NEED HELP WITH 22 CAL BULLET SELECTION FOR HUNTING APPLICATIONS. I WANT A 50 GR BULLET FOR USE IN A 22-250AI FOR 4000+FPS THAT WILL HOLD TOGETHER, PENETRATE AND EXPAND. WILL BE USED FOR SMALL WHITETAILS AND FERAL HOGS. MADE THE MISTAKE SEVERAL YEARS AGO WITH THE NOSLER BT BY NOT READING THE "LITTLE BITTY ONE-PAGE SECTION" IN THE GENERAL PAGES DIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN VARMIT AND HUNTING BULLETS - WILL NOT ELABORATE ON THE EMBARASSING, HUMILIATING, GUT-WRENCHING RESULTS. ANY ADVICE WILL BE APPRECIATED.

THANKS,
JEFF

Ask the bullet makers!!

Jeff,

The .22 is for varmints. Get a 30/06 or 308 Win. and load the 180 gr bullet and sight it in for 200 yards. This is all that you need to know about big game cartridges and rifles.

I'm not sure that you can get what you want with a 50gr bullet... I think you should try the Nosler partition at 60gr(I think).... I also think that 4000fps is too fast for deer or hogs.. unless you are going for a head shot. I would think that in the middle 3000's fps would be much more conducive to actual penetration to the vitals of a deer. I'm not sure it would penetrate on a bigger (over 250lb) hog. They are just far and away tougher than deer. I would be tempted to use one of the solid "x" type of bullets on hogs...... if I felt the need to try to harvest a hog with a .22 centerfire. Or I would do nothing other than headshots.

Rather than try to develope a load with 50 grain bullet to harvest deer and feral hogs I would consider a more suitable cartridge. The 22-250 has always been considered a varmint cartridge and I do not use my 22-250 for anything but varmints. The 243 or larger is much better suited for that type of hunting. You owe it to the animal your hunting to harvest them cleanly and avoid wounding them with such small diameter bullets designed to harvest small game.

Sierra makes a 55gr GameKing HP that seemed to hold together more like a typical big game bullet as compared to a standard varmint type. Would agree with Reloader66 that a 243 or larger may be a better choice.

Jeff Crowe,
The best deer bullet I have used for 22 caliber rifles from 222 to 220 Swift is the 60 gr. Hornady hollow point and soft point, I think I prefer the H.P. a little better...

I have done a lot of culling on Springbok, Blesbok, and shot a lot of mule deer with that bullet and with perfect results everytime..Mostly you will get a quarter size exit hole, but way out there you will find the bullet on the off side skin perfectly expanded....

I have not had good luck with 50 gr. bullets and velocities at near 4000 FPS....Everything kills better at 3000 to 3200 FPS with 60 gr. bullets...

I have found the Nosler and BarnesX bullets for 22's to be less effective on larger game than the Hornady..even expanded these premium 22 bullets are not effective and more like a solid, the same principles do not apply to 22's and to a lesser extent with the 6mm's.. I like that penny size expansion in the lightweights.

This is only based on my personal experience with the hot 22's and others may have different opines.