will a .222 work for deer

I don't know may be a dumb question but I very recently got a savage 24v .222/20 gauge over under, mainly for turkey and predator hunting. I'm just curious if I could shoot deer with it as a slug gun and rifle. It seems mighty small for it and there is a VERY small chance I'll use it but if my kids could use it someday I would use it for sure. They guy I got it from cut a little bit of the butt off and would make a decent youth gun.

Anything can kill a deer. My buddy has an Estwing claw hammer he's killed two doe with.

For a kid that might not get a good shot placement, i'd pass on that one.

yes but there is a good chance for no exit wound , but a 55gr hornady soft point slipped in the rib cage missing the shoulder at 2680 fps shreads the lungs , makes very short work of the deer but a 20-40 yard bloodless run is very possible .

if you hunt deer with a gun like you would archery with decent shot placement you will never have a problem shoot through he ribs , or in the neck.

Yes it will work for deer. You could use a .22 if you wanted to. Anything will kill a deer, but shot placement is key. I wouldn't try any shots over 200 yds with it, and make sure that you get a good shot to knock em down.

Sure does. I loaded mine with barnes 45 tsx bullets. My boy shot a doe at 140 yards with it. Messed her up good without ruining any meat. His shot was right behind the shoulder full pass through. I shot a doe with the 22-250 with the same bullet. Same results but they don't leak much blood from them tiny holes.

Jerry Jr.

Some state require a 24 caliber or larger for deer. But yes it will.

i've shot a pile with a rem 760 in 222 and a 24v matching yours.

It may work but why take the chance.

That's a good round for that after dark with a light work ...where it's needed.

if your driving thick stuff put a 20ga slug in and bust a shoulder your going to be practically on top of them any way, if you have a clean shot that you know you can make where the deer won't make heavy cover ribs or neck 222.


in old Scandinavian parts of Wisconsin the 222 was revered as an excellent deer gun the triple deuce , but what you learned is they wouldn't have taken a shot that would waste any meat my great grandfather was a big fan of the 22 hornet for deer , he was going to shot it in the neck no mater what, never seen my great uncle shoot a deer anywhere else the neck and they go right down or you let them keep walking and shoot them another day.

My grandfather was the same. Never took heart shots. Always aimed for the base of the skull.

Lots of deer have fallen to small caliber rifles in the hands of a decent marksman.

unlike some i don't feel it is a good starter gun but in the hands of an experienced hunter is more than adequate.i'm often suprised by the shock damage that little bullet will do.

Killed many with 60gr nosler partition handloads. Fairly pristine Remington 722 built in 1958 if I remember correctly. Best $225 I've ever spent at a garage sale lol.

My daughter killed two last season with hers one in the neck and one in the Lungs. But yes there a better cartridges

I use to work with a govt hunter trapper who used a 270 all the time for calling coyote..when i asked him if it wasnt overkill,he replied"i want to be sure if i pull a bad shot or miscalculate and blow a leg off he dies".

A lot of deer have been killed in northern Maine with a 22 rim fire. With the right shot placement you'll be fine.

Is there legal or something up there?

I don't doubt it works but surprised it's allowed.

Do they set up similar to bow?

55 Gr SP out of 223. That is the exit just to the left of the scope end. Through the ribs went about 60-75 yards.

I'm sure its not legal but it sounds like a lot up here.It was never legal but violaters used it because it was quiet and years ago people who didn't have but one gun for everything used what they had available to put food on the table.My dads favorite was a .22 WRF.It put down a mountain of venison in its day.

Nice buck MJM
I take deer with a 41 mag cast keith style bullet hand load running about 1050 fps. Shot placement is key if I were allowed to use my 222 i would have no problem using a 55grain soft point.
J

Thank you for the input guys. It doesn't have a slug capable barrel yet. I'm 14 and don't have the means to pay for modification, but will probably do something in a few years to modify it.

great fall turkey gun,good practice with it too.what choke is the shotgun barrel??

I like the TSX bullets and Sierra Game kings for deer in my .223 /5.56

It is legal to use a 22 magnum for deer in Maine.
It should be allowed in all states.
Before the kneejerks (you know who you are) pile on about ethics, it is no less ethical than a bow and arrow. Familiarity with the weapon and shot placement are essential for both.

It does not have an inter-changeable choke yet. I plan pto get it modified in the long run. It is a full choke which is nice for turkey and predator.

Well a 20 Ga. or a .222 will sure enough kill a deer as dead as they can be. The full choke may not be the best bet for shooting slugs but I have sure known an old timer or two here that has made a full choke 12 Ga. work pretty well. What with the sabot slug rounds these days you just have to shoot a few to find out.

Zim

I'll reasearch some more but if I can use it for something it'll get used, and for as many things as I can.

Beware of the man that only has one gun for he knows how to use it. Or something along those lines.

I have run a lot of rifled foster slugs through modified chokes and some though full choke a foster slug is a lead thimble hollow with fairly thin sides they squeeze down well.

some constriction seems to make them fly straighter , than no constriction

the expensive sabot slugs are for rifled barrels only.

I think Winchester superX are the best bulk rifled slug they shoot straighter out of more guns for me than the Remington or federals do but in 20ga 60 yards is were they start to destabilize. in 12ga because of the same speed and greater weight you can get them to 75 on a windy day and 100 on a still day.

was in a shotgun only zone for a bunch of years.

Im all for suggestions keep it up!

Yes I've killed deer with my .222 Remington I've also killed a cow buffalo with it, however I would be darn sure to place each shot exactly where its needed.
When my kids were starting to hunt they were shooting my .270 or .30-06 for waterfowl and upland birds a 12 gauge was what I started both daughters.
Allan

I've never used my 222 for deer but I think with the best bullets it'd be fine. One thing about it is you could easily put one in the eyeball at a good distance. I know several kids that have taken several with .223's.

Those are really nice guns. Don’t rush out and have it cut up. You may regret it a little further down the line. I’ve been looking for a .222/20 and they’re getting hard to find for a fair price

I agree with what Hunter just said, save that money and buy yourself a deer rifle and keep this one as-is. It's a great turkey gun.

my dads i got is one of my prized possessions and i've spent stupid money on guns before.

Use it! Like stated by many. It’s shot placement. We have killed dozens and dozens with the triple 2.

I would also encourage you to not modify the gun , a full is a very useful choke.

also with other shotguns so reasonable in cost it hardly makes sense to spend the money on modification.

Thank you GREEN. As said above in the topic post the guy already cut the butt. That's why I wasn't worried about modifying it. Would you still keep it as it is anyway?

Your 14 years ald.
I like that your thinking down the road, that's great!

I can tell ya, your gonna move on from this gun as a Deer rifle. Can you shoot a deer with it? Absolutely. Is it gonna be your lifelong deer hunting gun, and your go-to gun most of your life for deer? Doubtful.

I'll guess you'll carry it more for turkeys and even at that, it will be a great gun to hand down to your someday kids. If it's what you got, use it as it will do the job but as for spending alot of money to modify it, i'd pass because like i said above, you'll move on for a deer rifle someday.

Good luck whatever you do, and i like the way you think.

I was saying don't cut he barrel that it isn't worth trying to get it fitted for chokes full is very useful and you may spend 150 or more parts and labor to have the barrel reamed and tapped for chokes.

I guess I don't think of fitting a stock as a permanent modifications , cutting is but
stocks are easily replaced , I cut them down as needed and add spacers to them to get fit right.

I am tall so I end up putting spacers under but pads to get proper length of pull , or use longer recoil pads , shotgunning is very much about fit , the gun has to fit the user.

Gordon Eastman’s “bears and bear hunters” show an Inuit hunter killing a polar bear with his 222.

A real man can kill a deer with a .22 long rifle. The .22 magnum is a real deer gun. The .223 is for elk.

When you are in jail for a game violation, for shooting deer with an illegal caliber, just tel 'em Hal sent ya.

A little overkill wouldn’t you say?

Yep too overkill .222 for elk. lol

Thank you for the kind input sir. I keep hearing not to modify when looking for information. I really don't know what I'll do but I think I've been convinced not to modify it.

That's a serious gun, if you can get to where you can hit with the slug at out to 50 yrd -dead deer.Don't get discouraged if you can't hit right away I had to put a rear sight my smooth bore 20 ga. It will definitely take down deer.

Aim small and miss small. I've killed more deer including good bucks with both .222 and .223 than I have with "deer rifles".

You hit them right, a .22 mag is plenty. I hunt deer like squirrels, most of my shots are less than 100 yards.

Wnen I go to the deer blind when shots may be much further, I take the .243

A question that was kind of touched on above. What kind of slugs. Would you use for a 20 ga. I read somewhere that copper shot is only a little harder than lead. Would it make a differwnce if it was a slug instead of shot?

through a full choke , you need a soft lead slug that will squeeze down as need https://www.midwayusa.com/product/290016...-oz-rifled-slug
i have had the best experience with Win because they run a 3/4 oz slug Remington runs a 1/2 and 5/8 oz slug they all start off at virtually the same speed so the heavier slug stays stable longer.

most rifled slugs in a smooth barrel are a 50 yard gun , this is not to say that the slug is not going and lethal at 100 yards or more , just that it has destabilized and deviated from the path you sent it on.

foster type also called Rifled slugs are drag stabilized unlike bullets from a rifle barrel that are spin stabilized

foster slugs travel like a lead badmitten bird heavy at the front light at the back they loose energy fast going form 1600fps at the muzzle to 1160 by 50 yards with a 50 yard zero you can expect a 6 inch drop at 100 yards and 12 inches by 125 yards

if you can keep 3 slugs on a paper pie plate at 100 yards you are doing very well most likely some where between 60 and 80 yards you will stop keeping 3 on a pie plate consistently this depends on the barrel and wind

at 50 yards you should expect a 20ga rifled slug to travel through both shoulders of a deer and usually make an exit. if you find a slug they usually are just about turned inside out expansion isn't huge they may get to a nickle or slightly larger. they are bone crushing slow heavy projectiles.

Thank you. Maybe you can tell I've never slugged before. You have taught me alot every time you post. Thank you.

Use them here work As good as any other caliber .
never a problem dead is dead

I used to load the 60 grain Nosler Partitions in my 22-250 for kids I took for youth season. I heard they don't stabilize well in .222. Does anyone know?

The bears used to be hunted with a seal puppet and .22 long I saw a documentary once where they interviewed old timer inuit elders ...they showed the camera where the hit the bear in a thin spot on either side of the skull. Also they told about hunts for polar bears before they ever had rifles. Spears

It would appear that the consensuses is that it will kill deer with proper bullet selection and shot placement. Also you are very young and, hopefully, you will buy many more guns before you have kids. It is a great gun and set it up for turkey. When the time comes that you need it for deer then worry about the load.

You will buy more guns by the time you have kids, you will also buy many more guns 'for' your kids. The gun will work well as is, but you will most likely have other guns by then.

One thing I have learned over the years is never sell a gun. Once in awhile you find yourself with a turd but they are few and far between. It might take a decade but you may regret getting rid of a gun.


Jerry Jr.

The above is good advice. I've let many go years ago I wish I had kept now.

only ever traded one away and man do i wish i had it back.870 wingmaster.i also had to have bigger and better and now i have 4 cabinets of bigger and better but can never get that one back.sure i bought an identical one but it isn't the one my dad got a great deal on at the trailer shop and i started my hunting career with.just sayin.

Those who know better, will use better.

Good Advice...keep every firearm.