22-250 for whitetail?

Question to you regular rifle hunters: is the 22-250 sufficient for Texas whitetail hunting?

I have shot a .243 for years successfully. I was given a Savage 22-250 which I will use on varmints, but I wonder about it's sufficiency for whitetail.

I appreciate your feedback.

No, you need at least a 300 win. mag. for even the small Hill Country Deer unless you are wanting to have to trail a wounded Deer.

It will kill a deer but save it for varmints

It's all about the shot placement. My son killed his first 3 deer with a 22-250. I kept the distance short and made sure he had a steady rest.

IMO, the key would be to use a Bullet designed for deer, not varmints

You can kill deer with it, particularly the little ones in the Hill Country, but use a good bullet. I killed some with my 220 Swift in years past. Of course there will be the folks suggesting that you shoot them in the head or neck, but I'm not a fan of that (though I have done it).

Don't use a varmint bullet.

I wouldn't hesitate...Ive shot a bunch with a .22-250 and bunches more with a .223 As someone already said, don't use a varmint bullet....

ive killed 8-10 deer with a 22-250.. the furthest one ran 50 yards.. shot placement is always key.. it is a flat shooting accurate gun.. great for beginners and kids.. I love my 270 but always like to break out the 22-250 for some fun easy shooting

yep, it will do the job with a good bullet and proper placement.

I killed my first several dozen deer with a 218 Bee 45 grain jacketed hollow point.

68 grain Nosler Bonded Bullet going 3,000 fps?

your rifle....it will kill

Use this and don't even worry about the size of the deer.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/186185...-free-box-of-20

I was going to say that you probably want to stay with copper bullets 53 grains and under in a standard 1:14 twist .22-250. In lead bullets the 55 grain SGK and the 63 grain SGK semi-pointed seem to be the class of the field when it comes to hunting bullets, but I'm sure others will chip in with suggestions..

That's all my Wife uses is HER .22/250 it is a 1980 Remington 700 BDL bull barrel stacks one ragged hole at 150yds with 55gr. Soft point can give you load data if I can find it but this gun loves Serria game Kings crony at 3650fps tiny entrance hole like a Needle total devastating results on the exit Never had one go further than 50yds from shot point and it is exactly 105yds to her feeder

If I were going to take a .22-250 deer hunting, with a common 1:14 twist, I would use a 55 gr Sierra Game King spire point boat tail.

Then I would make sure and have a perfect 100 yard zero.

Then I would line up the reticle below the ear, and behind the jaw (in line with the horizontal portion of the jaw), for the broadside presentation.

For the forward facing presentation, I would put the reticle just below the chin.

For the rear, head presentation, I would put the reticle again, center of the neck and in line with the horizontal portion of the jaw.

Limit 200 yard shot. And shoot the rifle on the range, at 200, prior to hunting with it, to learn the reticle placement, for a perfect 200 yard center hit.

I'm make shots like this, every year, on does. But I'm using a 162 gr out of a 7mm-08. As long as shot placement is just as solid, I would expect the .22-250 to work just as well.

I have killed 30-40 deer with a 22-250 and 55gr HPs, and I've never lost a deer.

I have heard several stories of hunters using a 218 Bee, mostly older guys. The old man that owned the ranch next door (5500 acres) drove around in his truck with a 218 next to him every time I saw him. I took every effort to speak with him when he come by the house. He said that he had killed more deer with that 218 than I would see in a year.

I have killed quite a few deer with the 22-250 and will say lost a few using the wrong bullet. Best bullet IMO the beat bullet I have used in it for deer is the 60gr partition. The 55gr Trophy Bonded when available also worked well as does the 64gr Nosler bonded. If your rifle will stabilize it the 62 or 75gr Sirocco are fantastic as well.

What Syncerus & FJG said +1 in spades...limit the range, make excellent bullet placements and only hunt with and practice with ammo that performs well on WTail sized critters, with 2-3 rounds from a cold barrel that can be hidden under a nickle every time you pull the trigger.

IMO Wish Shot Odd's with a 22-250 can be sky high otherwise, and IMO you need to reduce those Odds as much as possible even with todays much better bullets...and why I've never used anything smaller than a 100gr'er & preferably in a bigger bullet, even back in the '70's when I had good eyesight, no BP issues and shot 2-3k rounds a year and could write my initials on a standard sized business card at 100 yards most of the time.
Ron

I've used it, not a lot, but I've never had and issue...but as everyone else has stated shot placement is key...but isn't it always? As for head and neck shots I'll pass and just put it through the heart.

Before someone jumps on me for saying I've killed over 100 with it understand we have a MLD III ranch we hunt and get 130 doe tags a year so my numbers are higher than most people's. That being said, I've killed over 100 with it, I assure you a deer hit in the vitals or neck with .22-.250 is not going far if anywhere. More than half I shoot drop in their shadow, the others die in sight. Any deer not recovered was bad shot placement and no caliber will kill them with bad shots. The only limits I put on myself with it are long range, 300+, in the wind but on calm days that range is easy enough.

I usually shoot a 243 or 270 for my deer and I always aim behind the shoulder to pass it through the ribs. They always run after the shot, maybe 40-50 yards good blood trail. Last year I went with my dad to his lease and left my guns at home. He lent me his 22-250 and I shot two mature bucks and a hog. All shot behind the shoulder and they all dropped in their tracks. I couldn't believe it. My dad hand loads so I don't know what bullet he had, but it anchored them.

Killed my biggest to date with a 22-250.

happens on 90% of the deer I shoot. The bullet usually does not exit which means the animal is absorbing the full force. The bullet will usually fragment on the near side ribs and send a million tiny missiles made of bone and bullet through both lungs and just pepper the far side ribs. A bullet that is exiting with force is not doing much good as its passing through an animal. The less it expands as it passes through the less damage is done. It only makes sense that an animal taking the full force of a bullet, eventhough its small, is being damaged more. Oh and also recoil sucks!!! I freaking hate recoil, especially unnecessary recoil.

Not my first pick, but it will work.

For best results I would be carefull with your shot placement and use a bullet with hunting in mind. If you are a neck or head shooter they are likely no different than any other gun. I have been killing deer with a 223 for years without incident.

I killed probably my first 15-20 deer with the Sierra 63 gr Semi Point that my grandfather used to load for me.

I started loading the same bullet a couple of weeks ago for my wife's 22-250 I picked up for her, but have yet to make it to the range to test them out.

Keep in mind that, unless you can track like an Apache, most 22 caliber bullets won't exit. No exit means not much blood trail on deer and less on hogs. If you hunt on open ground, that might not be a problem, but where I hunt has heavy undergrowth. I shot a big hog earlier in the year, using my 260 and a 100 gr bullet, and knocked the 200+ pounder down. She got up and into the tangle before I could pop her again. Not a drop of blood anywhere. I found her by cutting my way into the tangle with a machete. Never found a drop of blood even where she died. She only got 30 yards in, but it was a hard 30 for me. So my days of hunting deer and pigs with a 223 or 220 are over. Bring enough gun...

That said, I have killed deer and hogs with that 63 gr Sierra bullet. South Texas and open ground.

Seems like every time I take my 223 coyote hunting, here comes a dang pig. And pigs do not get a free walk. The last time it happened, I parked a 40 gr Nosler BT in the pigs neck. That's my coyote bullet. I'm pretty sure that every drop of energy was transferred to the pig, and I swear I don't think he noticed. He did walk a little faster and turned left into the brush. No blood nowhere, though I did not follow my own rule about 'bring enough gun', or enough bullet.

They make .224 cal bullets that make great hunting bullets and provide reliable penetration. Here is the broken record, but 60 grain partitions, 75 grain sirocos, 64 grain nosler bonded performance, any of the monometal bullets like barnes etc. will do well.

Have shot countless deer and hogs up to 200 lbs and never recovered a 60 grain partition out of a 223.

WHAT!

redchevy, what you say is true, but none of those will stabilize in my 220 Swift. And unless his 22-250 is fast twist, they won't work in his rifle either. I did shoot a few deer and pigs with the 60 gr Partition in my 223, and except for the pig I shot in the anus, all exited. I haven't used any Barnes bullets yet.

I did buy a couple hundred 55 gr Sierra GK's, but I have not actually used them on anything but paper targets. They shoot great in the 220.

my dad wanted my mother to hunt with him upon returning from his time in Europe during WWII circa 1943, so he bought the Winchester model 92 in 218 Bee for her (little recoil). She shot it a few times at the range (old trash dump) and once while hunting, it wasn't her cup of tea and gave up hunting after a different experience while hunting with dad (another long story, for another time).

Anyway, dad fed the entire family (his parents, his in-laws, all his and my mom's siblings & their kids plus a few neighbors) from deer he shot (times were hard, pay was very low, wild game was the majority of their meat, families shared living quarters), year around, yes most illegal. So he used the 218 Bee since it was considerably quieter and didn't alert the sheriff's deputies/game wardens like a much larger caliber plus it was smaller and easier to poke out a window while holding a headlight ... along with building up cars that would outrun the LEOs (no radios back in those days) too. I would guess at least several deer a week, year around for pushing ~20 years until shortly after my brother and I came along. Likely well past a thousand deer over those extremely tough years. Both my brother and I used it for the first 5-7 years of our hunting too without concern of it being enough gun within 100 yards. It was that or dad's old 30-06 that kicked like a mule. My brother got the 218 and I got the '06 but I have a duplicate 218 that I found 20+ years ago for my safe.

I can't speak to all the 22 caliber center fire rifles, but most will get the job done with a good bullet and proper shot placement. My experiences are with 218 Bee, 22-250 (FIL hand loaded as ZK-315 mentioned) and 220 Swift (what my dad went to when age and recoil were the factor).

The largest # of SAKO 222's I sold in 5 states went to a dealer in Gillespie County...every year for the 6 years I sold SAKO's...enough that with the other few bigger calibers he ordered one at a time as needed, they made his Distributor Contract minimum buy's every year.

One of the nicest old gentleman & wife pair I called on, and was proud to call him a friend. None of my other larger dealers, who I had to push for volume every year to make the stair step volume discount breaks, ever said anything about me selling him direct on a Dist Contract either...
Ron

I too killed my first few with a Winchester model 43 218 Bee and probably that same ammo. As for the 22-250, I have done that too, it will work, just be able to make a good shot or don't take it.

Those Germans sure do love the .222

Never understood why but it's still popular as a truck gun in that area

Thanks for the feedback. Very helpful.

This rifle was a gift and I am figuring out what it will be used for.

Thanks again.

.22-250 is king of coyote and prairie dog killing.

If all a guy is going to do is sit in a blind and hunt feeders, then I could see why one would use a 22-250 waiting for the perfect shot. That would be the only way though IMO.

You can and I have but your old 243 is a fine deer rifle. My 22-250 has probably killed more turkey than anything. It is a fast accurate shooting rifle.

Yep. My uncle lived in Mason for 83 years. He and I shot lots and lots of deer with .220 swifts. He passed last year and my aunt gave me one of the swifts. Love that caliber

.22-250 is overkill for whitetail unless you're a very poor shot.
Folks that can't shoot should use .243 up to the monstrous 7mm 08 or .308.

.17 Rem knocksem deader than a door nail.
Bang / flop, of course you have to be capable of hitting a baseball size target at 100 or less yards.

I killed this buck last year with a 22-250. He was shot off the back porch at 145 yards. He never knew what hit him. I like the 45GR TSX AT 4K FPS. I haven't had anything run away from it. I switched to the TSX because I head shot a hog with a ballistic tip and it just knocked him out. The TSX just keeps going. The bullet went in this deers neck and ran half way down his spine before it stopped.




One year a buddy and I killed 107 does on a west Texas place in two weeks with 55gr Gamekings and all died where they stood. This was several years ago but I remember several dropping at over 300yds.

Try a barnes bullet deadly

Maybe a .416 Rigby double rifle will be enough gun for some of the shooters who replied to this thread.

Not to change the subject but that buck sure has a lot of fat on him.

Yea, he was in good shape...

I have been using my 22-250 for a while now and have taken some big bodied panhandle bucks with it. Never had one go more than about 20 yds. I hand load a Hornady 60gr SP. Very simple but works every time. I have taken a doe at over 400 yds with it but after seeing the internal damage I would not suggest it. I will not even think about a shot past 250ish now. Like everyone says make sure you have the right bullet and it will get the job done and be one of,if not the,most fun gun to shoot you own.

We shoot lots of does and culls in Mexico with a 22-250 with 50g tsx barnes ammo.
Not an issue yet

X2 I have a feeling I've shot a gun Ron sold to a good Dr.

Not a drought year ...lol

Heathly!!!

We have shot a pot load of deer with 22 cals. 222, 221 fireball, 223, 22-250, 22-6mm...I will say the 53 grain and 45 grain X bullets have always done a fair job...6mm and 25 cal seem to work better....

Ed

When I hunt with my .223, the Sierra GK is the only bullet I use. Have dropped 5 deer and 4 pigs in their tracks with that bullet from the .223.

Every buck we've killed on this place has been healthy and fat no matter what the year. We never saw a deer on the place until 1996.
I killed a buck on this place in 2013 and the next weekend a buddy and I hunted a draw hunt in Mason Mountain WMA. We killed two young 6 points and three does. I got more meat off of the one Fisher county buck than I did off of all 5 hill country deer.