First I hope this don't end up in a pissing match about using .223 cal. cartridge for deer hunting.I just interested in who hunts deer with 22-250 and how it works for them. In my area the blacktail average between a 100 to 125 lb's and it's legal to use a .223 Cal. centerfire cartridge to hunt deer with.So I'm going to use my new Winchester model 70 FW in 22-250. I have Sierra 63 gr.,Nosler 60 gr. Partition,Winchester PP 64gr.,and Barnes 53gr TSX bullets. I think any one of those will work.Thanks

Yer good to go.

You are certainly good to go. Make sure your twist rate will handle those pills you mentioned. This was a 22-243 middlestead with 55 gr NBT. Just behind the shoulder, passed through. 6th deer taken with it last year. Belonged to a friend, he parted it out and i snagged the bbl.

Ive used mine to take a few deer with Federal premium 60gr Partitions and killed an antelope doe with Winchester whitebox 45gr HPs. This barrel is slowly losing accuracy so if/when I rebarrel it, Im going to go faster twist. This one has 1-14". I loaded some 53gr TSX for it and couldnt get it to shoot worth schit. Didnt try real hard but my 243 has kind of taken the 22-250's deer hunting spot the last couple years.

Works great on deer from my experience. I use the 60 grain NPT and shoots fine from my 1-12.

I shoot the 63 grain Serria bullet in my 220 Swift and it works great on whitetail deer. Choose your shots and you will do fine with your 22-250.

The ROT of your barrel will be your only limiting factor. The only deer that I've shot with .224" bore rifles have died quickly with an application of 60 grain Partition or 64 grain PP from 1-14", 1-12", 1-10", and 1-9" ROT 22-250s and a 223 WSSM.

Jeff

The Winchester model 70 has a 1-14" twist. What bullet weights will that support best?

I would try the 64 grain PP, Midway sells them in bulk lots, they come in pale blue boxes, Winchester/Olin brass, the primer of your choice, and Varget.

That said, Kevin Petrzilka took a 203 4/8" B&C buck in 2010 with a 1-14" ROT Remington 788 shooting 55 grain BTs.

Me, I like 60 grain Partitions, but they shoot better (4 me) in 1-12" ROT or quicker twist barrels.

Jeff

My 1-14 twist Rem 22-250 will not shoot the 60 GR NP. Could not hit the 4' target till I got about 30 yards away and they keyholed at that distance. 1-12 223 does fine with same bullets. Std 55 gr shoots around .5" 5 shot groups more often than not. How does the 64 gr PP do in 1-14 ?

With a 1 in 14, you will probably need to stay light or they won't spin fast enough to stabilize. Try the heavier ones out, but if they punch rectangles in your targets instead of spheres, they are tumbling because they aren't spinning fast enough.

I've killed deer with 50 and 55 grain Nosler BT's out of the .223 and .22-250, but I stick with neck/head shots. I think that little Barnes tsx will be your best bet - excellent penetration, won't fragment, and should stabilize nicely.

the 53 TSX will for sure work in that twisrt, as will the short fat 63 Sierra..NPTs might not...if you are rolling your own also try 50 gr TTSX...

I have killed a bunch with a 14 twist using Speer 70 gr round nose at about 3200 fps in the 22-250. The 64 wim PP works well in a 12 twist. I hear the Barnes bullets work well in slow twist tubes!!

I've killed a pile of deer, including a 190# 8-point this past season, with my Savage 16 22-250. I load the Barnes 53 grain TSX on top of 38 grains of Varget in Winchester brass and CCI 200 primers. In my 1:12 barrel I'm getting consistent 3/4" groups, complete penetration on ALL shots and lots of dead deer. I've never been able to get a TSX to stay in a deer. The buck mentioned above was shot through BOTH shoulders (complete penetration with a quarter sized exit wound) and dropped as if it's legs had been snatched out from under it. I wouldn't hesitate to take any shot with my 22-250 using the Barnes TSX that I would with my 25-06. The only issue you may have is stabilizing a 53 TSX in your 1:14 barrel. The TSX, being a monolith, are long for their weight. You may need to drop down to the 50 grain. But, it should perform just as well as the 53.

My Tikka 1-14 does not like bullets over 55 grains and is really better at 50. The 53 tsx I use for deer is accurate enough for my use (1.5) but will not, or rather I can not, make it into a bug holer like I can lighter bullets.

BCR- try the 50 gr TTSX....

I'm going to as soon as it gets to where I can do some serious accuracy shooting. I sprang for a box of them just before Christmas.
What powder you use?

36.0 gr 4064 in one rifle, 36.0 gr IMR 4895 in the other...

pic for BCR....

Nice rifle, BCR.

One more data point: My 14" twist, 225Win M70 shoots 63gr Sierras into very small groups. The Power Points won't do better than 4".

Thanks Ingwe. I have both those powders and will give them a wring out when I get to working.
Best I could do with my Tikka/53 tsx was with 38gr H380.

Thats a "go to" load in a .22-250!

I use a Ruger 77V 22-250 1-14 ROT to shoot whitetails for some neighbors that have landowner crop damage permits and began with a 53 grain Sierra coyote load. In the 24" barrel it was running at 3780 fps with IMR 4895. A couple shots splashed on ribs requiring a second shot.

I reduced the fps to 3400 with IMR3031 and lost some accuracy but shot a few more deer without any problems, then switched to 55grain Hornady SP at 3700 fps. Great bullet.

I think the 45 grain TSX would be a like an anti tank round on deer.

I am in the process of fireforming brass for a .22-250 Ackley that will be my mountain rifle for deer hunts. I will be shooting the 75 grain Swift Scirocco II, hopefully near 3400.

If this sheds any light on whether or not a .22-250 will kill a deer.

My LVSF Remington is 1:14 twist 22-250 and has killed a pile of deer/turkey/antelope with a 53gr TSX.

I too have had trouble keeping the TSX's in deer, and would not hesitate to take any good shot presentation. I have never passed up a animal because I was carrying a 22-250.

I have and do, but only in the best of situations. Those being depredation hunts that are essentially shooting fish in a barrel. One is set up in near bench rest conditions, with game well inside of his maximum range. In a general season looking for a trophy buck in big sky country, I am packing something more substantial that can do a little bone crushing from less than optimum angles.

My FW in 22-250 will not stabilize anything over 55 grains. I picked up some 60 grain NPT's with the hope of trying them as a deer load, and they keyholed. Other bullets over 55 grains also have not shot well. Perhaps if I can find the 53 grain TSX's, they may do the trick.

A buddy I have hunted with since '97 uses a Ruger m77 RSI in 22-250, 55grn bulets either Sierra or Hornady sp's. With the 18.5" barrel I can't imagine he's getting much more than standard .223 velocity.

He uses the factory open sights and uses it like it's a 30-30. He shoots high neck 95% of the time. Damndest deer set up I've ever seen, but he kills them dead as a hammer.

He's a cowboy, so don't try that at home.

Back in my starving student days I killed the piss out of deer with mine. I shot 55gr Hornadys. It was before the Internet so I didn't know any better.

Now I use more gun, my 223 R-15. However I build a granny twisted 22-250 that's waiting for some attention.

Kill the piss out of em.

Joseph

.22-250AI is like a lightning strike on deer

I've had a hundred of them setting on the shelf for a year or two. Was gonna hunt with them and still will but dang the amax kills good...grin

I've used the 22/250 and Swift to take quite a bit of big game. Took this bruin with the 63 Sierra, quartering away @ 178 yds or so. Bullet went in about where his love handle would be and exited his adams apple. He went about 40 yds and tipped over.

Slugs I like are the 63 Sierra, 53 TSX, 55 and 60 Horn sp's and the 60 Noz Pt. If you can find the old 55 and 60 NSB's they're super as well!

Dober

IMR 4350 with Win primers with the heavier bullets and you are good to go, right at a max load for the rifle may be the most accurate.

Remington Express 55-gr. SPs kill bite-sized Tennessee whitetail with alacrity.

Wait a minute...thats not a deer........


A freind gave me some of those 63 Sierras....if only I could find a .22-250 to stuff them in....

Now u can't find your '250's, with a memory like that you're most likely a 7x shooter as well.......

Dober


(side note, at the Sheep Foundation deal tonight I showed the pic of the Zebra rifle to some people and they loved it! thinking I need some biz cards as your biz manager...grin)

Ingwe must be a forgetful biologist who suffers from the 7x57 affliction!

Looks good to me on all the above. .223 is a bugger to find thou..224.

Back in the mid-1990's,before owning a chrony, I used a lot of 60 gr. Hornady Spire Points with H-380 for an accurate enough hunting load. Never had the opportunity to use it on deer but it destroyed a good many 'chucks. The heavier bullets were never the most accurate in my M700 VS,(14 in. twist),but they always spoke with authority and made me wonder what they'd be like on bigger,easier to hit targets, like deer..

That sounds like a death ray. What are the specs on? PM some lics to me if you have them.

Always had a soft spot for the '250. Bounced several deer with it way back when. Picked up a LVSF and ain't fired it. Need to load some 55's and gett'er bloody

Nosler has just come out with a 64 gr Bonded soft point bullet.
This one will get the job done and with a length of .787", it will stabilize in a 1:14 twist.

JD338

What's the longest shot you've taken on a deer with the 22-250?

I killed a coues whitetail last year at 378 yards. I would have zero qualms shooting deer out to 600 yards or so with mine shooting 80's.

What kind of FPS are you getting ?

3,250 plus with 80's

200 yards�on a couple of deer. Done the same with a .223 and one 307 yard shot ( layered) with a .223AI

for you guys with lots of expirence,I have a '250 with a 1-10 twist barrel(ruger American),how heavy bullets can I use with that twist,and any loads to recommend?

I should add,we took two does this year,both with the 53 tsx.One passed thrugh,one stopped on the offside leg bone




I bought another boxof 53's,but took it back and got a box of 62 grain tsx instead.

So the Ruger American in 22/250 sports a 1-10 twist barrel? Interesting.

Wish other companies would follow suit.

Bill

And FWIW the plain old 60 gr Hornady spire point is a dandy deer/hog bullet.

Bill

some other members here claim they don't,but the one example I have measured twice,does.
It shoots the 53 tsx just fine,which calls for a minimum twist of 1-12.
Ill be trying out the heavier weights as the year goes on.

What they need to do is cut to the 8" twist chase.

A 1-10" will shoot the 65 gr Sierra GK as well as the 64 gr Nosler Bonded Performance. It might even shoot the 62 gr Barnes TSX and the 62 gr Swift. My 22-250 has a 1-8" twist but its funny I have settled on the 64 gr Nosler as my hunting bullet (for now at least). So far I have taken a pronghorn and two whitetails with this combo.

I bought a box of 62 gr barnes to try out .

The 1:10 I have will shoot the 62gr TSX more than adequate for Deer. Usually around an inch +/- a little. However, its great bench groups come with 53-55s.

Wouldn't worry me any to use the 62s on Deer.

Remington lvsf using 55 grain ballistic silver tips has always worked for me. Usually just use on doe's for meat.

Guys, The 22-250 is the best deer killer I have ever used. I have hunted and taken deer for more than 60 years down here in Texas. I have used several different rifles from 30-30, 222, 250 Savage, 25-06 AI, 30-06, 280 Remington. AI, 243 Winchester, and 22-250. I have hunted with others who have used several other rifles.

The 22-250 is the best of the lot for me. I actually quit deer hunting a number of years ago but I have taken 13 white tail deer with a 22-250 and all were one shot kills. Most of these deer were running because I walked a lot. At least two were standing at over three hundred yards. Most were neck shots but not all. I remember one that I hit in the ham as he was running away and he was another instant kill. Now during this time I misted a few but all that were hit were one shot kills.

I used mostly 55 grain simipoints and some 50 grain bullets. The 22-250 is designed to shoot fast light weight bullets so I would not use heavier slower bullets. It is what it is, it is not a .243 or a .250.

An older friend told me once that all you need to kill a deer is any rifle that will blow a big hole in it. I agree.

Concho Bill

My Neighbor, his wife, and Myself used .22-250s for mule deer a lot, mostly depredation tag hunts where shots were picked easily on feeding field mule deer.

I don't remember exactly the powder charge, but it was a fairly slow velocity load of 4895, and the Speer 70gr semi-spitzer bullet, they worked very well. today there are a lot of other bullet selections with heavy jackets, back when we were doing this a lot (80's) the Speer bullet was about the only thing on the market that wasn't a varmint grenade or a FMJ

I have a 220 Swift. I've never killed a deer, but have killed a lot of pigs with 55 grain Bear Claws. I tried the 62 grain Barnes in my 1 in 14 barrel. They wouldn't stabilize.

The only big game I've shot with my 22-250 is an antelope. It has a 1-14 twist and I haven't experimented much to see how heavy I can go. For the antelope, I used 55gr Sierra Spire points. It entered the chest and nuked him. The heart and lungs were jello. I found the bullet in the far shoulder. It retained about 60% weight.

For mulies, the 22-250 weighs 1/2lb more than my 30-06 so there's no advantage in using it. The '06 with 165's is in another world.

What twist are Ruger No.1 varnints??

Sounds like a mess and waste of fine meat to blow big holes in small deer.

Rost495: Take it from someone who has done it - use your 22-250 with good 55 grain bullets, patience and good shot placement and put a "big hole" right through the heart/lung area of Deer and Antelope.
Then go collect your trophy as it will most often be dead right there and NO meat wasted.
Unless you eat the heart or lungs.
No mess, no muss, no fuss - that Deer/Antelope will be WELL bled out and your "meat" will not be wasted at all.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

1 in 14" - mine is from 1977.

the 53gr TSX will shoot okay in mine, say about 1 MOA. Not as well as cup & cores. Have not tried the 60 Partition.

Neither hair nor hide yet, but check out this load.

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/11936529

DF

Nosler's shootersproshop.com has blems for $23 per 100. That's about 50% of regular price.

I've had problems getting the 64 BSB to group, in fast twist .22-204, 223 and fast twist .22-250.

I've read that terminal performance is really good. If they don't group, I move on.

DF

64 bsb was pretty easy to get to shoot in my 14 twist 22-250.
The partition would barely hit the target.


Daughter killed a antelope buck and WT buck last fall with the 64 bsb. One shot each. She hit the WT a little forward. He still only lived about 4 seconds. The antelope never knew what hit it.