catchwrestler 31 Posted August 27, 2011 Report Share Posted August 27, 2011 Hi all the farmer who's permission i ferret on has agreed to me getting my .f.a.c on his land !!! He's asked if i will take care of all the pest control especially the foxes and hares which are proving a problem , could any one offer any advice on what rifles i should ask for on my ticket ?? I would like one dedicated foxing rifle and one for the hares and rabbits , also would it be worth having fac air ? Thanks for reading Cw Quote Link to post
ferretmad 2 Posted August 27, 2011 Report Share Posted August 27, 2011 you want a .223 for your foxes and a .17hmr for rabbits and hares Quote Link to post
TWOTWOTHREE 152 Posted August 27, 2011 Report Share Posted August 27, 2011 (edited) Hi There are many of the .22 centrefire rifles that will cope with the fox,I chose 223 it's a great fox cal,.22lr and the hmr will be ok for the bunny and hare problem.I chose not to go for a fac air gun as the 22lr is as quiet as my prevviously owned s410 air rifle and shoots out to hundred yards easily,sometimes when lamping I can hit two or three rabitts before they know whats going on,same with the hmr but noise is a bit of a issue,bit of a crack to it.atb 223 Edited October 12, 2011 by TWOTWOTHREE Quote Link to post
andy s410c 59 Posted August 27, 2011 Report Share Posted August 27, 2011 Depends on what the land is passed for firstly.It's ok saying put in for this & that but the basics need to be covered first.How much shooting experience do you have?ever used a centrefire,ever used a rimfire?can anyone vouch for that experience...depending what police force you come under some applications may be atttached with mentoring clauses. If your lands passed for rimfire i would'nt bother with FAC air,.22LR will do very nicely for rabbits & hares(if their in such vast numbers)...for fox .22 Hornet will do the job but if you get centrefire on your first application it may have a mentoring clause attached. Hope you get everything you put in for but don't take it for granted that you'll get everything on the wishlist Quote Link to post
coldweld 65 Posted August 27, 2011 Report Share Posted August 27, 2011 If your not reloading .222 or .223 for fox , Don't forget a moderator too. Rabbits hares .22rf + mod FAC air is a waste of time if you have .22rf as you won't use it .17Hmr is noisy and to be honest not up to fox but destroys rabbits, If you want a .17 center fire is the best option. It destroy's rabbits and fox's but at distances the hmr can only dream of. Quote Link to post
catchwrestler 31 Posted August 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2011 Depends on what the land is passed for firstly.It's ok saying put in for this & that but the basics need to be covered first.How much shooting experience do you have?ever used a centrefire,ever used a rimfire?can anyone vouch for that experience...depending what police force you come under some applications may be atttached with mentoring clauses. If your lands passed for rimfire i would'nt bother with FAC air,.22LR will do very nicely for rabbits & hares(if their in such vast numbers)...for fox .22 Hornet will do the job but if you get centrefire on your first application it may have a mentoring clause attached. Hope you get everything you put in for but don't take it for granted that you'll get everything on the wishlist I have shot a rimfire before but was a while ago , the guy who used to shoot the land would i presume have had a open ticket so not sure on wether that means he would have had to have had the land passed or he just made his own decision . I wouldn't mind if i have a mentioning clause on my F.AC can't see that being a hindarance and i was going to see if i could tag along with some one who could just give me a few pointers . Just want to get this in motion as fast as possible as the coneys and hares are proving a problem and i'm limited to what i can do with just ferrets and a shotgun ! Quote Link to post
coldweld 65 Posted August 28, 2011 Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 Well you might have to be paitent ! New FAC with a land inspection !! Get your aplication in now and you MIGHT get it back before Xmas if you are lucky. P.S. At least it gives you time to save some cash. ATB Coldweld Quote Link to post
PLEDGEY 495 Posted August 28, 2011 Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 My Brother-in-law and i go out together. I shoot the rabbits and he shoots any fox we come across. He uses a 204 Ruger and it's perfect for the job. I use 22lr and 17hmr but if i had to have only one i would go for the 22lr. It's quiet AND cheap to run. A box of 50 Winchester 40 gr hollow points are about a fiver a box ish, where 50 Hornady V Max are £14.50, center fire rounds are more expensive again. On your application you want to ask for moderators for the rifles and ask to be able to hold 600 rounds of each caliber and purchase 500 rounds. Another difference between the 22lr and hmr is ricochet, you get much less ricochet with the hmr which makes it a lot safer in the eyes of your FAO. Quote Link to post
Jkm 1 Posted August 28, 2011 Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 I would go for a 204ruger for fox got one myself flat shooting fast round does the job perfect charlie never get's up As for rabbit and hare would get a 22lr quiet and cheap to feed £40 for 500 rounds. Quote Link to post
markha 99 Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 Someone said 17HMR is noisy! Its sounds quieter than my .223 CF! and supersonic noise is supersonic noise all the same. If you can get 17HMR conditoned on your license for Fox as some police forces do, then thats going to be cheap and effective for foxes at ranges up to 120yds as a maximum, but closer if they will come in. I have both 17HMR and 223CF and 22 air rifle, as of yet i have no need for 22 rimfire as what I have covers the type of ground that I shoot over nicely. As said get a moderator for each calibre on your application. £35 for 500 22 RF rounds £15 for 50 17HMR rounds £30 for 20 .223CF rounds Just fill the fomrs in, oh and top tip, also print off a map of your permission with the boundaries marked on it, have a search for permission/land authority forms on here for some good permission forms for your land owner to complete and send those back in with your application. Ammunition wise I have Buy 1000 rounds 22RF Store 1200 rounds 22RF Buy 500 rounds 17hmr Store 700 rounds 17HMR Buy 100 rounds 223CF Store 150 rounds 223CF Yes I know 100 rounds of 223CF ammo does seem like a lot, but as I dont shoot target and at £150.00 for a hundred its more than enough and if ever I did shoot 100 foxes in a day I can just go and buy another 100 the next day anyway. Plus if you have a cabinet with a top locking ammo safe your going to struggle to get your full quopta of ammo and rifle bolts in there! I have a Bratton 5 gun safe with top lock safe and when i have rf &cf bolts in there and a load of HMR boxes and 5 boxes of 223 ,m it would be a real squeeze to get a load of 22rf ammo in as well. Read the sticky topic on firearms applications on this site as its very good. Good luck and stay calm when they come to visit. Quote Link to post
coldweld 65 Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 If you can get 17HMR conditoned on your license for Fox as some police forces do, then thats going to be cheap and effective for foxes at ranges up to 120yds as a maximum, but closer if they will come in. What about when they are at 150 yds ? Hmr's are are not cheap to run as you shoot of loads of rounds thinking they are cheap. But what exactly do they do ? Apart from a marketing point of view ! To much for rabbit ( .22rf is better up to 100m) Most crows in fields are out of range and marginal for an 130m fox. I'm not saying they are not fun But if you can only have two rifles then .22rf and .223 is IMO the best option. Quote Link to post
dave goodall 10 Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 dont have fac my self but have a mate with a hornet what do's all jobs asked of it Quote Link to post
markha 99 Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 If you can get 17HMR conditoned on your license for Fox as some police forces do, then thats going to be cheap and effective for foxes at ranges up to 120yds as a maximum, but closer if they will come in. What about when they are at 150 yds ? Hmr's are are not cheap to run as you shoot of loads of rounds thinking they are cheap. But what exactly do they do ? Apart from a marketing point of view ! To much for rabbit ( .22rf is better up to 100m) Most crows in fields are out of range and marginal for an 130m fox. I'm not saying they are not fun But if you can only have two rifles then .22rf and .223 is IMO the best option. If you can get 17HMR conditoned on your license for Fox as some police forces do, then thats going to be cheap and effective for foxes at ranges up to 120yds as a maximum, but closer if they will come in. What about when they are at 150 yds ? Hmr's are are not cheap to run as you shoot of loads of rounds thinking they are cheap. But what exactly do they do ? Apart from a marketing point of view ! To much for rabbit ( .22rf is better up to 100m) Most crows in fields are out of range and marginal for an 130m fox. I'm not saying they are not fun But if you can only have two rifles then .22rf and .223 is IMO the best option. Completely dissagree, I shoot plenty of rabbits, Oh, was out this afternoon and had 2, one at 187yds and one 196 yds, both shot in the chest and went down like a lead ballon, you struggle to find the entry wound and there is no exit wound, and they are still perfectly edible. The same happens when you shoot a closer ranges, I know this as I have a 17HMR and shoot it a lot, and yes it is cheap to shoot as you should still only use one shot and not a plethora of quick shots Crows out of range?, depends on what ground your shooting over, I have found the crows on my permission are still within range of 17HMR even at 180yds, once you get to know your calibres 'rainbow' its all achievable, I have found its always the wind thats hard to read. As for your fox shooting and distance etc comment, dont be pedantic, its never clever. Plenty of people shooting Fox with 17HMR and its always in print in the recent shooting magazines. Most of the foxes I have shot with my 223 have been at ranges well under 150yds, So yes getting an 'opportunits fox' condition on your ticket is a good bonus. Have you ever had a 17HMR a 223 or a 22 rimmy mate? Thanks Mark Quote Link to post
coldweld 65 Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Yes Mark . I have had .17 hmr,.223. 22-250, .270, .303,.9mm (pistol) .22RF(pistol) I currently have .22RF, .17 Fireball, .22-250, .260 and 7.62 x 51 . Now just because i have had a few guns do's not make me an expert. But apart from the Two pistols i CHOSE to sell the others because of various reasons . The HMR was because it had no real use as i have listed above . Not being Pedantic . Just giving my Honest opinion to the person who posted the original topic ! Which was, what are the best rifles for rabbit, Hare and Fox. Quote Link to post
markha 99 Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Coldwell, your right, just because you list lots of guns does not make you an expert and I respect its just your opinion. At the end of the day mate Im ex forces and have been about and done a bit, mostly with a varied amount of standard and specialist armaments, too many of which to list, and also had plenty of concealed carry 'chits' afforded to me at various times, but again it doesnt make me an expert. Your pedant was about what are you going to do if the fox is too far away for your HMR, well what about if its too far away for 223 or whatever calibre? That just annoyed me as it was a pointless comment. Your opinion is your opinion, but just dont put bollocks comments in the middle of it, thats all. Quote Link to post
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