I started deer hunting in 1966.My first rifle was a 222.I killed my first deer with a 222.In the seven years I hunted with it,I killed three deer.I shot at and hit several more,but I took home only three.Those 50gr bullets those days were designed for varmints and didn't give you very much penetration.The last deer I shot with it was about 35yds.I shot that deer right behind the shoulder and instantly a fist sized lump appeared were I hit it,but I never recovered that deer.I don't think it ever made it past the rib cage and into the internal organs.The last time I shot a 222,was in 1984.It was loaded with a 55gr Hornady Spire Point.I killed a 125lb sow at 75yd.That little 55gr bullets hit her right behind the shoulder and dropped her dead right there.I soon traded that rifle for a 6mm because I never really had the confidence in that rifle to get the job done everytime..Will a 222 kill a deer? Yes it will.Will it kill a hog? Yes it will.Is it a really great caliber for those jobs?I have to say,not really.I have to say,there are more bullets to choose from these days that are better suited for the job,but for me,bigger is better.From that 222,I went to a 30-30,then a 25-06,then a 7mag(I really like this one for deer).I never felt under gunned or over gunned with the 7mag and feel it is a great caliber for deer from close to all the way to way out yonder.I've got quite a few rifles to hunt with and several I haven't got to hunt with yet.I've killed a few with the 6mm,270 Win,308,my 300 WSM is a real hammer(I've killed quite a few with this one),7STW(another hammer).This year I've been working with a couple of good shooting 30-06's.I really like the results I've been getting from my loads on these rifles and my give them a shot this year.What can I say,I must be a rifle looney.Another reason I like the bigger calibers is,here in the South Texas brush country,it is very thick and thorny.The quicker you can put one down,the less you will bleed from all those scratches you will receive looking for a deer in the dense brush

~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
As Bob Hagel would say"You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong."Good words of wisdom...............