Best .22 Caliber Bullet for Whitetail

[jasonprox700]

I was wondering which bullet would be best for whitetail.  I do some Ag-Tag hunting and would be shooting just does at close range where I can be very picky about my shots.  I would be loading for either my .223 or .22-250.  I shot a doe with a 55 grain v-max, but that was in the head.  I heard the Trophy Bonded Bear Claws are good, but they are pricy.  I would like to stay around a 55 grain bullet. 

[John R.]

I was tempted to say none,but after your description of shooting conditions I would say the Bearclaws would be excellent, or the 60 gr. Partition if your gun will shoot them. You might also try the Barnes 55gr. Tripleshok. The Hornady 55gr. Soft point will also work at the ranges you described.

[Questor]

I've seen articles on this subject and you may be able to find them if you search the web.

Here's one article from Texas, where you'd expect them to be used:
http://www.fishandhunttexas.com/debate_over_22_center.htm

[Redhawk1]

I would go with the Barnes 70 gr TSX BT. I have taken quit a few deer with my 243 with 87. gr bullets without any problems, and the  70 gr TSX BT in a 223 or 22-250 should work well also.

[Don Fischer]

Boy this is a touchy subject. If I were going to shoot deer with any 22, I'd concider nothing less than a 60gr bullet. Thinking of the 60gr partition. Where the problem might come in is getting the heavy bullets to shoot well in your rifle. I think most guys doing that use fast twist barrels. I've never seen on of those 70gr TSX bullets but I imagine it's about like shooting a pencil and it will not fail. Another guy on another site uses some 75gr bullet. I think 22's and deer hunting is the world of the handloader/rifle nut only.

[Larry Gibson]

I was wondering which bullet would be best for whitetail.  I do some Ag-Tag hunting and would be shooting just does at close range where I can be very picky about my shots.  I would be loading for either my .223 or .22-250.  I shot a doe with a 55 grain v-max, but that was in the head.  I heard the Trophy Bonded Bear Claws are good, but they are pricy.  I would like to stay around a 55 grain bullet. 

I've killed numerous deer with .22 cal CFs.  You don't say the twist of your .223 but most older ones are 1-12 and 22.250s are mostly 1-14s.  This limits you to the 55 gr bullet you are interested in.  Most all the deer I killed were either head shot or lung shot with 55 gr Hornady SXs out of a 1-12 twist .223.  All were one shot kills, range less than 100 yards with deer standing and all shots "picked".  The headshots dropped at the shots but the lung shot deer humped up and went maybe 50 yards max.  A couple shot with the 22-250 were head shots also and dropped in their tracks.

Larry Gibson

[jerkface11]

 I like the winchester 64grain Power Point. It doesn't need a fast twist and it's accurate my 1:12" barrel shoots them sub moa at 300 yards. They also only cost $8 per 100.

[Harold50]

Having great luck on paper with the winchester PPs in 64 grains in a Savage Model 11.
Will have it in the corner at my 80-year-old dad's place.
He watches the woodline and the lower pasture from the porch, neither are more than 100 yards away.
The recoil doesn't hurt his rheumatism so he shoots the .223 as well as he used to shoot his '06.

Harold

[kyote]

well he said the bearclaws were pricy and wanted to stay with 55 grain bullets.but wanted a good bullet to cull does.
Barnes makes a triple shock 22 calibet bullet.it is 53grains.you can push it as hard as you can out of the 22-250 and it will not blow up on impact.but open up hold together and penatrate making I believe swift kills.

[jasonprox700]

I should have mentioned my barrel twist.
I have a .22-250 VLS w/26" bull barrel 1-12 twist
My .223 is a Bushmaster Varminter w/1-9 Twist.
I am most likely going to take the AR, being that I haven't shot any critters with it yet.  But I still wouldn't mind playing with the .22-250 either.

[jro45]

I've heard alot about the Speer 70gr bullet being used in a 22-250 so I loaded up some for my 22-250. Read about a guy using that bullet to kill deer in N. Carolina. Its and SP bullet.

[jasonprox700]

I seem to have problems with the bullet flight with my .22-250 whenever I got to around 70 grains.  The bullets started tumbling or I get large groups.

[Jerry Lester]

I've shot quite a few deer with the 223. My favorite bullets to date are the 63g Sierra SMP's, and 64g Winchester PP's. I've tried the 60g Partitions, but I'm not too impressed with their performance on deer. They open up too quick, shed their nose section, and drill a 22 caliber hole the remainder of the way through the deer.

As far as stabilizing these bullets in a 1 in 12 twist barrel, they all will stabilize perfectly as long as you start them at a high enough velocity. I've been playing around with the new 65g Sierra BT bullets in my Ruger(1 in 12 twist), and as long as the muzzle velocity is 2750 fps or higher, they also stabilize just fine.

Barrel twist alone doesn't determine if a bullet will stabilize. It's a combination of twist, and velocity. The RPM's you spin a bullet is what stabilizes it. you could stabilize a 100g 22 caliber bullet in a 1 in 12 twist barrel if you could push it fast enough.

[Reed1911]

The TBBC's are pricey, but they do work well, the TSX bullets are about the same cost and again work well. The Win 64g PP's are quite a bit less expensive and would be my suggestion for your AR in 1:9 and if your 1:12 250 will group them, then it would be a good choice provided the velocity at impact is within the realm of the performance for the bullet.

[grouper sandwich]

You may also want to look at the 62 grain Barnes TSX.  I just bought some from Midway and will be loading them for my 22-250 (1:12 twist).  I'm currently using the 53 grain TSX and have been VERY pleased with it's performance thus far with complete penetration, great blood trails and short tracking jobs.  But, if my rifle will shoot the 62 grainer, I'll be switching.

[OLDHandgunner]

This 22 cal. deer hunting is a touchy subject to alot of folks. But back in the mid 60's & early 70's when I only had 1 rifle to hunt everything with, I used a Savage 340 in 222 Rem. that I bought used. Can't tell you how many hundred woodchucks & other varmints fell to this gun. Mounted with a Redfield 3x9 with a post, and 50 gr. Hornaday SX bullets over 23grs. of IMR 3031 powder I set out to eliminate most of the farmers woodchucks in town.Then came deer hunting, you learned to pick a good shot. All my deer shot over that time period, not 1 deer ran when hit tight behind the front shoulders and took out the heart. The bullet exploded inside the chest cavity. I did pass up alot of shots back then. So pick the right bullet, a good shot & practice,practice,practice. GOOD LUCK
 

[Chuck White]

Any of the 55 grain softpoint bullets made by Hornady, Remington or Winchester will work!

I'd stay away from bullets such as the Hornady SX's, you'll need some penetration!

You didn't say how far you'd be shooting, you said "close range"!
If you are anywhere around or under 200 yards, the above mentioned bullets will work!
If you can hit anywhere around the middle of the ribcage, they'll work!

If you are 100 yards or so, even the little 22 Hornet will work, with 45 grain Remington SP or 46 grain Winchester HP!
I've never seen a deer walk/run after being hit in the ribcage with either of these!

I know a lot of people underestimate the 22 caliber rounds, but they are more effective than most people think!

[JHT]

My thoughts on the use of .22 caliber rounds for deer is similar to others who have posted.  What I would like to stress is that most of us would agree that a .22 can and has harvested deer in the past and will continue to do so in the future.  The caveat is that it is only for hunters who are excellent shots and who are willing to wait for the ideal time to take a shot; and conversely pass up those shots that are not "nearly 100% certain."   It is unfortunate that many hunters do not meet these two requirements and for that reason I would not encourage the use of .22 caliber rounds as the average hunter should not undertake this form of harvesting deer or similar sized game with a .22 caliber round.  Additionally, it may serve as added fodder for the anit-hunters who are always lurking around to harvest anything that can be used against hunters.

JHT