Well my 9 year old uses a .223. He shoots 60 grain nosler partitions out of it. Last year he made a clean kill at 80 yards on a buck the first day of rifle season. That deer was dead before the shot was done echoing. I can't help you on the .204, but from what I've read about it I don't think I would try using it on deer.

 

i have shot many deer with a 222 and a 22-250 it is all in the placement of the bullet

 

I shot a deer three years ago with a .25-20.

 

I killed the biggest buck of my like with a 223.

 

Killed two with a 22-250. the last one I killed was a horrible shot. right in the backside. when we butchered the deer the bullet went in and shattered the left hip skipped across shattering the pelvis, then it broke the rig hip and then the bullet finally stopped. Needless to say the bullet did its job, and the deer dropped in her tracks(I was 16 at the time the reason for the bad shot lol) I've seen identical shots 2 other times by other people one was a 270 and a 30-06. Both of those deer went a long way before we recovered them.

I think the people that bash the small bore guns have never used them. I will never use anything bigger than my .243 for whitetail. Anything else is just overkill. If all I hunted was fields I'd probably still use the 22-250

 

204 is not a leagal caliber it must be a 22 cal and a 204 is a 20 caliber

 

My friend's son last year shot a 6 pointer at 80yds with his 223. Deer never took a step.

 

I think the people that bash the small bore guns have never used them

We have used them...on groundhogs

 

i have used the 204 and if legal wouldnt be afrait to use it on whitetail it a very accurate cal and i shoot a 32 grain vmax at 4125 fps it will tear some hogs and coyote up i wouldnt sell it for twice what i paid for it

 

I think the people that bash the small bore guns have never used them

We have used them...on groundhogs

Thanks for proving my point.

 

204 is not a leagal caliber it must be a 22 cal and a 204 is a 20 caliber

In Pa, "Any Centerfire with expanding bullets" is legal .

 

204 is not a leagal caliber it must be a 22 cal and a 204 is a 20 caliber

Wrong. Any centerfire Is legal to use for deer in PA, including the .204, 22 hornet, 17 Remington/fireball, 218 Bee etc. Probably not recommended, but legal none the less. I shot a deer with a .222 a few years back, and that's all my buddy's dad has ever used(he's 64). He only ever lost one deer, and that was due to poor shot placement on his part. If used right, they will work fine. They just don't have a lot of margin for error. In the case of the .204, the only bullet I would try it with is the 45gr spire point from hornady, and even then I'd be a little leery. Perhaps reloading would offer some better bullet options more up to the task of bigger animals.

 

Using the 218 Bee this year and the 32-20.
I agree that most guys that say they won't work have never seen the damage done by them.Go for the lungs (skulls are hard) and they will do the job.
Have taken many with the 222 and 52gr HP's.

 

If it will kill a man it will kill a deer.

Poachers use .22 LR and .22 mags all the time.

Its all about shot placement and knowing your limits as well as the weapon.

 

I may use my .257 Roberts some this year, small compared to my .300 Win. I have shot several with my .22/250 with no losses and 75 yards longest tracking job.

 

If it will kill a man it will kill a deer.

Poachers use .22 LR and .22 mags all the time.


Exactly. these big bore hunters think they are killing one of the toughest skinned animals known to man. Deer are small and very thin skinned. I mean stand next to a live deer, and even the biggest barely comes up to your waist. Your basically killing an oversized goat.
Its all about shot placement and knowing your limits as well as the weapon.

 

Has any one used a .204, 222, 223 or 22-250 on deer? Mainly the .204, I was thinking of using my .204 on sika deer but wondering about the knock down power.

If your worried about knockdown power then use a Buick. Bullets kill by destroying the vitals. You have to go through hide,fat,muscle and bone to get to the vitals. Those small calibers will kill deer but use a bullet designed for the job.

 

I'll probably get heat for this, but I've always believed use the right tool for the job. Why take a chance on the possible deer of a lifetime by going in the woods under-gunned? I know it's all about shot placement...but we all know anything can go wrong, and often does. I wouldn't shoot at a deer with anything less than a .243 and 100 grain bullets. Not knocking anyone who does, just my $.02.

 

The big bore guys always say they like their big bores for the SHOCK factor.Well unless they shatter the spinal cord or blow off a leg,that shock is usually what makes them go so far on adrenalin.Like posted earlier,internal explosion on vitals with good shot placement will put down efficiently any deer in Pa.with any small legal center fire.Jusy my .02.

 

I don't think I'll have any issues shooting a 90 lb sika deer. It might be a good thing, at the least I might not damage as much meat.

 

Don't underestimate the tenacity of a sika. They are tough critters. I've seen and heard of them absorbing 12ga shotgun slugs and leaving minute blood trails. Their chosen habitat it wet, too, so blood trails are going to be sparse in places anyway.

The sika's that I've seen get parked on the spot had hits to the central nervous system (brain or spinal cord). I saw a spike stag take a 12ga slug head on (base of the throat, buddy shot it) at about 50 yards. He went well over 100 till he cashed it in. Not a bad track to follow, but it was all dry grass he traveled. Had he been in the myrtle and thorns with water below, that would have been a fun one.

I don't think you need an Ultra Mag for sika deer, but don't think because they're small they're wimps. They will take a hard hit and still go a fair distance.

I was planning to go to Assateague (VA side), but had to scrub the trip. The zone I would have been hunting was a rifle zone, and I was going to take either a lever 35 Remington or my scoped '06.

They are tough little buggers.

Oh, and if you shoot a 90lb sika, you got a trophy. I shot a hind last time I was down to VA that dressed out at 48lbs. Guy at the check station said he wouldn't check in any hinds that weighed much more than that. My dad shot a big stag about 10 years ago down there...check station guy at the time said it was the biggest he'd ever seen in a number of years. It dressed at 75lbs.

 

that shock is usually what makes them go so far on adrenalin

How does hydro-static shock produce adrenaline?

 

I killed a Doe one time with a Ruger 77 223 with a handloaded Winchester 64 gr. Power Point bullet. Got her with one shot thru the ribs at about 75 yards. She ran about 40 yards. IMO it worked fine but I would certainly not pick such a small caliber for a "Serious" Deer rifle. IMHO 243 Win. is minimum.

 

I have taken quite a few deer with the 22-250. Handloads, 70 grain speers. All but one dropped on the spot. Took a neck shot on one and the rest were right in the boiler room. When I field dressed the ones that were shot in the boiler room, the vitals looked like smuckers strawberry jam. Remember, it's the indian not the arrow.

 

that shock is usually what makes them go so far on adrenalin

How does hydro-static shock produce adrenaline?

A-Shock as in suprise/scared? OR B-As in Hydrostatic-shock?

A can induce adrenaline production
B produces hemmoraging and death