Finally managed to nail my first Red deer.

[bigrich]

Using hornady 50g soft points with a average load of 8208 yes i did blow the back of the head out however given the angle i was shooting at, damage to the other parts of the animal wasn't even a consideration. I have fallen for the 222 and its quietness not the same crack as compared to the 223. I was a big fan of 243 308 cals however the noise and spooking everything in the next valley I find somewhat a killer. The ability i have with my 222 and being able to precisely place a shot within 200m makes it a hard rifle to go past.

along with my 6.5x55 , 222 is definately the most practical usable caliber in my safe . they're two rifles i won't ever part with as they are flexable and do everything well . i recently got a 243 with a 6-18 scope for zapping stuff at more distance, but as you mention the noise is considerably louder than a 222 . the hornady 50 gn soft points are cheap and fly well in my 222 , but the 55 vmax are more accurate . 60 vmax fly like a 69 gn in a 223 tikka , amazing accuracy but to curved a trajectory . 1-12 swan barrel makes it work well with that weight . the natural accuracy ability when working up loads with the 222 is amazing . check the specs, but a 40 vmax with 18 gn of 2205 was a rediculously accurate load with a 1-14 twist barrel . i'm talking one hole at 100 very ,very easy dunno if a 40 vmax is much use in qld , wouldn't be a bad cat,rabbit and fox round i guess

[YoungBuck]

What calibre do you need (as far as laws go) to knock over a Red in QLD? Need minimum .270 here in Vic :/

[bigrich]

What calibre do you need (as far as laws go) to knock over a Red in QLD? Need minimum .270 here in Vic :/

i'm not sure in QLD , in NSW it's 243, which i think is sound choice given we don't have sambar in QLD. in a perfect world common sense should prevail , azza's head shot in the right conditions is perfectly sound . my own rifle for deer is my trusty 6.5x55 . even though i own a 243 i would feel more comfortable with the 6.5 . 30-30 is known as the traditional deer rifle in the US , but i think it lacks downrange energy at distance compared to other choices . it's a very debatable topic ,

[AZZA'S HJ47]

Queensland dont have minimum requirements they have recommendations. As rich said I was only going to go for a head shot and to be honest was chasing fallow not reds.

[AZZA'S HJ47]

Azz. When U say finally. Is it something you have been wanting to do for a while ? And only just now got access. I also shot a hind as my first red deer widgee mountain. And as I shot it in the bottom of a valley I was able to carry the whole thing back to my Ute in one go without haveing to stop for a rest. I cringe at the thought of that weight these days. Lately a small fallow is the only thing I want on my back ......so I butchered it with the grazier and gave him all the meat to say thanks for allowing me to hunt there. Funny thing is later I found out that while I was hunting that morning the grazier hit my girlfriend up for some lovin

Yes something i have been trying for all year not so much due to failed trips more so lack of property access and dry conditions that hasn't helped me.

[Stix]

Azz. When U say finally. Is it something you have been wanting to do for a while ? And only just now got access. I also shot a hind as my first red deer widgee mountain. And as I shot it in the bottom of a valley I was able to carry the whole thing back to my Ute in one go without haveing to stop for a rest. I cringe at the thought of that weight these days. Lately a small fallow is the only thing I want on my back ......so I butchered it with the grazier and gave him all the meat to say thanks for allowing me to hunt there. Funny thing is later I found out that while I was hunting that morning the grazier hit my girlfriend up for some lovin

Bloody hell BLR that kind I f thing gives ya the irrets eh... ...you csn only laugh about that kind of thing later i guess...

But hell, id be dreaming about giving him a wormy one next time & tell him that one is best eaten very rare & cooked at very low temp...
&/or invite him eat st xamp & bathe his in wormy blood gravy with mushies...

[Stix]

[
i'm not sure in QLD , in NSW it's 243, which i think is sound choice given we don't have sambar in QLD. in a perfect world common sense should prevail , azza's head shot in the right conditions is perfectly sound . my own rifle for deer is my trusty 6.5x55 . even though i own a 243 i would feel more comfortable with the 6.5 . 30-30 is known as the traditional deer rifle in the US , but i think it lacks downrange energy at distance compared to other choices . it's a very debatable topic ,

Whats all this 243, 6.5 & 30-30 jabber...
Ah kaffooie...
Got my first with a 32gr Zmax out of a sporter barreled 204...
Yeauw beeyauwtee...!!... ...

Was only 120 odd yds so pretty close & under light, so i whacked it in the brain & it shut down like someone pulled the power on a bot....

Its the way to go hey Azza...

[bigrich]

yeh , well , stix , i would prefer not to have a injured animal getting away by using a appropriate caliber . 22 mag would kill a deer up close , but i wouldn't take the shot with one .

JMHO

[marksman]

although l know the 222 can do the job it does have its limitations,
l dont see a problem with a well placed brain shot taken from someone capable at a reasonable distance
the new zealanders did use to use the 222 but it was fazed out because it was not enough gun for the shots they did, there favorite shot was the meat saver shot and too many deer ran away wounded never found but dead somewhere just a waste
the 30-30 is apparently one of the most used deer rifles in america but it too has its limitations, it is used at very close range where the need of an accurate rifle is not needed, l like the 30-30 its a great lite rifle for carrying around the bush for quick snap shooting and will take deer down with the right shot
in victoria we have a limit on caliber, 270win for red deer but IMHO its more about shot placement than how big a hole you can put in the animal
plenty of red deer get shot with big cal's fall down then get up and run off, l've had it happen to me, l was very lucky to find it

[bigrich]

although l know the 222 can do the job it does have its limitations,
l dont see a problem with a well placed brain shot taken from someone capable at a reasonable distance
the new zealanders did use to use the 222 but it was fazed out because it was not enough gun for the shots they did, there favorite shot was the meat saver shot and too many deer ran away wounded never found but dead somewhere just a waste
the 30-30 is apparently one of the most used deer rifles in america but it too has its limitations, it is used at very close range where the need of an accurate rifle is not needed, l like the 30-30 its a great lite rifle for carrying around the bush for quick snap shooting and will take deer down with the right shot
in victoria we have a limit on caliber, 270win for red deer but IMHO its more about shot placement than how big a hole you can put in the animal
plenty of red deer get shot with big cal's fall down then get up and run off, l've had it happen to me, l was very lucky to find it

thurty-thurty model 94 is slim, light weight and very quick to point . even though my eyes need a scope , i got a 1973 64A coming for my safe . i picked it up and fell in love with it . even with the 24" barrel it's still light cause of the half mag . no barrel band either , keen to see how it shoots . i'm still waiting to nail my deer ,my 6.5 is ready to go at a moments notice like someone else posted , it's dry and getting access atm is hard . lots of folks are working away at the mines and such on account of the dry . funny looking stew ya got cooking MM , might be a bit hard to swallow

[AZZA'S HJ47]

although l know the 222 can do the job it does have its limitations,
l dont see a problem with a well placed brain shot taken from someone capable at a reasonable distance
the new zealanders did use to use the 222 but it was fazed out because it was not enough gun for the shots they did, there favorite shot was the meat saver shot and too many deer ran away wounded never found but dead somewhere just a waste
the 30-30 is apparently one of the most used deer rifles in america but it too has its limitations, it is used at very close range where the need of an accurate rifle is not needed, l like the 30-30 its a great lite rifle for carrying around the bush for quick snap shooting and will take deer down with the right shot
in victoria we have a limit on caliber, 270win for red deer but IMHO its more about shot placement than how big a hole you can put in the animal
plenty of red deer get shot with big cal's fall down then get up and run off, l've had it happen to me, l was very lucky to find it

I hear you Mark Red deer was never the target species. Most of my preferred cals are a little bigger hence why I got the 7mm rem mag for the day i get to chase the big stuff. Love my Venison and dont like the thought of waste from say a sholder shot just my 2c

[Stix]

yeh , well , stix , i would prefer not to have a injured animal getting away by using a appropriate caliber . 22 mag would kill a deer up close , but i wouldn't take the shot with one .

JMHO

Did you miss the sarcasm sign mate...
Or you just used to me not usually using that emoji do you skip over it...

It was under spotlight in an completely open field without a breath of wind.at a smidge over 100 mate...just a cattle farm with grass for hundreds of metres...
I obviously dont hunt deer during the day with a 204 mate...

Here tis anyway...forgive the protein...its for demonstrative purposes...

2019-07-15 00.33.11.jpg (536.87 KiB) Viewed 6070 times

At just a smidge over 100 & with the scope wound up to 20X & shooting from a stationary car, id confidently do it every time,...
But i dont hunt deer with a 204 spitting 32's mate...but i think you'd know that..!!

[duncan61]

shot stix

[bigrich]

far nuff stix , under the circumstances that deer makes sense . your dry humor/sarcasm does go over my head at times . that's the problem with things not being face to face on the internet . in person i probably woulda seen a silly grin as ya made ya statement and known you were joking around

and that deer shouldn't drink , he's got claret all over the place

[marksman]

dont get what l said wrong AZZA
l really dont have a problem with using smaller calibers if you and the equipment are up to the job with good shot placement
obviously you and you gear are up to it l dont like waste myself the farmers like you taking the whole deer away too

the shot placement of them 32's Stix is perfect, between the ear and eye
the back of the head is another good spot that will cave easily if the deer is looking away from you,
if they are looking straight at you the throat is where l shoot, if you can shoot straight even if your distance judgment is off a bit you will still get the deer

[Stix]

Back of the head is my favourite shot Marksman... ...if youre a bit low you take out the brain stem & if youre a bit high you brain it...a win win all round...

I wacked his little sister like that--not one bit of the little 32 escaped the head & it was like a furry mould full of jelly with pebbles it...

Love that shot on roos too... ...

And back of the head on a bunny anywhere past 150 is always a shot that brings one's trigger technique back down to what it should be... well for me anyway...


OH...and i never thought id say this to a bloke...but nice rack marksman... ..

[marksman]

"i never thought id say this to a bloke...but nice rack marksman... .. "

do l have to remind you of rule number one Stix

[Bill]

204 looks like a bit of overkill Stix

Tasty stuff !

[wrenchman]

congrats i am glad to see you guys dont hung up on horns

[AJB]

As Well as good meat they make a nice floor mat