropped them cleanly. The 22-250 one hunter used did quite a bit of damage to the yotes and a bobcat on shots under 110 yards, however. Place your shots well and the 22-250 is just fine for javelina.

quote:

(and small whitetails),

Just some info from personal experience here. I helped track a smallish doe here in Texas that was shot, heart/lung shot, with a22-250 at 109 yards. I know the distance, because the person that shot it was in one of my stands and the feeder was exactly 109 yards from the stand.

Had it not been for a rare bit of snow on the ground, we would not have found that doe, because it did not drop on the spot. It clovered ablout 50 yards thru the brush and the only blood we enede up finding was about maybe 20 feet from where the animal went down.

I have been hunting javelina since 1991 and have seen a few killed and the only reason to shoot one at ranges greater than 100 yards is just because the shooter wants too.

The problem is not that it can't be done, the problem is that because javelinas are in many ways lightly built animals and if bones are not hit, mot of the time on a body shot, even if a rib or two is hit, bullets will just zip right on thru them with out doing a lot of damage.

I have taken mine, four of them, with a Rem 700 222 Rem loaded with the plain old 50 gr Speer Spitzer. Worked just fine.

quote:

Originally posted by cessna:
Ugger,
When you say a lighter constructed bullet, what are you leaning towards. Just curious.

The same Sierra bullet you plan on using.

quote:

Originally posted by Crazyhorseconsulting:

quote:

(and small whitetails),

Just some info from personal experience here. I helped track a smallish doe here in Texas that was shot, heart/lung shot, with a22-250 at 109 yards. I know the distance, because the person that shot it was in one of my stands and the feeder was exactly 109 yards from the stand.

Had it not been for a rare bit of snow on the ground, we would not have found that doe, because it did not drop on the spot. It clovered ablout 50 yards thru the brush and the only blood we enede up finding was about maybe 20 feet from where the animal went down.

Good info, I'm a lousy, lazy tracker.

While I ain't a fan of the various .224 diameter cartridges, properly placed shots, head/high neck, produce outstanding results especially if kept within 150 yards or less.

I feel that 200 yards is outside the really effective range.

I would rather see folks use a .243 or larger because there is a little more margin of error.

One question however that sheds different light on the subject, would you try taking a potential trophy buck with a head shot and that small of a bullet?

quote:

Originally posted by Crazyhorseconsulting:

I would rather see folks use a .243 or larger because there is a little more margin of error.

One question however that sheds different light on the subject, would you try taking a potential trophy buck with a head shot and that small of a bullet?

CHC,
I varmint hunt with small calibers. From time to time when I'm sitting in a blind, or on a side of a hill, still hunting, I may take two rifles. One will be a rifle of sufficient caliber to dispatch any animal I encounter. The other may be a 17, 20, or 22 cal rifle. I never go out intentionally to take a large or trophy animal with a 22 cal rifle. I may kid about it, but don't. I almost never shoot deer or hogs with anything less than 25 caliber. More often than not it will be between 26 and 35 cal. I'm a meat hunter, not a trophy hunter. I want stuff DRT. Bullets of sufficient sectional density and weight tend to leave a hole going in and a hole going out.



In the daytime, and especially at night, if I have to track, I want to be looking for buckets of blood, not droplets.


On hogs I always go for a shot that severs the spinal cord, that way I don't have to track.


the "sweet" spot, about two inches below the ear, on a line between the ear and shoulder.


As most of the deer I shoot are between 100 and 200 yds, I typically go for a heart or double lung. They may run 50 yds, but once again, a bullet of sufficient caliber and mass punches a hole right through and blood will tell you where to look.
Not a monster buck but rather an example, whitetail doe,(the anatomy is somewhat the same) shot at 124 yds. 25-06, 110 gr. accubond.


entry just behind point of left shoulder (hole going in)


exit on ribs. (hole going out)

She ran about 30 yds. before piling up. No problem finding blood at point of impact and in the half circle leading up to the carcass.

Best


GWB

quote:

Originally posted by Bob in TX:
Stonecreek,

This is getting irritating. I find myself agreeing with you about 90% of the time now.

You summed it up just fine.

Cessna, I take two each year (our limit) here in Texas with either my 22-250 or .223 using a 55 gr. or 65 gr. Sierra SBT. I have yet to have one run off.

Here is a link to an article I wrote for "AR Guns & Hunting" about hunting them with a .223:

http://www.arshunt.com/arshunt/201004?ammoland#pg99

Good Hunting,

Bob

FWIW, I've hunted with, and been around Bob Connell enough, to take whatever he says as "gospel". He and his crew at the Texas Predator Posse kill the heck out of Jave's with their AR's.

GWB

Thanks Geedubya,
Interesting article. Though not an AR fan it was really well done.

GW-Thanks.

cessna-Thanks for the kind words about the article.

Good Hunting,

Bob

Many of the obviously experienced peccary hunters know that many of the small calibers will kill effectively if used at reasonable distances. I would add that I've used a .17 Remington (in a 24" Remington 700)as well as .223 (AR platform), .220 Swift, and many pistol calibers to take all sorts of these little guys at all ranges and conditions in the Davis Mountains. I've seen them killed with .22 shorts in a Charter Arms 2 1/2" barreled revolver. They are very easy to kill and if not right at first, then simply do the follow up. Of course, nothing makes up for a poor shot like bullet diameter, but, as stated, look at the posts of the experienced hunters above and many of them used these small calibers to effectively take these small mammals.

Just a short thank-you to all who replied to my post concerning the 22-250 on javelina. I just returned from my hunt, and it was a clean kill at about 100 yards. Again thanks for the reply.

So where are the pics????

Congrats!!

Yes, where are the pics??

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/76400517@N06/6854851949/" title="Don javelina 2012 2 fin web by cessna2007, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7175/6854851949_a21433db4a_z.jpg" width="364" height="640" alt="Don javelina 2012 2 fin web"></a>

Well that worked well. Bear with me I'm changing photo servers.

How about just posting them here for all to see w/o having to change servers and other hassles?
Sure would be appreciated.

All:
Here all this time I've planned on using my .223 and 55gr IF/when I'd ever get a chance to go hunting for javelina. So far I've been all over their ranges and yet to see one. Ten yrs of trucking hauling pipe mostly but, lots of drill rig equipment to drill sites. I've seen tracks and a few dead one's laying here n there, but nothing live or enough left to tell much about.

I did shoot n kill an antelope with this gun n load at 100yds while hunting coyotes during season w/an empty tag. He was standing facing me & I didn't allow quite enough height for the scope & cut a nice groove almost to the skin right between the ears. The herd ran & never looked back. This one had to take that last fatal look & I put another one thru the ribs. It hit mid height right behind the shoulder and got a rib going in. Veering back thru a lung and liver, out the short ribs on the far side. Bullet traveled 13" inside and exited. Amazing. I sure figured it would blow up just inside the rib cage and destroy a lung.

George

i wouldnt hesitate to take on javlinia out to 500 yards with your 22-250 there not very hard to kill it depends how accurate you are...

I've shot javelina at 5 yards, they have poor eyesight. If you're downwind and move very slow and quiet when their heads are down looking for food, you can get very close. If they raise their heads just freeze and don't move a muscle until they start looking for food again.