Hands down my favorite low recoiling round for deer is the 250 savage. Be it for beginners or experts it just kills great with regular factory loads and hardly kicks at all, even with a steel buttplate it never bothered me at all as a kid of 11. My dads 308 was way more of a handful back then. Didnt make me flinch but I didnt particularly like shooting it and I was already an experienced hunter and shooter for my age.
In the 22 centerfires, Ive used the 22 Hornet, 223, and 22-250. The big case is better than the tiny one by a bunch, but I still took a bunch of deer with it. But the 22-250 compared with the 223, its an improvement but it isnt by much,just a lil more range. I have shot both in factory rounds with standard 55 grainers in them but the 60 Hornady SP is a good solid bullet for deer and the 60 Partition is simply awesome for a non bonded or solid bullet. Ive gotten almost full length penetration with it on a 200lb buck at 3400 and the bullet weighed 42 grains.
Still there is a noticable difference in the effect after the shot between it and the 250 and 243. They show the hit more/better, especially on bigger bodied fellas. Even if the deer dies within same time frame/distance. Does that make sense?
Where shooters can get into trouble is to take a bigger bullet shot with a little (standard)bullet. With standard bullets it doesnt always work out the same as if that bullet and caliber were designed for deer. Ive done that, and learned my lesson after a couple tracking jobs that took too long. As in one time I forgot I was holding the rifle I had and a young buck offered a shot in a brushy unit. I had a small window to shoot thru and it was to break the shoulder. It didnt have the effect I needed and I had to track that one a ways!
Other than that I cant see how the caliber would make the difference. Unless!... unless he was rushing them when they weren't dead yet and they jumped up and covered ground, the bullet hole closed up and they dropped in some canyon. I can see that happening.
