22-250 for deer?

[retrieverman]

My brother started hunting with a borrowed 22-250 and killed several deer with it, and my parents ended up buying him a Browning A Bolt 22-250. He has hunted with it most of his hunting life and never lost a deer that I know of.

When we started hunting in NW Oklahoma where the bucks outweigh east Texas bucks by close to 100#, he bought a Ruger M77 270 Win.

Here’s the way I look at using varmint calibers for big game hunting. I’m fairly certain I can kill a deer with a well placed field point on a crossbow bolt, but just because I can do it doesn’t make it a good idea. For me, the same applies to using a 223 or 22-250 for deer.

 

[kwaynem]

Yeah I don’t see any reason to not use my .270 and have no worries

 

[Dorkus]

I will be different and say this is not a good deer round. You owe it to the animal to provide a quick kill and I think most hunters are not the marksman/women that can get the clean shot with needed placement for such a light round.

I completely understand that I am in the minority but I am a bigger round guy, especially for new hunters that don't practice enough. Heck, I don't practice either except to make sure my scope is still dialed in once a year and I would think a majority of deer hunters are just like me.

Just my $00.02 and I accept that most will disagree with my position. That is what I like about forums, everyone can give their thoughts.

 

[wolfkpr]

Between me and one of the kids i thik we’ve taken 6 with .223 and either barnes copper or bonded sp.. with a tough bullet like barnes- that will consistently exit- i think .223 or .22-250 is fine. Varmint bullet- might drop them faster with rib shot, but if they run theres no exit, catch a shoulder bone on big deer.. chance of failure.

 

[Jared]

My experience with that round is that if you are shooting traditional cup n core bullets (like corelokt) you better place them in the boiler room and even then you will have some runners that aren’t going far but they may be difficult to track since you likely wont have an exit wound and if you do its pretty small.

The game changer was when I started loading the barnes TSX bullets. That bullet turned the 22-250 into a deer rifle.

 

[makeithappen]

My experience with that round is that if you are shooting traditional cup n core bullets (like corelokt) you better place them in the boiler room and even then you will have some runners that aren’t going far but they may be difficult to track since you likely wont have an exit wound and if you do its pretty small.

The game changer was when I started loading the barnes TSX bullets. That bullet turned the 22-250 into a deer rifle.

I'm pretty sure it was a corelokt round my daughter shot.

 

[swampratt]

I have harvested many deer over many years with all kinds of bullets and calibers.
I will say this. 55gr V-max .224" diameter is by far the best I have ever used on hogs or deer.

I have done the heart shot with it and get deer that run but only 40 yards at most.
No lung shots no shoulder shots with it.
Proper Neck shots are my choice. Bang flop.
Hogs get one behind the ear and it is bang flop.

I have used the Lead tipped 55gr Hornady and it performs terrible in my .223 rifles for killing.
It is not explosive like the V-max and stays together and makes a mushroom.
I absolutely will never again use it on any critter. Hate it.
My velocities are between 2700 and 3100 fps on critters with the .223 and the V-max or the Lead tipped 55gr Hornady.
Maybe more velocity will improve the tougher made bullets bang flop ratio.

The V-max gets in 2 inches or so then begins to come apart like a hand grenade.

 

[magna19]

None of the 22 rounds are good deer cartridge. They all will kill deer fairly well with a hit to the vitals. But none are considered quality for a good deer cartridge in my book. A good deer cartridge needs to be able to go through bone at most all angles to reach the vitals.

 

[ClintC]

if the 22-250 gets him out hunting and he can drop a deer with it. It’s the perfect rifle for him. just my thoughts.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

Rather see a hunter shoot a smaller cartridge accurately than a hunter flinching because of the recoil from a bigger cartridge.