22/250 any inputs about use on deer,recommended ammo

Ahh, crap. This could start a firestorm.

1. I know nothing about the 22-250.
2.
3. What happened to the .270?

Size of deer, shot placement, length of shot. I guess if that’s all you’ve got.
I’d rather use a .270.

You and the rifle get good enough to keep bullets inside an inch.

Then aim for the brain stem.

If the deer is broad side to you, that is straight down from the ear notch, and straight back from the jaw line, center of the neck. Facing you, right under the chin. If you can do that, they will be dead before they hit the ground.

You are apparently somewhat new to our forum(welcome) so you may not be aware that discussions about using a 22250 for deer is controversial. Many will say that unless most everything is perfect that it is very under gunned. Others will say it is just fine. Ive gotten tired of beating my head against a wall so I will try to stay out of it. Others seem to enjoy arguing to no end, so you will probably get a lot of feedback.

What'd I tell ya? It might have been a 22-250 mentioned by a friend of the landowner that we had riding with us when I toured a lease that I was on for just one year. Apparently, the friend, and all of his children and grandchildren down to about age 8, could drill a deer in the ear with one out to 500. DRT.

Welcome ...

My kids hunt with an AR in 5.56. 65 grain Gamekings have dropped 2 mature bucks, 4 boar hogs one was 250 pounds, and an aoudad. I trust that load. But the day they can shoulder a full size rifle we’re switching to my 22-250 with same bullet. It’s wicked at that speed

exactly

I'm no expert here but some logical points.
22-250 is usually a 12 twist barrel and limits bullet weight to around 55~60 grains.
This is probably adequate for most game animals up to around 100 lbs
While not written in stone I would think this would be considered more of a varmint round.
I know someone will say they have shot moose in Canada or Mule deer with a 22-250 and that I suspect is acceptable for some hunters.
I would personally go to a 243 Winchester or 6.5 Creedmoor or 7mm-08 if you intend to shoot whitetail or bigger....But that's just me.....

The 55 grain Sierra Game King has a good reputation with sane bullet placement, as does the 63 grain semi-pointed SGK. That said, if you've already got a .270 ...

I’ve guided many of hunts and have several friends who have harvested WT with this round. If you have the typical 1:12 twist run the 69gr or 77gr bullets. Or the heaviest your gun will shoot the best with. Head shots are best but not always wanted (buck). Neck shots are your friend.
Worst case take high shoulder shots for best chance at DRT. Lung shot are a good option as well.
You will never go wrong with solids either.

My daughter and I took 3 bucks last year using the same 22-250

I then shot a 249 lb boar with same rifle

100-300 yards.

Dead center of shoulder, no runners, all DRT’s

4 for 4

I bought it for her, I decided to keep using it myself

At those ranges, I’m convinced speed does kill

Not gonna argue with anyone over it, but all I'll say is yes I am a fan of the 22-250 for deer and have been since I was 11 yrs old. Shoot a proper bullet, and put that bullet where it needs to go. Game over. My 22-250 is the most accurate rifle I own, and I love hunting with it. I am also a fan of the 243, but there are folks on here that will tell you that caliber is marginal at best LOL. Lots of different opinions out there. If either one of those calibers didn't work for me, I wouldn't be using them. If I was planning on making extended range body shots on deer I would leave the 22-250 in the safe.

Yes, I am also a fan of the 270

Yes, yes it does.

Back around 1998 i was hunting with an 06 or 45-70 and wanted to try the other end of the spectrum on deer. I loaded up some Barnes 45gr hollow points for the 250. Book showed something like 4020 fps with the load. Shot several deer with it and a few hogs. Although none of the deer were dead when they hit the ground, most were within a few seconds. Never had a pass through (never needed it) but when dressing them the internal organs looked like they had been run through a blender from the hydrostatic shock. Shot a few hogs, most were running or in a quick trot so was going for a body shot to slow them down some. All required follow up shots, so have some with the 45-70 though. As much as i like the 22-250 it wouldn't be the first gun i grab when going hog hunting unless there were expectations they would be broad side and still for a head shot then absolutley. If i were to build one up it would be with a fast twist to shoot heavier pills. Having said this, i've taken more than a couple dozen hogs in one night with a 223 and 55gr fmj's but this was with a AR15 platform and plenty ammo to use. To the op's question about use on deer, for a head or neck shot it would be my go to with about any bullet. For a body shot get something that will have a lot of hydrostatic shock and get after it.

I’m not an expert on anything and not looking to argue w anybody

But why do people say neck or head w the 22-250?

I just listed 4 real world, actually happened to me events this past year.

I didn’t read about it, I applied it in real life

We shot 4 animals all dead center shoulder and they all instantly died.

I’m not a lucky person and I don’t think all 4 were lucky or freak accidents

One buck weighed 159 live, 162 live and 249 live on pig not huge animals but standard sized is say

I didn’t weigh one buck

The most common figure thrown around when hunters discuss the kinetic energy required to ethically kill a whitetail is 1,000 ft.-lb. A quick check of several factory loads yielded a range of roughly 150 yards before the kinetic energy of a 22-250 bullet appropriate for deer, drops below that point.

Just as a rough comparison, a 100-grain, .243 load can support that level of energy out to twice that distance.

22-250 will work for deer. It is marginal. I view it a lot like bird hunting with a .410. In the hands of an expert it is deadly. Load up some 60 grain partitions and be smart about the shots you take.

I guess you are saying that a sample size of FOUR is enough.

As usual, Smokey’s thoughts make a lot of sense.

With a 55+ grain bullet that’s well constructed, and placed behind the shoulder for a double lung shot, it’ll work on average sized deer in Texas. I would keep shots under 150 yards. If they should run off and you can’t see where they fall, tracking a blood trail might be challenging due to small bullets holes.

I like they 22-250, and plan to hunt with one I bought last weekend this fall, if it’ll shoot 60 Nosler Partitions reloads into an inch or better group. If it won’t, it’s sole purpose will be for varmints and predators.

Even having a soft spot for the little round, I will say there are calibers way better suited for whitetail than the 22-250

If your gun will handle them the 65gr Sierra GK and 64gr Winchester powerpoint seem to work well. Better yet if it will handle those 62 gr Sirocco, 64gr Nosler Bonded PERFORMANCE, and 60gr partition are all designed for game such as Texas whitetails in mind. And they work.

The old 60gr Nosler solidbase was my favorite 22-250 deer bullet for years. Switched from it to Trophy Bonded 55gr for a while when it came out and it worked well but like some really good bullets those are gone except for a some of us that still hang on to a box or two.

Smokey Bear summed it up nicely

All about shot placement. Bought my brand new wife a 222. She shot a deer and decided to not do it again. Gave it to 8 year old Grandson. He killed 2 deer and a pig. None went far. Then I started stepping him up as he grew.

The triple deuce is waiting for a great grand kid who wants to hunt.

BTW, I’ve lost deer with my 30-06 that I knew were hard hit. We all have.

What’s enough?

Help me, help him

Please respond, I’d like to know.