Don't agree... I specifically aim away from CNS/Major Bone targets that create "Bang Flops." I shoot center lungs whenever possible... a center lung shot does not result in a Bang Flop, but it does result in a rapidly deceased animal and very little chance of wounding or loosing the animal.
22-250 for deer
- Thread starter 6.5x55swm
- Start date
Don't agree... I specifically aim away from CNS/Major Bone targets that create "Bang Flops." I shoot center lungs whenever possible... a center lung shot does not result in a Bang Flop, but it does result in a rapidly deceased animal and very little chance of wounding or loosing the animal.
I'd go the 22-250 route before borrowing a friends rifle. Ever read the thread on "borrowed guns?"
I've had deer, bear, and moose run away from lung shots with a 444 marlin, when the shot passed clear through. Usually they don't go more than 50 to 100 yds. though. Bang flops usually means they don't bleed out so well inside, in my experience, and I prefer my meat bled out even if its in the lung area inside.
I've shot both bear and deer with a compound bow, which in my opinion is a pretty miserable tool in comparison to a 22-250. Not too many expect bang flops with an arrow. And not too many here oppose hunting deer with an arrow.
Again, shoot it in the lungs and the 22-250 will work.
Very few "bang flops" result from lung shots, even when it's "rib in, rib out"... a 25 yard dash is not a "bang flop"... a bang flop is just that, you hear the bang and they fall straight down in their tracks... too much is made of "bang flopping," all this internet talk... bang flops don't necessarily result in a rapidly deceased animal... but specifically aiming to create a bang flop has most certainly resulted in many wounded animals... as your target is smaller, indeterminate, and often tricky due to movement and or body posture etc... JMO
the spank
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Planet Earth Wearing My Tinfoil Hat
Do you bow hunt? I would love to see your bang - flops from a bow!!!
Personally from what I have seen of the damage done to animals I have shot with my 22-250 I would not want to be hit with it myself, premium bullet or otherwise and I have much heavier rib bones than any deer does!!! Every animal reacts different when hit even if all are shot in the same spot. Some are bang-flops and some are not. I have the luxury of more than one choice of calibre but the OP unfortunately does not. On that merit alone who are you to tell him to stay home and watch tv and scrounge for venison from others? Not everyone is a mooch who would scrounge and eat moose meat that has been in a freezer for 6 years!!
I say load up with some of those 70 grain Speer heavy jacket soft points if you can find some. If not punch one with a readily available 55 grain SP hard in the boiler room then enjoy a big old bowl of venison chili with a cold beer while you watch tv at the conclusion of a successful season!!
and for every great big buck that is shot Il bet 50 does and fawns are shot .that's the way it is here in Ontario and il bet many other parts of Canada ,if only big bucks were to be shot many many foks would go with out deer every year .I hunt with the guys from are local reservation and thy run the deer with hounds and shoot mostly bucks of all sizes and the guns of choice are 222 223 and 22 250 with the odd 243 throw in ,what you got to remember is these guns in these cals are made to shot very accurate ,and the guys that use them a lot learn to shoot them well ,just like the guys I hunt coyotes with all winter thy shoot the coyotes running in front of dogs and have to shoot well to be able to hit them running across a field at 100 plus yards to the tune of 100 plus coyotes a year ..your 22 250 will do a fine job if you do your part ,,Dutch
I edited my post to more clearly say what I meant.
It is that distance limitation that makes the 22-250 a much more all round effective tool, in my opinion. Within the "distance limitation" of the compound bow, the 22-250 will work just fine too. I doubt the dead deer cares which one hit him, just as it doesn't matter what caliber bullet just killed him.
And if a follow up shot on a wounded animal is needed, I'd much prefer the 22-250 considering the likelihood of trying to gap the "distance limitations". I've done that waiting time waiting for the bow shot deer to bleed out because you don't dare chase him.
Anyways, even with my defective understanding, my opinion stands
Several armies around the world have pretty well abandoned the bow and arrow for the 22 centerfire, for good reason.
RememberTheSomme
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nova Scotia
How long has the .22 Centefire been big game legal in N.B? Always? I am totally oblivious to NB regulations in regards to caliber and ammo. Could someone give a short history on rifle caliber rules in N.B for varmint to big game.
We have a .23 caliber minimum here to rule out all the CF .22's, and I'm sure some of the hotter ones with the heaviest bullets would produce a fair bit of lung damage, even the .223Rem at closer ranges. I actually had a nice Sako A1 action in the early 1980's in .222Remington, that ended up in New Brunswick somewhere, this was when we couldn't even hunt Coyote with them, let alone Deer, so paper punching only got boring. We were regulated to shotguns with a shot size no larger than AAA when Coyotes started to show up here in the 1970's. We then transitioned through allowing centerfire .22s and bigger with no heavier than 55gr(My Remington accelerator 55g.308Win days, poor accuracy) ,then later any center fire with 100gr or less(my 100gr Hornady interlock 3360fps .270Win days) and finally any center fire and it's ammunition legal for Big Game is fine all winter on Coyote.
So there's a tiny bit of the rules here IIRC in the last 35 years or so on Center-fire .22s. I would like to know how New Brunswick has traversed the same game legislations in the same time period. It's funny our terrain and game are similar and I'm sure out hunting habits and ethics, I wonder why we have been slow to allow centerfire .22s. They still are considered varmint bullet blow ups only?
Not sure really.
We have a .23 caliber minimum here to rule out all the CF .22's, and I'm sure some of the hotter ones with the heaviest bullets would produce a fair bit of lung damage, even the .223Rem at closer ranges. I actually had a nice Sako A1 action in the early 1980's in .222Remington, that ended up in New Brunswick somewhere, this was when we couldn't even hunt Coyote with them, let alone Deer, so paper punching only got boring. We were regulated to shotguns with a shot size no larger than AAA when Coyotes started to show up here in the 1970's. We then transitioned through allowing centerfire .22s and bigger with no heavier than 55gr(My Remington accelerator 55g.308Win days, poor accuracy) ,then later any center fire with 100gr or less(my 100gr Hornady interlock 3360fps .270Win days) and finally any center fire and it's ammunition legal for Big Game is fine all winter on Coyote.
So there's a tiny bit of the rules here IIRC in the last 35 years or so on Center-fire .22s. I would like to know how New Brunswick has traversed the same game legislations in the same time period. It's funny our terrain and game are similar and I'm sure out hunting habits and ethics, I wonder why we have been slow to allow centerfire .22s. They still are considered varmint bullet blow ups only?
Not sure really.
pisces-guy
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- West Kelowna, B.C.
Far better to hunt with a proper sized calibre that doesn't make pin-point accuracy so vital, as compared to hunting with a quick peashooter.
Go with a 7mm-08, .280 Remington, or .270 Winchester and you'll be in great shape, as long as you hit the deer in the lower chest or behind the front legs.
Go with a 7mm-08, .280 Remington, or .270 Winchester and you'll be in great shape, as long as you hit the deer in the lower chest or behind the front legs.
Rifles with bores larger than .224" are not allowed outside big game seasons, as in spring/fall bear, deer and moose. Once your tag has been used in the aforementioned seasons, the only thing legal to carry in the woods is a rifle of .224" or smaller including centerfire and rimfire. There is a similar restriction on slugs and buckshot as well.
22 centerfire cartridges are legal for big game here.
cdn1canhunt
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- southwestern ontario
hornadys ballistic chart shows 1300lbs of energy at 100yrds for the 50 grain v-max that is enough to kill a deer. penetration might suck on a shoulder hit or may get bullet splash. but if you hit the heart/lungs that's a dead deer every day. May not go "bang-flop" but wont make it far dead within 100yrds or less likely.
Im not advocating to use the 22-250 but if i had too...i would.
Im not advocating to use the 22-250 but if i had too...i would.
RememberTheSomme
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nova Scotia
Thanks for that information.
I have family in NS, and through them I know your rules have changed some. Ours have been pretty consistent as I remember back into the 1980's at least, with the exception of perhaps clothing colors and setback distances from houses, crossbows, and compound bows. I hunted in the 1970's and a bit in the late 60's but don't remember being too concerned about rules back then.
Since the mid to late 1980's at least, for all big game you can hunt with any centerfire rifle, or buckshot, muzzle loader, compound bow over 45 lb pull. So legally, not sensibly, for rifles you can use your low-powered 38 special handloads for moose. Or you can use .204 or 22 hornet for bear, deer, etc. I've loaded some plinking round balls in the 30-30, so I guess I could legally use them too. I guess the gov't trusts us to use common sense.
Outside of big game season, or after your tag is used, for rifles you can only use .224 centerfire or smaller, or 22 rimfire, or muzzle loader of any caliber, bow, shotgun with smaller pellets, etc. I guess the gov't doesn't trust us to use common sense, or thinks no one can poach big game with the same rifle they legally used to hunt big game with the day before.
Anyways, you can see now why 22 centerfires are so popular here in NB. You can carry them all year round except for one week of moose season in Sept., unless you were lucky enough to get a moose license, then you can use it that week too. And you can hunt pretty much all legal game with them (except for migratory birds of course). I suspect this may be why the OP has kept his 22-250 rather than some other larger caliber. I know if money were tight and I had to go down to one rifle, it would be a 22 centerfire for me in NB.
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I have shot a few deer with the 22-250 and even a couple with the 55gr Vmax. Years ago I even shot a few with plain ordinary 55gr SPs. Hard to believe but they all died very quickly once shot. My rifles and load combos are capable of shooting gophers at 300yds so it is not real hard to hit a deer in the heart lung area at 100 yds or even right between the eyes if that is where I decide to shoot them. Do I purposely take the 22-250 out of the safe to go deer hunting, No but if it was all I had to pick I would not hesitate to use it. If your not sure the rifle and bullet you pick can do the job then you should not be using it.
