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October 24, 2013, 03:15 PM | #1 |
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Which .22-250 bullet for deer?
First gun hunt of the year for me this weekend and I am a little unprepared. Ran out of shells for my .270 and it needs to be resighted in.
So, this weekend I am just gonna go with my .22-250. I either have winchester 45 grain JHP's (.4625 @140 yrds) or some soft point 55s (handloads). Just wondering what you guys think I should go with for deer. Thanks, Ben |
October 24, 2013, 03:34 PM | #2 |
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Hard to be sure without specific brand names on the 55s but it is unlikely that either of those bullet is an appropriate choice for general deer hunting. Smaller deer, perfect shots, well placed, maybe but not something I'd recommend to someone who's skill and hunting ethics choices are completely unknown to me.
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October 24, 2013, 03:45 PM | #3 |
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A very poor choice for deer hunting. It sounds like you don't care enough to prepare for the hunt. I'd suggest you sit this one out until you're ready. If it was important enough to you, you'd be ready for it. You have a responsibility as an ethical hunter to use the right gun and bullet. In this case you don't have the right equipment.
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October 24, 2013, 03:51 PM | #4 |
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Nosler 60 grain partitions are probably the best choice for small deer.
But, you seem intent on using what you have. In that case, the heavier bullet seems likely to work better than the light one, especially since the light one seems to have been designed for rapid expansion. Perhaps loading-down the 22-250 would help keep the bullet from blowing apart on the surface and just wounding the deer. At least you should try the bullet and load in wet newsprint before aiming at an animal with it. That way you will have some idea about what shots to NOT take. SL1 |
October 24, 2013, 03:53 PM | #5 |
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If it were me I beg and/or borrow some rounds for the 270 and get sighted in. I'm not a huge fan of 22 caliber weapons on deer sized animals as most bullets manufactured for them are made for varmints, not big game. Without knowing more about your 55 grain bullets I just don't think it's worth chancing a wounded or lost animal.
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October 24, 2013, 04:18 PM | #6 |
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Are you sure that a 22 caliber rifle is legal in your state for hunting? A lot of states have a minimum caliber requirement for deer.
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October 24, 2013, 04:24 PM | #7 |
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Thanks guys, sorry I don't have any more info on the 55s except they are fairly hot. Not sure of bullet brand either. I know that sounds kinda dumb but my uncle loaded them for me and I just don't know. And yes, I would much rather shoot my .270, but I don't know if I can possibly get to the store. Also, I worded that wrong about the .270 not being sighted in. It was shoot moa groups(at 100) and when I shot they other day I got a 4" to 5" 5 shot group at 140. Suggestions?
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October 24, 2013, 04:27 PM | #8 |
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And yes, it is legal where I live.(Tennessee). Here we are allowed to use any centerfire rifle.
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October 24, 2013, 04:29 PM | #9 |
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Can you borrow a gun from someone? I understand your desire to go hunting, I love to hunt myself. I'd rather use a 270 that shot 4" groups at 140yds than a 22 caliber that shoots one ragged hole at 100yds. My first choice though would be to see if I could borrow a larger caliber that shoots decent and use it. Any of your friends have a gun they aren't using?
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October 24, 2013, 04:45 PM | #10 |
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The more I think about it, the more inclined I am to go with the .270. It is a Marlin XL7 and even though it was cheap, I was always pleased about how well it shot, which is why when I bought my 250, I got a marlin. It was clean when I shot it, and the scope seems to be fine. I just don't get how it goes from 1" groups last year to 5 times that this year in the same box of shells. I can probably get one of dads guns but I would rather get mine in working order. Any ideas on what the problem might be. I shot Win. power max bonded 130 grain.
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October 24, 2013, 05:22 PM | #11 |
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The first thing to check is every screw, bolt and nut to make sure they're tight. Next I would check to make sure that the stock did not somehow warp by running a dollar bill between the barrel and stock. If everything listed checks out, I would start to wonder about the scope itself. Do you have another you can put on the gun and try?
Quick edit here: Most days I feel I shoot pretty well but every now and then, for whatever reason, I have trouble getting good groups. It is easy on those days to blame the gun or scope but either another trip to the range or my shooting partner proves that theory wrong. Are you the only person who has shot the gun this year? Last edited by AllenJ; October 24, 2013 at 05:30 PM. |
October 24, 2013, 06:03 PM | #12 | |
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October 24, 2013, 06:08 PM | #13 | |
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October 24, 2013, 07:17 PM | #14 |
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Not an ideal setup but 55 gr soft points in a .22-250 will do the job with a head or neck shot, maybe even a ribcage shot at the lungs
But if there's any way you can get that .270 going in time it would be much better. In the future if you can get your uncle to load a 53 or 55 gr Barnes TSX for that .22-250 it will make a fine "hit it square in the shoulder" deer load
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October 25, 2013, 04:00 PM | #15 | |||
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October 25, 2013, 04:27 PM | #16 | |
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IMO, the OP could go out anget a box of factory ammo, and should be able sight it in with 3 groups of 3 shots ...... It's not that hard .... if you have access to a bench and a gun cleaning vise or a led sled, a rough boresight can be done with a borelight and a dark room ........ Last edited by jimbob86; October 25, 2013 at 04:35 PM. |
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October 25, 2013, 07:26 PM | #17 | |
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For one, they are usually a 1-12 or 1-14 twist .224 barrel. That's too slow for anything over 55 grains. Secondly, he does not know the origin/ make of the 55 grain handloads. They could be speer TNT, or Hornady SX,(Super eXplosive). Both are extremely explosive thin jacketed varmint bullets. Hit a rib, those bullets will blow a 4" wide hole about an inch deep in the hide, maybe the deer would survive.
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October 25, 2013, 08:16 PM | #18 | |
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Here is a little exercise. Please consider this list of common cartridges. Assuming a behind the shoulder (heat-lung), shot, where in the list (feel free to add any), would an acceptable minimum deer hunting cartridge would be. You must give a logical rationale for your choice...I do not want this to be about unsubstantiated opinions. I can get that in a bar. Note: feel free to rearrange the order if you do not agree on relative power. .22 LR .22 Hornet .218 Bee .223 .357 Mag .41 Mag .44 Mag. .45 Colt .45 ACP 22-250 .243 .244/6MM 30-30/.32 Win. Spl. .250 Sav. .257 Roberts .260 6.5 Swed 7MM-08 7x57 .300 Sav. .35 Rem .444 Marlin .358 Win. .303 Brit. .30-40 Krag 8MM Mauser .308 .270 Win. 30-06 7MM Mag. .300 Mag. 8MM Mag. 45-70 .338 Mag. .375 H&H .458 Mag My own observation is, I do not know what the minimum is, I have killed deer with a lot of those and know of those who have gotten acceptable results on deer using as mild of a cartridge as a .223. What I do know, is that there did not seem to be a difference in the killing power of with any of the deer I killed with any of the guns I used. The point I am trying to make is, the minimum effective deer cartridge is more of a nebulous "gut feeling" and speculation than being based on logic and actual data no matter how much a person thinks they know. Last edited by dahermit; October 25, 2013 at 08:43 PM. |
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October 25, 2013, 08:50 PM | #19 | ||
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With a a controlled expansion bullet (say, the 60 gr Nosler Partition or one of Barnes' X-bullets, if they will stabilize in the rifle in question- entirely possible that they may not, as most 22-250's have a 1in14" twist for varmit weight bullets) there would not be a problem, so long as the rifle can me made to shoot them accurately..... but nobody can know that, as there is no time left to find out for sure- Quote:
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October 25, 2013, 08:51 PM | #20 | |
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October 25, 2013, 08:54 PM | #21 |
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Which .22-250 bullet for deer?
Barnes doesn't make the 50, 55 and 62gr TTSX so you can shoot rabbits.
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October 25, 2013, 08:56 PM | #22 |
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22-250 is not the correct round for the critter , you just gonna wound a bunch of animals, Get some, 270 get sighted, get hunting..........LOUD.
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October 25, 2013, 09:01 PM | #23 | |
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October 25, 2013, 09:05 PM | #24 | |
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October 25, 2013, 09:16 PM | #25 |
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Choose the 55 gr SP's over the 45 grain HP's since that is what you have. If you have the opportunity, find some factory soft point loads, Winchester Super X (gray box) is a good choice for a factory load, Hornady makes some also that would work well.
I know a lot of people in the south where I was stationed who used .223 for deer.. the one time I went, I used my trusty 22-250. Worked like a champ |
Tags |
.22-250 , 45 grain , 55 grain , bullet , deer |
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