Alberta to allow 22 centrefire for big game.

migrant hunter

migrant hunter

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So it looks like Alberta has dropped the min caliber down to .22 for big game. I'd like to hear people's experiences with. 22 centerfires on deer, and what bullet they use. I shot Roe with a .22-250 in Scotland once, but there's a big difference between a roe doe and a mule buck.
 
I'd take a mule deer/whitetail/pronghorn if it was inside of 200yrds.
I loaded 70gr speer this year and am pushing them around 3400ft/sec with no pressure signs. They'll poke a hole in a lot of critters. As usual shot placement will be critical but I'm pretty confident in the cartridge and bullet.
I'm sure this subject will be hotly debated. Cheers
 
Makes you wonder how many people will head out with a 223 this fall loaded with 55gr FMJ not knowing the difference or with a 53gr Vmax varmint bullet, we will never know how many animals were wounded and never recovered. There is no doubt that a properly constructed .224 bullet will take deer and even larger animals, the key is how many 223's are fast enough twist to handle those heavier 69 - 75gr bullets.
 
.222, .223, .22-.250 have been extensively used for hunting caribou in the Arctic for years, with whatever ammunition happens to be available locally. Good hits kill. Bad hits cripple and wound. Basically it depends on the hunter. Are .22 centerfires a good first choice? Are there better choices?
 
waldo54 said:
Makes you wonder how many people will head out with a 223 this fall loaded with 55gr FMJ not knowing the difference or with a 53gr Vmax varmint bullet, we will never know how many animals were wounded and never recovered. There is no doubt that a properly constructed .224 bullet will take deer and even larger animals, the key is how many 223's are fast enough twist to handle those heavier 69 - 75gr bullets.
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55 or 60 hr bullet is just as effect as above mentioned bullet construction is the key
any bullet in the heart lungs brain is deadly as long as it stays together
 
I grew up hunting with the bigger is better crowd, and you need a magnum to kill everything (for years my primary rifle was a 300 win mag). Later in life i was mentored by a soft spoken hunter that shot everything with a 222 loaded with plain old 55 grain SP. Since then i have put a ton of big Eastern Ontario whitetail in the dirt with my little 223. With the proliferation of fast twist and heavy for caliber modern projectiles, the 223 and other 22 centerfires is easily up to the task, but even those boring 55 grain SP's will get the job done, with proper shot placement.
 
migrant hunter said:
So it looks like Alberta has dropped the min caliber down to .22 for big game. I'd like to hear people's experiences with. 22 centerfires on deer, and what bullet they use. I shot Roe with a .22-250 in Scotland once, but there's a big difference between a roe doe and a mule buck.
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There is a long thread already in the hunting section on this very subject, with pics of kills from everything from antelope to moose .
Cat
 
waldo54 said:
Makes you wonder how many people will head out with a 223 this fall loaded with 55gr FMJ not knowing the difference or with a 53gr Vmax varmint bullet, we will never know how many animals were wounded and never recovered. There is no doubt that a properly constructed .224 bullet will take deer and even larger animals, the key is how many 223's are fast enough twist to handle those heavier 69 - 75gr bullets.
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Probably about the same number who hunt with FMJ's out of a 7.62x39 or a 308.
In the other thread there are examples of Vmax's killing well IIRC.
The majority of .223's these days I have seen are 1:9 twist.
I really think it's a non issue and I doubt very much that we will see any significant increase in wounded animals .
Cat
 
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waldo54 said:
Makes you wonder how many people will head out with a 223 this fall loaded with 55gr FMJ not knowing the difference or with a 53gr Vmax varmint bullet, we will never know how many animals were wounded and never recovered. There is no doubt that a properly constructed .224 bullet will take deer and even larger animals, the key is how many 223's are fast enough twist to handle those heavier 69 - 75gr bullets.
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Have you ever done any real-life testing of what you speak or just read the gun magazine experts.
I did a very extensive test with my .223 a few years ago with every weight & configuration of bullet i could get my hands on from 40 gr up to 69 gr and HP or any other nose design i could get.
I built a "catch box" with several layers of 2" thick plywood to replicate bone rather than soft tissue.
My rifle is an Axsis and I think the twist is 1:9. That rifle single holed everything under 55 gr, anything heavier started to open up, not drastically, still under 1.5".
The interesting thing about this test was that every bullet under 55 gr and "varmint class or hunting class" penetrated 4 layers of that ply before stopping and still retained the majority of original mass....not one of those slugs broke up on first impact. I hit the same box with a 30-06 150 gr slug and it penetrated one more board before stopping....I would very comfortably use any of those 40-55 gr slugs on a deer, Mule or WT... it dont matter.
 
With
waldo54 said:
Makes you wonder how many people will head out with a 223 this fall loaded with 55gr FMJ not knowing the difference or with a 53gr Vmax varmint bullet, we will never know how many animals were wounded and never recovered. There is no doubt that a properly constructed .224 bullet will take deer and even larger animals, the key is how many 223's are fast enough twist to handle those heavier 69 - 75gr bullets.
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With most semi autos banned it leaves the guys with the bolt actions. I firmly believe owners of bolt action 223s are slightly more in the know about ammo. At least all the ones ive met
 
I know for a fact that the .222 and .223 has been used for quite some time on both moose and deer as well as fur bearers from beavers to wolves in Northern Alberta - not by recreational hunters, but by trappers.
It's always been a non issue from what I have seen and deduced.
Cat
 
waldo54 said:
Makes you wonder how many people will head out with a 223 this fall loaded with 55gr FMJ not knowing the difference or with a 53gr Vmax varmint bullet, we will never know how many animals were wounded and never recovered. There is no doubt that a properly constructed .224 bullet will take deer and even larger animals, the key is how many 223's are fast enough twist to handle those heavier 69 - 75gr bullets.
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You can buy 308win, 30-06, 303brit, 8mm mauser, etc etc in FMJ. If dumb-dumbs are gonna use FMJ the legality of 223 seems irrelevant to the issue.
 
Well, I just heard about it from my son. My granddaughter is 10...I believe they lowered the age as well.
He is think that Willow ( his daughter) will be hunting with a Sportsman 78 that I picked up as a coyote rifle in 223
But I think he'll have to change to a polymer stock
 
I don't see a problem with it. I will stick to my 30 cal stuff because they work very well. Maybe if I live long enough to be old AF and .308 recoil freaks out my old ass, I would consider using my gopher gun on Bambis and why not?
 
I have seen caribou taken cleanly with a .223. Not sure what ammo but from my knowledge of the guy who shot them, it was likely the cheapest ammo ever made.😉 He carries about 8 rounds in his jacket pocket and he probably still has 5 left....
 
Anyone who’s been involved with tracking a rearward lung shot from a 243 or 250 Savage will a strong negative opinion. Sask did that a while ago. A neighbour bought his kid one with no clue about varmint vs hunting bullets. NFG! for the general population.
 
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