[erinreed]

I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT LETTING MY SON USE ONE OF MY 22-250'S FOR DEER THIS YEAR, I HAVE BEEN TOLD 75 GR TSX BARNES BULLETT WOULD BE PLENTY FOR A DEER EVEN THOUGHT IT IS A 22 CALIBER? ANY THOUGHTS FROM THE MORE EXPERIENCED CROWD. I HAVE ALWAYS USED .277 CALIBER OR BIGGER

 

[Woods walker]

It is not plenty for deer and certainly not a caliber for an inexperienced kid to use for deer.

 

[Keystone Killer]

I personally would not. Alot of it has to do with where you are hunting. If its wide open, it would be effective, but a round like that has so much velocity with a 'light' mass that the slightest interference will stir havoc with you. Can it kill a deer? Yea for sure. Is it the best choice? No. As always shot placement ranks #1 in my book.

 

[WexfordBowhunter]

Why not a .243 or a .30-.30?

 

[drags]

Provided your gun will stableize a 75 gr bullet the 75gr tsx would be a fine bullet for deer. I know a fellow who shoots deer out to 750 yards with the 75gr hornady A-max bullet in a 22x47 lapua cartridge. I have personally shot deer with the 22-250 using a 55gr hollow point that I make myself and the deer went straight down I shot it in the shoulder area. I do not reccomend head shots on deer with any cailber, because a close miss would only wound the deer and it would die a slow death.
Drags

 

[Ghost]

You sure you dont mean 70gr TSX? Didnt see a 75gr on the barnes website. If so Im going to go against the rest of the crowd. If you stick with the 70gr TSX and put the bullet where it should go (as with any cartridge) the biggest whitetail in the world will be dead ASAP. I think the real question is whats the twist on your gun? this has to be a really long bullet, and stabilizing it might be an issue, but youd have to shoot it to find out.

 

[rflktrman]

I have shot 5 deer with my .22/250 using Rem 55 gr spire points and got them all. Shot placement is the key especialy with smaller calibers. I would not recommend it for a beginner unless you are close to provide back-up.

 

[700varmint]

NOT recommended, at least for a young shooter. if your son is too recoil shy then I would bet its a good sign he is too young yet. yes its legal to use it but is it right? yes if he is old enough to hold his head up he can legaly take a deer but is it right?

I shoot the 45gr TSX in my 22-250 with a 1:14 twist. get them as close to 4000fps the better they shoot. I personally do not have a problem at all with a 22-250 for deer, more deer have been killed with a [insert caliber here] and more deer have been lost with a [insert caliber here] so shot placement is key. I just feel older more composed hunters should only use this caliber for the fact of shot placement.

I started my 12 year old last year with a T/C encore and a 357 Max. it too has low recoil and out to 100 yards with a 180gr XTP its deadly on deer, pending shot placement.

 

[Hiamovi]

There plenty of better options out there.

 

[RayRay]

I wouldn't reccommand a young hunter using a marginal caliber like the 22-250. I know several people that use this caliber , but most use it all year round & shoot several hundred rounds a year. Use a 243 & up for a young hunter.

 

[kershner13]

This has been duscussed alot before... I personally think it would be a great gun for a youth if he has faith that he can put the bullet where it needs to go. I no a guy that uses winchester ballistic silvertips on whitetail and they drop instantly, when he dressed it out the heart was obliterated... keep in mine though that with the thin jacket on the bullet you probly wont get an exit hole, and you probly dont want to hit the shoulder... just my opinion

 

[Keystone Killer]

I would def stay away from balistic tips on a bullet such as this if using it for a big game animal. If anything you need a bonded bullet or a coppersolid, because of the high velocity and low mass...

 

[broknaero]

Is it possible to kill a deer with the .22/250? It sure is. But its a precision thing. It is not something you would want a nervous child shooting. If you want a low recoil rifle for a youngster get a larger diameter bullet to account for the less then perfect shot placement from the jitters that are sure to set in when that first shot comes. .243, .260, 30/30, .357 Lever action are all suitable choices for low recoil yet have killing power on less than perfect shots.

This year when my daughter comes hunting she will be using a 7-30 That I shortened the stock on to fit.

 

[big cow down 80]

if recoil is a issue and you have a bigger cal. that he can use try the rem. manage recoil loads work great 4 kids..my boy used them his first 3 years of the mentor hunting they work great... 7mm-08

 

[kudu58]

>22-250 for deer is like a .410 shotgun. It's not a youth gun, it's an experts gun. Letting your son use it for deer is setting your son up for failure and disappointment, not to mention being unfair to the deer.

 

[mauser06]

Kudu said it well imo!

In the hands of someone who knows about shot placement, angles etc, yes it can be done....there are some fine .224 cal bullets out thwre that will anchor a deer with no trouble....but, even then, shot placement is tricky...

Varmint bullet??? I have a hard time believing too many deer are shot and recovered by fools doin that....I've killed piles of ghogs with 55gr ballistic tips and rarely get an exit...on headshots, I typically get a big crater and hardly any penetration....

Use enough gun...and enough bullet! I rather be over loaded than under! In the real world, things like head on chest shots, quartering towars heavy shoulder shots etc are presented more times than broadside...I wanna know my bullet will get the job done.....

Giving a kid a marginal caliber is handicapping him....

Handicap him by giving him 1 bullet for a proper sized gun...tell him he better make that shot count as that's the last shell left and gotta last all season....(dad did it to me...but I got 5..and was only allowed to load 1). I made dang sure I put em where they needed to be....

 

[DennyF]

I have cleanly killed deer with the 22-250 and my 60gr Nosler Partition reloads. They are available as loaded ammo, but expensive. 64gr Winchester Power Point loads have also killed lots of deer, but in the hands of experienced shooters, for the most part. The Nosler Partition is a much better deer bullet, in my opinion.

Let him shoot it with varmint loads to familiarize himself with the rifle, then he'll be ready for deer season, using the proper bullet when the time comes. Limit him to 100 yards or less and there should not be any problems, once he's comfy with the rifle. Also shoot enough 60gr loads to make sure the zero is correct, (it shouldn't be "far off" from 55gr varmint loads, btw).

 

[Ghost]

Lets run the numbers on this, comparing a 70gr Barnes TSX against 30-30 and 44 mag.

22-250 Muzzle 3,200fps and 1,591fpe
100 yards 2,962fps and 1,363fpe
(I wasent able to find barnes load data for their 70gr bullet for the 22-250 so I used reloading software to come up with the data, should be real close)

30-30 Muzzle 2,390fps and 1,902fpe
100 yards 1,975fps and 1,298fpe

44 Rem mag (rifle) Muzzle 1,760fps and 1,651fps
100 yards 1,425fps and 1,080fpe

Using that data seems that load for a 22-250 would be more than adequte for deer out to at least 100 yards, after all it carries the same energy that a 30-30 does, and Im sure most people think a 30-30 is more than enough for deer. And I know for a fact that a 70gr TSX will out penetrate a 30-30

 

[brittanyman]

Ive read alot about this actually and basically as long as shot placement is good there will be no problem. My Brothers GF has shot bucks the last two years and she only uses a 222. Anyways ill be trying to bag a doe with my predator 22-250 this year, I want to find out first hand how they do.

 

[Swift]

Discussed b4.