I can't offer much, in the way of theory or testing, but I can tell you that I was present with an older companion many years ago(1965) - who dropped a Whitetail with one shot while we were squirrel hunting that Fall .

He was a sergeant in my outfit & a veteran hunter, and I was a newbie, at the time.

The season was open for both, at that time in that state (NC), so he was legal.

We were both sitting inside large old tree trunks on an oak ridge, when the doe walked past, about 5 yards in front of him, and he shot her in the earhole.

 

I had an uncle, long since dead, that shot many a deer with a .22LR. When he was starting out farming and trying to buld up his cattle herd, he needed to keep or sell every head that he could. He had a big family to feed and lived in an area with a lot of deer. Basically, he "salted" a place under a tree and would get in the tree before daylight. He was probably within 20' of the deer shooting down at them and he said the head shot, even if it didn't penetrate well would knock them out long enough to get out of the tree and cut their throat. Just his assesment at the time. Part of this time was before a deer season in Iowa which I think started in 1958 when I was in high school. He felt like if he fed them, he had a right to eat them.

 

I too had an uncle who shot a doe that wandered into their campsite. From the stories I heard, it was one of those 'hey watch this' moments. The thing fell stone dead right in her tracks.

 

Some guys have shot deer with a .22 by shooting them in the spine or kidney area and then finishing them off when they drop. The area is just below the back above the front part of the hind leg.

Too brutal for me except in a survival situation!

 

Some guys have shot deer with a .22 by shooting them in the spine or kidney area and then finishing them off when they drop. The area is just below the back above the front part of the hind leg.

It doesnt seem to me that a kidney shot will drop the deer
except after a ten mile run. Why would it ?

I think the brain shot would be easier than the spine shot also.

 

When I read the bio on Audie Murphy, he had used a .22 on deer regularly. Apparently he grew up dirt poor with an absentee father, and at age 12 he was helping feeding his family on what he could shoot with his .22 rifle.

I can only guess his family ate well!

 

Preventec47, you might also investigate having to buy a 1:9 twist barrel for those SSS rounds. They have a reputation for keyholing past a short range (< 20 yard), because the standard 1:14 - 1:16 just can't stabalize that long bullet.

The Ruger 10/22 has a few companys which make 1:9 barrels for it - one here:

http://www.tacticalinc.com/threaded-twist-ruger-1022-barrel-p-558.html

 

Preventec47, you might also investigate having to buy a 1:9 twist barrel for those SSS rounds. They have a reputation for keyholing past a short range (< 20 yard), because the standard 1:14 - 1:16 just can't stabalize that long bullet.

The Ruger 10/22 has a few companys which make 1:9 barrels for it - one here:

http://www.tacticalinc.com/threaded-twist-ruger-1022-barrel-p-558.html

:yeahthat:
Fwiw...the .22 has killed more deer than any other round. Not only was it used to provide food in the old days, but it is the chosen round for poaching.

 

Chief Says : Body shots on deer are risky and a bad example of sportsmanship. Headshots are good if there is no chance of a ricochet off the skull. In the past many have opted to take a spine shot in the neck area.
The best place is either side of the neck , smallest diameter area just below the head. In this area all the nerves are closest to the spine itself.
A solid nose bullet placed correctly will dispatch the animal quickly. Although a big buck in full rut may be out of the question , on smaller deer this is effective.
In the old days , shooters used to do what they call " double tap " putting two shots close togather in the same area. They said this was added insurance for a good kill.

 

In the old days , shooters used to do what they call " double tap " putting two shots close togather in the same area. They said this was added insurance for a good kill.

Interesting, i was just going to suggest that.

 

my mom spent her summers growing up on a ranch in eastern NM, she said my uncles would shoot deer with a .22lr all the time. they would see them waiting at the salt blocks for the cattle, and shoot them in the head.

they didn't have the money for a larger caliber rifle, or ammo.. all they had was a 16 gauge shot gun and a pump action .22lr.

 

In case anyone has to shoot a deer with a 22 perhaps these photos
will help... they show where the brain actually is and also the
spinal cord. I think the brain is a bigger target than the spinal cord

 

1

 

Hollow points behind the point of the jaw in the throat work every time.

 

I have taken two black tails in CA. At the time I was out of work, hungry, and needed to feed 5 other people. So all i had on hand was my remmy 511-x loaded with remmy yellow jackets. I put the cross hairs right behind the eye and let her rip. She folded up like a piece of paper. Did that one more time a few weeks later. I am not proud of taking a deer this way but I was not able to buy any food so I did what I had to do.

 

And you fed your family. Make no apoligies. When times are tough, we all do what we have to do, right or wrong, family comes first.

 

I hunted with a man that told me he had killed more deer with a .22lr than any of his centerfire rifles. Now, he told me that in confidence as hunting deer with a rimfire cartridge is illegal in Texas. Any centerfire cartridge (ie 22-250, etc) is legal, but a .22lr will get you in deep do do. And yes, he did it to feed his family in a time of need. I would have done the same.

 

. And yes, he did it to feed his family in a time of need. I would have done the same.

And anyone that wouldn't, isn't worth their salt.

 

I use to raise goats on the family farm as a teen. When someone, or the family, wanted a goat, I would go to the pasture or barn and shoot one. Bring them up to the house and dress them. I always shot them with a .22 with the range being from 20 feet to 30 or so yards. The only time that a clean, one shot kill wasn't made, was with a CCI Stinger. I shot the ole goat right between the eyes. He hit the ground for a few mins, jumped up, snorted and ran out the back of the barn! I dropped him with a solid to the ear, from about 40 yards! The Stinger had flattened out against the skull with no penitration!
I know for a fact, over several different occasions, that a .22 solid will indeed drop a deer in it's tracks!! The best placement is to the ear, or eye socket. The bones are less dense there, and there is a nerve bundle for the bullet to follow into the brain! The bones are also very light between the sinus structure and the brain case. If you examine a skull you will see what I mean about the bone structure. I do my own skull mounts and you can very easly punch a cloths hanger wire through these areas.
I have witnessed the results of shootings involving humans and seen their x-rays. The .22 is a strange round. Having enough power to punch into one side of the chest cavity and not enough to pass through, it follows the path of least resistance. This path usually ends up being a very large blood vesel, or vital organ! You can actually see a spiral on the x-ray from the lead that trails off the bullet base and the path the bullet followed. This is why the bullet always follows the nerve buldle into the brain ensuring an instant kill!

YES a .22lr solid will indeed kill a deer in one shot, if you are disiplined in your shot placement!!

 

Sometime in the late 50's my uncle was hunting with some friends and they were breaking camp at the end of day, mostly coming up empty. As one guy was unloading his rifle, working the rounds out with the bolt, a large buck stumbled into the campsite right across the clearing from him. He raised the gun and shot it, but the buck charged into the camp where it soon collapsed. My uncle hauled out his little .22 pistol and proceded to give it the coupe de gras, only to have several bullets bounce off the skull before getting penetration. The next day he bought a Ruger Blackhawk .44 magnum which then became his sole sidearm.

I know it sounds dramatic to hear tales of fellows who "had to feed their starving families" but, unless that was during the Great Depression, it still won't impress the game warden.

 

Sometime in the late 50's my uncle was hunting with some friends and they were breaking camp at the end of day, mostly coming up empty. As one guy was unloading his rifle, working the rounds out with the bolt, a large buck stumbled into the campsite right across the clearing from him. He raised the gun and shot it, but the buck charged into the camp where it soon collapsed. My uncle hauled out his little .22 pistol and proceded to give it the coupe de gras, only to have several bullets bounce off the skull before getting penetration. The next day he bought a Ruger Blackhawk .44 magnum which then became his sole sidearm.
.

HA HA
You fell for that HOOK LINE AND SINKER ! ! !

Unless he was using a pistol with a one inch barrel like a derringer
AND he was using 22Shorts. A 22 will not ever bounce off bone if
it is striking at a nearly perpendicular angle. We can make bullets
bounce off water too if we shoot the right angle but I doubt the
angles from a point blank range as described could be anywhere
close to "bouncing off water" angles.

 

Have had several pigs and steers dispatched on the farm by a fellow who skinned and quartered them on site and then took them to the locker plant. He used an old single shot 22 but I don't remember if he use HV or standard ammo. The steers ranged from 1200 to 1600 pounds and all went down like you yanked their feet out from under them. He put the bullet in the forehead, said to imagine lines from the eye to opposie ear hole and put the bullet where the lines would cross. The pigs he would shoot in the ear hole.

 

Consider your survival situation also. If you are going to be stationary and can store meat using a .22 can work on a deer. I think I'd be shooting rabbits and squirrels, and possibly birds on ground first so I didn't accumulate a lot of rotting meat near my sleeping area. You may be the most sophisticated preditor in the woods but maybe not the biggest.

Also if you are going to be on the move trying to get back to civilization you won't be able to pack a bunch of meat along without spoilage. At the right time of year the Sierra's can be a bountiful food source. (Nothing like fresh midday trout, with pine nuts and mormon tea, all harvested on the hike toward home). Other times it can be pretty bleak especially in drought years or you get above the tree line.

Learn your berrys, fruits, roots, and bugs that are o.k to eat too in case game is scarce. Ants, grubs and worms could make the difference.

If you have a larger party to feed such as a family as was already expressed food storage may not be as much of a consideration.

Economic survival or stuck in the woods survival offer different considerations.
As to the original point. I've got no problem taking deer with a head shot from a .22 penetration and shot placement are first and formost.

Interesting thread.

 

Learn your berrys, fruits, roots,

Or ask the resident vegetarian

 

Consider your survival situation also. If you are going to be stationary and can store meat using a .22 can work on a deer. I think I'd be shooting rabbits and squirrels, and possibly birds on ground first so I didn't accumulate a lot of rotting meat near my sleeping area. You may be the most sophisticated preditor in the woods but maybe not the biggest.

Also if you are going to be on the move trying to get back to civilization you won't be able to pack a bunch of meat along without spoilage. At the right time of year the Sierra's can be a bountiful food source. (Nothing like fresh midday trout, with pine nuts and mormon tea, all harvested on the hike toward home). Other times it can be pretty bleak especially in drought years or you get above the tree line.

Learn your berrys, fruits, roots, and bugs that are o.k to eat too in case game is scarce. Ants, grubs and worms could make the difference.

If you have a larger party to feed such as a family as was already expressed food storage may not be as much of a consideration.

Economic survival or stuck in the woods survival offer different considerations.
As to the original point. I've got no problem taking deer with a head shot from a .22 penetration and shot placement are first and formost.

Interesting thread.

 

Consider your survival situation also. If you are going to be stationary and can store meat using a .22 can work on a deer. I think I'd be shooting rabbits and squirrels, and possibly birds on ground first so I didn't accumulate a lot of rotting meat near my sleeping area. You may be the most sophisticated preditor in the woods but maybe not the biggest.

Also if you are going to be on the move trying to get back to civilization you won't be able to pack a bunch of meat along without spoilage. At the right time of year the Sierra's can be a bountiful food source. (Nothing like fresh midday trout, with pine nuts and mormon tea, all harvested on the hike toward home). Other times it can be pretty bleak especially in drought years or you get above the tree line.

Learn your berrys, fruits, roots, and bugs that are o.k to eat too in case game is scarce. Ants, grubs and worms could make the difference.

If you have a larger party to feed such as a family as was already expressed food storage may not be as much of a consideration.

Economic survival or stuck in the woods survival offer different considerations.
As to the original point. I've got no problem taking deer with a head shot from a .22 penetration and shot placement are first and formost.

Interesting thread.

I'd suggest a book-survival with style by Bradford Angier-orientated toward surviving with very little.

 

We've kind of moved away from the original point and that is which
cartridge offering has the hardest heaviest solid bullet that will always
give the most penetration. The test referred to suggested the
Remington Thunderbolts to have the hardest 40 grain solid bullet.
( as a result of shooting into water filled milk jugs.

 

My father told me that he and his brothers hunted deer with a single-shot .22 when they were kids. It was the Depression and there were eight kids in the family. Their farm was way out in the middle of nowhere, so I don't think anybody cared if it was legal or not.

 

Origanally posted by Redfeather: I know it sounds dramatic to hear tales of fellows who "had to feed their starving families" but, unless that was during the Great Depression, it still won't impress the game warden.------ Around here where I live a Judge wont do anything to you if you can prove you killed it because you needed it,And I cant imagine otherwise anywhere in the country.I may be wrong, but its just plain wrong if you cant,and can prove a need to do so.

 

.22

Killed this razorback in the 60s while squirrel hunting with a Marlin 39A at about 30yds.1 shot just below the ear and he went down,kicked for a minute and was eaten a day later.Wouldn't recommend it but I saw my dad put down hogs for a farmer friend when I was a kid.

 

My dad used to kill *cows* for slaughter with a 22 back when he was growing up on the farm. It's not a monster round, but it will get the job done.

 

i think a lot of people forget, or just plain don't know, that in the slaughter houses the itsy bitsy can't kill anything .22 long rifle cartridge is used to kill cattle. one shot between the eyes and down they go. a .22 magnum is usually kept on hand for the biggest of the bulls.

so,.........if the .22lr can kill an adult cow which will weigh in excess of 1000lbs conservatively,......no one should question effectiveness on an animal with 1/4 the body weight.

should a person use the round is another question,....will it work has been answered many many times.

 

What slaughterhouses still use .22 ammo? I thought they used some kind of pneumatic bolt gun that shoots a steel bolt in the forehead, then retracts to be used again.

I hear some of the more modern slaughterhouses even use an electric clip to the ear or nose that makea them brain dead or stunned before their throats are slit.

Much cheaper to use those methods than using bullets.

But I digress. The purpose of this thread is to validate that .22s can still kill a deer if the shot is placed properly.

-Bill_H

i think a lot of people forget, or just plain don't know, that in the slaughter houses the itsy bitsy can't kill anything .22 long rifle cartridge is used to kill cattle. one shot between the eyes and down they go. a .22 magnum is usually kept on hand for the biggest of the bulls.

so,.........if the .22lr can kill an adult cow which will weigh in excess of 1000lbs conservatively,......no one should question effectiveness on an animal with 1/4 the body weight.

should a person use the round is another question,....will it work has been answered many many times.