Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting At Ingwe's urging, a ".22 centerfires are no good for deer thread"

I'll start:

It's obvious to anybody with half a brain (Savage99 qualifies) that a .243 Winchester is far better than a .223 Remington because of the extra .019" in bullet diameter--about the thickness of the average fingernail.

But the .22 rimfire is perfectly adequate.

The 22 LR is for children, women, and those recoil sensitive men. Real men hunt with the 22 Magnum

I've no issues with 22LR.

I have witnessed the effectiveness of a 22-250 on mule deer. Worked like a charm.

It's the knockdown power that makes the .243 so much better, not the extra .019".

Duh.

If I had a dollar for every one of these type threads I've read, I could buy enough .224 63gr. SMPs to fill my deer tags for the rest of my life.

Too much bullet, hoss.

So I guess if .22s aren't any good for deer, a .17 or a .204 is better???

For deer? That's silly... course it's not enough for deer.

Nothing bigger than a tiger with 22 centerfires.

A .22 with a TTSX will bang flop any animal on planet earth.

I, for one, am not going to say the .243 is "far better" than the .223 for deer.
If I'm looking for "far better," I'd describe such a round as being .264-.308 in diameter, firing a bullet weighing between 130-150 grs. at a velocity of 2800-3000 fps.
I borrowed this description from John Wootters great book, "Hunting Throphy Deer." He was describing ideal rounds for hunting big, experienced bucks that are often taken while running. Not the type of hunter that shoots what's legal and under less difficult shooting conditions.
Even with a "less than ideal hit," like one too far back, they often kill pretty quickly assuming one is using fast opening bullets. Not only that, but such loads often leave a good blood trail if it's needed. E

I have a 22-250 and a 30-06 to chose from for deer and antelope. I'll take the 30-06. It weighs a lb less.

If they'd make a .20 cal 40 train TTSX.....

Thats a small tiger...and the Savage Hi=power is actually a .227.


No fair.

But would this not cause over penetration?

Needless overkill. I've already killed deer with a 5mm Remingtom magnum. The .204" 38 gr. PLHP made them all the way dead.

I can vouch for the fact that .22 centerfires are NO good for deer. Every one I shot with one dropped on the spot. Relaxed deer,from a good rest. Shot in the neck bone close to the head,with a 22/250 and a 60gr Nosler or 55gr Hornady spire point. Didn't do the deer ANY good what so ever. Gotta say. Over penetration wasn't a problem.

22 centerfires take the fun out of tracking wounded deer.

Damn things are no good on oryx either....no tracking...





Didn't get to track any pigs either....





Maybe if I used a bigger gun and shot them in the wrong spot I'd get in a little tracking practice....