rifle cal?

[Lurchandhistribe 0]

just applied for my ticket and have gone for 308. Have oppertunity to shoot munty, roe and fallow and advice from three friends all said go that route despite two of them using 243. loads of choice in both rifles and ammo

[gentleman jim 2]

Been reading the responces with interest. Good honest advice. I shoot in 243 for 90% of the time, when I fancy a change I shoot 300 Win Mag. 300 Win Mag is just a beefed up 308, faster and flatter. That said when I loaded it with 125 Gn heads it was going 3700 fps ish, (that's as fast and flat as a 243 in 70 Gn), but it was too fast and the bullet broke up way too quickley on impact. Shot with factory 190 Gn it was fantasticly accurate and clean kills every time.

In short I can agree that 243 and 308 are the workhorses of the stalking community. If I had to choose one calibre then it would be 243 for me. Only reason being that 243 is flatter and when shooting under presure then you have to adjust less for bullet drop, that's all. But which ever you choose then you will not go wrong.

As for rifle then I can say through experiance that the Blazer R93 is superb, my second choice would be Sauer 202, bolt action as smooth as a swiss watch. Both come in Synthetic with matt barrels. Two great guns.

 

Best of luck and let us know what you choose.

 

 

thanks for the reply sorel-2007!

i have alot of reading and looking up to do know,before i make my mind up!

i hope to move up north shortly so i'll have the added bounus of been able to reload!

i'm leaning towards the .308 now! but i do want to find a rifle that is light and has a short action!

my mate has shot a blazer 300 win mag, shooting a 5lyr bottle 650 yards. said it is an amazing rifle!

i'll let you's all know what i choose!

lads thanks for all your help and advice!

 

ATB

 

Colin

[sorel-2007 0]

Been reading the responces with interest. Good honest advice. I shoot in 243 for 90% of the time, when I fancy a change I shoot 300 Win Mag. 300 Win Mag is just a beefed up 308, faster and flatter. That said when I loaded it with 125 Gn heads it was going 3700 fps ish, (that's as fast and flat as a 243 in 70 Gn), but it was too fast and the bullet broke up way too quickley on impact. Shot with factory 190 Gn it was fantasticly accurate and clean kills every time.

In short I can agree that 243 and 308 are the workhorses of the stalking community. If I had to choose one calibre then it would be 243 for me. Only reason being that 243 is flatter and when shooting under presure then you have to adjust less for bullet drop, that's all. But which ever you choose then you will not go wrong.

As for rifle then I can say through experiance that the Blazer R93 is superb, my second choice would be Sauer 202, bolt action as smooth as a swiss watch. Both come in Synthetic with matt barrels. Two great guns.

 

Best of luck and let us know what you choose.

 

 

thanks for the reply sorel-2007!

i have alot of reading and looking up to do know,before i make my mind up!

i hope to move up north shortly so i'll have the added bounus of been able to reload!

i'm leaning towards the .308 now! but i do want to find a rifle that is light and has a short action!

my mate has shot a blazer 300 win mag, shooting a 5lyr bottle 650 yards. said it is an amazing rifle!

i'll let you's all know what i choose!

lads thanks for all your help and advice!

 

ATB

 

Colin

 

Hi Colin, in that case I would probably favour the 308. Lots of Red deer in Donegale around Letterkenny. 308 will be just the job on the larger deer. As for the 300 win mag it is a great round, but it is just a rebadged 762 sniping round.

[gentleman jim 2]

Hi Colin, in that case I would probably favour the 308. Lots of Red deer in Donegale around Letterkenny. 308 will be just the job on the larger deer. As for the 300 win mag it is a great round, but it is just a rebadged 762 sniping round.

 

 

it's looking that i will go with the .308! was reading up on them last night so i'm going out over the weekend to look

at loads of different makes and modles!

 

just another question? i know where there is a s&b scope for sale!

its 6x42, 30mmtube,a7 retile, with mounts, box and paper! its the hungarian model all for e325! would that be a good scope for deer stalking?

i have a swift scope 3x12x56 mil dot illuminated!

[sorel-2007 0]

Hi Colin, in that case I would probably favour the 308. Lots of Red deer in Donegale around Letterkenny. 308 will be just the job on the larger deer. As for the 300 win mag it is a great round, but it is just a rebadged 762 sniping round.

 

 

it's looking that i will go with the .308! was reading up on them last night so i'm going out over the weekend to look

at loads of different makes and modles!

 

just another question? i know where there is a s&b scope for sale!

its 6x42, 30mmtube,a7 retile, with mounts, box and paper! its the hungarian model all for e325! would that be a good scope for deer stalking?

i have a swift scope 3x12x56 mil dot illuminated!

 

With regards to a S&B scope then there is nothing wrong with them. Indeed they are up there with the best. Only you can decide if you like a fixed magnafication and the reticule. I personaly like a zoom on mine but I know plenty that don't, your choice really. Rule of thumb is to spend as much on the scope as you do on the gun. I personaly use a Nightforce 5.5-22 x 56 np2dd ret. Had it for about seven years and was the best investment I ever made. Cost the bloody earth though.

Edited October 23, 2009 by sorel-2007

[wireviz 8]

[6.5 x 55 is the best calibre for deer but if you want a calibre for dog training get the .243 the dog will get plenty of work with the runners

[coldweld 65]

I prefer the .260 rem ! But he never asked for other than 25.06 .270 or .308

[FJager 0]

Just about any centrefire calibre has the potential to do a lot of meat damage, the projectile and shot placement is what determines how much meat you will be feeding to your dogs. Don't let anyone tell you that the .308 isn't flat shooting, at 300 it is not that much different the .270, which is renowned for being a flat shooter.

As I said before though, the .30 cal kills better. Europeans don't seem to like the .270 as they say it kicks too much, this is rubbish. Yeah the .308 is a little milder but there is not a whole lot of difference here either. With the shorter action of the .308 though it is a factor in its inherant accuracy, a .308 will have a shorter barrel as well, which cuts down on weight.

 

The .300, both long and short are brilliant cartridges and kill deer very well, however are not really necessary. If this is your first larger centrefire as all these 2 will do is create a flinching problem.

 

With all the different shops suggesting something different, this is usually down to 3 issues.

 

1. They don't have a clue.

 

2. They want to sell you what they have on the shelf, ie they do not want you to walk out of the shop with out spending money.

 

3. They will promote whatever firearm they get the most profit on.

 

On the S+B, I hope you bought it, ,very classy set ups, 6x42 is my choice for deer hunting.

 

All in all you will not go wrong with the .308win.

[East coast 2]

I use a 243 for roe, foxes and now and again red deer.

[sorel-2007 0]

I use a 243 for roe, foxes and now and again red deer.

 

Yep 243 will kill anything that we can shoot in the UK, no problem. As with any calibre, shot placement is everything and with the flat tradectory I find it my calibre of choice. I've shot Red, Fallow, Roe, Muntie, Foxes, Rabbits, Geese, Crows and even a Bull. At the farmers request I might add. Nothing wrong with the 243, it's down to the man who squeezes the trigger.

Edited October 24, 2009 by sorel-2007

[wireviz 8]

Ill BET YOU HAVE HAD SOME RUNNER SOREL AND YOU GOT A GOOD DOG IN YOUR HOUSE 243 GOOD ENOUGH NOT FOR SOME OF THE SIKA AND REDS THAT YOU CAN MEET ON YOUR TRAVELS.

[gentleman jim 2]

cheers lads, its great to hear everybodys views on the different cals!! was looking at a remington 700 .308,stainless steal barrell,syntictic stock.1 in12 twist £625!!

[gentleman jim 2]

that s&b scope is sold

i thought it was a good deal!

well i'll just keep my eyes pealed for something else that might pop up!

[SNAP SHOT 194]

Ill BET YOU HAVE HAD SOME RUNNER SOREL AND YOU GOT A GOOD DOG IN YOUR HOUSE 243 GOOD ENOUGH NOT FOR SOME OF THE SIKA AND REDS THAT YOU CAN MEET ON YOUR TRAVELS.

 

 

Every calibre out there will not drop the animal if shot placement isn't near where it needs to be,

 

i had only ever one deer run with the .243 and that was due to poor bullet choice on my very first outing. However i have seen deer run with the .270, .308 30-06 and the 6.5 and it was all down to shooter error.. some of the deer where only about yards away too...

 

If you need the extra surity of putting the animal down, because you feel you may need it so be it...

 

Its the age old gripe, if the shot isn't on target then you will encounter problems no matter what calibre your shooting.

 

 

Snap.

[East coast 2]

I use a 243 for roe, foxes and now and again red deer.

 

Yep 243 will kill anything that we can shoot in the UK, no problem. As with any calibre, shot placement is everything and with the flat tradectory I find it my calibre of choice. I've shot Red, Fallow, Roe, Muntie, Foxes, Rabbits, Geese, Crows and even a Bull. At the farmers request I might add. Nothing wrong with the 243, it's down to the man who squeezes the trigger.

 

 

Yip agree put the bullet in correct place. Have dropped a cow on the spot with 243, again at farmers request. Once you get your rifle you become confident with it.