Caliber Question

[Alastair White 1]

Hi I use my Winchester W70 .243 to shoot roe and fox and i'm venturing up to Schotland this year to bag my first red would this caliber be sutible to the species.

[martin 332]

As long as you can shoot and put the bullet where it is supposed to go then it is fine for Reds.

[Yokel Matt 918]

As long as you can shoot and put the bullet where it is supposed to go then it is fine for Reds.

 

As the man says - yes it will. If you're on open hill you might be looking at a longer shot that you'd normally have on a roe so bear that in mind.

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

Not a problem at all. Shot all of our 6 species with my .243.

 

Just shoot straight and you will be OK

[matt_hooks 188]

I've shot all of the UK deer species, bar CWD, with a .243 and never had a problem.

 

Someone will come along and tell you that you need a bigger caliber to ensure an exit wound to help the beast bleed out quickly and leave a good blood trail, but that's a personal thing.

 

I would suggest it is better for you to use a rifle/scope/ammunition package that you are used to, and are confident in, in a slightly smaller caliber than use an unfamiliar rifle and cartridge.

 

Of course you need to make sure your ammunition meets the minimum requirements for a deer rifle under Scottish law. The spec is:-

 

Minimum caliber of .240" AND

minimum bullet weight of 100 grains AND

minimum velocity of 2450 fps AND

minimum muzzle energy of 1750 ft.lb.

 

I've capitalised the AND's because there are certain combinations that can meet, say, three of the requirements but miss the fourth.

 

So you will need something of 100 grains. To make the 1750 ft.lb you will need to push a 100gr projectile at 2808 fps. Most factory 100 grainers will be running around the 3000fps mark, but it's worth checking. If you are reloading then you'll want to check that your reloads are meeting all the requirements.

 

Out of interest, it is possible for some of the dangerous game calibres to be illegal for deer in Scotland, as they fall below the minimum MV. The 416 Rigby fires a 450 gr projectile with a ME of 5200 ft.lb, but with a MV of just 2200 fps, making it illegal for deer in Scotland. The .600 Nitro Express pushes a 900gr projectile with upwards of 8000 ft.lb, but the MV is only just over 2000 fps, so again illegal for deer in Scotland.

[The Duncan 802]

Good points and worth being aware of- thanks.

Interesting about the mv in Scotland. Just for a change, the law is an ass!

[The Duncan 802]

Sorry, above was to Matt. For some reason, can't edit posts tonight on the iPhone.