Which Rifle For Foxes.???

[Dumpling 23]

Hi all im looking to buy a rifle for foxes and as there is so many options the .17 HMR looks a tidy rifle and ive heard a lot of good things about it

as im just getting back into it as ive not done any fox shooting for 25yrs so any advice would be gratefully received.

 

thanks steve.

[walshie 2,804]

Not a fan of hmrs. 223 all the way.

[dixyhmr 62]

Forget Hmr as a foxing calibre. As a rifle purely for foxes I'd be looking at .22 hornet upwards but would suggest a minimum of .222.

 

From there the world is your oyster but a .222, .223, .22-250 or .243 would be the obvious choices depending on how far you need to stretch out to.

 

My personal preference purely for fox is .223.

[hutchey 147]

Just recently had my variation back for my 223 and going shopping very soon

[shropshire dan 467]

Ive shot a few charlies with the hmr and dropped them well but was tired of waiting for 100yard shots. Ive just traded it for a .22-250 for fox

[slipper 116]

223 for me, had your ticket through yet dan?

[Adrian Prisk 6]

I have a slot for hmr on my ticket was going to get one for the fox and longer range rabbits,but my 22 does rabbit to 100yards. After research and advice i decided to use the money for the hmr on a .223 instead. didnt want to spend the money on a hmr and end up saving for a .223 9months further down the line and have the hmr gathering dust.

[DeerhoundLurcherMan 997]

Im waiting on a .223 variation...

 

Considered all other options and it always came back to the .223

 

I need a rifle that will kill foxes out to 200 yards, should do it cheaper and quieter than a 22-250 or 220 swift, I felt a hornet might leave me wanting a bit more on a few occasions. That left the .222 which would have been my second choice but Charlie caller said the .223 was a chav calibre so it just felt right!!

[hunter1 63]

I have 223. 22.250. 243 for fox . Hmr not up to the job in the real world if you do a lot of foxing .

[hunter1 63]

Deerhound lurcherman 223 is a cracking round . I would never sell mine.

[shropshire dan 467]

223 for me, had your ticket through yet dan?

No Chris rang them today and they said it should be with me this week and is an open ticket

[charlie caller 3,654]

Forget about the hmr as a foxing rifle, it will kill them at close range, but get yourself something that will do the job no questions asked, if you think you might want to shoot the odd deer bigger than a Muntjac or Cwd, or roe in Scotland, a .243 is the best choice, if deer are not on the menu, or just the small ones, the .22-250 has to be the one, 300 yard foxes are all in a days work for the .22-250, if you dont want quite the grunt of the .22-250, the .222 is a fantastic, super accurate, quiet (for a centerfire) fox rifle, it will take them out to 250 yards with ease.

[Rake aboot 4,935]

.470 Nitro express.

 

Faling that .465 Holland and Holland Nitro express works well.

 

 

My own preferance is for .222

[celticrusader 78]

You need to tell us dumpling if its specifically foxes or with the chance of taking something larger or smaller?

[ianm 2,594]

For foxes and long range crows etc i use a .204, infact i own two, one for day and one for night, the last fox i shot was at night and 320 yds. I also have a .243 which on occasion i will also use for fox. Any of the .22 c/f will do the job like wise so will a 17 rem or a .20 cal. It all depends on what else ( if anything ) you are going to shoot, whether from a truck or walking, expected ranges etc.