22-250 for deer?

nv_hunter

Very Active Member
Messages
1,312
Whats you idea of a good deer gun? I have heard a few good things about the 22-250 but I am nervous of the size. Anyone use one?
 
I wouldn't shoot anything bigger than an antelope with it, and even that would be almost too small, and the shot would have to be perfect. Certainly would not use it on deer.





It's Bush's fault!!!
 
Never tried it for any big game. Wyo. reg. is has to be 23/100's of inch or bigger diameter. How about Montana you guys up there? Is there a minimum size bullet?
 
LAST EDITED ON Dec-04-06 AT 08:51AM (MST)[p]An old hunting friend of mine is a navy seal, and was one in vietnam (did three tours), he still uses a 223 to kill deer and elk. To this day, he's never lost one! The calaber is deadly if the bullet is properly placed and everything works out. I also have a friend that shoots a 220 swift for deer and last year I watched him take a 7 point bull with it - cant believe he'd shoot that thing at an elk let alone a deer!

Would I use a 22-250 for deer, no. Too much margin for error, and not enought power, IMHO. The evedence that 22 cal. is leathel abounds, but does that mean we should use it for big game, not in my view. . .
 
It's legal for deer size game in Oregon but I would never use a .22 caliber on game. if someone for some unknown reason feels they have to at least us a partition or one of the few game bullets made in .22, most bullets are made to explode and that's not what you want. even John Nosler himself said he gave up on the .22 caliber for game years ago. it's kind of like the .243 on elk, if you make a perfect shot it's great but otherwise you've got a problem.
 
I think its a bit small , but it would easily do the job with good shot placement.Its legal for antelope and deer here in NM but elk clearly states in the proclamatiom a minimum .24 caliber is required for legal centerfire arm .I have a .223 and it flat out tears coyotes up , I have no doubt it would ankor a deer or antelope...
 
My sister in law uses one. She has killed a deer with it, and she had no complaints. Its a great varmit gun.

For deer,I would agree go for the .243 (as opposed to the 22-250).
 
My dad has used one for over 25 years on deer and antelope. He has never lost a deer, having shot many mature bucks. So with the right shot placemant and not going up a deer's butt for a shot then they work quiet well. Most people are amazed at how much energy and shock is transferred into a deer 22-250. I would rather have a guy who shoots great with a 22-250 out there hunting than some guy with his 300 Weatherby Mag who is afraid of it. And for more contraversy, I shot my first 3 deer with a 222. All one shot kills from 150-280 yards.
 
If everything goes as planned, yes it is enough for deer, but as you probably know, it doesn't always go as planned. For broadside shots only, and under 200 yards, you would probably be fine, but keep in mind that there is a big (sometimes 200 lb) difference in a doe or forkhorn and a mature, trophy buck. If you do wound a deer, you chances for recovery are almost non-existant given the poor blood trail and low damage that small calibers do. Also, be careful with bullet selection. Many are made for varmints and will explode when they hit anything, which would likely not even penetrate the rib cage of a deer. 243 win or 6mm rem would be MUCH better, as they are calibers DESIGNED for taking big game.

THE ONLY old man WONDERING WHY THERE IS ALWAYS SOMEBODY WHO WANTS TO PUSH THE LIMITS

i thought I would try bobcat's signiture once
 
"Many are made for varmints and will explode when they hit anything, which would likely not even penetrate the rib cage of a deer. 243 win or 6mm rem would be MUCH better, as they are calibers DESIGNED for taking big game."


I agree 100 percent! Or for even more fun, try the new 260! It looks like a great deer cartrige!
 
Any .22 caliber used for deer hunting is irresponsible, simple as that. There are many smaller calibers that don't kick for people who can't or don't want to deal with recoil and that are good calibers for deer, anything beginning with .22 isn't on that list. If you want a small caliber that is good, try a .243, .25-06, .260, .257 roberts, 7mm-08 and the list can go on for a long time.

Stay away from anything .22 caliber for deer. Be an ethical and responsible hunter.
 
whoa didnt know he was quit on trial here he was just asking a question. this guy is a really good hunter he is responsible all he wanted to know was whether it was a good gun to hunt deer with, i mean you dont really want to use it to hunt deer but if you place the bullet right it can do the job.
 
Not legal to use on deer in Washington. I think .243 is the smallest you can use. I know some people that use a 22-250 for close head shots on does in other states.
 
I have seen 4 deer killed with a 22-250. All deer were killed using the same gun. All I know about the load that was being used, was that they were Barnes Triple Shock X bullets 70 grain.
Three of the deer dropped dead in their tracks with bullet placement behing the shoulder. The other deer traveled about 150 yds after bullet placement behind the shoulder and a deer that was quartering away. The bullet did not exit and that was a very easy deer to track, Blood everywhere. And all of the deer were 200-267 yds.

I would not be scared to use it on even a large mature buck. If the hunters that I guide are carrying a 22-250, I make sure everything is perfect before I let them shoot. As for 22-250 vs 300win mag. I would have to give the thumbs up to the 300. Not many worries on either gun as long as the bullet is put in the right place.
 
I look at it this way. Better to be overgunned than undergunned any day.

If you are strictly hunting meat, and any doe or small buck will do then 22 caliber will probably get you by. But if you are hunting horns then by all means take enough gun. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I had to watch the buck of a lifetime walk away because I couldn't get a good enough shot with a 22-250.

MT doesn't have a caliber restriction other than centerfire only for big game.
 
My vote is to stay with the 300 Mag. You can't go wrong and I don't think it's to much gun for muleys. 250 is to small IMO.
 
I know a guy who lost a deer of a lifetime with a "250". Knocked it down and when he got over to it he unloaded his rifle and it stumbled up and was never to be found! It can kill a deer, but has a huge margin of error! Don't do it.
 
Me personally, no but have seen a friend of mine kill a deer with a 22. One shot from behind the deers head. That deer dropped as quick as any deer I've ever seen live or on t.v. Its a personal decision to hunt with a 22, so if your comfortable and know your rifles limitations, by all means go ahead. Happy hunting!!
 
22-250 is legal for deer in SD. It's all I've ever shot my entire life. It's a great caliber for young people just starting out because it has very little recoil and people aren't scared of it. It's a deadly rifle but it has everything to do with good shot placement. I usually take deer in the neck inside 300 yards and have taken numerous deer out to 400 yards in the chest with no problems at all. When it was legal for elk my dad shot his elk with it and it never took a step. It's a very flat shooting rifle.
 
My family hunted with the 22-250 for years and killed litterally dozens of deer including some toads. One buck my dad shot weighed 216 lbs field dressed and scored 190". I have killed a few myself, and actually like it, but and here's the truth.
My dad was hunting the general Utah hunt about 15 years ago, and we found a buck hole that had several real big bucks in it. We went there opening morning and when the slaughter began we were waiting right where we had seen the best bucks before the hunt. About a half hour after daylight, a buck appeared at about 400-450 yards that was the biggest deer of my dad's life. It was a mid thirties nontypical with all kinds of mass to boot. My dad calmy put the buck down in it's tracks with the old trusty 250. We sat there for a few seconds thinking just how lucky we were to have just killed the biggest buck in Kane county, and maybe the entire state, when all of the sudden the buck jumped up and disapeared into the thick oaks. There was not a chance of a shot, and excitement turned to panic.
We hustled down there and started tracking the buck. It bled a little, then less, and then we had a hard time finding the tracks in the oak leaves. It took us several hours, and over a mile to finally lose the trail of the monster buck.
To this day we have never had another chance at a buck this big. My dad will tell you without hesitation that a 250 will kill a buck dead, but he will also tell you that had he been shooting a larger caliber he would have a pig hanging on the wall instead of only a memory of one that got away.
We have had much better results with 25-06 on the light end, and for real long range shooting we prefer the 7mm STW, or one of the .300 magnums. whether it be the win mag or the ultra. I prefer the win mag myself.
I pack a magnum and can shoot it way out past where most people think you shouldn't be shooting at deer, just in case I ever get a chance at a magnum buck like the one that got away.
 
Good shot or not, I would question why??? Ammo, gun comfort, recoil...

There are way too many firearm options available now that I feel something this small in caliber is somewhat silly. I'm not criticizing anyone here...just my opinion.

I'd hate to have happen to me what happened to deer-b-dead's dad...
 
I used one to kill my biggest buck to date a few years ago. The body on this thing was huge. The buck was 90yds away, down hill and quartering away. At the shot the buck went rolling down in a heap. The bullet used was a 60grn Trophy bonded Bear Claw. I hit him a couple inches left of his spine, angling down into the heart/lung area. This was the only rifle I had at the time (since I mainly bowhunt). I also took an antelope doe shot through the shoulders at about 180yds same bullet. Would I use this caliber on deer again? Probably not. I own a 7mmWSM now. Under ideal circumstances it would kill any deer "dead as a door nail". IMO there are better choices out there, especially when things go wrong.

JO
 
You could kill a deer with a slingshot but would it be the most logical? I would say 243 min, and would prefer 25 cal with a 100gr bullet over 2500.
 
deerbedead's example is not a problem of the cartridge, rather of knowing the situation. "400-450 yards". So which is it: 400 or 450? The difference between 400 and 450 for a 22-250 is over 5 inches of additional wind drift (10 mph crosswind) and over 8 inches of drop between 400 and 450. That is where the problem occured.

A 7mm WSM has over 3 inches of wind drift and 7+ inches of drop between 400 and 450 yards. A 300 Win Mag has over 3 inches additional wind drift and almost 7 inches of additional drop between 400 and 450.

I don't shoot a 22-250, but if think that a gut shot deer with a 22-250 or 300 mag is just that.... a gut shot deer. Know your rifle, its ballistics, and what it can't do. Then use it under only those circumstances which will allow it to perform.
 
guided a guy a few years back who shot one, had him on a bedded buck on a windy day 150 yards out, the bullet blew way of target it was almost funny..
 
I was thinking that, But who knows. My 22-250 @ 150 yds pretty well spot-on, maby a little wind but not much. But I was not there, I don't know, Bill
 
>must have been one hell of
>a breeze there Manny.
>
>JB


it was blowin hard no doubt, what yah don't believe me, I kid you not three shots and he gave up, the bullet drifted the same direction as the wind was blowing no bull...he couldn't have been that bad of a shot...
 
>deerbedead's example is not a problem
>of the cartridge, rather of
>knowing the situation. "400-450
>yards". So which is
>it: 400 or 450?
.
>


Packout, you are right on one point for sure. Knowing the situation is important, and I agree with that. The problem we had that day is that 15 years ago laser rangefinders were not available to the public. So we did our best, and thought that the shot was one that could be made. I don't remember pacing the shot off afterwards, and we don't know to this day what went wrong. The shot may have been off, or it may have been perfect, but the one thing that may have made more difference than any other thing we could have done is to shoot a heavier slug at the deer so that if the shot was true, the deer should be dead.
We always shot the Nosler solid base slugs and if I remember correctly they were 60 grains. They killed a lot of game for us, but using a small caliber like that is a bit risky on long range shots. We still love the 250 and shoot it a lot, but it stays home on the deer and elk hunts these days.
We do pack range finders now days and use them when possible.
Wish we had one back then.
So to the point I disagree on: The cartridge may well have been the problem, or maybe I should say it may have been the lack of "power" of the cartridge that allowed the deer to get away alive. The shot dropped the deer instantly, so it would have likely been either shot in the neck, spine, or the shoulders, as those 3 places typically drop an animal in it's tracks. If it was the shoulders, it probably didn't penetrate far enough to get to the vitals. If it was the neck, or spine, a larger cartridge may not have produced any different results than the 250.
So who knows, and why take a chance?
 
O.K correction here, my last reply about the way faring 22-250 my son said it was 220 swift 50grn...sorry...and it was more like 250 yards...I'm getting old leave me alone...but the wind was blowing hard...
 
I have been following this thread and decided to join in. I learned to shoot before laser rangefinders. More hunters should read Plaster's book the Ultimate Sniper. He goes through most calibers and their maximum killing ranges using the most accurate weight of bullets for long range. Of course he is talking about human targets but the ballistics don't change only the weight of the intended target. He says that at 1000 yds a 300 win mag has more ft pounds of energy remaining than a 44mag does at the muzzle. I think I remember him writing that the military considers the 223 deadly out to 600 yds but he feels it is in the 450 range. What does all this have to do with the 22-250? I used to spend more time with my hvy barrel m77 ruger 22-250 than I did with my wife when I worked for ADC. I even shot several horses with it learning to hit them in the poll of the head. I carry it every deer hunt killing more deer than I can remember and have killed three elk with it. I have yet to lose one. I shoot it because I know where a 55 grain sierra spitzer bt is going to hit out to 300 yards. When you can shoot the head off a prairie dog when all that is sticking out of the hole is part of its head down to the bottom of its eye then you are ready for big game. Beyond 300 yds I will get out the 300 win mag that rides in the hard case in the back of the truck. This whole game is all about bullet placement and what a person is confident in. I don't know that I would reccomend the 250 but it has served me well.
 
.243 is min caliber up here in alberta, and i cant see why anyone would want to use such a small rifle on deer sized game
rifle companies are making a large variety of guns that have less recoil through their new designs
go out and buy a rifle with a boss and a sims recoil pad, thus ensuring a more ethical kill with a deer
varmint guns are called varmint guns for a reason, lets keep it that way
 
>.243 is min caliber up here
>in alberta, and i cant
>see why anyone would want
>to use such a small
>rifle on deer sized game
>
>rifle companies are making a large
>variety of guns that have
>less recoil through their new
>designs
>go out and buy a rifle
>with a boss and a
>sims recoil pad, thus ensuring
>a more ethical kill with
>a deer
>varmint guns are called varmint guns
>for a reason, lets keep
>it that way



I agree fully...
 

Click-a-Pic ... Details & Bigger Photos
Back
Top Bottom