[mireault88]

hey ,
I recently got a ruger 22-250 and it was a Christmas present from my dad. It was intended for me to use when me and my stepdad go coyote and fox hunting and now my stepdad tells me that it is one of those inbetween guns that he wouldn't buy. He said it is too big for fox and to small for deer. I am still going to use it but i wanted some input on the situation. Will it blow apart the fox and coyotes?

Sincerely,
Mireault88

 

[mallard]

Make sure you use a solid,non- expanding bullet and it should put them down with only a small hole on both sides.The 22-250 is a good varmint calibre although I would not use it for deer(my opinion only).

 

[mireault88]

thanks mallard!
I currently use remington 50 grain premier varmint loaded with hornady v-max it says on the back explosive break upon impact. I take it this isn't what i should be shooting. I got my gun bore sighted at cabelas but i haven't sighted it in further. what kind of bullets should i use?

 

[muskat]

I personally wouldn't use it for deer either, but my mom uses one, and she seems to take down deer just fine with it(all depends on the grain and type of load).

 

[mireault88]

ok,
I am still wondering about hunting fox with it though? what about that ? I probably wont' use it for deer.
?

 

[Ron Gilmore]

Two rules of thumb on bullet selection. The gun will more than likely shoot differently with Winchester, Federal, or any other brand in the same bullet weight. Find the one that shoots best from your gun. I have two 30.-06 rifles that shoot differnt groups with the same load.

Bullet type for varmit hunting should be solids to minimze pelt damage, bullet weights of 40 to 55 grain would be my recomendation. See which shoot best.

Remember that if this gun is brand new it may take 100 + rounds to season the barrel. You have internet access I would go to some of the shooting sites and get break in info do's and don'ts.

This is a fine round in a good rifle that should provide lots of years of service. You should be very happy with it on varmits. Learn the guns and your limits and never try and make shots above them and your in field experences should be great.

Good luck.

 

[grandpa]

from an old gunsmith
22-250 is my favorite cal.

owned 6 or 8 while i lived in wy. shooting prairie dogs.

62 gr blitz hp was may favorite. did a ---- of a job on dogs.

varments are ok---not on big game.

enjoy your new gun---most of mine were rugers too.

 

[Duckskinner]

I would not recommend this cal. for fox. It will definately blow a big hole in them. They are very light skinned. It is an awesome yote caliber though. I have relatives who have shot alot af deer with it but I would not recommend it for deer either. It has killed alot of antelope though.

 

[Plainsman]

mireault88

Back when I was young and could not afford a rifle of my own I barrowed my fathers 22-250. I shot deer, antelope, coyote, fox, and anything that moved with that rifle. I also believe that the 22-250 is light for deer, but I never lost a deer with that old gun. I shoot a 300 mag now, but still think I could do it with the old 22-250. Now I use it for coyote and fox. If you reload your problems are over. Almost everything blows fox up. They are small and delicate. You can go from two angles here, either a full metal to shoot through, or a highly frangible at a lower velocity that will not exit. Good luck and happy shooting.

Plainsman

 

[Bobm]

Plainsman your e-mail to me was accidentally deleted by my kids can you e-mail me at [email protected]
Thanks

 

[lezpaul2000]

U guys must be smokin crack a 22-250 wont kill a deer ?My dad wouldnt use anything other he has killed more than 25 deer with his and notched each one on the buttplate until he has now run out of room ... ive seen him shoot deer that done complete backflips when he hit them in the chest and last year won the big buck classic where i live with his buck that barely fits on the wall after shootin the doe in front of it and layin them both down with ease and almost giving my unc a heart attack when he seen the horns .. Out of all the deer through the years he has shot them once and i cant remember a time when he even needed a finish off shot to put them out of there misery... Ive seen it scatter blood spit and *** many times like its heavier counterparts like the .06s and the .300s maybe u guys should learn to shoot and not rely so much on ur howitzers to do the work ..... SPEED KILLS MY FREINDS :sniper:

 

[ND_HUNTER_14]

:withstupid: lezpaul2000, no offense but u must be smokin the crack (_Y_) cuz everyone likes there own gun like ur dad trusts his gun my dad trusts his im not an "experienced" hunter with a gun cuz this is my first year but im kinda leanin' toward my dads 30-06 springfield (like ur dad , he never has to shoot twice) and my uncles .257 roberts

k....... :sniper:

 

[headhunter]

lezpaul2000, Well, your right, a 22-250 can kill a deer, but so can a 22 rimfire. anything "can" kill big game. It is just not the ideal caliber to take hunting whitetails. Speed does not kill my friend, Energy transfer/bullet placement/bullet performance is what kills. It should be illegal to shoot at deer with anything less than a 25-06. and even a 25-06 is on the light side for people who take killing a deer seriously. I know people use varmit class rifles for deer,(way too many) but someday, they will wish they actually used a "deer rifle" when they loose a deer. For an adult hunter, there is no reason to shoot anything smaller than a 270. (ok, we'll squeeze the 25-06 in too...grumble)

 

[isthmusbob]

hey ,
I recently got a ruger 22-250 and it was a Christmas present from my dad. It was intended for me to use when me and my stepdad go coyote and fox hunting and now my stepdad tells me that it is one of those inbetween guns that he wouldn't buy. He said it is too big for fox and to small for deer. I am still going to use it but i wanted some input on the situation. Will it blow apart the fox and coyotes?

Sincerely,
Mireault88

Straight from the ND Hunting Regs:
Deer Gun Season - Centerfire rifles of .22 caliber or larger and muzzleloading rifles of .45 caliber or larger are legal for deer.
Here in Wisconsin you can only use a rifle/handgun/slug-gun that produces 1000 ft-lbs on deer. I think that is a good standard to go by. If you use factory Remington ammo in your rifle, the ballistics are something like this:
Cartridge Type Bullet Muzzle 100 200 300 400 500
UMC® 45 JHP 1598 1114 767
Premier® Varmint 50 V-Max 1540 1188 910 689 512 372
EtronX™ 50 V-Max 1540 1188 910 689 512 372
Remington® Express® 55 PSP 1654 1201 861 603 410 272
Remington® Express® 55 HP PL 1654 1257 947 703 511 363.

The chart doesn't line up to well. Look here:http://www.remington.com/ammo/ballistics/centerfire/results.asp?cal=7
Obviously this cartridge excells at long range on varmints, but using a 50 grain bullet, you should be able to whack deer with confidence out to about 125 yards. Beyond that range, the lil bullet doesn't produce enough energy .

 

[rdsii64]

What about a .308 winchester
I would be willing to bet that many a .308 has droped a dear dead in its tracks

lezpaul2000, Well, your right, a 22-250 can kill a deer, but so can a 22 rimfire. anything "can" kill big game. It is just not the ideal caliber to take hunting whitetails. Speed does not kill my friend, Energy transfer/bullet placement/bullet performance is what kills. It should be illegal to shoot at deer with anything less than a 25-06. and even a 25-06 is on the light side for people who take killing a deer seriously. I know people use varmit class rifles for deer,(way too many) but someday, they will wish they actually used a "deer rifle" when they loose a deer. For an adult hunter, there is no reason to shoot anything smaller than a 270. (ok, we'll squeeze the 25-06 in too...grumble)

 

[bigblackfoot]

It should be illegal to shoot at deer with anything less than a 25-06. and even a 25-06 is on the light side for people who take killing a deer seriously.

What about a .243 or 6mm. these two calibers have shot thousands of deer with no problem. Everybody has there own opinions, but to say it should be illegal is an overstatement to say the least. My .02

 

[headhunter]

Bigblackfoot, I guess it probly was an overstatement, If the deer is standing broadside within 150 yards, a 6mm or 243 or 22-250 is adequate I guess. But why not be properly prepared and carry a gun that will knock em down dead at 300 yards. Dead, Beyond a reasonable doubt is what I'm getting at. these smaller calibers cannot be counted on in all situations, therefore I think in a flat state where reachy shots are the rule not the exception, shoot enough gun, and a little extra if in doubt. :-?

 

[bigblackfoot]

Good point, i got what you are saying. Although a 243. or 6mm will kill a deer at 300 yards, youre right, it is getting to be pretty lengthy shot. But if you can kill deer consistently at 350-400 yards you are a pretty damn good shot. Personally i shoot a 7mm, which is more than enough for whitetail. Its just that i used to have a 6mm and am kinda parshal to them, and have seen them work. Good conversation. Have a good season

 

[headhunter]

Bigblackfoot, a couple years ago i took a very risky shot at a buck trotting at 300 yards (dumb) I held high to either kill him or miss him. Well, I hit him just below the spine. He did go "down" but I had to run up there and finish the game. I learned NOT to do that again. But, if I would have been shooting a 243 , I would have wounded that deer and he would have run and run. They don't have the energy if you screw up like that. I was shooting my 7mag with 160 grain Nosler Partitions. I got enough penentration/expansion to knock him down pretty good, but not good enough. Was my 7mag more than enough in that circumstance? no. A bad shot is a bad shot too though. I'm just saying no gun is necessarily overkill. depends on the shot.

later

 

[rdsii64]

I learned to shoot in the military(USMC) I can tell you that if you apply the basics of marksmenship a 300 yard shot is not hard at all. if you are using a scope you have the luxury of your deer and your aiming reticle in the same focal plain. not to brag but we learn to engage man size targets with iron sights at 5oo yards. So I must say that a 300 yard shot at a good sized deer with a scoped riffle isn't that hard. I will say this though kinetic energy transfer and bullet placement are just as important as shooting ability so my weapon of choice for dear is a .308 winchester.
its light recoil makes it easy to control when you squeeze the trigger.
I have no doubt with a 180 grain bullet you can stop a dear dead in its tracks at ranges less than 500 yards. for that matter it will stop any animal that weighs less than 200 pounds out to 1000 yards if you can shoot well enough. yes i said 1000 yards. don't get me wrong I would never take a 1000 yard shot even if I can shoot that well. ( I have hit a few paper targets from that range.) that is just not using common sense in the field.

Good point, i got what you are saying. Although a 243. or 6mm will kill a deer at 300 yards, youre right, it is getting to be pretty lengthy shot. But if you can kill deer consistently at 350-400 yards you are a pretty damn good shot. Personally i shoot a 7mm, which is more than enough for whitetail. Its just that i used to have a 6mm and am kinda parshal to them, and have seen them work. Good conversation. Have a good season