whats the best fox rifle

[ferret 0]

hi im about to aply for my fire arms lisense what do you all advise me to get thanks

[clint 45]

many ask this question.

 

The question they ask you (Firearms dept) is , where, what & why ? If you have reason, have use & have authoroty, you can have,within reason.

 

for fox 22 hornet or 204 is good, if you have skill use 223. If you have good wage use 243.

[jamie g 17]

have a look at old posts mate its been done a couple of times. each person has there own opions. if you can have a 243 for deer and fox then a 243 will do anything the 22 centrefires can do and more.

 

if you want a 22 centrefire then hornet being at the bottom and 220 swift being att he top. of course it depends on the land you shoot over.

 

you have 222, 223 and 22/250 in between them.

 

out and out foxing tho in 22 centrefire imo 22/250 is hard to beat it hits hard its flat shooting and if its just for fox and not targets then will last along time.

 

if you like to shoot targets then 223 would be better choice. with a 1 in 8 twist you could shoot heavier bullets which would benfit you when shooting long range.

 

222 bullets upto 55 grain but better off pushing 40's or 50's if you still want it shooting pretty flat.

 

then you have hornet dont run much powder 13 grains if that and good for fox upto 150 yards.

 

back to 243 as i said can do all the above and deer legal. 58 grain vmax would be superb on foxes. fast flat and harder hitting then the others. or you could go 70 grains your have a good pick then. still fast and pretty flat. but would buck wind much better and hit super hard

[Guest dazzb]

sorry to jump on your thread but what would you rate best for out and out fox control, taking into account cost rifle and ammo, range, accuracy ect .17hmr .22 hornet .222 22/250 or .223

[heritage 202]

ive been using .22 and a 17hmr for a few years now,everythings in place and ive started looking round for a suitable fox gun, im not an "anorak" when it comes to firearms and my knowledge on the subject is limited so im just looking to keep things simple,i want a good gun that performs well without the need for fine tuning of any kind.In my own search for the ideal gun (for me) ive narrowed it down to a shortlist of two.

1) remington 700

2) sako 85 hunter

there are others that know much more than i do and they could probably reccomend better alternatives but for a gun that can be used "straight out the box" these are my choices as yet.......atb

[Guest dazzb]

in what calibre heritage??????

Edited February 19, 2010 by dazzb

[heritage 202]

I didnt state calibre because,to be honest,im not sure yet.I read the posts on the subject with intrest and theres certainly a lot of people that know there stuff,decker-rikw-snapshot-jamieg to name but a few....Ive narrowed it down to either 222 or 223,ive based this on the fact that there both suitable calibres for fox,there both readily available and i will be using factory ammo.

[JohnGalway 1,043]

Find out the price of ammunition that will be available locally to you. It's one thing to buy a rifle in X calibre, it's another thing to feed it.

 

What is the land like you'll be shooting on? Big open fields, open hills, small fields? Most foxes will be shot under 200 yards IMO. The bigger calibres come into play in windy areas especially near the sea, and for long range shots.

 

People will recommend what they own.

 

Check out the various ballistic information available online from cartridge makers. This will give you an idea what will suit you. Mine is a .223 zeroed one inch high at 100 yards. Roughly put out to 235 yards I just aim at the fox and fire because the bullet will, in theory, be flying pretty flat out to that range.

 

Range is deceptive, especially at night. Again, consider your land, if you've been lamping with people locally consider what ranges ye have been shooting foxes at.

[heritage 202]

ive been lamping the area for around 5 years (rabbits) its 600 acres and its very undulating ground so theres always good backstops, the foxes will generally be took at 200 yards maximum.i dont really care about the cost of ammo as i wont be using vast amounts,the main consideration is weight,all of my lamping is done on foot and a 6-7 hour stint is normall. I currently use anschuzt and weirauch so i prefer good quality but without all the "frills" that some newer rifles have.

[JohnGalway 1,043]

I would say look at the .22 cal centrefires so, Hornet, .222, .223, .22-250 etc.

 

Unless I'm mistaking them for another brand, Annie brought out a centrefire rifle last year?

[RicW 67]

If you are using factory ammo you are probably best advised to go for .223. You are not likely to get .243 on a first ticket - and yes pipple I realise that it can happen - and the widest range of factory ammo is in .223. On the other hand, your FEO may restrict you to rimfire to start with. If that happens apply for "occasional" or "opportunistic" fox.

Whatever, ATB with it,

 

YIS

 

Ric

[walshy0988 28]

I got a 223 and 243 when i applied but after 12 months i sold my 223 because the 243 can do everything that the 223 can but i can also take deer therefore not needing to keep 2 rifles to do the same job. are you want to shoot deer at a later date? or just stick to foxing if. its just for foxing id say try a 223 .

[heritage 202]

ive been lamping rabbits for several years now,i already have a .22 rimfire and a 17 hmr, i have slowly progressed onto fox shooting after accompanying a friend on his nights out. i already have a slot on my ticket for a 222 but have been told that a variation wouldnt be a problem,i dont intend to use the gun for anything else so its just a dedicated fox gun im looking into. im leaning towards the sako in 223 calibre due to the availability of factory ammo and the fact that it was quite light compared to others ive seen.

[fox buster 118]

The 22.250 with sound mod takes some beating for fox control in my opinion

[JohnGalway 1,043]

Sure you can get a light weight rifle in lots of different calibres. What make & model were you looking at?