Thread: .222 .223 .222mag .5.56.. THE CALIBRE OF CHOICE FOR MANY HUNTERS

Originally Posted by Matt2308

Scribe, I have read that the .222 FMJ would tumble dramatically as it cut it's path through a deer. Did you find this to be the case? This would perhaps explain one of the reasons why it kills better than would be expected.
In the right hands with good bullet construction and shot placement, taking deer with a .22 centrefire is not a problem at sensible ranges. Get these factors wrong and things can go pretty ugly!

Hi Matt, I havnt had experience with .222 FMJ. But I have had a fair bit with 5.56 FMJ. First in Vietnam, I never carried the Armalite, I carried the M60. But I did closely examine some of the wounds made by this evil little bullet and said 'Lord if I am Going to be hit with anything let it not be with one of these little bastards". The entry would be a small innocuous looking pinhole with a 4 inch circle of blue destroyed flesh caused by the hydro static shock. If the projectile had hit bone the exit had to be seen to be believed. A bullet that passed through and arm would blacken the flesh from nearly the elbow to the shoulder.

This projectile was barely stable in flight but being pointed and boat tailed it had little surface area to keep it stable in flesh. The m16 and its attendant ammo 'I think' came very close breaching the Geneva Convention I can remember quite a fuss about it at the time.

I liked using the FMJ from the air on deer targeting the head neck and spine.

I even got a bit cocky in an ammunition crisis and started using the 5.56 in my .222 mag though the chamber was a little long. The experts warned against it and they were right. I blew the extractor out of the Vixen and got a snout full of hot particles it was a cheap lesson I suppose.

The 45gr were effective because they were hard and they were really travelling. Some loads were reputed to be up around the 3500 fps.

I do believe that the whole trebbly family has a killing power way beyond what you would expect from its statistics. I still watch with amazement as a stag hit through the shoulder can just buckle and hit the ground. Or I pull the engine out of a deer and find splits in the deers liver from the projectile passing through 18 inches away and the rest of the organs bruised and torn from the hydrolic effect of the fast expanding bullet and I say fuuuucccckkk.

Originally Posted by Scribe

Hi Matt, I havnt had experience with .222 FMJ. But I have had a fair bit with 5.56 FMJ. First in Vietnam, I never carried the Armalite, I carried the M60. But I did closely examine some of the wounds made by this evil little bullet and said 'Lord if I am Going to be hit with anything let it not be with one of these little bastards". The entry would be a small innocuous looking pinhole with a 4 inch circle of blue destroyed flesh caused by the hydro static shock. If the projectile had hit bone the exit had to be seen to be believed. A bullet that passed through and arm would blacken the flesh from nearly the elbow to the shoulder.

This projectile was barely stable in flight but being pointed and boat tailed it had little surface area to keep it stable in flesh. The m16 and its attendant ammo 'I think' came very close breaching the Geneva Convention I can remember quite a fuss about it at the time.

I liked using the FMJ from the air on deer targeting the head neck and spine.

I even got a bit cocky in an ammunition crisis and started using the 5.56 in my .222 mag though the chamber was a little long. The experts warned against it and they were right. I blew the extractor out of the Vixen and got a snout full of hot particles it was a cheap lesson I suppose.

The 45gr were effective because they were hard and they were really travelling. Some loads were reputed to be up around the 3500 fps.

I do believe that the whole trebbly family has a killing power way beyond what you would expect from its statistics. I still watch with amazement as a stag hit through the shoulder can just buckle and hit the ground. Or I pull the engine out of a deer and find splits in the deers liver from the projectile passing through 18 inches away and the rest of the organs bruised and torn from the hydrolic effect of the fast expanding bullet and I say fuuuucccckkk.

Hardie said when you were in Nam you were too scared to leave camp and he had to do all your shooting for you.Hardie also said you thought the Viet Cong were descended from the ghosts of Aorangi.

Originally Posted by TeRei

Hardie said when you were in Nam you were too scared to leave camp and he had to do all your shooting for you.Hardie also said you thought the Viet Cong were descended from the ghosts of Aorangi.

How would Hardie know what I was doing Te Rei. He was suffering MPI ( Mental Paralysis of the Insane) from a long untreated attack of syphilis.