Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Best bullet for Texas deer in 222 Rem.

A friend who is short on funds wants a light rifle for his 12 year to hunt Texas deer (these are generally on the small side). He has available to him (on loan) a 222 Rem in 799 in 1 in 14 twist.

What would be the best game(not varmint) bullet for this type rifle. Does Barnes or Nosler make any high end game bullet that would stablize in a 1 in 14 twist. I know many Texas deer have been killed with the 50gr core lok, but we want to hedge our bets to get the most reliable killing power out this this combination.


Thanks for any advice.

Bill

Assume you are speaking of reloads? The 64gr Winchester Power Point would be where i would start.

In addition to the Win PP, you might try Nosler's 60 gn Partition, and select the one you like best.

Based mostly on what I've read, the 1-14 twist at 222 velocities is probably getting into the marginal area for 60+ gr bullets that are relatively pointed (thus longer).

Barnes has 53gr and 45gr TSX bullets...not the cheapest but it's what I lean towards with a 1-14 twist.

Looking at load data - 60gr is going to be in the 2800 - 2900 fps range - Nosler doesn't list a 222 load for the 60gr partition in their manual. They do list it for the 223, I suspect the faster twists available in 223 are the reason it's listed there but not for the 222.

Bill, the 45 or 53 TSX might stabilize. If these don't I'm betting the 64 PP will be on the edge as well.

Worst case, a soft point 55 grain bullet, I prefer the Winchester offering, will do just fine at .22 velocities. We've killed a boatload of deer with 55 SP's.

Good luck...

I stumbled upon a box with a couple dozen 64 gr. PP bullets in it left over from some forgotten project. They are pretty long bullets and I have some doubts whether that 1 in 14" twist will stabilize them at .222 Rem velocity.

My sister has killed a few deer with her Ruger Compact in .223 using Sierra 55 gr. Gameking HPBTs. The moderate velocity produced by the 16.5" barrel combined with avoiding the shoulder and going strictly for lung shots has resulted in quick kills on typical weight whitetails.

I seem to recall that Mule Deer wrote an article a few years back where he mentioned that the 60gr. .224" Hornady soft point bullet behaved more like a light big game bullet than a varmint bullet. I don't know if it would stabilize but it may be worth a try.

The 45 gr. TSX will stabilize and kill well in the deuce. Hunting pard uses them for his 12 yr. old daughter. Good results.
Ingwe

The Sierra 52 gr HP #1410 works well in my 1 -14 twist Rem 788 222 Rem on both targets and deer.

All that I have are loaded in .223 cases, but the 55 grain TBBC has worked very well for our use on two legged varmints.

I wouild bet serious money against MOST of the bullets mentioned so far stabilizing in a 1-14 twist .222.

The 45 TSX might, but I can guarantee the 53 TSX won't, and neither will the 60 Partition or 64 Winchester Power Point.

At .222 velocities many so-called varmint bullets will do the job neatly on smaller big game, including Nosler Ballistic Tips. Sierra also makes several GameKings designed for shooting smaller big game, including 55-grain BTSP's and BTHP's.

My first inclination is to make sure you buddy's marksmanship and shot discipline is up to the task. He will have to be a bit more carefull with his shot placement, because a .222 with a 1-14" twist is severely limiting his bullet choices for a .224" big game slug.

I would try the 45g Barnes X bullets and attempt at least MOA if that is all you can get. I have seen 22-250s that would shoot solid MOA with Speer 70g slugs out of a 1-14" twist.. so anything is possible.

As a second choice-unless the construction of those bullets has changed much lately, I would go with either a 52/53 Match grade HP Sierra or Hornady. They should be superly accurate in a .222.

And at 222 velocies will behave sort of like a mintiature version of the Berger VLD Hunting slugs. At least thats what I saw in the 1980/1990s when I used them on a bunch of Texas and Oklahoma deer out or .223s and 22-250s.

Obviously, they will not do that same damage as a bigger bore slug, but due to their jacket hardness and Match hollow points they will get in a ways before comming apart. They will pentrate ribs and get into the heart/lungs with no problem.

It being Texas and all, if the anticipated range is 100 yards or less, I'd try the 60 NPt or 53 TSX unless the group was just awful.

.224 45 grain TSX!

40g GS Custom HV

I have played with a couple of 222 which would shoot both the 63 Sierra 63 semi-pointed and the Winchester 64 PP into acceptable for deer-to-150 groups. Both were standard 14 twisted barrels. I never could get the 60 SP from Hornady to shoot in these rifles however. Then again, I have seen 12 twist 223s which wouldn't shoot the PP either. The Sierra is now gone, I think, but the Power Point is as good as ever, and works.

If the 63 Sie will shoot that'd be the one I'd use. It has always shot for me in 12's and 14's in 223's and 22/250's so I'd think it'd shoot ok..

Dober

After shooting the 222 on deer, Pronghorn, Coyotes, Javalina and using it to cull a lot of African antelope with a lot of different loads I settled on the 60 gr. Hornady SP or HP many years ago and never have felt any reason to change..

Those little Hornadys expand perfectly on animals and mostly give you a nickle or quarter size exit hole..I have used them in our 222, 223 and even in the 22-250 with perfect results everytime, over a 30 year period..All my children and grand children have shot their first 4 or 5 deer with this bullet and in the same old Rem Mod 600 carbine over the years, and so will my great grand children I suspect..

You won't find a better big game bullet for the 222 or 223..I have not tried the Balistic tips, but I don't like the Nosler partition in calibers below a 270, frontal expansion is lacking in my opinnion. The Nosler is my all time favorite bullet in calibers above 270.

I like the 64g PP but my model 7 223 won't shoot them. I've heard the 55g hornady sp works well but haven't tried it on anything of size yet.

PMP from south africa used to make a great 55g SP that worked well on bigger game at 223 velocities but they might be hard to find and I don't know if they're still the same. I saw a handfull of 55g PMP's that had been recovered from game such as warthogs and they all had near perfect mushrooms with great weight retention.

Bb

I just remembered another one. The 55-grain Winchester PSP will definitely work on deer, and stabilize in a .222. I have seen quite a few animals taken with it from .22-250, so a .222 definitely isn't going to be too hard on it.

I shot a doe pronghorn at 175yds last year with a 55gr Remington CorLokt using a 223AI fireforming load. It worked fine. Exited and the doe only went 30 feet before dropping.