Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters .22 cal. 70 grn Speer Semi-pointed Spitzer for deer

For many years the 70 grain Speer was the only commonly available bullet for .22 caliber rifles for deer.

Other lighter bullets were used with mixed results by some, but were not really designed for heavier game. In the .223 class rifles the 55 grain bullets sometimes worked pretty well on broadside lung shots, but if velocity was stepped up (as in the .22-250) these bullets became very erratic. They sometimes came apart on even broadside shots and if they encountered bone were almost guaranteed to break up.

The 70 grain Speer, on the other hand, was intended from the start for use on deer size animals. It tended to hold together very well (as well as any cup-and core bullet does) even when striking shoulder bones and almost always penetrated far enough to reach the vital organs. An even better choice (in my experience) was the 60 grain Nosler Partition bullet.

A big part of this success was due to the fact that these heavy-for-caliber bullets could commonly be driven to 2800-3000 fps....which just happens to be the "perfect" velocity for cup-and-core bullets. The bigger case .22 caliber rifles "can" drive bullets a bit faster, but then you run into the limitations of the cup-and core design.....and they become somewhat erratic.

The "normal" twist of .22 caliber rifles (particularly in earlier days) was 1:14 or perhaps 1:12 and stabilizing longer, heavier bullets was a problem. The 70 grain Speer (and the 60 grain Nosler) were designed to work with a 1:14 twist rate and thus were very accurate from most rifles.

Back to the original question (yes I tend to wander a bit)....I have used the 70 grain Speer to take 15-20 deer and hogs. I've also used the 60 grain Nosler to take 12-15 animals. Both are about as good as you are going to get for taking big game animals with a .22 caliber rifle. I'd give an edge to the Nosler, but the Speer was very good.....as long as you didn't try to drive them too fast or take shots that involve heavy bone or deep penetrations.

You have to remember that you are using a .22 caliber rifle....a very marginal weapon for deer size game. In fact I, personally , consider the .243 to be pretty marginal for use on deer size game. It (and the .22 caliber rifles) CAN work, but you have to be very careful how you place the bullets and accept the limitations of the small caliber rifles.

As far as the 70 grain Speer bullet.....it is probably one of the best if you insist on using a .22 caliber rifle to take deer size game (the 60 grain Nosler is a bit better in my experience)....but it is still a marginal deer killing bullet and must be used with care.

Any one have experience with this bullet on WT?
Thinking I may try in the AR next season.
Thanks