Thread: 222 vs Fallow

50grn barnes TTSX work great in my .223 at trebly speeds.
keep range down below 200...preferably below 150 ,place your shot where it will do the most good and you will be just fine....

It will be fine. Recently shot my first fallow with a 6.5CM, and all I can say is, I'm glad I shot it in the neck.

Originally Posted by Flyblown

It's good to see blokes advocating sensible use of the .22s on fallow. If you even hint at thinking about using .22s in the UK on a tiddly little muntjac or a roe you'll be publicly hung drawn and quartered. A 6mm is questionable, a 6.5mm might be good enough but really you need a 7mm or .30 cal. BOOM!

Really? Would've thought 22cal be more than adequate.
Muntjac are tiny little things, be no meat left after a 30cal.
Are 22cal allow on Chinese water deer or is smallest deer cal 6mm?

I would think 222 perfectly adequate, used the 22-250 with both fallow and sika, never had one walk away. Head or neck shot best but through the chest with 55gr gameking still perfectly OK. A mate uses 55gr varmint rounds in his 223 but only head shoots.

I have an old friend that did a few seasons as a culler for the NZFS and when the new super 222 calibre came on the scene he was right into it. Long story short he struggled through one season and went to the 270, which he still swears by. As he said to me while we were dressing a brahman bull a couple of years ago "you never hear about the balls ups that come from using a varmint calibre on big game" He still has that lovely little Vixen but only for varmints and dogs.
For my own part Ive shot a couple of Fallow with a 223 with resulting dead animals but Ive never been impressed with the performance personally.

Originally Posted by Beetroot

Really? Would've thought 22cal be more than adequate.
Muntjac are tiny little things, be no meat left after a 30cal.
Are 22cal allow on Chinese water deer or is smallest deer cal 6mm?

I have shot a good quantity of roe deer with 222 in Scotland( which is the minimum cartridge requirement for them) And nobody questioned that over there. In England the 223 is the minimum cartridge on Roe deer and Muntjack. On red deer in Scotland the minimum is a 100gr bullet at 2450fps.

@Friwi, the minimum for roe in England is 0.240" calibre and 1700ft-lbs. So effectively a 100gr .243 Win, like the ProHunter.

It's only the muntjac and chinese water deer that are able to be shot with a .223 - the minimum specified is 50gr and not less that 0.220" calibre.

Scotland is different of course, when it comes to roe. https://basc.org.uk/cop/deer-stalking/

Its a cultural thing over there, about calibre and cartridges. A lot of guys get very uptight about .243 on reds or any deer for that matter. It's nuts, but its real.

Only ever shot one fallow with a treble2....hit it just behind the front leg on the horizontal stripe....bang flop.....

that's where I shoot animals with it

Originally Posted by Troy Tempest

I have an old friend that did a few seasons as a culler for the NZFS and when the new super 222 calibre came on the scene he was right into it. Long story short he struggled through one season and went to the 270, which he still swears by. As he said to me while we were dressing a brahman bull a couple of years ago "you never hear about the balls ups that come from using a varmint calibre on big game" He still has that lovely little Vixen but only for varmints and dogs.
For my own part Ive shot a couple of Fallow with a 223 with resulting dead animals but Ive never been impressed with the performance personally.

That's really interesting, I found an old thread last night that was here by a guy called Scribe. He is an author and old Deer culler and he basically said the opposite. They given a choice between the 270 or 222 for ammo through NZ forest . Apparently Belmont I think he said was loading the 270 ammo with a useless projectile that cost guys a ton of deer. Most switched to the 222 and were amazed at the killing power of the round. I think it ran a Norma projectile.
It was a great thread as not only was he a ex culler but had also served in Vietnam and seen the damage first hand from the 223 on human flesh.
His take on the 222 / 223 family made for some very interesting reading.

Originally Posted by Troy Tempest

"you never hear about the balls ups that come from using a varmint calibre on big game"

I think this a great point, I've seen plenty, shot a few with a 222, also a 223 until one day I ran into a big stag in the roar, he was mudded up angry as all hell and took a 5 shots to the neck with the 223 at 20 odd meters and shook them off like nothing
Thankfully there another forum member there to polax him with the 7mm but ever since then only for bunnies just my 2 cents.
Important to note that was big red stag not a fallow.
I've never heard anyone say I wish I brought a smaller calibre when out deer hunting.

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Originally Posted by BRADS

I think this a great point, I've seen plenty, shot a few with a 222, also a 223 until one day I ran into a big stag in the roar, he was mudded up angry as all hell and took a 5 shots to the neck with the 223 at 20 odd meters and shook them off like nothing
Thankfully there another forum member there to polax him with the 7mm but ever since then only for bunnies just my 2 cents.
Important to note that was big red stag not a fallow.
I've never heard anyone say I wish I brought a smaller calibre when out deer hunting.

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That's a very good point, rutting stags are a different kettle of fish, I had the same problem with a red stag pre roar but neck was swollen up , shot him 4 times with my BAR 30 06 before he stayed down, bullets were the problem early day 150 gr Ballistic tips. They are made stronger nowadays which is good.

Originally Posted by Flyblown

@Friwi, the minimum for roe in England is 0.240" calibre and 1700ft-lbs. So effectively a 100gr .243 Win, like the ProHunter.

It's only the muntjac and chinese water deer that are able to be shot with a .223 - the minimum specified is 50gr and not less that 0.220" calibre.

Scotland is different of course, when it comes to roe. https://basc.org.uk/cop/deer-stalking/

Its a cultural thing over there, about calibre and cartridges. A lot of guys get very uptight about .243 on reds or any deer for that matter. It's nuts, but its real.

My mistake , all have shot in England was with a 308. I vaguely remembered the foot pounds energy requirements but not the calibres and for what game.

It is my understanding that the NZFS started out with .222 Norma ammunition only and then mixed it up with cheaper ammo buys. When that happened the headmen got first dibs on the Norma ammo and their juniors had to make do with Yank ammo that was not necessarily fit for purpose.

@viper a mate of mine does pest control mostly Cyanide for Possums but if the farmer needs a few deer/goats shot he dose that 2
He uses 204 ruger he head shoots everything though

You’re 222 will be fine on fallow I wouldn’t want to shoot through the shoulder blade and probably only shoot behind the shoulder if you absolutely had to would probably work though

Head/neck shots it’ll be mint and with how accurate the 222 is there’s no reason not to shoot them between the eyes or ear cannal
Fallow deer are awesome eating so saves all the meat
And being on a farm you can borrow the quad and bring the hole animal Out
Luxury you don’t really get when you have to Hike 6 hours back to the truck