shotgunny 39 Posted April 27, 2010 Report Share Posted April 27, 2010 Alright guys I have been thinking about buying a rifle for shooting some foxes for a while and i was wondering what i should go for. Some people have told me a .270 will do and others said it might be a bit to much for foxes. Personally i dont have a clue because i have only used shotguns and air rifles so i would appreciate your opinions and also could a .270 take a deer ??????? atb myles Quote Link to post
cassshantia 16 Posted April 27, 2010 Report Share Posted April 27, 2010 hi i asked same question as of what calibre for fox and deer and 90% of the replies say .243 as an alround calibre ,so i did just that and went for the howa 1500 Quote Link to post
njc110381 0 Posted April 27, 2010 Report Share Posted April 27, 2010 A .270 will do more than take Deer, it will beat the s*** out of them! I very much doubt that the police would allow it with Fox as a primary quarry (the reason you want the rifle). It's on the upper end of the power scale for Deer. I assume by the Deer comment that you wish to shoot Deer? By your question about the .270 though I get the feeling you haven't done much of it before if any? What Deer species would you want to shoot? The .243 is a great Fox round and is Deer legal for all UK species. It's a little lacking for Sika and Reds but for all others is fine. A step up that would still be acceptable for Fox would be a 6.5x55 or .260 Remington. Unless you have a lot of large Deer to cull I'd aim for a .243 as it's the best for Foxing IMO. If you don't need to be Deer legal then a .223 or .22-250 is more than enough for Fox. You could also shoot Munties and CWD with it, and Roe in Scotland only. Larger species need a minimum of .240. Quote Link to post
whippeter69 88 Posted April 27, 2010 Report Share Posted April 27, 2010 270 would leave a VERY messy fox, i was stood next to one while it took deer and JESUS it had a really big BANG to it and didnt half make the ground vibrate. Quote Link to post
shotgunny 39 Posted April 27, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2010 ncj110381 i have not got any experience with deer but i have a permission with some sika on it. The .243 seems like the choice of rifle for me as the majority of shooting will be for the fox. thanks a million atb myles Quote Link to post
clint 45 Posted April 28, 2010 Report Share Posted April 28, 2010 If you need flexable calibre , why no use this http://www.sierrabullets.com/index.cfm?section=bullets&page=rifle&caliberID=6 is very good Quote Link to post
murphymax 9 Posted April 28, 2010 Report Share Posted April 28, 2010 .243 .243 .243 2nd that 243, is the best all round calibre for Fox and Deer Quote Link to post
FightTheBan 1,147 Posted April 28, 2010 Report Share Posted April 28, 2010 .243 .243 .243 2nd that 243, is the best all round calibre for Fox and Deer 22.250 imo... .270 Is a cannon and a massive overkill for anything other than reds. I know a chap who uses one for foxes, and they arent worth picking up afterwards Quote Link to post
njc110381 0 Posted April 28, 2010 Report Share Posted April 28, 2010 (edited) I've never shot a Sika as we don't have them around here. I've been told they're hard as nails though so perhaps something a little bigger wouldn't be a bad shout! If I was you I'd try to get your Sika permission in writing. Then send it off with an application for a .308. You could ask at the same time to have the new ACPO wording on your FAC which states "and any other lawful quarry". The .308 is a good all round calibre. It's a bit big for Fox but then you don't want to eat it do you?! Dead is dead, it doesn't have to stay in one piece! If your force don't like the .308 this early on then try 6.5x55. It carries much more weight than a .243 and has a little more going for it where large Deer are concerned. It's my opinion that the .243 is a little on the small side for the two largest species. Many will argue that it's fine but what harm does it do to have a bit more gun? I've just got a .338 Win Mag for Deer "and any other lawful quarry". It's too much gun for most things but as I said, dead is dead. The bunnies on my land wont know what hit them! Edited April 28, 2010 by njc110381 Quote Link to post
SNAP SHOT 194 Posted April 28, 2010 Report Share Posted April 28, 2010 I've seen deer shot to pieces sue to poor marksmanship, and its nothing to do with the calibre as it was shot with a 30-06, marksmanship first and formost.. bullet choice for species... second... if you dont have the skill to place the shot any any deer species... don't take it simple as... i see lads changing calibre yearly due to poor marksmanship, and blaming calibre, NO CHATING TO THEM>... numpties...... Snap. Quote Link to post
njc110381 0 Posted April 28, 2010 Report Share Posted April 28, 2010 I've seen deer shot to pieces sue to poor marksmanship, and its nothing to do with the calibre as it was shot with a 30-06, marksmanship first and formost.. bullet choice for species... second... if you dont have the skill to place the shot any any deer species... don't take it simple as... i see lads changing calibre yearly due to poor marksmanship, and blaming calibre, NO CHATING TO THEM>... numpties...... Snap. I couldn't agree more. You did say that bullet choice comes second though and second is quite high on the list of requirements. I don't think it hurts to go a bit bigger if you expect to see big Deer? In my part of the world I see Munties, Roe and occasionally Fallow. A .243 is fine for that, I use a 7x57R and 6.5x55. Neither of my primary stalking guns are huge, they're just not small. There's a reason the .243 is the minimum calibre for Deer and that's because it's the smallest that will do the job. It was never designed to be a Deer round but will do. Quote Link to post
ross16689 1 Posted April 28, 2010 Report Share Posted April 28, 2010 Ii'd say go for it with a .270 for the sika- and go for a .22 centrefire for foxes .222/.223/22-250. But as said before get some serious deer shooting experience before knocking over any sika- as anyone will tell you the real work starts after pulling the trigger, dragging/skinning/ butchering etc properly and safely is hard work. On another note I have before now been told to shoot sika through the shoulder to stop them running has anyone else?(this was advice from a gamedealer/professional stalker?- they are seriously hard beasts, even compared to reds/sambar it takes a lot to bring them down! Quote Link to post
SNAP SHOT 194 Posted April 28, 2010 Report Share Posted April 28, 2010 i've shot plenty large reds with no issues, i had a 6.5x55 but sold it due to needing cash, and the .243 was my primary gun for long range foxing, etc.. i loved the two calibres... but seeing as i had no trouble droping deer at distance ..... the .243 stayed...... Ability simple as, if you don't have the ability, larger calibres can only get you so far..... A poor shot WITH any calibre is still a poor shot... the larger calibre's are just that little bit MORE forgiving... Snap. Quote Link to post
gold lark 0 Posted April 28, 2010 Report Share Posted April 28, 2010 for foxes 22 swift or 22-250 Quote Link to post
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