Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Varmint bullets on deer.

What are y'alls opinion on this? I know of two guys who have told me the .222 Remington factory 50 grain is the best deer load they ever used. And one of those guys I know has killed a lot of deer. I've heard from some others that the regular 55 grain 22-250 load is a deer killer. Do you really need premiums to hunt deer with .22's?

No you don't. The basic 55 grain Hornady is a proven performer, as is the 60 Grain Hornady, the 63 gr. Sierra SMP, and the 64 Grain Win. Power point.

I'd stay away from the frangible bullets though...Vmaxes, blitz kings, Ballistic Tips, TNTs.....

55 grain Horn...




60 Grain Horn...

Oh hell, here we go:

The 50 grain Sierra SP and a 222 at 3000 fps =






oops:

If you shoot them in the head, you can use anything...


Im gonna fling a couple 60 grain NBTs at pig heads in a couple months....

Benn mostly neck & spine

how about the twofer.

neck on one, head in the other?

I knew that would come up...I can't top that one


I am also gonna fling a 55 grain horn out of a deuce at a pig's face too....

Your chance will come, poobs.

My deuce days are numbered, chief.

The old mauser gets a remake to a 6x45 for the daughter.

I'll be slumming a RAR in 223 from now on.

It's what I used to drop she-ra, the doe of plenty with the other day. 55 gr Hornady SP, factory load.

.223s work...but the deuce has panache!

True.

But I've got nothing to continue proving on the deuce.

Put a couple thousand rounds through a gun, get comfortable with a cheap cup and core - shoot deer in the CNS. Make meat.

Besides, I'm holding out for a #1 in 222

No.




Travis

why stop there...........


whitetail cull, +/- 80 yds.

Tac 20, 40 gr. V-Max.



May try my Red Ryder soon.

JAPPFT,


GWB

surgical:

I know where there is one, but its not for sale!


It has a 1 in 9 twist sand shoots anything you can cram into it.


It will be the messenger that sends the 55 grainers into pig faces.

moose, I agree with ingwe on bullet wts.. But the conditions under which you are hunting are very important also.. We have shot alot of game with .22's from the Hornet to the Cheetah.. As you know bullet placement is more critical with smaller calibers.. I have also shot some game with the Vmax and Blitzking.. poked in the lungs they are deadly at close ranges.. Conditions I used my .22's on game were lots of game, lots of time and I could pick my shots..

I figure most of the elk I've taken over the years would have fallen to a 40g V0MAX or BT from my .22-250.

Maybe I'll try a zombie bullet this weekend. 0ne of my 308's has a SS 6x42MQ zeroed for an easy going target load with a 168 Zmax.

I shot my first 20 deer with a 222 and either Speer 50 gr soft points or Hornady 50 grain v max. No lost critters.

When I started hunting mule deer I REALLY stepped up my game. I shoot a 6mm WOA with..... Wait for it..... A 65 grain vmax, lol

Shoot them with varmint bullets, it won't hurt a thing.

Come to think of it, the only deer I ever had to track more than 25 yards was shot with a 300 win and 165 SST.

Sometimes I shoot a 7mm-08, but not because I think it's necessary. I just try to stay sharp with it because it's my big game rifle.

Most deer in Tx. are pretty small.. I shot a couple in S. Tx. Thought I had shot a fawn.. Guys heck no that's a big doe....I doubt it was as big as my dog..

I agree many south Texas deer are tiny. Never hunted down there. Whitetail Here stand pretty large on the hoof, and mule deer can get enormous. If you don't believe that, I'll snap a picture of a deer on my wall and he'll pretty much end the debate.

As I let on above, I don't shoot mule deer with a 222, but I don't consider a 65 vmax at 3300 to be big medicine either.

.204 Ruger with 45 grain SP. 50 or so yards broadside. He ran probably 50 yards without so much as a drop of blood found.


Then he puked up a lung where he fell


I'm a BIG 22 CF fan on deer/antelope, but don't think I will go with the .204 again, unless we're talking about does or smaller bucks. The varmint bullets work just fine, but I would avoid bone. They'll straight up knock a deer's dick in the dirt when they explode lungs after a solid behind the leg shot.