Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting what bullet to use for deer in 22/250

due to open heart surgery my son plans to use his 22/250 this deer season, what bullets would you all use ?

thanks Ed

What twist .22-250?

The 64 grain PowerPoint or the 52 grain TSX ain't ever a bad choice, though.

I've used the 55gr Hornady SP. Accurate, cheap, and effective. Plan to try the Barnes and the 64 Nosler BSB.

its an older rem. 700 so guessing it is 1/14 twist?

Ed

45 grn tsx would do just fine or any TSX that will shoot well.

I don't use a 22-250, but my friend has for a long time. I ran across a box of hornady 55gr. sp interlocks (factory loads) for $10.00 so I bought them for him and told him to shoot a buck with them this year to see how they do... . I'm thinking they will work great..

Try the 64 grain PP, otherwise 45 or 52 TSX or 50 TTSX.

I have used the 55 GR Hornady SP with great success ! DRT on 3 PA whitetails

I have used a few 52 tsx to take deer with a 1-12 twist 223,and a 1-10 twist 22-250.

Deer aren't hard to kill with a 22-250. I used 50 gr ballistic tips!

I understand the 60gr partition is borderline. Those at low elevations can't get it to stabilize. Higher up it seems to stabilize. That would be a good one if you can get it to fly right.

I've heard the newer 64gr. BSB will and it's built to be a solid bullet. They're fairly cheap here: 64gr BSB Nosler 64 Grain Bonded

Lots of viable bullets out there for the job.


Where are you guys getting 52 Gr TSX??

I've never heard of a .224 55 grain Interlock Something new?

Gonna be hard to find the 60 gr. Nosler Partition too....

Correction: 53 gr TSX.

The 64 grain Power Point is an economical option, 60 grain partitions work great in my experience as do the 45-53 grain tsx bullets if they stabilize in your gun.
I have also heard very good things about the 55 grain Sierra gameking and its ability to hold together on deer.

Ed, are you handloading ammo or buying factory stuff? If buying off the shelf look no further than Fusion 55 grain or Vital Shock with a 60 grain Partition. Fusion is pretty easy to find in my neck of the woods. I bought my grandson a 223 for Christmas 3 years ago and with the Fusion ammo he has turned their lights out. Normally dead right there. The Partition will do equally well. These are bullets made for deer sized game mind you. They should stabilize in your gun.

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/63686


http://www.rareammo.com/Federal-Pre...0gr-Nosler-Partition-20-Rnds_p_1909.html

Back in the 80's before we had all these modern options, a lot of deer where killed with Federal, Remington and Winchester standard 55 grain bullets. Don't worry a neck, head, or heart sho Itt is all you need.

If you can stabilize the 64 bonded nosler they will tear a nasty hole, the 55gr hornady sp will get the job done fine also

this will be hand loaded ammo.

Ed

Hornady 60 gr SP shoots well in my 1-14 twist push feed M70 w/760 and CCI 250s. FWIW. We can't use 224 here in the NE for deer.

Nosler Pro Shop has 55gr BT blems for $16.45/100.
They also have Nosler 55 gr flat base blems for 11.95/100.
They're out of PT's and most others other than varmint bullets.
http://www.shootersproshop.com/nosler-products/nosler-blemished-2nds.html?caliber=5&p=1

How stout are those 55gr BTs? I've got a bunch of them but I've always heard they were a more explosive 22 bullet, and not as good on medium game as many others.

Midway has some of these Barnes 53gr TSX's, right now.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/67...lead-free-box-of-50?cm_vc=ProductFinding

They work well in my .22-250 #1, which has a 1 in 14" barrel.

If you have a fast twist barrel, they also have 55 and 62 gr TTSX's, at the moment.

TATELAW,



I used them in my .223 for squirrels. They would literally blow up clear out to 300 yards. I would not try them on big game.

I have had excellent luck out of 3 different .22-250s with the 53 gr TSX....all were twisted 1 in 14

The tsx will work for sure but my favorite for slower twist rates is the old Sierra 63 Smp. They shoot great and flat kill stuff.

Scenarshooter has killed more big game than smallpox with the 55 grain hornady Sp in a Swift and swears by them.

Truth be told, about any bullet works if you shoot deer behind the shoulder, I think the softer bullets kill quicker than most of the premiums with that shot. If you want to bust shoulders, shoot the barnes'

55gr Hornady Spire Point has worked real well for me in both the 22/250, and .220 swift.

That's wise to form an opinion and advise others about deer bullets when your only expierence is shooting squirrels with them.

How bullets blow up small varmints isn't a measure of how they'll work on big game. Have blown up quite a few prairie dogs with proven big game bullets from .25 to .375 caliber.

Have even killed some pretty big game with so-called varmint bullets. One example is pertinent here, since the cartridge was the .22-250. When on big cull shoot in South Africa my PH wanted me and my hunting partner to go out and make a real difference in the springbok population one day. He loaned us his old Sako .22-250, which was on its 4th barrel and at the time had killed over 12,000 springbok.

His favorite load for this was Winchester's factory ammo with the 55-grain softpoint. We used it to take a number of springbok that day at ranges out to 500 yards, all with body shots, not head shots. It happened to be my partner's turn to shoot when a medium-sized kudu bull also needed culling, and the "varmint" bullet worked fine with a heart shot on the 350-400 pound bull too. We recovered two bullets, one from the kudu, and one from a good-sized male springbok shot at 350 yards, finding both nicely mushroomed.

I would guess the Winchester 55 is a lot like the Hornady 55 that scenarshooter has used so well.

Kaleb,



You go ahead and use the Nosler 55 Ballistic Tip for big game is you wish. I gave him my experience. What did you suggest to the 55gr BT poster?

I didn't mean to start any arguments about the 55 BT. I was just curious because that particular bullet doesn't get mentioned very often as suitable for medium game. I think I've read a few posts over the years from people who have killed deer with them, but not nearly as many as the Hornady SP and the various Barnes bullets.

I just happen to have a bunch of them on hand, and there's not much in the way of varmints around here. No prairie dog towns and such. I have had fantastic results accuracy-wise with other caliber BTs, and I figure it would be the same with these. I was just wondering if they would be a viable deer bullet if I found a good accurate load.

The 63 Sierra has worked fine for me as well. And the slow 14" twist will do the job, IME. I've also used the WW 64 PP; just keep the velocity on the high end for stability.

The rule regarding Ringman is to take whatever he says, do the opposite, and you will likely be right.

Case in point: My uncle has used the 55 grain Ballistic Tip in the 22-250 for years, killing plenty of deer and antelope. The bullet worked fine.

I have, numerous times......They kill about as well as anything when taking behind the shoulder shots.....


X-VERMINATOR

Agreed....it works fine. I've even killed a few bull elk with it.

Your list of kills prompted me to get away from super premium bullets for once and shoot a deer with a 55 gr. Horn.
.223AI 100 yds. Performance was flawless...little hole going in, nickel hole coming out, deer was DRT.


Oh...and I watched my pard kill a bull elk with that bullet out of a 223....placement under the chin, in the throat didn't hurt.... Another DRT

I sure hope you guys aren't shootin squirrels out to 300 with those things.

Get back to basics.
Rule #1

65BR,



For you, what are basis and "Rule #1"?

Billy,

I believe that's called the Savage99Ringman Rule: Do the opposite of what they say and you'll be fine.

It's not a bad coyote bullet either....

There is a rumor that Savage 99 and VarmintGuy are going to co-author a book "Everything You Need to Know About Guns, Hunting, Politics and Wolves".
If this does happen, I suppose it will put all gun writers and most biologists out of work.

why would you care? You would disagree and try to make the thread about you anyway. I've killed deer with the 50 vmax but not the 55nbt. I also agree with rule #1 so that helps.

Rule number one, make a good shot.

Expensive projectiles won't make up for poor marksmanship...

Rule #1 is something we should live by... We owe that to the critters...

Yeah Pat, I have ushered a few into the next life with a 55 grain Horn.

But they no longer cost $52 per thousand!

It was an old box of bullets that I don't have in my possession. Don't know if they are interlocks, but do know they are 55gr. sp Hornady factory loads...Looks like Pat and some others have used them with great success...

bsa,

As far as I know, Hornady has only made one Interlock .22 caliber bullet, the 70-grain .228" supposedly for the .22 Savage High Power. ("Supposedly" because there's a little more to the story.)

But even before Hornady started putting the Interlock ring inside some of their bullets, their Spire Points had a reputation of holding up better than other cup-and-core bullets. This was because Hornady used a little harder lead alloy for the cores than most other bullet companies did. Or at least that's what I was told some years ago by somebody who should have known, and what I found both in shooting big game and, more recently, hardness-testing the cores of quite a few jacketed bullets.

20+ years ago I helped a friend load some ammo for his .22-250, which IIRC were loaded with 60gr Hornadys. He killed 2 javelina with one shot, and quit using them, convinced I had somehow loaded them dangerously hot.

You guys figure it out yet? the 22-250 is a deer killing machine with anything you shove in it.

One year a certain un-named someone filled all the deer tags in the party with a .222 and 52 grain HP target bullets. All one shot broadside DRT. It's not rocket science.

My .22-250's are all 1-14.. We have killed deer with 55 gr. Horn. 55g. Sierra HPBT, 60 gr. Part., 63 gr. Sierra, and 64 gr. WW.. I would pick either the 60 gr. Part. or 64 gr.WW..

1/14 twist Rem. M788. 60gr Partitions. Accurate, dead deer were no problem. Went to 38grs of IMR 4350 for the 60gr Partitions, instead of IMR 4064 normally used for 55gr Btips.

Know folks that've been killing PA whitetails for years with a 22-250 and WW 64gr power point factory loads.

Can't think of a better choice for anyone that's recoil shy or has medical issues?

Have any of you ever felt badly for an OP who asked a simple question?

PaulBarnard,



I'm delighted for him his kid is able to hunt instead of pushing up daisy.

I think he's been given plenty of viable and simple answers.

I did once, years ago. But I got over it right quick. It was probably Ingwe or Steelhead's fault?

I'd not be skeered to throw 40gr BT's at a deer, though I ain't done it, just saying.

While not a .22-250, years ago I shot a medium sized doe with my .220 Swift and a factory loaded 46 gr. open point.. She ran maybe 75 yards and crashed.. But there wasn't a good blood trail.. It was open so I could keep track of her that way.. Still that is NOT a load I would want to take if I were looking to kill a nice buck.. Does were thick, and I waited for an easy shot.

AMEN!

I would mention how many deer we have killed with a .17 Remington and 25 grain HP bullets but some here might have a slobberin duck fit if I did.

Careful. I''ve noticed over the years, that some here can get aroused if it's reported that deer aren't being slain with at least a 300 Weatherby.

WOW
What a tank!!!!!

I haven't shot a deer with my 22-250's but a 55grn VMAX out of a 22-250 on a Javelina boar (@237 yard head shot) is definitive and lethal.

You bring up an important point. In open country a 70 yard death dash isn't a huge deal. Here in the impenetrably thick southern woods a long death dash in fading light can mean a lost deer.

Thanks for posting that, Pat. I've been wondering about that bullet. I plan to try it on some hogs and deer. Beautiful buck, by the way.

I have an experience of one with a 22-250 and deer and that was my daughter's first deer with a 64 Bonded Solid Base, which in our instance broke the shoulder joint, took out several inches of scapula, penetrated the length of the deer, broke a bone in the opposite rear leg and left about a 1" exit hole. If it always performs like that, I would be willing to try it on an elk if legal.

Just saw where shooters pro shop has an over run of those 64 gr bonded.....

Back in high school and college I killed a number of deer and especially antelope with el cheapo wally world special 55 grain soft point .22-250 loads.

I'm an armpit shooter, not a shoulder breaker, but never had an instance where the critter took more than a few steps or at most a short death run before falling over dead.

In the never-ending debate about the suitability of centerfire .22s for deer, the opposing team never takes into account that we know the limitations, and are very picky about shot placement. The armpit+ .22-250= Quick Death.

The big mag crowd worries about bad angle shots, texas heart shots etc. You just don't take them with a little gun, and shouldn't with a big gun.

Shrap, where did you stick them wit a 55 BT, if i may ask?

Warning: Hornady bullet results may (will) not be extrapilated (comprable) to Federal or Remington (especially rem 50 gr hp's) though Fed Nosler Partitions are equal to Hornaday 60 gr Interlocks in big chitt lethality.*

* However, rem 50 gr HPs are equal in lethality if placed between the eyes of most any BGA.

B S, re doing the opposite of what RM says.

Head and neck shots are fine with respect to the BT in mind. Shoulder on a big muley, not necessarily a go.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/83...60-grain-interlock-spire-point-box-of-20

Sorry, but i saw a booner muley lost to a rem 50 hp to the ribs buy a grizzled old west Texas rancher who shot it off a dead solid rest broadside at 75 yards. The 36 in wide, tall, symetrical 5x5 humped up and nearly fell before recovering to get into the brush. Minimal blood and a dirt sky norther blowing in the next am and we never found him, even with a proven deer trailing/getting gsp.

Im figuring the bullet was stopped by a rib.

One of the strong advocates of the .22 cal. on deer once admitted thinking about this very thing.. Doubt he remembers, but the poor blood trail issue was the crux of the issue.. think this would have happened with a .270??
.22's are deadly, but as an old W. VA. mountaineer once told me with the . 22 centerfires, you loose one every so often.. This guy had not shot dozens of deer, or hundreds, but probably thousands..When he spoke, I listened..

I wasn't there and you obviously were, but I have a hard time believing the bullet was at fault, if that played out the way you say. If he humped up, you sure he didn't get gut shot?

I killed a 250 pound (ish) mule two years ago with my 204 ruger with roughly the same shot presentation. Solid broadside lung hit. He ran about 50 yards before piling up with lung blood coming out his mouth. That was WAY further than I had seen any .22-250 deer shot tight behind the shoulder go.

Me and my buddy has killed lots of deer here in PA we red tag hunt farms and we use 60sp 60gr hp and 55gr bthp gameking but head and neckshots are the norm.

For some reason, this picture shows up just about everywhere, and sometimes with a story I've never even heard myself, so I'll post it here again with a few details of what really happened...

I killed this 217 3/8", 7X6(195 2/8" final)in the great state of Idaho back in 1991. There is only so much to be said for "Lady Luck", and this buck was no exception. I was actually drawing down on another really good buck that was 30" wide, heavy, with deep forks, and probably in the 185" range, when this buck stepped out of the cover, at 125 yards. I saw them both in my 8X Leupold at the same time. The rut was on, and they were competing for the same doe. From a sitting position, with sling wrapped, I slipped the safety off, put the dot on his right front shoulder, and fired, without having time to think too much. When the bullet struck, he dropped, rolled twice and lodged himself on a small fir tree. Thank god for that little tree, or who knows if would have ever stopped rolling. I used my .220 swift. My load was the 55gr Hornady spire point, loaded to 3800fps. His right shoulder was broke, and the bullet was recovered under the hide on the other side, a perfect little mushroom, with no jacket separation. I still have it.

But you need to check in more often Pat, there is usually a few experts that will tell you the .22 center fires might be OK for deer....but not BIG deer.......

Ive killed close to hundred give or take with a 53 sierra.
22-250 and 22 cheetah. No giant mule deer. 90 to 150lb whitetail on depredation tags. Never had a problem

When I killed a Montana wolf in 2009, I purposely didn't advertise many pictures of myself with the wolf due to all the controversy and wackos vandalizing successful hunter's rigs and such. I put a pic of just the wolf up on the braggin` board at Missoula's Sportsman's Whorehouses. A few days later it disappeared. A friend told me a couple weeks later some random dude at the bar in Lolo was telling folks he killed it.

Pretty funny, and sad how stories get twisted and turned around.

Great buck by the way...

IMO, one of the best field pics ever! Well done on the pic and buck!

anyone ever notice how the Montana guys have NO problem making stuff work, that too many folks elsewhere claims won't work?

Guess they don't read all the anti hype, and just go out and get it done...

by the way Pat, nice job as always...

and very nice pics per usual...

eyeball,

The 60-grain "Interlock" Hornady Custom ammo you posted a link to might a misprint of some sort, perhaps on Midway's part, as Hornady's website doesn't list either a 60-grain .224 Interlock bullet or .22-50 Custom ammo loaded with such a bullet.

There must be some kind of a correlation there......

Kinda like how hard boxes are to open in Oregon...

Taken in November, 2009 with my Swift. 52gr SMK. This buck is the last big game animal I've killed with that old rifle. Seems like anymore, I'm always trying something new...I'll bet the old Sako would still work though.

Well, once you told me all about the 55 grain Horns, I had to go out and try one on some test media....





Performance was absolutely perfect. Deer was DRT....


made me question why I use anything else, but I figured out why that was.......cause I'm always trying something new.....

Hell I had to kill one with a tire tool once, but it ain't my weapon of choice......


I'm sure there are much more experienced hunters here than me, but we've killed more than our share of BG. My son and nephew killed many deer with .223's when they were young. Everything needs to be "right" IMO, to use .22 on big game. Too much can go wrong.

Flame away.....I've got more ass than any of you have teeth.

Proper hands.....

Opinion versus actual experience, always makes me shake my head.

Frank Glasser-Google the name, if you care-killed everything Alaska has to offer, and a lot of them, with a .220Swift and old style bullets. He used many different rifles and said the .220Swift killed them quicker than anything else he used.

Finally had some trouble with a Grizzly and the Swift and for them thought the .30-06 was a better choice.

Laffin......! Sad thing is I can't outrun anybody.

that was Jeff O....

with my Swiss Army Knife, any box is easy to open....