re: what is the smallest caliber you use for deer? (spinoff)

I am a big fan of lighter grain bullets that shoot very fast. But having said that I would not use anything below 100gr high quality bullet shooting under 2700 fps. The reason is if you hit a shoulder with that light grain bullet it may not penetrate. This is the main reason why I stopped letting my kids shoot my 22-250.

Yeah in my younger days I have killed deer with a 22lr and even No6 squirrel shot but I would not recommend them as every day hunting rounds.