Smallest caliber for deer

[GooseGestapo]

The caliber is not really the issue.

The next time you're at the range, look at the difference in the bullet hole in your target, and compare the .22's, to .243, .270, .30cal.

There is really not that great of difference.

The construction of the bullet, and of course placement is CRITICAL.

I lost 2 deer last year with a 7mm-08 using some Hornady 139gr SST's that fail to expand unless they hit bone. Those lost were broadside hits at 60 and 107yds. (consecutive shots in sequence on deer in a food plot.)

I lost "0" deer with my .22 Hornet. 7 killed in past three seasons at ranges from 15 to 187yds (ranged with laser range finder). Approximately 3 doz over past 20yrs.

Most 40-50gr bullets in .224 are designed to hold together and remain accurate in .22-250 and .220 Swift, and therefore are pretty tough bullets in the .22 Hornet. The deer taken at 187yds was a traditional heart/lung shot with a Remington 45gr HP at 2,850fps over 12.5gr of Hod. Lil'Gun. Bullet wound channel was about like a 100gr from my .243wcf., and after taking out two ribs on exit, left a quarter size hole, and a blood trail that got heavier as it ran, till deer dropped. Deer ran approx 35yds. I was holding for the heart but a crosswind I didn't adequately account for "drifted" the bullet approx. 8" from where I was aiming. This is about 80yds further than I originally thought the shot was. (I paced it off that evening after retrieving the deer and checked the distance later with a laser rangefinder.)

The reason for using a .22cf is that accuacy is usually superlative, recoil is minimal, and you can see the placement and effect of the shot due to lack of sight picture disturbance. That, and the curosity factor.

However, DON'T use a .22cf if you are prone to "BUCK~~~~~FEVER~~~~~", and pulling your shots.

For what it's worth, I've dispatched several dozen vehicle-accident injured deer with .22lr. Much cheaper and less "dramatic" at an accident scene than a .357mag or .40S&W with 145gr or 155gr Silvertips. Just a muffled "POP" from a rifle instead of a BLAST! and attendant FIREBALL from a centerfire handgun. (most incidents occured at night). To my way of thinking, it seemed more "surgical" and professional without all the "drama".

 

[Anthony T.]

The caliber is not really the issue

I disagree, when a bullet is flying a around 3000 fps, a single caliber makes a world of difference.

That, and the curosity factor.

I dont think that we should risk injury and pain to a deer, which is a gift from god, out of curiosity.

To the general public:
I'm the greatest shot in the world, I can kill a buffalo with a 17hmr! My god, people need to grow up, who cares that you can kill a deer with a 22lr. It only makes you look cool in your eyes. Any real hunter would think youre stupid, mental or something. If you can't handle the recoil of a 243 then maybe you should quit hunting and take up water polo or something. 22 was not made for big game hunting, when will people get over it? Its just like the guys deer hunting with 416 rigbys and stuff. I hope you think youre the baddest man around because youre shouder is beat out of place! So stupid. Not meaning to ramble, I just get tired of hearing this type of stuff.

 

[pete f]

It also depends on where you hunt. We often get deer upwards of 300 pounds live wieght here in Mn, you get to Wisc and Michigan and you find the same thing. bigger deer. I have killed a couple of Texas and Missouri deer that were not much bigger than a big lab retriever with antlers. I have seen several deer in Mn with 3006 shots that did not pass thru. hitting bone and breaking up. That said, on our property we do not allow 6 mm. they are legal, but we have had too many walk away from marginal hits. And yeah marginal hits happen, lots of people act like they don't but we all know they do.

We prefer 250 savages, 257 roberts, on the small side, If hunting down on the river banks where 20 yard shots maybe long, we often carry 35 rems or 44 mags when flushing deer later in the season.

 

[usmccpl]

Minimum for deer is what ever you shoot good.Years back while helping a feller that raised deer thin out his heard we used 22lr, but this fall my wife is going hunting for the first time and i wont let her use less than 30 cal. I have brought them down with single shots from a 22 short and have had one take 5 rounds from a 45/70 all through the heart and lungs and still wouldnt go down until he ran a mile and a half and i put round number 6 right betwixt his running lights.I also tagged two one year killed with the same 243. My aunt shoot one a one shot kill later that day my uncle had the same rifle and used the other 19 rounds in the box on a single deer. His was smaller but had a thicker layer of fat that was blowing up the bullets before they could penetrate.






one shot one kill

 

[Jackal]

A buddy of mine used to poach deer in washington apple orchards with a .22mag. Worked like a charm with a good shot. I always did wonder why he kept bumming ammo off me......

 

[duvalhunter]

I have shot numerous deer using a 22-250 with no problems at all. Iam not talking neck shots at 50 yards either, these are shoulder shots at 200 (at the most ) Maybe because they were small hill country deer

It did fine on hogs also



22-250 is the smallest I would go

 

[Metapotent]

t

 

[Glock_10mm]

Instead of the .223 route I've been going the route of .357 mag.

Why not a .357mag in a lever rifle? Its small in terms of rifle cartridges, performs incredibly well from an 18" barrel (buffalo bore 158gr JHPs get 2153 fps from a 18 inch barrel Marlin). Also allows practice with .38spl! Most of the lever guns also allow 15 rds in the tube...not that you need them, but is also great for practice.

I think its a viable choice in a 'small' rifle caliber. In a handgun there is nothing small about it, but in a rifle its a whole different round.

Otherwise I'd say .223 is the smallest 'humane' route to go, then again it also depends on your aim, and the deer you are trying to take.

Just something to think about.

 

[MCgunner]

The next time you're at the range, look at the difference in the bullet hole in your target, and compare the .22's, to .243, .270, .30cal.

There is really not that great of difference.

Well, you ignore velocity/energy and the construction of the bullet involved. A bullet must penetrate and it must expand, two mutually exclusive properties. In order to do that properly in a normal lead jacketed bullet on deer sized game, longer the bullet is to its diameter (sectional density) the more it will penetrate. Of course, there are magic bullets like the all copper Barnes X. Forget Fackler and Jeff Cooper, this ain't handgun shootin'. If the big bullet thing holds any water in defensive handgun shooting, and it's not the answer there either IMHO, it's a totally antequated concept in modern high powered rifles. We went from big holes to high energy when smokeless was invented in the late 19th century.

Most .22-250s are rifled to stabilize varmint weight bullets and they are rather explosive and lack sectional density. Now, there's the matter of energy. If you can load an accurate heavy and heavily constructed .22 bullet in the .22-250, you have the energy due to velocity. But, the old rule of thumb is 1000 ft lbs on target for deer and stuff like the .223 and down are marginal to ineffective by that old yard stick. A .25-06 can fire a 120 grain bullet (plenty of sectional density in the caliber), even Nosler Partition and Barnes and other controlled expansion bullets to over 3000 fps for energies of around 2200 ft lbs at the muzzle. My own .257 Roberts handloads are of this power level pushing a 117 grain Hornady Interlock to 3050 fps. Lots of ELK have fallen to the .25-06 let alone deer! It's plenty for deer and in fact in Texas the .25-06 has been a quite popular long range deer load in the past chambered in guns like the Remington Sendero. There's much more to a cartridge than how big a hole it puts in the paper at the range. A rifle is a kenetic energy weapon and it's that energy that does the killin'. The bullet must perform, though, for it to translate that energy into a dead deer.

The .22-250 has a cult following, but in my mind it is FAR from a good deer caliber. Why would you want to shoot it in favor of the .25-06? The recoil of the .25-06 is quite mild so that's not an answer. I mean, if you can have your gun in any caliber and it's going to be a deer rifle, why mess with marginal calibers? You can't get TOO MUCH rifle after all. I've killed deer with a 7mm Remington Magnum. While you may say it's over-kill, I can tell you none of those deer walked away from it! It might be "too much", but it kills 'em dead. I have one friend that hunts with a 375 H&H! I don't really know why, but he likes it for DEER.

I really, really like my .308, though. It's chambered in the stainless Remington M7 and I think it's neigh on the perfect hunting rifle for me. It's almost as if it were MADE for deer and hogs. Plenty of power, plenty of bullet, and not as much meat destruction on shoulder shots as my 7mm belted magnum. It's an accurate, light, compact little gun that's easy to carry, easy to shoot.

 

[ROCKSHUND]

I shot my first deer (8 pt, 170 lb) when I was 12 with a single .222 Rem round at 40 yards, he dropped like a brick. That little rifle got lots of use by my dad & brother in my absence in subsequent years.

It's really too light for deer, but with a well placed shot, they don't seem to understand that.

Given a choice though, I wouldn't go hunting with less than a .243 Win.

I AM gonna get a .22 mag soon, and not for hunting squirrels. -FNR.

 

[turkey45]

99 savage 222

..i know for a fact,,up to 1000,whitetails deer have been taken
with my friends family gun,,,savage 99,..222,cal the gun and the hunter
has fed three familys,,and dont forget the ole 22 hornet

 

[Vic]

caliber for deer...

Depends on your state laws, distance of shot, placement of shot, environment in which you are hunting...on..and...on...and...on. It depends also on the person making the shot and how profecient this person is with the weapon of his choice, end of story. You can use a 300WINMAG on a bipod in a blind for a 400yd shot or a .357 revolver at 50yds (rested shot), or a 5.56MM at 200yds. Depends totally on your laws and your pref for the surroundings and how much weight in a weapon you want to lug around in the field. I think I read that the .30 Win (30-30 if you will) has killed more deer in the state of Michigan than any other gun except maybe the 30-06. I could be wrong so...dont quote me on that stat. The 30-30 is about a 200yd gun on BIG white tails IMO. Most shots here occur at less than 100yds anyway in my experience.

 

[Metapotent]

..i know for a fact,,up to 1000,whitetails deer have been taken
with my friends family gun,,,savage 99,..222,cal the gun

Either that gun has been around for 200 years, or the people you know have been doing some poaching.

Otherwise according to the laws of physics and time...that is quite an unbelievable claim.

 

[RookieWingHunter]

i have the exact kind of .22 you are talking about.... mine is a stevens 66a (<---- probably the same as mantis has) , made for Sears in the 50's

i have seen someone take a deer with a 204 ruger, , i guess that isnt that special though....