I used a .223 in AK on deer and caribou ALOT! Really liked the Ted Nugent 70gr Barnes TSX bullets out of it.

Yes, pretty much all out in the open, but what difference does that make when they fall dead within 10 yards? Most one step. And I'm talking a hundred or so over the last 10 years.

Yes, pretty much all out in the open, but what difference does that make when they fall dead within 10 yards? Most one step. And I'm talking a hundred or so over the last 10 years.[/quote]

Holy crap, if SteelTraps post didn't stroke jbyrd out, this one should do it.

Stick with a 55 soft point, aim for the ribcage and...

Explain "work fine"

There something I'm curious about and this post is showing me something interesting

Any ethical shot with this cartridge will produce the results you want. Now a 600 yard Texas heart shot, maybe not. But why take that shot in the first place?

James is correct. Depends on angles. If your gonna take running shots, a bigger caliber with more horsepower will shine.

Nowadays, it appears folks like to just sit in an elevated blind, open a window and shoot a deer.
Normally plenty of time to wait for a perfect shot opp.

I'm a bigger guy and have shot rifles for 40+ years . I Hate recoil! Made me flinch 40 years ago and still does today.

I'd feel more comfortable shooting at an animal at 300 yards with a 22_250 that shoots 4" groups then shoot a .300 mag that shoots 2" groups.

Bottom line, a GOOD bullet in .223 cal will work just fine.

What are you curious about, Wolfdog?

Two exceptions have been raised to what I posted, as good reasons to use a light .22 caliber. Opportunity and recoil. I agree on both.

Danny points out that you might get an opportunity at a deer while only having a .22. If using a .22 centerfire is legal in your state, then go for it. You might think of limiting yourself to broadside shots though.

Bucksnbears says avoiding recoil is a good reason to use a .22-250 or .223--also a valid point. Reaction to recoil is largely involuntary, but I've never felt recoil from any rifle or shotgun when firing at game, even when shooting a .416 Rem Mag, which shoots 400 grain bullets at 2,400 fps.

I'm somewhat sensitive to recoil, though I'd make the opposite choice than Bucks. In Alaska, a .300 WM was my rifle when hunting deer. I can shoot about twenty rounds from that rifle before I begin to flinch uncontrollably, and it's time to put it away. I can only get half a dozen good shots from the .416.

Jim

the 60 gr. partition was developed to shoot in 12 twist 222/223 and 14 twist 22-250's, it is the same length as most 55 gr soft points, length of the bullet is what determines the twist needed not weight. Same with the nosler 64 gr. bonded, and 64 gr winchester power points. all are exceptable 22 cal. deer bullets

When I was hunting with the 22-250 I had 3 rifles, a scoped bolt 22-250, a scoped Mini 14, and a bolt open sight 243. I killed deer with all of them but was most comfortable and accurate with the 22-250. The 243 gave me a blood trail and I should have just put a scope on it but instead got a 7mm mag. Now 30 some odd years later I put a scope on my 243 this fall, but couldn’t find a deer.

Is a 7mm Rem Mag too small? A few years back a buddy of mine made a bad shot on an antelope doe. It ran 200 yards across the sage with its guts dragging the ground. Not enough gun? Bad shots are bad shots.
Your best info will be from the "been there, done that" group, as in most things. Or at least those who have seen it pass/fail. Speculation and conjecture is only that: speculation and conjecture so take it for what it is. Maybe useful, maybe not.

I have done it. For Whitetails and antelopes the 55 Fed hp (this was a special Sierra bullet for Federal, not the standard Gameking) gave complete pass-thru out to 200 plus. This was a factory loading but its not available anymore, Maybe some old stock some places. Some others have mentioned ballistic tips but my experience has been less than satisfactory. I don't even like them on coyotes. The Barnes 50 X-bullets are excellent and the 55 Speer gold dot is the best for 22-250 IMO. While bullet length and the twist rate are important to bullet stability, bullet profile and velocity also factor in and maybe a few other things. Also some of the bullets that are "supposed" to work are right on the edge of 22-250 in 14 twist ability. Most will stabilize them, some will not. The Speer 70, the Winchester & Nosler 64's, etc.
Learn to shoot so you put your shots where you want them. Learn to hunt so you get in range to do it. Save the "don't know but I'm gonna try" shots for paper.
These are all just my thoughts of course.

Personally, I don't see the fascination with using barely enough gun, that you need certain angles and perfect shots on the intended animal.

Wolfy, use your 17 for rats and mice, this one for the coyotes and get you a better suited gun for Deer/hogs. I doubt you've shot very many or you wouldn't be asking so error on the larger side.

^^^^ This.

My Wife has access to all my rifles, but when she goes out to kill deer these days, she wants to use the .300 WSM or the.300 WM. There’s a 6.5 Creedmore, a .250 Savage, a .308, a 30-30, and a .243 in the safe, but she wants one of the magnums. When I asked her why she liked those guns, I thought maybe it was because of optics on them. No, she said because when I shoot deer with them, they fall over where they were standing.

While she’s never gonna write a gun column for Outdoor Life or Field and Stream, I can’t argue with her reasoning.

...... weren't a lot of y'all saying I was trying to much when I was talking about a .300wm and even more with .300wsm ?.....

no matter what gun you choose somebody wont like it.

my favorite deer gun is my old 270

i have killed deer with a pile of others though. including 22 250. just dont use those bullets designed to kill coyotes

P.S. dont have a short mag but 300 wm kills em just fine.

It's more the person using it not so much the gun.

Deer aren’t hard to kill. Growing up we had 2 does and 1 buck limit per day for a while in early 90s. I killed 27 deer one year in high school. And culling deer for high fence??? Always use 223 - 22-250 or 308 Depravition permits ??? Sure. Helped on lots of them in the = soy bean days before farmers went to cotton In south Alabama. Kill lots of deer with 6mmBR out to 600-700 yards. Find a gun. Shoot it well. Don’t worry about anyone else’s opinions Just kill the deer DRT ! LoL!

I have a Win 70 .22-250, I think its a late 1960s rifle. Its my back up or for something different. I hand loaded a 70 grain Sierra semi-spitzer. Shot white-tails busting them out of CRP grass. None of them went any distance. I think a 70 grain is about as heavy of a bullet out of a .22-250.

I've shot far more running deer than standing still but mostly with a .30 cal. You post up first and last hour or so of light. The rest of the day we used to push "cover" such as dried up sloughs, CRP grass, or shelterbelts (that's our trees for you forest dwellers). Sort of like hunting pheasants but without dogs.

PS. When I said VMax were junk I meant for coyotes. Too much sewing. Ballistic tips USUALLY cause less. I dont think any bullet is a perfect fur bullet.

Neither are good deer bullets. Need bullets not designed to come apart inside a coyote