Not every caliber is up to the task when it comes to putting animals down quickly and humanely. Sometimes it’s about power, sometimes it’s about bullet choice, and sometimes it’s just bad pairing between game and gun. If you’re serious about ethical hunting, knowing which calibers tend to come up short can save you a lot of headache—and spare the animal unnecessary suffering.
.22 Long Rifle
The .22 LR has taken more small game than most calibers ever will, but when hunters try to stretch it beyond rabbits and squirrels, that’s where the problems start. It just doesn’t have the energy for clean kills on anything larger unless you’re extremely close and dead-on with your shot placement.
Plenty of folks have taken deer with a .22 LR, but that doesn’t make it a good idea. The margin for error is razor thin, and more often than not, poor hits lead to wounded animals that take off running.
.17 HMR
The .17 HMR is flat-shooting and fast, which makes it popular for varmints. But despite how zippy it feels, it lacks real punch. On anything bigger than a rabbit, the round can fragment or fail to penetrate deeply enough for a clean kill.
It’s not uncommon to see people trying to stretch this caliber too far. Even with headshots on small game, it’s prone to deflection or underwhelming wound channels, especially if the angle isn’t perfect.
.410 Bore
The .410 can work in skilled hands, but it’s not very forgiving. With such a small shot payload, there’s little room for error. It’s often marketed to beginners, which is ironic, since you really have to be dead-on to make it effective.
Many hunters use .410 on turkeys or squirrels and end up with wounded animals. Unless you’re using slugs at close range, it’s easy to underperform with this little shotgun.
9mm Luger
Yes, the 9mm has been used in survival situations to take game—but that doesn’t make it a solid hunting round. It’s just not designed to penetrate thick hide or bone reliably. For anything bigger than a rabbit, it’s usually a poor match.
Plenty of folks think their 9mm pistol will double as a hunting backup. That’s a risky assumption when you’re in the woods. It’s better suited to self-defense than taking down animals.
.223 Remington (on Big Game)
The .223 Remington is a capable cartridge in the right hands, but people often overestimate what it can do. On deer-sized game, it’s borderline unless you’re using premium bullets and placing shots perfectly.
Too many hunters treat it like a one-size-fits-all option. When used on animals it wasn’t built for, like hogs or larger deer, the lack of energy and penetration can lead to wounded game that’s hard to track.
.32 ACP
Some folks carry a .32 ACP in the woods thinking it’ll cover them in a pinch. The truth is, this little pistol round just doesn’t have the punch for ethical kills on anything beyond the very smallest game.
It’s underpowered, slow, and struggles with penetration. It might take out a raccoon or a possum up close, but anything bigger and you’re gambling with wounded critters and long tracking jobs.
.30 Carbine
The .30 Carbine sits in a weird spot—not quite a rifle round, not quite a pistol round. It lacks the velocity and energy to consistently take down medium game. It’s been used for deer, but shot placement has to be near perfect.
This caliber shines in plinking and range fun, not in real-world hunting. Trying to push it past its limits often results in frustrating recoveries or worse—never finding the animal at all.
.380 ACP
While the .380 ACP is great for compact carry guns, it doesn’t belong in the woods as a primary hunting caliber. It struggles with deep penetration and often doesn’t expand well on impact, especially through fur or bone.
It’s common to see people overestimate what a .380 can do just because it’s a “step up” from .22. But the truth is, even small animals can shrug off a poorly placed shot from one of these.
.204 Ruger
The .204 Ruger is blazing fast and accurate, which is why it’s a favorite among varmint hunters. But it doesn’t carry much weight, and when used outside its comfort zone, things can go sideways fast.
This round works well on prairie dogs and coyotes, but folks trying it on hogs or deer quickly realize how shallow the wound channels are. It just doesn’t hit hard enough to ensure consistent knockdown power.
.25 ACP
The .25 ACP barely squeaks by as a defensive round, let alone a hunting one. It’s extremely limited in velocity and energy, and even small animals can end up wounded instead of downed cleanly.
Using a .25 ACP for anything other than paper targets or very close pest control is asking for problems. It’s just not built for the job, and trying to make it work can lead to messy results.
*This article was developed with AI-powered tools and has been carefully reviewed by our editors.
