What is YOUR Small Caliber on Big Game Experience?

[coyotekilla]

So some generic cup-core lightweight soft point, and a thickly jacketed, narrow opening match bullet that needs very high velocities to fragment?

If the shot is good either of those are going to work, but they're not great bullets without some serious shot placement and impact velocity considerations. So then from that, what were the shot conditions?

Standing deer in a field. 75 to 200 yards. 1 was a buck that had been shot several days before, I wasn't deer hunting just had a rifle along in the jeep during deer season. It took several hits to finish the wounded buck. But yes, it wasn't a known sierra or anything. Think the rifle was a cz527 carbine.

 

[FredH]

I have used the 223 on Antelope and Whitetails a number of times. Maybe 15 deer total. I used various bullets, 55 gr, SP's some factory and some reloads, the 60 gr. Hornady HP and SP, the 70 gr. Speer and the last was using the 75gr. Hornady BTHP. Of the bunch the best were the 60 grain Hornady's and the 70 gr. Speer bullet. All shots under 150 yards. My conclusion is While the animals did die a bit more gun wouldn't be a bad thing. Used the 243 and 6MM on I would say a lot of deer. Better than the 22's but still lacking in some ways. Since we are allowing 25's I consider the 257 Roberts and 25-06 loaded with 120 grain Partitions and 115 gr. Ballistic Tips to be excellent deer rifles giving up nothing to bigger cartridges. That said I hunt with what I have a whim to hunt with and all are still in play.

 

[KenLee]

Does 22lr CCI "Stangers" on whitetail count?

 

[eric1115]

55 sp, 75 hornady bthp

Thank you for responding. Those would definitely not be considered the type of bullet that the "small caliber fan club" has reported best effectiveness with.

If a guy reported "unfavorable results" with a .308, because the M80 ball ammo he shot some deer with didn't produce impressive terminal performance, we wouldn't conclude that .308 is not enough gun. Same here, ammo choice makes all the difference.

 

[coyotekilla]

Thank you for responding. Those would definitely not be considered the type of bullet that the "small caliber fan club" has reported best effectiveness with.

If a guy reported "unfavorable results" with a .308, because the M80 ball ammo he shot some deer with didn't produce impressive terminal performance, we wouldn't conclude that .308 is not enough gun. Same here, ammo choice makes all the difference.

So my 69gr sierra tgk's? 55 varmegeddon, or go by 73 eldm etc?

 

[KenLee]

"with a BB gun. You heard it. F-ck .223!… a BB gun".

Can you say it in the voice of mobster from John Wick? "Killed 3 men in a bar with a pencil...a f'n pencil !!!"

 

[MHWASH]

Does 22lr CCI "Stangers" on whitetail count?

Do whitetails in SC count as big game?

 

[KenLee]

Do whitetails in SC count as big game?

Gotta run whaccha brung. Big as we have except the occasional large black bear or swamp hogs.