Thread: The ‘controversial.222’

Did most of my shooting in my formative shooting days with a trebbly. As others have said, the ability to go out shooting hare, rabbits and magpies at decent ranges whenever you felt like it made for an awfully big looking deer at 2 hundy when you went out after bigger game.

But shot placement is everything. I vividly remember crawling through a tunnel of gnarly supplejack and vines towards a sika stag going off his nut. He shut up as I was sneaking towards him, and looked up to see him 5m away in the same tunnel crawling towards me!!! pointed the bang stick at his chest and pulled the trigger. He spun around and went 20m, then began coughing violently, then crashed off. Came across a pool of several litres of blood, so continued searching knowing he would be close. 2 hours later I had not found him. Came back the next day with the dog and still no luck. 3 years later a mate came across that same 7 pointer 800m away from where I had shot it. Tough tough buggers. Shot placement is everything with a .22 cal

Originally Posted by XR500

Did most of my shooting in my formative shooting days with a trebbly. As others have said, the ability to go out shooting hare, rabbits and magpies at decent ranges whenever you felt like it made for an awfully big looking deer at 2 hundy when you went out after bigger game.

But shot placement is everything. I vividly remember crawling through a tunnel of gnarly supplejack and vines towards a sika stag going off his nut. He shut up as I was sneaking towards him, and looked up to see him 5m away in the same tunnel crawling towards me!!! pointed the bang stick at his chest and pulled the trigger. He spun around and went 20m, then began coughing violently, then crashed off. Came across a pool of several litres of blood, so continued searching knowing he would be close. 2 hours later I had not found him. Came back the next day with the dog and still no luck. 3 years later a mate came across that same 7 pointer 800m away from where I had shot it. Tough tough buggers. Shot placement is everything with a .22 cal

@XR500 after that incident, what would you do differently if you were faced with the same situation?

Again, in my youth EVERY deer I saw had to be got. Back then they were worth$$, and the chest shot ones would go in the freezer for feeding the family. Nowadays I am secure enough to let them go, knowing that a better opportunity will be along soon.

This is an excellent thread!

Have just bought myself a Vixen (was a .222 but someone rechambered it to .223, gahh! ) and sourced period correct accessories (scope, mount and peep).

Picking it up tomorrow.

Plan is for hunting Roe here (by law a 50 grain .224 projectile is minimum!) but eventually want to get to NZ and head out into the bush with it.

Probably been reading too much 'Pack and Rifle'

This is ya classic lung shot with a .223...



And these are ya neck shot... :

Originally Posted by Mooseman

Back when I used the 222 a lot I found it very efficient within it's range limitations. When culling we used Sako 50 gr ammo which I think was relatively hard bullet but it performed well.
Over the years I handloaded various bullets , most worked well on goats which is what we used the 222 for a lot. I did use the 222 for deer as my main caliber for a number of years and it killed well for a light caliber. Back then the Winchester 50 gr was the bullet I used quite a bit and did shoot a few big stags with them. I found that well placed shoulder shots would have the animal run, but generally they went down within 30 -50 yards.
I remember losing a deer in the Whirinaki many years back as it ran away, it was running around a clearing and I think my shot raked it along the ribs towards the shoulder, it left a good blood trail for a while which we followed by torch light eventually losing it and getting ourselves "misplaced" we found our way out of the bush about midnight.
With good bullet placement and bullets the 222/223 are fine little performers out to about 200 yards for consistent results.
Nowdays I use a 223 which is much of a muchness, they are a do it all caliber if the shooter is careful with it's use.

Nice

Originally Posted by Tahr

You will get a good view of this sitting atop of your pile of thousands of empty NZFS 222 cases you have shot stuff with ...

When the deer and the thar became thin on the ground..
And the rather thin looking cullers,wrinkled and brown..
Took time off and were city bound..
Back in the valleys lay old spent brass..
In amongst the rocks and out on the grass...
Old camp sites where billies once hung..
And yarns were told while cleaning guns..
Are the ghosts of cullers when they were young..

@Tahr thanks for the photos. Just goes to show that all ‘neck shots’ aren’t equal. When I think of neck shot, I instantly think of the head/neck junction....

I believe others shoot the neck/chest junction, and looking at those pictures you go for somewhere in between.

Originally Posted by Hunter_Nick

@Tahr thanks for the photos. Just goes to show that all ‘neck shots’ aren’t equal. When I think of neck shot, I instantly think of the head/neck junction....

I believe others shoot the neck/chest junction, and looking at those pictures you go for somewhere in between.

Depends on how they present themselves, but generally more towards the shoulder than the head. Head shots are pretty risky.

If I wasn’t using a subsonic 300 blackout, I’d definitely be going back too using a 223 or 222 for my every day deer slaying rifle and a lot cheaper to run.

Yes the neck shot is a classic for the 222 /223. I remember back when culling in the Rangitoto range we wanted some venison for Xmas. We went off for a hunt in our chosen areas.
I was hunting a track which was close to the boundary of our block and farmland was close by, a magnet for deer.
As i sneaked up the track a stag leapt down off the bank onto the road , up come the Sako 222 bang, deer down, seconds later stag number two did the same thing and ended up on the track. Low and behold stag number three leapt of the bank and died the same way. Three shots all base of neck shots and three dead deer strung out up the track.
I loved the base of neck shot with the 222 it would flatten the animals on the spot. Ah the memories of times past would love to be back there again away from the BS of today.
We had plenty of meat for the Xmas break to say the least.

Have still got a real mint BSA Hunter .222 all original. Shot many Fallow and reds back when meat shooting with BRNO Fox .222 with twin triggers. Very accurate. Did the job provided I did my part right. Only neck shot Reds and no further than about 150 yards. Always dropped on the spot with the vertebrae pulverised. 50 gr Hornady reloads. Was always aware of wind affecting accuracy.

Originally Posted by BSA270

Have still got a real mint BSA Hunter .222 all original. Shot many Fallow and reds back when meat shooting with BRNO Fox .222 with twin triggers. Very accurate. Did the job provided I did my part right. Only neck shot Reds and no further than about 150 yards. Always dropped on the spot with the vertebrae pulverised. 50 gr Hornady reloads. Was always aware of wind affecting accuracy.

Pics of the mint BSA Hunter please

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I hunt with my 223 often by choice and shoot a lot of deer with it. Love the quietness of it and the added challenge. I tend not to muck around and just shoulder/ chest shoot deer with it. Includes good sized reds. Main thing is to poke the wee ball in to a vital spot internally where it will interrupt life. Heart lungs etc. I tend not to neck shoot many deer myself. The further down the neck the harder to hit the spine. The higher up the neck the easier it is to miss altogether. Funnily enough I do a lot of head shots too though. Not rocket science. I am a careful shot and don't push the range too far. Anything over 200m and you really need to do it right. I just use Hornady 55gn spire points at 3000fps out of my short barrel and they work fine. I will add however that most chest/ shoulder shot deer dash and die and I usually track them up to 50 odd metres. My wee dog is really handy as the one thing with 223s is that there is seldom much of a big blood trail. So use it within the calibre's and your limitations and you are fine. Just like everything. Probably no different to bow hunting really.

First deer i ever shot, private land, paid hunt, used the Guides rifle, .222, Fallow at approx 65 mtrs, bang flop.....NO DRAMA....