22-250 for whitetail?

[horsey300]

Remington and interarms ran 1:14, so MAYBE a 50 gr tsx? Haven't tried it, just left them to varmint bullets, but dad lost his only lost deer on too far of a shot with a 55 gr sp, knocked him down, but didn't stay down, my kid's savage has a 1:12 and it's 1.5 moa with the 62 gr scirocco 2s. Terminal performance has been phenomenal, I wanted to REALLY test it 2.5 years ago on a fat pronghorn doe and at 75 yards, hit just into the muscle behind the upper front leg, .22 in and out, but the entrance into the chest was palm sized! Jellied the heart and half a lung, and exited about .35- .44 cal hole(didn't measure) straight through the other side, no recovered bullet and she dropped straight down, death kicked a circle for about 1.5 minutes and then it was knife work. So I'm in the camp of: with the right bullet, it's an amazing choice for deer sized game.

 

[Anchorite]

Yes. I shot my first deer (doe) with a 22-250 and 55gr Federal soft point factory ammo. She dropped like a bag of hammers.

One of my college roommates was from South Georgia and they had some peanut fields and had a state-issued nuisance animal damage permit. He and his family kept 22-250s in their trucks and in the tractors when out working in the fields. A two fidty will work, within reasonable range (<200yards) and work well.

 

[gunmechanic]

I have used 60gr hornady soft point with 33 gr varget 26 barrel model 700 rem .Was very effective on whitetail shoulder shot.

 

[richhodg66]

They made .22 centerfires legal for deer in Kansas a few years ago, seems to be working well. Manufacturers are making bullets designed for big game now, I think the Federal Fusion line of ammo is made with them.

If recoil sensitivity is an issue, Hogdon used to have a section of youth loads. WHen my youngest son started deer hunting, we loaded 125 grain bullets in his .308 with 37 grains of H4895. Accurate, low recoil and the deer he shot didn't know the difference. Never pushed the range hard, but I don't tend to hunt long range anyway.

 

[Laphroaig]

Here in Pa we have a minimum of .25 caliber for deer.

Maybe they changed the calber's. Page 27. https://www.pgc.pa.gov/HuntTrap/Law/Documents/2022-23 Digest.pdf
2022-23 PA Hunting & Trapping Digest25

Nah, there's never been a .25 limit. That would make .243 illegal, which is crazy. I'm going to go out on a limb and say .22 caliber has also been legal as long as I've been chasing deer, 60 years and counting.

 

[troy fairweather]

Any centerfire here in New York.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

Thanks Laphroaig.

 

[d2wing]

Use to be .240 minimum here but .22 centerfire has been legal for 20 years or so. I shot a big Minnesota 14 pt Whitetail and. Others with a .223.

 

[JmacD]

One of the most prolific hunters I've ever known used one exclusively in the 1980's and 90's. This was the type of guy who worked 2-3 jobs during winter, spring and summer. He could do anything. He did construction work, drove trucks, you name it. He lived in a trailer and drove a 20-year-old 4X4 pickup but bought the most accurate rifle with the best scope he could find. And when deer season started, he stopped working and hunted every day. He used the 22-250 here in GA and anywhere else it was legal. He did some western hunts, but I don't know what rifle he carried to Colorado where it wouldn't have been legal.

This was when most people considered 30-06 to be a middle of the road cartridge and I just couldn't bring myself to use anything that small. At that time, I thought of 243 as the minimum. But he made it work with a slow twist rifle and 1980's bullet technology. I'm pretty confident that with modern fast twist barrels and modern bullets it is even better.

If you don't already own a 22-250 I'd lean toward a 223 if buying a new rifle. The 22-250 is faster, but most of them have barrels twisted for lighter varmint bullets. You give up a little speed with 223, but there are a lot more options for barrels that will handle heavier bullet designed for deer.

Not sure how I posted this. Oops.

 

[Jim Watson]

My 14 twist Ruger 77V .22-250 is stable and pretty accurate to 200 meters with the 70 gr Speer. It is pretty blunt and short for its weight.

 

[wombat13]

Wondering if the OP has an update. Did you try the .22-259 on deer this year. If I were doing that I’d use a TTSX. They make them in 50, 55, and 62 gr. They are a little longer than lead bullets so have to check the twist.

 

[JmacD]

I’m curious as well. Even if I did post something totally by accident last night. lol

 

[crestoncowboy]

The most successful hunter i knew (and he is in the state record books in NC whitetail with rifle) used a 222 with a v-max.

Despite hunting with 300 mag and 7mm RUM and 450 Marlin....the biggest body appalachain buck ive killed was with a 55 grain vmax in a 223. I also used a 220 swift some. Whitetail deer, even big ones, are pretty small animals and a hole through a lung or heart will kill them regardless of the diameter

The 22-250 is plenty

 

[crestoncowboy]

Nah, there's never been a .25 limit. That would make .243 illegal, which is crazy. I'm going to go out on a limb and say .22 caliber has also been legal as long as I've been chasing deer, 60 years and counting.

In NC they used to have a .25 limit for handgun. Maybe that was the case for PA. I'm almost positive we had a 6 inch minimum barrel for handgun as well but back around 2004 I hunted for it and it wasn't there. So either I was wrong or it was removed

 

[tdbmd]

Anybody use 22-250 for deer? I’m getting up there in age and starting to get a little recoil sensitive if you do what factory bullets or reload combination do you use?

With a fast .22, bullet construction is extremely important for big game use.

 

[hk940]

I have checked several sites including the PA game division site and the only mention is nothing less than 6mm (.244")

 

[Kwaynem]

I ended up using the 6.5 creedmoor all I shot was a doe should of took the 22-250

 

[T.R.]

There is very little variance between 22-250 and 243. Not enough difference for killing power on deer sized animals. - TR

 

[jmorris]

This was when most people considered 30-06 to be a middle of the road cartridge and I just couldn't bring myself to use anything that small. At that time, I thought of 243 as the minimum. But he made it work with a slow twist rifle and 1980's bullet technology. I'm pretty confident that with modern fast twist barrels and modern bullets it is even better.

I have killed hundreds of hogs with the .22lr, if you put them in the right spot, they are out.

I hunt deer with rounds that are more powerful and destructive so they die even without ideal conditions (trapped a couple feet in front of me) and absolute perfect shot placement.

 

[GooseGestapo]

I’ve shot a full 1/3 of the 300+ deer I’ve taken with various .22cf’s.
They work! But the margin of error is smaller.
My .22-250 is an early 2000’s (‘02 or ‘03) M700 ADL. 24”bbl, synthetic stock, matte finish.
It has a 1/14” twist bore, so does not shoot well with bullets over 64gr. (Have never tried the Speer 70’s).
It does shoot under MOA with the Sierra 64gr Semi Pointed soft point. Last two does I shot with it weren’t bang flops, but neither ran far.
One was out my living room window at 70yds. It ran another 70yds and laid down in the middle of the county road…. I got some funny looks from some passing motorists commuting home at 5:30pm… it was obvious it had not been shot there, and I wasn’t wearing orange and camo… it did have a silver dollar chest exit wound though.