I find it odd the BSB doesn't stabilize as it is shorter than the partition.

55 grain Fusions. Works well for me.

I feel like I started something.

I definitely, loosely used the term head/neck shot to mean brain stem of spine shot. I have not hunted as much as others but the one deer that ran on me without tracking down was a classic behind the shoulder shot with a 30-06 at just shy of 200 yards. I'm having a hard time seeing how severing the spinal column above the shoulders is NOT the most efficient killing shot. The biggest and only fair criticisim I've heard is that it's a small target, ie higher chances of missing. Even then, I think of "aim small, miss small." Every deer I hit in the neck has just dropped. I've shot at more than that though and just flat out missed it because I'm specifically going for the spine. Never regretted any of those shots taken.

Almost seems more sporting to me; either get hit a die instantly or miss the small target and don't even wound the animal.

ive had several hunters try for a neck shot and end up clipping the top of the back and knock the deer out then they get up and run off.

the neck is a lethal shot, but deer move their head/neck area much quicker and more often than any other part of their body save for maybe their tails. I've missed several deer trying a neckshot that moved right as I squeezed the trigger. Missed a few headshots this way as well.


a Mature Bucks neck is substantially bigger than a skinny doe neck, so the target increases quite a bit but the spinal colum remains about the same. If you hit a deer in the lower neck however you typically get major arteries and can sever the windpipe.


I'm not anti or pro neck shot, I've used them quite a bit back in the day but now I don't really see the need to any longer, as I don't do near the amount of doe killing I used to and a neck shot on a trophy buck isn't my first, second or even third choice, although I've had to take it in the past.

I've always been a fan of the high shoulder shot. Dumps them just like a neck shot, meat lost is minimal, and its a larger target that doesent move much

This thread didn't start out as a shot placement discussion but any bullet type discussion should take placement into account. The OP never even said what animal he was hunting but he did mention PENETRATION and EXPANSION. If anyone is shooting a deer in the neck I don't think penetration/expansion would be an issue(correct me if wrong.) Koreans comment about shoot at neck and kill or clean miss is a good one. I emphasize that everyones goals are different but I personally rarely shoot at anything where I don't care if I hit or miss and on those occasions where I didn't care then I wouldn't care how the bullet performed either.
For me I spend tens of thousands of dollars over several years in between trigger pulls on a big mature Trophy buck so I wont be shooting a 22250 and I wont be shooting at the neck/head/brainstem. Im well aware how different we are all and I feel if you are a good enough shot to hit the brain stem then I commend you. If you don't care if you miss or not then im ok with that. So I hope yall understand why I say I have no plans to spend the time at the range required for me to hit the nervous system of a mature Trophy buck. Big bullet, big target, dead.

ok went from bullet thread to a D___ measuring contest as usual

i find the spinal cord between the C4 and C5 TO BE THE only place to kill cleanly. if you cant hit it at 400 yards, you suc and should quit hunting

I have a 22-250 1-9 w/threaded barrel coming

Thank you Buzz. I cant hit that C4/C5 every time and don't think the OP planned to since he asked about penetration and expansion. Im not the OP but I have a 22250 that I may let a youth that's recoil conscious to shoot a doe behind the shoulder and would love this thread to stay on its intended course and maybe help me and OP out. Im gonna try to shoot hogs in the head with it but if I hit one somewhere in its body im curious what bullet yall think would have the best chance. I don't know about the OP but mine wont stabilize the 60gr Partition or that's likely what ide shoot.

Back to topic.

I've been using a .22-250 on deer for the last 22 years. In that time I have used several bullets and will rank them according to my findings in the field:

55 Grain Remington Soft Point- Very accurate. Not too explosive, did see some exit wounds with body shot deer ( mainly does )

55 Grain Sierra Gamekings - Accurate, used to be easy to find. Also did get some exits on lung shot deer ( again, does/ yearling bucks ). shot a doe at around 100 yards and the exit was the size of a quarter.

55 Grain Hornady V-Max- Extremely Accurate, Very Explosive. Never got an exit with a body shot deer. Several did hit the ground with lung shots, insides were jellied. If they ran, no blood trail. Shot a doe low in the neck and it looked like she was killed with a hatchet. Killed many pigs with this round as well.

55 Grain Federal Fusion - Not accurate in my rifle at all. Pretty much a 100 yard and under gun with this load due to accuracy. Tough bullet, took several body shot bucks in the hill country, as well as a smattering of hogs. For a .22 caliber deer bullet in commercial weights, its probably the best if you can't find the partition.

Collectively I would say the above testing constituted somewhere around 45-50 deer.

a lot of the guys I grew up with (older hunters who all owned their own places ) all shot a .22-250 for the majority of their hunting. These guys were pretty laid back, weren't after trophy bucks and were interested in the Beer just as much as the Deer. In those days, they shot whatever they could get there hands on, mainly the sierra gamekings and the remmy soft points, and I can't remember any of them ever losing a deer, although we did have a tough time finding a few in the south texas brush.

Also of notable mention, a lot of the above guys and myself included, sort of drifted back the .270 or the .25-06 for general whitetail hunting, even for does and culls. Not sure why, but I just feel more confident in that round despite ( or perhaps because of ) my experience with the .22-250.

i didnt even ask if you reload, if you do, maybe the nolser 64gr bonded would work for ya. i load it in my .223 bolt , 9 twist. its no benchrest bullet but shoot good enough bout 1" groups

Shocked you would shoot such a poor BC bullet. I always thought of you as a BC snob.

only to keel stuff