Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Speer .224 70grain soft point on deer

Anyone had any experience with these. I don't want the ".224's are too small for deer etc etc" story, just some real life experiences with these projectiles on deer sized animals.

I have been using the Sierra 63 gr very successfully in my .223, but my supply is about to run out and the 70gn Speer has been mentioned as being worthy of a look.

Thanks in advance

Shot one small doe about 25 years ago with one in a 22-250. Shot thru the lungs, she ran about 50 yards and piled up. Penetration was complete, but the bullet hit nothing but ribs and lung tissue. It should be a tougher bullet than the 63gr Sierra, which is billed by Sierra as a varmint bullet, whereas the Speer is advertized as a deer bullet.

I've shot a lot of them in my Rem. 788 22/250 but never at deer. They work really good on varmints and are pretty accurate too.

I'd try the Winchester 64gr Power Points if you can get them.

I spect it'd work out all right as long as it shot. I've never loaded one so could only guess. Once upon a time I did try to get some old 70 grain Barnes to shoot, they'd shoot into a pie plate or so...

The 63 you mentioned is my all time fav 22 cal slug for big game.
No doubt it'll get it done!

Dober

I used the 70grainer from Speer in both the .223 and the .22-250 on deer ( Yeah, I actually got them to shoot in guns with the "wrong" twist) and frankly was not impressed- at least not in the good way...
I have heard lots of good things about the 63 grain Sierras, from people like Dober who I trust, but have not used them personally.
Theres lots of super good premium bullets for the .22s now. Barnes TSXs, Nosler Partitions, Trophy Bondeds... if you want to use cup-n-core, I can report good luck with 60 gr. Hornadys...
Have Fun out there!
Ingwe

Ingwe-I've a small private stash of 55/60 NSB's as well, now there was a darn good bullet!

Dober

Dober; No kidding??? Don't tease me....
I really liked them when I had some back in the day....
Ingwe

They're one of the reasons I go to gun shows anymore, in hopes of finding a partial box or two to stash away.

In all honesty though, the 63 Sierra is the best bullet I've found yet.

Dober

Thats pretty much what Arnold thinks too, uses them in a .219 Zipper..
Ingwe

Ingwe, I've shot them in a fair number of 22's big and small and have yet to be disappointed in how they shot or how they handled game. I shot one of my biggest bruins with the bullet out of my '250 70/Fwt that I used to tote all over.

Check your pm box

Dober

Hi Dober,

Thanks for your comments. I note that the Sierra web site now shows both 63gn and 65gn in .224

http://www.sierrabullets.com/index.cfm?section=bullets&page=rifle&caliberID=3

The 63 is the 'Varminter' brand, the 65 is the 'Game King' brand. My 63's were the 'Varminter' ones (that's what it said on the box). I assume the 63's you are talking about are the same? Ever tried the 65's?

Thanks again

Mike

Dober, I used alot of the Nosler Solid Bases on deer and antelope and really liked them I am now also curious about the 65 gr. Gamekings mentioned in the last post, gotta look those up!
Nothing in pm, maybe try again?
Ingwe

The 55 and 60 grain hornady flat base bullets with the cannelor are really good deer bullets. I shot pigs with the 75 grain Hornady Amax and was really impressed with them as well. Not much in the 180 lb. and under is going to shrug them off. Flinch

I like those 63 Sierras too. They've shot well even in 14 twist 222 I've used them in. 64 Powerpoints (pictured) seem to be decent bullets also. These involved - at least one of them- one of the scapula on the caribou the came from (the back side of).

Very cool, thanx for the pics, I always wondered how the 64 gr. win PPs worked...never tried them. Also thanks for the vote on the 63 gr. Sierras. I keep hearing that from people I actually believe.....gonna have to try them too....
Ingwe

The 65 GK is a great bullet as well. There are all sorts of .224" soft pointed bullets suitable for deer sized game, many of which are discussed in this very thread...

My affection for the 63 Sierras was begun by the fact that I could not get the 60 SP Hornadys to shoot like I wanted them to, but the SMP shape of the Sierra does more readily. (And found a similar deal with the 100 SMP Pro-hunter in my 6mm when I used to hunt a lot with it.)

I've never stuck them into game. I've gotten useful (MOA or better) accuracy with the 70 grain Speer in a 1-12" twist .223 and a 1-14" twist .22-250. That semi-spitzer design makes 'em short enough to stablize where lighter but longer bullets won't.

I've also had the 64 grain WW power point stablize in guns that wouldn't stablize the 60 grain partition. "Beats me." In fact, I've had a few guns that bullet shot really quite well in.

Tom

I have used the 70 Speer a few times on deer and they worked very well in my experience. Good expansion and penetration used the .223 & 22-250 longest shot about 150 yards with the 223. None traveled more than a few feet after the shot.Good shot placement helped I'm sure. The 70 Speer like the 63 Sierra is a semi-spitzer because both bullets were designed during an era when fast twist factory rifles were non-existant and by shortening the profile these heavier bullets give very good accuracy in slower twist barrels. Both bullets have worked very well for me in twist rates as slow as 1 in 14. Have had mixed results with the longer 60gr. bullets such as the Hornady and Nosler. I have never had good luck with the 64gr. Winchester bullet accuracy wise never figured out why, may be gave up to soon? The last time I tried them was in a very accurate 22-284,got some very good velocity and groups measured in feet not inches and no indications that I was running them to hard.