I've mentioned it before that I'd not want a .22 centerfire as my primary deer rifle for all conditions, as we get so few shot opportunities at mature bucks per season where I hunt and shot presentations aren't always ideal. With that being said, a decent .22 bullet certainly seems to work just fine when you can pick a decent neck/shoulder/lung shot placement on a deer or hog. With a suppressor it almost feels like shooting them with a .22LR.
Yep to all of that. And I have killed dozens of deer with .224 cal. cartridges. I don't use them anymore. I ain't scared of .30 cal recoil and with a medium weight for cal. bullet they do tend to penetrate, provide a larger exit more dependably and put more blood on the ground more often than any .22... If you hunt from a stand in more open conditions and can pick your shots over food plots, feeders or crop fields the .22's are fine.
