Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Is the 222 Too Light For Deer?

Not a gun writer but Dober, who used to post here and I believe was considered knowledgeable said the 63 gr semi-pointed Sierra was a good deer bullet.

Bruce,
The Valmet is almost certainly a 14 twist, I have owned a couple 412s that were, but the 63 SMP should still work well in it. If you don't have a Sierra manual I can send you the data it lists. Hodgdon also lists data for the 63 Sierra. I've used that bullet on a bunch of deer in 22 CFs and it's hard to beat.

If you want to use a 55 then I would first look at the 55 hornady Sp with cannelure. It's a tough accurate little bullet. Truthfully at Duece velocities about any 55 grain bullet will work.

+1

Have been hunting deer all my life and have never considered using my .222, perhaps out east where the distances are shorter it might be more viable. out west where the distance can be long at times I know there are always better options. I will keep my .222 for hunting coyotes,rockchucks and shooting prairie dogs.

well, there was a time when I didn't have other options.

I do now, but considering I'm killing them like a slaughterhouse, I decided not to bother other optioning.





OK I lied.

I'm going to use a RAR in 223 this year.

And let my daughter use the deuce.

In a 222 (M70, 1-14") I once had the 63 Sierra SMP shot very well (good enough for gopher shooting). It also shot the 64 Powerpoint well enough to easily place lethal shots in deer-sized game to 150 yards or so. The 60 Hornady SP however would not shoot in that rifle. (I reckon shooting on the coast of the Bering Sea qualifies as "sea level" for the intent of atmospheric awareness. )

It worked fine for my daughter. Shot was only about 35-40 yards and it ran about 30 yards.. With "bow" range like shots, it works fine. This fall I am hoping she uses her 6.5 Swede, but I wouldn't be heart broken if she used the 223 I've got either. At close range, they seem to work fine.

Rates a two-cool!


Out here a 100 yard shot is close range, and 150-300 are the common distances. Maybe I should use the 308 version.

A Swede would be sweet!

Bruce,
my late oldest brother used a 340 savage in .222 for mulies, blacktail, and whitetails for years. after he was killed my nephew used it for years on same. after he became a felon I got the gun. took many mulies with it.

That's a recommendation I value for sure.

BRAVO !!!

The .222 is probably my all time favorite cartridge.That said, the world is full of better deer cartridges.

Isn't it illegal in most places, or at least unethical to used a .222 on deer?......

Yes, and yes.

Next time I pole axe one at 3000 fps, I'll marry it and sodomize it, just to get the hat-trick.

You are a bad person.


Savage 99 told me so.

On a similar topic, my new Ruger #1 in .222 will shoot 55 grain Hornadys into little groups but at only 2950 fps.
Is that enough to kill a deer?

You should be banished to Accurate Reloading for using 'unethical' and .222 in the same sentence.

Savage 99 convinced me to use enough gun, so I have my 250 Savage 700 Classic ready to go.

Are you sure thats big enough???

No.

this is a metric issue.

it takes 900 meters per second to kill a deer.

that's 2952' 9" per second if you use U.S. Survey feet conversion.

Screwed. You are.

Damn..........