Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Best Non-Premium 22 Deer Bullets

Peepsight, what twist are your rifles?

1 in 12, 1 in 14 and a Hart with 1 in 10. Just cant find a powder-weight that will hold sub MOA for proper C-2 C-3 removal.

Wayne

I was going to offer some powder suggestions but I don't have any handloading experience with the 22-250.

I know my son's Stevens 200 in 223 loves H-4895. I hear its a good 22-250 powder as well, but like I sad I have no experience.

I am using 35 gr IMR 4895, CCI 200, Win Brass in my 1/14 twist 22 250. 60 grain partitions will shoot MOA and the 64 gr powerpoints shoot even tighter. OAL is 2.395 in

Colin, thanks for the help. I only had suggestions for the 223 to help Wayne out...

So it looks like the 60 gr Hornady or 63 gr Sierra right?

Currently using the 70gn Speer in my .223 and liking it a lot.

It was a 12 last time i tried the partitions, it's an 8 now and I think I'm just going to stick with the 62 tsx's until something better comes along. I'm not holding my breath.

I got some 64 gr Fusion componets from a friend here at the campfire. They are very accurate. Now if I can only get some does to cooperate.

Early on in my hunting life, I used a 22-250 because my uncle did and he was the best hunter I knew. He would buy a case of 55 grain Winchesterss and shoot away. I later found out he was a professional poacher! He shot 1-2 deer a night for most of the year.

I was stuck with the 22-250 so I made the best of it. I had the best luck with 60 grain Nosler solid bases and 60 grain Barnes soft points.

Eventually, I decided that the Barnes just were cutting for accuracy. I had a bad experience with the 22-250 on a really nice coues whitetail. A raking shot failed to penetrate deep enough and had I not made the running shot of a lifetime and broke his back, I would have lost him- still alive when I got there.

Never shot another deer with a 22 since. I think it is a stunt when you have better rifles to do the job.

I also have had terrible luck with small caliber X bullets. Many of them failed to expand much at all. I don't think they are the answer. I couldn't recommend anything now, as I haven't shot anything big with one since the early 90s.

I've never used anything but the Partition, so I can't speak from personal experience on "varmint bullets." With that said I've never shot a deer more than once with the 223 using the Partition. I also shoot for the heart or lungs not the neck. I've not lost a deer with the 223 with proper bullets and have never had a bullet fail to exit either.

I think Mule Deer has more experience than most of us put together. He knows what he speaks of...

Others have said that too.

All right guys I gave the 60 gr Hornady SP's a try today. I fired two five shot groups with two different powder charges all ten rounds went into 1 1/8" lots of promise.

Then I tried the 63 gr Sierra SMP's. Again I fired two five shot groups with different powder charges. All ten went into 1". 9 went into 3/4" and 8 went into 3/8".

Still work to do but it looks like both are really good. I think the Sierra's are going to be the best like most guys here recommended.

All were shot in a 1-9 twist 223.

Greg:

Dry aging depends upon how cold your cooler is.

Old ranchers here used to keep the meat at about 35 degrees for weeks,
"re-skin" it (cut the black off), then they considered it aged!

YMMV

"Aging" meat actually means giving the bacteria time to reproduce. Think about it.....

Those Sierras are GREAT. My load is running 3180 mv and the worst group I have shot since working up is .540"

It was

Sure seems like everyone is going to smaller ammo and that is a good thing. There was a time when I was about 14 and asked my dad if i should get a 30-30 or a 30-06. He said get the 06, has more oomph. A Rem. 742 jamb o matic was my gun. , then I went with a .270 Win. cause my friend like his. Now its a .243 Win . I think it is a good idea to use the 22 cal. for deer. It is 1/2 the powder and 1/3 the lead. A nice light Rem. mod. 7 in .223 would be a nice gun. I still cant imagine hunting with a .223 for big northern Wisconsin whitetail though.

Wow it’s been 10 years since I started this thread, funny how time slips away. In that ten years I’ve taken numerous deer and antelope with 223’s and 22-250’s using various bullets and haven’t lost any. Like Muledeer and other guys said back then just shoot the animal properly and the bullet really doesn’t matter.

For what it’s worth I finally kinda settled on the 75 gr Speer Gold Dots as it’s accurate in all my rifles, it performs very well and it’s inexpensive.

I like old threads, I use the 62 Barnes and 62 grain Bear Claws in my AR’s and a Fast twist Tikka 22-250. I don’t shoot with a 22, they hammer pigs really well. I wouldn’t be afraid to shoot a whitetail with one.