22-250 for Mule Deer???

[Deleted member 16014]

A friend and colleague of mine has had his kids hunt mule deer, whitetails, and antelope with the 60 grain partition out of a 22-250 for several years. The kids have done very well and regularly make one shot kills. They shoot the same rifle at prairie dogs for live practice. I wouldn't hesitate to hunt deer with a 22-250 at moderate ranges, and do hunt with one necked up to 6. If it were me I'd load up some partitions and some TTSX's and hunt with whichever shoots the best.

 

[1_pointer]

A poster (former?) here has killed more and bigger game, to include mule deer, elk, and caribou, with a 220 Swift and 60gr Hornady bullets than a whole bunch of us with other cartridges bolted together. IIRC he's went through something like 9 barrels on the thing!

Think bullets not headstamps. Shot placement trumps horsepower.

I'd have no trouble hunting mule deer with a 22-250. The 12" twist of the one listed in the OP will limit the game capable bullets due to bullet length that it will stabilize, but there's more than a few that'd I'd use with confidence. Those would include but not limited to the Nosler Partition & BSB, Hornady spire point, Barnes, Sierra 63gr, etc...

 

[Redside]

I shot my first mule deer with my 22-250, agree with others that it can get the job done.

Would you be able to trade your 300 and get into a gun/caliber you like without spending any or much money?

 

[Huntnut60]

Somebody above asked the perfect question. It is not a matter if you could, but should you? Large animals of many species have been killed with seemingly undersized calibers.
But I believe you cannot count on the perfect shot even under the best conditions.

 

[brockel]

52 grain hp or 55 grain soft points have collected a few deer for me without any drama. Deer just aren’t hard to kill when hit right. I even know a couple guys that fill their cow tags with 22 cal rifles

 

[mtmuley]

A poster (former?) here has killed more and bigger game, to include mule deer, elk, and caribou, with a 220 Swift and 60gr Hornady bullets than a whole bunch of us with other cartridges bolted together.

That former poster is no ordinary rifleman. And no ordinary hunter. mtmuley

 

[6mm Remington]

I have never done it, but I have seen friends and family kill a lot of antelope and mule deer with the 22-250. Place your shots and it will work. Also helps to use a good bullet and the 60 gr. Nosler Partition comes to mind!! I saw a fellow shoot an antelope at 400 yards. One shot in the lungs and it dropped instantly. I have also watched a friend of my fathers who grew up with him in the Missouri Breaks country of Montana and he has shot quite a few elk with his 22-250.

 

[1_pointer]

That former poster is no ordinary rifleman. And no ordinary hunter. mtmuley

I very much get that. Still doesn't change the effectiveness of a 22-250 on deer.

 

[mtmuley]

I very much get that. Still doesn't change the effectiveness of a 22-250 on deer.

Does in my mind. Any cartridge is only as effective of the shooter. Especially when they are borderline for the game being hunted. mtmuley

 

[Fullquiver]

Does in my mind. Any cartridge is only as effective of the shooter. Especially when they are borderline for the game being hunted. mtmuley

Best quote of the whole post.. Pretty much sums up the whole of any cartridge debate...

 

[Fullquiver]

I've killed quite a few deer here in Michigan with my AR in 5.56/223.. I find that for me it's a decent deer rifle/cartridge..

However when I go out to WY to hunt where I know there is a fair chance at a longer shot and odd angles I bring more horsepower. I bring my 270, I have no regrets about that decision. I have killed a few animals out west most of them I was glad to have the extra energy..

Using small/marginal cartridges means having the experience and maturity to not shoot when you shouldn't and to know the difference when.. This is something I find lacking in the majority of people I have seen or known.. JMHO

 

[wytex]

Just make sure it's a legal caliber for mule deer as Cushman stated.

 

[44hunter45]

One of the monsters in Ryan Hatfield's book "Idaho's Greatest Mule Deer, Volume 2" was killed at distance in Hells Canyon with a 220 Swift.

There is a guy on GunBroker selling de-milled Speer 55 & 62 grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw and Speer Gold Dot bullets. You can get the Gold Dots OTC or online almost anywhere still. The TBBC is one of the highest rated bullets around but appears to be LE only now.
I buy them from him and make my own version of the Federal FBI tactical 5.56 load.

Many on others forums report they are using the TBBC with great effect on deer. These are great bullets.

At the price you can buy a 1000 of these and overcome that flinch.

 

[Losing_Sanity]

I don't think I would use the 22-250 on mule deer if I had other choices to choose from.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

It could be argued that proponents of a big fast bullet, so that they can have a higher success rate on marginal shots, are not the ones on ethical high ground...

We all know every kill shot is a different situation. There’s a lot of gray on what makes a shot good or bad, and I’d be happy to stack up deer with a good .22 cal bullet on reasonable shots, as many people have been doing for years.

 

[mtmuley]

on reasonable shots

Key words. Not to say a larger cartridge makes unreasonable shots easier, which goes back to the shooter basically. I wouldn't use a .22 centerfire for deer or anything else myself. Too many variables. If I did, it would be purpose built to shoot the heaviest mono I could find. Not sure where ethics comes into play, but whatever. mtmuley

 

[homers]

I don't understand the "how small can I go" thought process. How many deer have been wounded, not recovered when the hunter uses a more appropriate caliber (ie. 7mm, 270, 308)? Now add a marginal caliber to the mix, no thanks.

 

[Fire_9]

If it had a 1 in 7 or 8 twist I would be way more inclined to say go for it. I was actually thinking this week that a 22BR would be a killer cartridge to have which is right up there with 22-250 velocities. With the right bullets it won’t have an issue. You don’t need a .300 rum to kill stuff....

 

[BuzzH]

I don't have a ton of experience with shooting a 22-250 at big-game but have shot several deer, pronghorn, and hogs with one.

The one thing I did notice is that the 60 grain partitions didn't shoot well, undoubtedly due to barrel twist. Best I could get the partitions to shoot at 100 yards was about 1.5 inches...with 55 grain ballistic tips, probably .3 or so.

But, it was good enough to shoot 130-140 yards when I tried them on my friends place in Texas. One morning I shot 3 fallow deer and 2 hogs with a 22-250 and those 60 grain partitions, all behind the shoulder, all one shot kills, all bullets passed through broadside. Exits were quarter to 50 cent piece sized. Seemed to work as well as any other rifle. Flattened the hogs, all 3 deer ran maybe 40-50 yards and blood trails were solid.

The mule deer and pronghorn I shot were a bit different, still worked fine, but I wasn't shooting the best bullets for the job...55 grain BT's.

I think a quick twist 1-8 and nosler partitions would be pretty effective on deer and pronghorn. I have other rifles to shoot deer and pronghorn with and couldn't get the accuracy I expected with my current set up and the 60 grain partition, so dropped the 22-250 off the big game line-up.

 

[1_pointer]

One of the monsters in Ryan Hatfield's book "Idaho's Greatest Mule Deer, Volume 2" was killed at distance in Hells Canyon with a 220 Swift.

Wearing red suspenders? I bet that's the guy I referenced as a poster here...

I don't understand the "how small can I go" thought process. How many deer have been wounded, not recovered when the hunter uses a more appropriate caliber (ie. 7mm, 270, 308)? Now add a marginal caliber to the mix, no thanks.

It's well accepted that folks shoot better with less recoil/noise. Maybe some of those wounded, not recovered by an "appropriate" caliber would not have been so had they been shooting something they could shoot better?