Pros and cons of .222 Rem for whitetails

[grouper sandwich]

Advances in today's bullet designs have made the high velocity 22's viable and ethical options for deer.  I have used my 22-250 to take numerous deer, none of which have even come close to being loss.  I've settled on a load of 38 grains of Varget pushing a 53 grain Barnes TSX at around 3700 FPS.  I shot a buck with this load back in December at about 50 yards.  The bullet entered the left shoulder, smashed it, destroyed the lungs, took out a rib on the far side and left an exit wound the size of a quarter.  Lots of blood follow on a short tracking job of less than 50 yards.  That kind of performance is the NORM when using proper bullets in 22 centerfires.

[Don Fischer]

Doesn't seem to matter what cartridge we're talking about, their champions want to make a case for them being more than acceptable, why? "Cause I done it!". Well lot's of things are possible, some with such regularity that it seem's like a good idea. But because lots of things can be done, doesn't make them prudent!

I think far to many people are willing to go underguned for deer, of all sizes, for no reason other than they are not dangerious. There's any number of accounts of dangerious bears being killed with very small calibers yet nobody jumps up and say's, "get a 250 saveage for a bear gun, great rifle, I've killed one with it!" Kinda foolish huh?

Then there's the other side that think's only a 300 magnum is acceptable for deer, presumeably even the smallest of them. Why? Well the only shot you might get may be at 600 yds in high winds and you may have to shoot thru some trees!

It's sad the excuses that some people use to justify the choice of cartridges for one animal or another that are not really prudent choices. As I said earlier, make it a dangerious game animal and the thinking changes. Marginal and less than prudent choices only exist when the animal doesn't fight back!

[nomosendero]

That's why real #'s & data that is irrefutable COMBINED with experience
will supply the true answers.

This thread is great fun to me, I am enjoying this stuff big time. I choose to read & probably not supply info on this one. It's more fun just to read
it.

[nasem]

You also have to remember that the fast .22 caliber centerfire (like the .223 the military use) is DESIGNED to travel sooo fast that when it hits flesh, it simply "shatters" into piece inside the body (kind of like a very very small bomb) which tears up meat pretty badly......

if you shoot a deer with it, that bullet is going to act the same way, most likly its going to shatter like hell and destroy the meat (unless you decide to use 60-gr nosler partitions and they are like 22$ per box of 20, and that means they are more expensive than '06 ammo lol), actually even if you use soft points or noslers, how much would they expand out to ? .40 caliber ? maybe

[nomosendero]

$14.79 for 50 from Midway. Ooops, I chimed in.

[grouper sandwich]

if you shoot a deer with it, that bullet is going to act the same way, most likly its going to shatter like hell and destroy the meat

Simply not true if you choose your bullets wisely, and there are several bullets out there in .224 caliber designed specifically NOT to what you said WOULD happen.  True, if one was arrogant, or stupid enough to use a bullet designed to explode on impact, such as any varmint bullet, it would certainly do as you say.  However, any of the premium bullets like Barnes TSX, Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, Partition or even the Winchester 64 gr Power Point, are designed to, and actually perform in a manner that produces great bullet integrity and deep penetration.

[beemanbeme]

Why do we keep hacking this issue around?  Every time things quiet down, some goober has to ask "why can't I kill a deer with a .222/.223" and it starts all over.  There are always a certain number of droolers that say "I've kilt xxx deer with a .222 and my great granddady, that was all he used, etc"  Well , good for you.  I knew a little old lady in Tenn that killed a deer every fall with a 22lr.  Does that make the 22lr a viable deer round?  Not hardly.  This is just like the jerk-offs that brag about how many elk they've kilt with a .243.  They neglect to tell you how many they've wounded.  And, being that sort of slob hunter, they certainly make no effort to track 'em down.

[R.W.Dale]

Why do we keep hacking this issue around?  Every time things quiet down, some goober has to ask "why can't I kill a deer with a .222/.223" and it starts all over.  There are always a certain number of droolers that say "I've kilt xxx deer with a .222 and my great granddady, that was all he used, etc"  Well , good for you.  I knew a little old lady in Tenn that killed a deer every fall with a 22lr.  Does that make the 22lr a viable deer round?  Not hardly.  This is just like the jerk-offs that brag about how many elk they've kilt with a .243.  They neglect to tell you how many they've wounded.  And, being that sort of slob hunter, they certainly make no effort to track 'em down.

 I've had to help track quite a few wounded deer with a couple never being recovered. BUT they were all shot with 30 caliber rifles. What gets me is the posters that actually think that just cause they use a 30-06 that they will never have to track or find an animal
 From what I've seen once you get into rifle cartriges with at least 1000 foot pounds of energy. That they all kill deer about the same

[beemanbeme]

Krochus, I think you need to start hanging with a better crowd if you've had to track several wounded deer and even lost a couple.  Or maybe have your group spend a little more time at the range.
I've been hunting a looooong time and can only bring to mind having to actually track maybe three wounded deer.  I mean deer that had non-letal wounds and actually had to be tracked until a killing shot could be administered.  
I'm not saying that if you shoot a 30 calibre it makes you a deer killing machine.  Not any calibre does that but a larger calibre does give you more room for error in a less than perfect world.

[grouper sandwich]

Why do we keep hacking this issue around?  Every time things quiet down, some goober has to ask "why can't I kill a deer with a .222/.223" and it starts all over.  There are always a certain number of droolers that say "I've kilt xxx deer with a .222 and my great granddady, that was all he used, etc"  Well , good for you.  I knew a little old lady in Tenn that killed a deer every fall with a 22lr.  Does that make the 22lr a viable deer round?  Not hardly.  This is just like the jerk-offs that brag about how many elk they've kilt with a .243.  They neglect to tell you how many they've wounded.  And, being that sort of slob hunter, they certainly make no effort to track 'em down.

I've only lost one deer in my life, and that was with a 7mm Mag after a ballistic bullet failed.  I spent about 8 hours tracking that animal, well past midnight and across two property lines.  So if you're going to make personal attacks and call folks slobs I suggest you start by taking a look in the mirror first, pal! :roll:

[R.W.Dale]

I'm not saying that if you shoot a 30 calibre it makes you a deer killing machine.  Not any calibre does that but a larger calibre does give you more room for error in a less than perfect world.

 So you're saying that 30-06 is a beter deer cartrige than something smaller  because you can take more of a gut shot and get by with it.

 I don't like that kind of thinking, In fact it sounds just like that crowd I need to quit hanging around, so mabye you need to spend more time at the range.

[beemanbeme]

Now, now Krochus.  Read what I said.  You know, the little patch you've got up there highlighted as a quote from me.  That's not what it sez.
 
FWIW, I've my own range here at the house.  Out to 250 yards.