This is reminding me of the stories Dad used to tell of using the 22 High Power way back when. Some nonsense of shooting moose in the kidney area and my great uncle shooting a bunch of elk near Cochrane and the rest of the family coming out with tags. But of course the legs and shoulders blown off a deer and it running away. .
Alberta to allow 22 centrefire for big game.
- Thread starter migrant hunter
- Start date
Yup I think a great cartridge ! But I have it’s bigger brother the 6 CM so wouldn’t be needing one .
Can blow the legs and shoulders off all game with SH*TTY shooting ! Don’t need to be a 22 cal for some guys to phuck things up !
bad idea imo theres lots of bad shooters out there I hear the horror stories from the butchers with very little work to do on some of the game brought in.The 70 grain Speer bullet is excellent hunting bullet, and very affordable. I would say under 200 yards with any 22 cal center fire on deer sized game.
If your dead set on using it for larger than deer. Then you better have a partition, accubonds, or other premium round loaded up, and not your off the shelf cheapest 223 round. Not saying it can't work with the right conditions, but if you are able to load or use premium bullets, then it can I pay be beneficial.
Works perfectly fine on moose, up close and personal, right behind the occipital bone on the head, where it attaches to the soine...other than that. It's all luck...lol
I agree and wouldnt use a 22-250 beyond the deer mentioned nor the distance. My 06 and 30-30 will continue to hammer everything bigger. I also have the 60gr partitions but am leaning towards the Speers because they are so much less expensive and everything ive read about them states they're a great tough bullet. Accurate was surprisingly good too. Looking forward to trying them out. Cheers
migrant hunter
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Alberta
A buddy gut shot a fallow spiker many years ago with his 6.5x55. I found it about an hour later and finished it from about 70 yds with a .22 k hornet using 35 gr vmax. I shot it in the neck and almost decapitated it. After that, I kept telling him that the hornet was better than the 6.5x55.
I don't think there's going to be lots of wounded deer limping around, any more than any other season.
Meh. Shot a couple deer and several dogs and problem bears with .223. been present when two different ladies who were keen to hunt, but recoil averse, harvested decent mulie does on our property. I have both a buck and a Doe to the credit of my .223.
Never had to follow a trail to recover them.
But you have to be aware that shooting an animal in the arse, and expecting to blow it's head off, isn't on the books no matter how high you climb the caliber charts, shot placement is key, as is shot circumstance.
IMO, if you are going afield carrying a .22 CF caliber, carry a bipod or tripod to shoot off, and pick you shots with care and attention. If you are prone to taking hail-Mary shots, at running away deer, maybe you should up-gun...
A fair few years back, I posted some pictures of how I gutted out a deer, here on the Forum. That was a doe that I had clocked with my .223. Entered near side just behind her 'elbow', through the ribs, absolutely wrecked the internals, and I recovered 38 (IIRC) grains of a 50 grain generic varmint class bullet from the area against the far side shoulder and leg bones. She had walked out, gave me a clean broadside, and on impact, she took one step and rolled onto her nose. About 60 yards.
IMO, placement trumps caliber. Trying to make like you should be able to shoot through the whole body after hitting a running deer in the rump, is a whole different discussion.
Never had to follow a trail to recover them.
But you have to be aware that shooting an animal in the arse, and expecting to blow it's head off, isn't on the books no matter how high you climb the caliber charts, shot placement is key, as is shot circumstance.
IMO, if you are going afield carrying a .22 CF caliber, carry a bipod or tripod to shoot off, and pick you shots with care and attention. If you are prone to taking hail-Mary shots, at running away deer, maybe you should up-gun...
A fair few years back, I posted some pictures of how I gutted out a deer, here on the Forum. That was a doe that I had clocked with my .223. Entered near side just behind her 'elbow', through the ribs, absolutely wrecked the internals, and I recovered 38 (IIRC) grains of a 50 grain generic varmint class bullet from the area against the far side shoulder and leg bones. She had walked out, gave me a clean broadside, and on impact, she took one step and rolled onto her nose. About 60 yards.
IMO, placement trumps caliber. Trying to make like you should be able to shoot through the whole body after hitting a running deer in the rump, is a whole different discussion.
apex survival
CGN Regular
- Location
- Southern Alberta
Not to sound like an idiot, but if someone doesn't understand the concept of bullet choice etc or energy of a particular round allowing the use of 22 caliber centerfire won't change a whole lot. You can't legislate common sense, it's on the individual to know the limits of their cartridge and bullet choice for the game they are pursuing, never mind their shooting ability. There is so much info available, and so many people willing to lend some help or advice that ignorance is no excuse. Rant over.
I know several " hunters " that think anything less than a 300 mag is no good for deer.
Pure balderdash!
A good shot is just that, and a bad shot will result in a runner or lost deer regardless of the cartridge used.
Cat
Last edited:
- Location
- WMU247 near Edmonton
I love my 300WM 
lets me take long heart shots from the hind quarters......
but 22-250 would be perfectly adequate for deer, and I don't really have an issue with the change.
lets me take long heart shots from the hind quarters...... but 22-250 would be perfectly adequate for deer, and I don't really have an issue with the change.
migrant hunter
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Alberta
My original question was for people who had actual experience with. 22 ceterfire on big game.
I've made a crappy shot on a mule deer with the 300RUM running a 220 eld-x at 3200fps. The trauma was absolutely insane. The deer just layed down, it would have taken a very long time to expire though if it didn't have a follow up neck shot shortly after.
So in that case if it was a 22 caliber the deer would have just kept running and would have been a miracle to be able to get it.
So the odd time a crappy shot with a larger rifle, is beneficial...lol
Donny Fenn1
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- East Kootenays
A crappy shot is a crappy shot. I am basically alone at my range for 11 months of the year. Hunters start "sighting" in their rifles in August. Staple up a pie plate or standard piece of paper, hit it 3 times out 10 and say they're good to go. I'm amazed there aren't more 3 legged deer in the valley. If they miss a lot it's not uncommon to hear them say they're going to go up in caliber just to make sure. I'm no fan of more regulations but a shooting test like they do in Finland makes sense. I'd say some people are better off shooting 223 instead of whatever wonder magnum they actually take out, maybe they'll hit what they aim at.
I have shot 2 whitetail does and a 10 point buck with my 223 using 50gr barnes tsx bullets. All chest/ heart shot. Two went less than 50 yards before piling up, no exit hole but there was enough blood to track if I had needed too. One with the heart shot went 100 but with a blood trail a blindman could follow. Its not my go too round for deer, I usually use a 6mm remington, but it hasn’t let me down yet.
It crazy talk. I’m guessing it’s so they can claim that there are then going to be a whole lot of banned/formerly restricted rifles that are “hunting” rifles being taken away.
Politics should not take precedent over ethical hunting practices. This .22 cal. big game rifle shenanigan will just give anti hunters more ammunition. Excuse the pun.
Politics should not take precedent over ethical hunting practices. This .22 cal. big game rifle shenanigan will just give anti hunters more ammunition. Excuse the pun.
