Projectile for .222 Rem

robertw

Well-Known Member
Hi, I have an opportunity to shoot Fallow deer in a near by orchard the little blighters are eating the fruit,
problem is I have to use a suppressor and the only rifle I have that is threaded for one is a .222 Rem
what is a good projectile for the job? Robert.
 
Robert guys in this country will probably be reluctant to answer your question because nearly all will have no experience of shooting fallow with a .222 as it would be illegal over here except to alleviate suffering in certain circumstances say after a road traffic collision.

You can only use this cartridge to shoot deer up to the size of muntjac and chinese water deer in England & Wales but you can use it to shoot Roe in Scotland where it is quite popular. However even then many will argue that it is marginal on roe despite it being widely accepted throughout most of Europe for such a task. I personally don't know of a country in Europe where the use of a .222rem is accepted as lawful to shoot deer as large as fallow, that's not to say that there might not be one.

When using this cartridge to shoot roe many make the mistake of using unsuitable bullets because the vast majority of bullets in this calibre that are available are really intended for small varmints up to the size of say fox, but there are some bullets available that are intended for small deer.

P.S.
Some of the guys who shot in Ireland before the law was changed may have some knowledge on this as there used to be a restriction on calibre some years back that prevented them from using larger calibres. As a result many used things like .22-250 to shoot sika.
 
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Hornady 52 grn hollow point boat tail match are a good bullet in 222 you get good penetration and bullet break up, not the 53 grn they just splatter on impact with bone on foxes, I have only used the 52 grn on roe but all results have been good
 
I haven't shot fallow with a .222, but have shot a lot of roe with one - Sako 55gr soft point. It works very well on chest shots - not had one go more than 10m or so. It works even better on head shots.

However, I'd be reluctant to body shoot fallow (except perhaps calves and yearlings) with it.

I think it would be perfect in this context to head/neck shoot them.
 
Deer species is not the issue here
range and accuracy of operator/rifle are

from the damage I have seen a 60gr soft point do to a roe inside 100 yds I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a fallow inside that range with a good shot option (that is to say a standing animal, presenting a perfect neck or heart shot and a solid rest)

it's no worse ballistically than a .243 at 200-250yds
 
If you do your part by placing the bullet in the correct place any 55 grain bullet designed for larger quarry, not varmints, would do what you require, the old keeper I knew shot a large Fallow Buck with his .22 Rem and it dropped to the heart/lung shot. reason he shot it was that it's front shoulder was all mashed up with leg hanging lose after being hit by a car. It was moving fairly well and too well to get caught and all he had with him was the .222 rifle. Fallow were an uncommon sight on his shoot. The bullet was just a normal 55 grain Soft point and the range about 70 yards.
 
In Mauritius I was invited to cull some Rusa deerin a deer park. I was given a .222 Rem and was told to head and neck shoot them. Shots were taken from 50m to 180m. They dropped.
 
Hi, I have an opportunity to shoot Fallow deer in a near by orchard the little blighters are eating the fruit,
problem is I have to use a suppressor and the only rifle I have that is threaded for one is a .222 Rem
what is a good projectile for the job? Robert.

Robert, while I would usualy use a larger calibre, I have shot fallow and whitetail in NZ with a .223 and hunt reguarly with NZ hunters who use .222 for fallow, red and sika. They normally use 50 or 55 grain soft point bullets and restrict shooting to under 100 m. Norma factory loads in these weights are the Rolls Royce. If reloading Sierra 50 gr #1330 or 55 gr #1365 bullets and Hornady #2245 and #2266 work well. Don't use ballistic tips unless you can be sure of a head / neck shot.
A deer shot in the heart / chest with a .22 cf may take a little longer to bleed out so may run a bit further but finding it in an orchard should a lot easier than out in the bush. Countless thousands of red deer were shot by government deer cullers in New Zealand using a .222 Sako Vixen or BSA Hunter rifle and 50 gr Norma cartridges.
 
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Hi Guy's,
Thanks for the input a friend has some Norma 55 grain Oryx that he is willing to sell, I think they should do the job,
I would rather use a bigger calibre but I will have to make do. Robert.
 
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