re: Why you shouldn't use a 22-250 on deer

I really cannot add a lot of sustence to this thread. Every deer I have shot with a rifle died within 20 yards of the shot with all but two actually falling in their tracks. And each and every one was shot through the vitals not the head or neck.

The two that ran off were a doe who went 18 yards after blowing through the on side shoulder and both lungs and exiting out the other side and a buck that went 20 yards after I shot right chest just inside the shoulder and the bullet exited just inside the left ham after passing through the right lung, major vessels, liver, and intestines.

All shot with 150 grain Core-lock PSP .308 all at ranges out to 200 yrds.

There's another common thing on those.

People can't hit what they're shooting. You know I'm just fricking with you but seriously, with that 125 gr. Nosler BT doing 3200fps, I've only ever seen a whitetail stop the bullet twice, both of those having traveled a couple of feet longways through the cavity. And yes, it does look like a grenade went off in them no matter where you hit them. And they generally die on the spot. And as for blood trails, other than those two times, a blind man could follow it because it's like following a gorey sidewalk.

I'm sorry, but that shock that you see in that video... that breaks veins, arteries, organs, and anything else it contacts. Death is a certainty.

Does it have any more energy if it's stopped?
No.

I'm not saying you want it to stop completely, what I'm saying is you want it to actually apply most of that potential energy to the target before it exits. If the bullet is too heavy or constructed wrong for the target, in this case a whitetail, it simply passes through. You can shoot through multiple whitetails with the same 180 gr 30-06 and none of them will have suffered nearly so much as they will from a smaller, faster, quicker expanding bullet. That's why you want it to expand that fast. To slow it down. Transfer the potential energy into actual destruction of tissue by violent deceleration.

Recovery is never a certainty if you can't shoot for shite or are shooting the wrong bullet. At least with that much shock to the target, you are going to find it within a hundred yards.

You get called because some idiot has fricked up to the point he's got to have tracking dogs. I've never once needed a tracking dog, nor have I lost a deer since I took to using a bullet that's actually tuned to kill them instead of just poking holes in them.

But I will take my heavy 30-06 bullet anyday.

.308 entry hole with a big as exit wound.

The mushroomed bullet blows heart and lungs on the ground.

Deer runs 20-30yds and it looks like he poured a gallon of red paint the entire time he was running

Velocity.. Idk

We do our own reloads. It's a 180 or 170 grain boat tail bullet. I forget the grains of powder. I have it all written down at home. But it's extremely flat shooting


My 30-06 vs Red Stag yeah this isn't a white tail but its still awesome to watch. Shot hit upper shoulder around spine.

I take 2-3 shots to verify scope is set and take usually no more than 2 deer in a season. That kick doesn't bother me at all.


ETA: you never know when a rogue elk may cross your shooting lane.... IT COULD HAPPEN!!!!

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That would be a good elk round, or stag. But IMHO it's way too heavy for southern whitetails. Not to mention the beating you take on a bench.

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I shoot a 165gr Shift Scirocco 2 in my 30-06 loads. It sits atop around ~62 grains of Superformance powder. I think it leaves the muzzle around 2700-2800 fps.

I agree that the 180 is a bit heavy. My dad took some 300 Win Mag handloads to Montana with 180gr Barnes TTSX rounds in them. It dropped an elk and mule deer like a sack of potatoes, but I still think it would be a bit heavy for whitetail. I agree with Faxis that there's a lot of wasted energy.

Then again, if you're having success, don't change a thing. If it works, it works.

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ETA: you never know when a rogue elk may cross your shooting lane.... IT COULD HAPPEN!!!!

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Or a rogue chinchilla for that matter.....