with the proper bullet ofcourse. This is something I wouldn't even have concidered a few years ago but with bullets now available for the job in .22 cal. and some glowing reports from gun writers I am concidering loading up some Nosler Partitions in my 22-250 for my wifes first deer hunt but would like some oppinions from those who have tried it. Shots will be under 125 yards at 160 to 200 pound white tail.

Only once, on a smallish doe that may have weighed 80 pounds. She was facing me and I shot her from about 100 yards out with a 52 grain Sierra ( I think ) in the throat about 3 inches below the her head. She went down in her tracks. Almost took her head off. But I would not recommend using a .22-250 for deer as I have lost two after making solid hits with a .243. I think your wife will be better served with a 7mm-08, 257 Roberts, or even a .308 with mild handloads.

I've killed a couple with 22-250 and a few with 223. Was useing 55gr soft points mostly. Each one went down in it's tracks but each one was a good broadside chest hit too. You must make a perfect shot each time, no shoulders. What ever you do don't try for a neck or head shot, too risky. If your wife is a good shot and can take a relaxed deer at broadside I'd say go for it.
Of course a 243 or larger would be a better choice.

Chris

The new Nosler partition should make an excellent deer round of the .22-250. Many, many people use the .22-250 with ordinary factory loads here in Texas. Most Texas whitetails are smallish in body, but I would guess that more deer are lost to larger calibers than to .22 centerfires.

I used the old Nosler Zipedo (forerunner to the Solid Base) to kill two deer with one shot (on purpose) many years ago. Both fell in their tracks.

Is a .22 centerfire a good gun to use on 350 pound Saskatchewan whitetails at 400 yards? No, of course not. Is it adequate for typical deer at typical yardage? Sure.

In my country we take neck shots at red deer and they just drop like a stone. If you shoot them anywhere other that the heart, they normall run off before before expiring! From my experience that is. Range would be around 150yds. Hope this helps!!

JM

Saw two Wisconsin whitetails shot with a 70 gr Speer out of a 220 Swift. One was a shot going away- the animal had just turned and the bullet entered just above the rear knee joint. The bullet traveled up the leg bone- shattering it, the hip socket and and went almost full length of the body w/o blowing up. Launched at 3300 and impact was at 80 yds.

Other was a broadside lung shot at say 50 yds- bullet punched right thru w/o again blowing- the animal dropped within 20 feet. The Speer shoots accurately too, and for sure it holds together.

Heavy Varmint;,,just so you want feel like your idea of a 22-250 is unusual on Deer,,
In the great state in which I live,,in the county of said state,,It is "County Law" that
nothing greater than "22" Centerfire shall be used to hunt "Deer" with!,,yep,,Im serious,,meaning,,223,,22-250,,220 swift are
the most common,,and 22-250 by far the most used by hunters here. The 250 will indeed
drop Deer in there tracks,,,neck being the spot of choice for clean one shot kills.
Heart shot second,,if you have a clean shot,,
and never take the shot unless you have a clean one to start with.I have helped track down too many gut and poorly placed shoulder
shots,,,(this is really no fun),from beginners. Barn-x work quite well,,as well as
the Nosler solid base,,and new Partition,,.
The key is as Im sure you know is shot placement,,.Anyway,,in some of the great wisdom of this counties Wildlife management
,,they felt that the "22" Centerfire would travel less distance,,therefore pose less danger to other hunters and surrounding areas,,,This is for real!!,,ha!!!,,,only they didnt figure on 3800 to 4000 Fps did they,,??,,anyway lots of experienced hunters here with that little "22",,,,for what its worth to you,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Roger 4

I use Nosler 60gr. Part. here in Texas in a .223 in a Mini14. Accurate in this rifle. Works well but wait for shot placement, head or neck for a small deer. But as someone previously posted I wouldn't shoot a large deer with them. With the small Texas deer they work well.

While fall turkey hunting with a Wyoming rancher, we happened upon a single whitetail doe. The rancher decided he wanted to take the doe for meat. He some reason he opted to use my .222 with 50 grain FMJ bullets (turkey loads). The doe was about 50 yards away broadside. I assumed he was going to head shoot it. At the shot the doe dropped instantly in it's tracks. I was surprised to learn he had shot it in the shoulder. Post mortum determined that the bullet had deflected upward off the shoulder, struck the bottom of the spine damaging the spinal cord, then deflected out the other side. Had it not been for the damage to the spinal cord, that deer would have run off and died much later as there was very little other damage. I was not impressed with the situation at all.

Certainly a 22-250 can be used and MOST of the time with proper bullets and shot selection it will work. Even a .22 rimfire can kill a deer. But why? Why not use at least a 6mm and proper 100 grain bullets that has a much better chance of breaking encountered bones, penetrating on angled shots, etc.

My humble opinion is any critter is worthy enough to deserve a proper caliber be used.

[This message has been edited by Matt Norman (edited 10-11-2001).]

A friend of mine has been shooting whitetails with his 22-250 for years. He uses Barnes X bullets exclusively and only takes broadside chest shots. Deer frequently drop to the shot, with the X bullet ALWAYS zipping right through and out the other side.
When bowhunting black bears in Canada, my outfitter told me that a hunter was coming in to hunt with a 22-250. When I questioned him about the effectivness of the 22-250 on bears, he said that it had been done sucessfully several times by hunters at his camp.

Matt,
To answer your question, the caliber choice I'm trying to make is not for me it's for my wife. I would rather her use a bigger gun so I tried her with my 7-08 and it just did not fit her 5-1 frame and the stock is glued in and I'd rather not alter it. I have a 30-30 Marlin that fit her good and she done real well with until the scope hit her above the eye witch was partly my fault for having see through mounts on it. I tried her with the iron sites on the 30-30 and that didn't go to well so I may still get some scout type or low mounts and try her with it again but it is getting crunch time and I know she wouldn't have any trouble hitting a deer with the 22-250 providing buck fever doesn't set in and thats the reason for my question just to get some feedback and make up my mind from there on weather or not to try the 30-30 again with a diffent scope and somehow manage enough practice or just use the 22-250 as is with partitions.

HV,

If she can make a chest shot with the 22-250 that deer ain't going nowhere.

Chris

I WOULD NOT STAY AT HOME IF THIS WAS THE ONLY GUN I HAD, NOT TOO SAY SOMETHING A LITTLE BIGGER WOULD BE BETTER BUT, IT WOULD EXCELLANT FOR SOMEONE WHO PUTS IT IN THE RIGHT PLACE

As of this date 10-16-01: I,ve just seen 4 deer killed with a 22-250, all by women from the same hunting camp, and all one shot kills. All were 150-200 yd.s, one was longer.

I won,t argue.

As I have no experience of centrefire 22s on deer I'm not commenting on the calibre but would just say that whatever you choose it should be capable of doing the job at less than ideal shot angles.

The reason I say this is that a less experienced person is less likely to notice the visual cues that tell us the deer is at an angle. This generally means that the shot is not ideally angled to reach the engine room. My own friend who I taught and has quite a cool head made exactly this mistake on his first unaccompanied deer. Luckily the 140gr 6.5mm bullet broke the deers leg as well as going throught the very back of the liver and he was able to get a follow up shot. As you are no doubt aware things have a habit of being or going less than perfect in reality.

Just to add to the discussion I have taken a couple deer with the 22-250. One buck broadside and the other was my best shot ever. This buck was running wide open and I had about a 10' sight picture. He went threw and I shot. I thought I saw him flinch. I followed his blood train for 25 or 30 yards and he was dead with a shot threw the heart. So, from experience I say go use the 22-250. Jim yes I was lucky on the second shot!

heavy varmint, absolutely not. Such a caliber choice is unacceptable. My own 25-06 shooting 117 grn Hornady Interlocks is insufficient for the big whitetails here in Upstate NY, according to some on this site. You have to realize that anti-s are strapping bullet-proof vests on deer so that a 7mm is the minimum that can kill a buck. Your wife needs a 7mm Rem Mag. Apparently that is THE deer caliber. A 30-06 would be nice, but is light on power. A 300 Weatherby would be a better choice. A 338 Win Mag would work well, too. Why not get one of Remington's ridiculous Ultra Mags? Little pea shooters like the 25-06, not to mention centerfire 22's, are simply inadaquate.

Now that I've vented, I'd say go ahead. I know hunters who have taken deer every year with 60 grn Hornady's. Never lost a deer yet. My cousin has a Ruger M77MKII in 223 and he shoots Winchester's 64 grn power point. He has taken two bucks and quite a few does with it, none requireing a second shot. Some on this board would prefer if such accounts from the field did not exist, especially those who think a bullet should weigh at least 500 grains.

------------------
Let the strucken deer go weep
The hart ungalled play
For some must watch while some must sleep
Thus runs the world away
-Hamlet

HV, A few years ago I shot a freshly butchered bull skull (minus the hide).
About 40 yds, We found peices of bone about the size of an ink pen and that was it !
Unfortunately the owner of the establishment
lost interest in littering his place of business with my experiments. Well that one
display of hydro disintegration impressed me
so much that I proclaimed these cartridges
deer bombs, and recommended my freinds to
indulge. Reasonable shot placement proved my
claims many times with lightning kills for a while. Hunting with a friend we approached a group of deer feeding in the center of a feild, we stalked to within a close broadside
position "90 yds" I recommended a headshot between the eye and ear, down she went. 223 rem 700 55gr.rem factory load tack driver.
Killed the deer three hours later, impact was perfect bullet performance was not! The
bullet entered where aimed ( broadside ) and did a immediate turn following the spinal cord leaving particles along the way. front
legs were paralyzed, when we approached the deer it suddenly drove itself up with its hind quarters and propelled itself into my friend
broke two of his ribs, shattered his glasses and various cuts on his face, broke the objective lense on his scope. The deer continued to drive its body in this manner sliding in the snow to the safety of heavy brush. I was not armed, having previously filled my tag. Attended to my friend and pursued the deer with his rifle and finished
the deer some distance into the thicket.
On our first approach the deer was flat on its stomach my buddies approach was head on
raising his rifle to fire. Premium bullet NO!
One other failure that should have rang a bell. Rem40x accurrized and Hart barreled
22-250, 70 grSpeerSS. Lent to a adult beginner, he insisted on this choice and I felt he was the most proficient with this rifle. He took a shot at a rear quartering
buck 150yds, the only reaction to the shot was acceleration, sounded like a miss, examination showed hair and blood, so after
an hour we attempted to track, the blood stopped shortly and we were left to footprints in the snow until they encountered a herd and we lost him. My Collie
found him two days later dead. Gut shot, the
bullet never got through the stomach. Premium
bullet ? not by todays standards. I accept full responsibility for these failures of the past. I would need to be impressed by bullet performance and the beginners ability
to be a level headed shot. Can't say Ive met that person yet. GS Custom, Barnes x, Nosler, look impressive. --------- Work on the 30-30 !

I'm with most of the guys here,done it but it's not the smartest caliber to use.

I've killed 8 bucks with a 22-250 and 55 SP.
It was because it was the only gun I had at the time. All shots were between 30-100 yards
and in the ear. None of them took a step.
I wouldn't chest/shoulder shoot one with this. Too risky. Although they didn't have the 60 grain Nosler then either.

I have killed several deer with a 22-250. Have seen others killed. Despite this, would not recommend it. Sure, it can kill them as if they were struck by lightning, but I have also seen several instances where they failed miserably. As has been pointed out, your shot placement has to be good. If not, they might get away from you and suffer for a day or 2 before dying. I have seen bullets explode on bone without penetrating and also bullets go thru with only a pinhole. It is my feeling that there is too much that can go wrong with the .22's. I would recommend a good .257 Roberts. Load them with 100 or 120 grain bullets and go for it. Very minimal recoil and will kill with the best of them. Just something to consider.
I do agree with the guy that said many people think you need a howitzer to kill a deer. It always makes me chuckle. Half the guys that own the Ultras can't shoot them due to the bone jarring recoil.

Here in my neck of the woods, .22-250's and .223's are VERY popular "women's" guns. (Some men, too!) They seem to work just fine. Do they sometimes lose a deer? Yep, a bad shot is a bad shot, even if it's a .458... All I have "first hand" knowledge of use factory ammo-but I have no idea which ones...

Well it woulded be my first choice and I have one to use if I wanted to. Just this norning I went hunting with my freind Bob and his wife. He shot a nice doe spun around handed the rifle to his wife and she shot the fawn. They both died in there tracks. 100 yds 22-250 with moly coated Barnes X's. So I think they work fine if the shooter is a good shot and keeps those shots in reason (range)
JMHO X-Ring AKA Scooter

Contrary to popular belief the 22-250 is an outstanding deer rifle. Though it is a smaller caliber the high velocities that this cartrige is capable of more than make up for this deficiency. My son has hunted successfully with a 22-250 for years and bagged several animals. The most memorable of these animals in relation to this particular arguement would be a large doe taken several years ago. He was hunting a large field and near dusk he spotted the animal approx 300 yards away, not having time to wait for it to move closer he took the shot. We found the deer not 50 yards away from where it had been shot, and upon inspection found that he hadn't even made a clean shot, but had rather scored quite a nice gut shot.

This may sound unbelieable, however there is a sound basis in physics why this is true. When a bullet travels through the air it creates a disturbance behind it in the shape of a shockwave. In normal cartriges this disturbance does relatively little to the animal, however, when a bullet begins traveling over 3000fps this changes drastically. A deer, like a human, is made mostly of water. When this now very powerful shockwave enters the animal it creates a wave effect in it's body, destroying far more than any larger cartrige without this affect could ever hope to achieve. Thus when my son gut shot the deer at 300 yards the collatral damage of the shockwave did such damage to its organs that it died as if it had been chest shot.

So while many may argue how a 22 caliber bullet doesnt have the power to kill a deer when it's not placed perfectly, this is completely false. Anywhere within a distance that an average hunter can attain (around 300 yards possibly further) a 22-250 is one of the most deadly deer rifles on the planet.

Anyone who claims a fast 22 is not capable of killing a deer hasn't examined a deer killed with one, once you see the kind of damage the animal sustains you will believe.

For futher information on the effectiness of small caliber rifles read P.O.Akley's "Handbook for Shooters and Reloaders" in which he states "I 220 Swift is a better deer rifle than a 30-06"

Speed Kills

AtlAtlMan, welcome to the forum. While I agree that a 22-250 will certainly kill deer, I otherwise have to disagree with you a bit. First, while it is good that your son got the deer at 300 yards with the 22-250, I don't think a gut shot can be described as "nice". You might have got this deer, but the next one might not be found.

Nor do I believe the "shockwave" killing force that follows along behind a bullet. Velocity plus a rapidly expanding bullet will indeed cause tissue damage; we've all seen bloodshoting emanating from a bullet hole on a skinned carcass increase with high velocity, lightly constructed bullets. But some kind of mysterious shock wave/killing force behind the bullet...nope.

Again, I won't argue that 22-250's will kill deer and many individual instances can be pointed out. But for me on my trophy hunting, I'll stick with more bullet, more energy, more penetration, and more bone breaking ability, even on a 150 pound deer.

I was under the impression that we stopped refering to science as a "mysterious force" in about the 15th century. It is a 100% proven fact that any object being project through a medium will cause a disturbance in relationship to it's size and speed, it is also a proven fact that these disturbances can cause a sever amount of damage. As for "i'll stick with more energy" I wonder if you realize how energy is calculated. it's mass times velocity squared...which means a small increase in velocity will cause a drastically higher increase in energy than a much larger increase of the mass of a bullet. Once again I'd like to end with a thought from P.O.Ackley "It is the author's studied opinion that anyone who staetes the .220 Swift is not a great one-shot killer, is in effect saying he never fired a .220 Swift." If you look at the ballistic tables for a .220 Swift and a 22-250 you will notice how close they are.

On a personal note I'd say that I have shot many deer with each a 458, 375, 300 H&H, 44 Mag pistol, 7 MM Mouser, 243, 22-250, 222, and K-Hornet. The most soft tissue damaged done by any of these rifles was by the 22-250.

The numbers a 22-250 generates at 300 yards from a ballistics standpoint is not very impressive.

I'm not a great student of ballistic charts, but a quick check of an on-line Hornady ballistic chart indicates (approximately) that a 55 grain 22-250 load is going about 2550fps at 300 yards and generating about 775 foot pounds of energy. Maybe with some hot reloads you can increase those numbers 50 feet per second or so but you aren't going to get too much more. Those are not very big numbers. It's foot pounds of energy is less than what a 30-30 produces at 200 yards!

At 300 yards a 22-250 is not going faster than a lot of standard big game calibers are doing at 100 yards or even 200 yards. And it's still a pretty small bullet. A .243 with 100 grain bullets is generating around 1200 foot pounds of energy at about 2300 fps at 300 yards, and a 30-06 165 grain bullet around 1800 foot pounds of energy at around 2200 fps at the same distance.

At 300 yards is that 55-grain bullet at 2550fps going to reliably break larger bones or penetrate into vitals from a slight angle? Is this shock wave thing going to be that great at 2550 fps?

Soft tissue damage isn't as important as vital organ damage.

Taken out of context, the quote about how great a 220 Swift is for killing can be dangerous. Would it be superior on killing elk to a .338?

Again, I'm certainly not saying a 22-250 won't kill deer, nor am I saying you have to use a monster caliber. A properly placed, properly constructed small caliber bullet will certainly work most of the time. What I am saying is a small bullet leaves little room for error, particularly when used at long distances where velocity has dissipated.

------------------
"shoot 'em if you got 'em!"

Although I personally do not have any experience with high velocity .22's on deer size game,but my uncle used to hunt black buck antelopes with his lever action savage in .22 savage hipower.Now this cartridge has, I believe,71gr bullet going at 2700fps,and in its good days it has been used on such unlucky beasts as tigers and lions here in indian sub-continent.
There are now some very good cartridges available for that purpose if we were lucky enough to hunt tigers again.But in the hands of a cool and experienced shot,your .22/250 will certainly get deer with proper bullets between 68gr to 80gr, and be sure that twist of your rifle stables them properly.

A confession to make you have been talking to my 20 yr old son a college

student,very opinionated.Now for my 2 cents worth.Obviousley I agree with him

I bought him the 22-250 for his first deer rifle when he was 12.One of my pet

peeves is when someone who has never examined a deer shot in the chest with a

small cal rifle gives advice on why they are too small.The main theme of this

discussion seems to be you have to use a good bullet with a small cal.Do all

you large cal shooters like to use bad bullets?I used to be a big bore fan,458

375 45-70. When I shot a whitetail with the 458 500grrn the bullet preformance

was poor no expansion just a 45cal hole through it, I didn't hear a lot of

people stressing you have to use a good bullet in a 458 for deer. No one on

this board mentioned RECOIL, muzzle blast, or FLINCHING. This discussing was

started asking about a rifle for a man's wife. A good day at the range with a

large rifle should have her flinching so much she won't have to worry about

wounding a deer, she won't even hit it. When is the last time any of you large

cal shooters unintenionaly snapped on an empty chamber and saw how badly you

really do flinch. As far as breaking large bones the last time I examined a

deer the ribs didn't look like large bones, what large bones are you

braking?(Legs,hips)Maybe with a little more patiencnce stay in your stand

longer in stead of walking around jumping deer and shooting at them running

away from you, you elliminate the need to brake large bones. My son worked out a

couple of formas estimating the surface area of a deers lunges to be

10in.X14in. the % of increase from the frontal area of a .224 compared to a

.308 is .025%, not much. Second, if you shot a 150lb deer with a 50 grain

bulet compared to 150 grain bulet the % of difference to the relation to the

mass of the animal is .0095%, hardly the difference of a kill and a wound.

What's the missing factor here, speed. In my state, muzzleloaders are required

to use round balls. Large cal heavy yet with a good chest shot most deer

require blood trailing just as if shot with an arrow. What's missing here,

speed. To follow your train of though to its logical conclusion might I

recommend a 378WBY for the ladies and a 460WBY for the men with good bullets of course,wouldn't want to shoot a deer with an elephant gun without a good bullet. You can't subitute

shooting skill, hunting skill, or patience with cal or bulet weight.I am aware that i am not going to change the opinion of anyone biased against small calibers, but this was intended for the man who asked the origional question.

I HAVE A FRIEND THAT HAS SHOT DEER, ELK, MOOSE, BEAR,& MOUNTAIN LION WITH A 250. BUT HE ALSO HAS THE ABILITY SHOOT LIKE NO OTHER PERSON I'VE MET. HE LOADS 55 GR BARNES X BULLETS. I MUST MENTION HE HEAD OR NECK SHOOTS AS WELL. YOU DONT NEED A BIG BULLET TO KILL WHEN YOU DO THAT. I PERSONALLY WOULD LEAVE THE 22-250 FOR DEER AND NOTHING LARGER. I HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT THE SAME THING FOR MY WIFE AND I KNOW BECAUSE OF THE RECOIL SHE FLINCHES FROM THE 30-30. CANT HIT A THING. THE 250 IS NICER FOR WOMEN IN MY OPINION THAN THE 30-30

Heavy V.

If shot placement is perfect and everything goes to plan a .22 rimfire will do the job. I have seen numerous steers (shot for butchering) at aprox 50 yards with a .22 brno using winchester powerpoints (In the brain). So regarding a set shot with ideal conditions and a good rest I reckon the 22/250 with the right projectile (certainly nothing incoroperating a plastic wedge b'tip etc.) would work well. However hunting usually does not result in all of the above variables being satisfied. I would think that a .243 would be a better bet for your wife and would be the smallest I would reccomend. Heaps of Aussie shooters use 22/250's for hoggs but for everyone they kill, there are some wounded. I have shot pigs which have scars that definitely look like small calibre ballistic tips have exploded on there shoulders etc. Plenty of Victorians take there "Fox Cannons" to NSW and QLD thinking it will hammer a pig like it smashes foxes under the light at 150, sometimes they do but only under ideal circumstances. Any shot incorperating angles does seem to reduce the effectiveness of small .22 cal projectiles.

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[This message has been edited by PC (edited 12-05-2001).]

I have taken several whitetails with a 22-250 Ackley, I use either the 60 grain Nosler Partition or the Speer 70 grain, both work well.

Pecos

I have shot a lot of deer and scores of african plainsgame while culling with the 22-250 and I consider the 60 gr. Hornady in either SP or HP to be the best game bullet out there, better than the Noslers or the x bullets for that matter...

The 22-250 is only for well placed broadside shots at 200 yds and under and remember it does not normally leave a blood trail so I only use it in open country..It normally kills like lightening but you cannot depend on that...

All in all I don't consider it a deer rifle.

------------------
Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

I have quite a few clients show up with .223s and .22-250s to hunt deer and exotics in Texas. As long as you avoid the shoulder they seem to work pretty well. In fact, they often drop as if struck by lightning. I use a .223 quite often for culling does and have not had any problems, but I either shoot them in the head (inside 100 yards) or just behind the shoulder. If I could get my .223 to shoot Trophy Bondeds I would feel a little more comfortable shooting through the shoulder, but it sprays them all over the place. Maybe I'll give the Noslers a try.

------------------
Greg Rodriguez
Mombasa Trading Company
www.mbogo.net
(281) 494-4151

Greg R:
When my stock of 60gr Nosler's Solid Base bullets was finished I spend sime time experimenting, and even though I found several bullets to provide satisfactory results on our small roe deer, I found nothing as effective -and accurate as well in my particular rifle- as Hornady's 60gr Spire Point.
I did not try the 55gr Trophy Bonded's as after spending 100 of them with different powders, primers, seating depths, etc., they failed to produce acceptable accuracy.
X-Bullets would eventually kill them, but were less effective than the non-premiums, as they produced very narrow wound channels.
60gr Partitions were disregarded as the only and particular lot I tried behaved like solids. They were fired at 3,300 fps and failed to open up, even on a large wild boar shot through the chest at 50 yds.
Regards,
Montero

Heavy Varmint, unless they've changed the rules since I lived in Saskatchewan, it's illegal to hunt game with any bullet diameter of less than .24. there was also a case length or cartridge lenght restriction, but I forget what it was. Here in Alberta, it's .24 diameter and 1.75" case length. - Dan

Thanks for the info Montero. I was shocked at how much my .223 hated Bear Claws. Most of my other rifles shoot them very well. I will give the Hornadys a shot as well as the Partitions, since I don't care for the X bulelts anyway. I must admit that I am a bit surprised at your experience with the Partition, as I consider it to be a relatively soft bullet.

------------------
Greg Rodriguez
Mombasa Trading Company
www.mbogo.net
(281) 494-4151

Well, I never had but seen what can happen if you use one on deer. This year, first day fo rifle in WV, I heard a shot over the hill, then a few seconds later, I saw a 4 point haulin ass up the hill. It acted like it was never hit and was running hard, so I shot it with a 30-06 in my favorite, shoulder heart shot and blew a monster hole out the other side knocking the deer down the hill. Well, here comes two guys arguning that I shot their deer. I explained the rule of the woods to them. It got heated, so I took my cell and called the DNR. They said take it. Their shot went thru both lungs but made a pin hole. He wasn't even bleeding that bad and they couldn't have followed the deer anyway. Thinking back, I should have let them take it. But after yelling at me, saying, "you shot my damn deer", it was hard to back down.

A .22-250 will kill deer, but proper shot placement is paramount. As stated many times before in this thread, broadside heart/lung shots, neck shots, & "cranial lifts" with good premium bullets will put venison on the table within a reasonable range. However, a shot gone wild will horrendously cripple/wound which is not ethical to me. I have killed a deer with a .220 Swift (head shot @ 30 yds), but I wouldn't make a constant practice of it.

I would suggest a recoil sensitive person use a 243 Win, 6mm Rem, 257 Roberts, or 260 Rem. These rounds don't recoil much and have more "hunting" bullet selections. They will penetrate far better, delivering more energy to destroy the vitals especially if a somewhat quartering or a brisket shot is taken.

Proper bullet placement,knowing your gun's and your limitations, in all cases, is what it is all about.

------------------
BH1

"Did you use excessive force?---I HIT IT WITH EVERYTHING I HAD!

I've gone the other way starting with a 6mm and am now shooting a 6.5mm. Not because I had a lack of killing power, but because I wanted a rifle that could be used on larger animals. I'm sure the new, stout .22 bullets will kill deer, but I'd imagine some older rifles won't stabilize them. You sure can't kill what you can't hit.

Pick your shot, place your 60 gr. Nosler partition well, and keep the range sensible for the caliber and it will work. However I load for a friends 7-08 and it is definitely light enough recoil for 90% of women. The load was in R-P cases, WLR primers, 140 gr. Nosler ballistic tip, and and 39.0 gr. of IMR-4895, seated tp 2.800 OAL. I shot a half inch three shot group at 100 yds. w/ a plain old model 700. Two Missouri whitetails fell for my friend. Definitely more knockdown power than the 250. Just food for thought.