Calibre For Roe And Red?

[air gun ant 1,666]

I'm applying for my fac and can't decide what I need lol most of my land only only holds roe so I was always sure I was just going to go for a .243 but my brother has just taken on some really good stalking that holds quite a few reds also, so I will be mainly after roe but also have the oppertunity to go for reds on a fairly regular basis. He shoots a 308 which I feel is just to much of a cannon for me and can't get on with it. What would you experienced guys consider to be nice sweet shooting middle ground? I have thought about the 6.5x55 quite a lot but I believe it has a bit of a "rainbow trajectory" which may be a problem if I need to take a longer shot on the Reds?

Any opinions appreciated

Thanks ant

[MickyB 327]

I was looking at the .270 especially if your reloading (Or getting Dan too ) you can use lighter round for roe and heavier for reds if you want or use something in between for both, it is something I needed to do a bit more research into though.

I know what you mean with that .308 on the roe, it is a bit overkill

 

Good luck mate let me know how you get on.

[air gun ant 1,666]

Also thinking maybe 25-06?

[MickyB 327]

thats another apparently versatile round that i looked at, as like you I only wanted one or 2 centerfires not a list for different species but if you end up chasing boar i think you have to have a .308 dont quote me on that though.

[air gun ant 1,666]

thats another apparently versatile round that i looked at, as like you I only wanted one or 2 centerfires not a list for different species but if you end up chasing boar i think you have to have a .308 dont quote me on that though.

if them thing turn up around here I'll put in for a variation lol but I can't see me chasing them for a while yet not on my wages!

[walshie 2,804]

There is no legal requirement on calibre for boar, but the suggested minimum is a 270. From all accounts, they aren't as nice to shoot as a 308.

[Hydropotesinermis 724]

.270 can be a have a very snappy recoil and like Walshie, personally I would say isn't as nice as. 308 to shoot... Unmoderated. With a moderator it's a pussy cat and a very good round.

 

If you have shot. 308 and don't like then you don't like it and that's the end of it. Personally I think a lot of shooting is psychological so you have to be happy with what you are using.

 

Having said that anyone that says. 308 is too much gun for Roe is talking out their arse. I have shot 180 Roe a year for the last 5 years with. 308 and none have them have complained.

 

Walshie is correct when he says there is no legal minimum caliber for boar. Defra RECOMMEND a minimum of .270 for bore, personally I would say that you would be daft then to go after boar with a smaller caliber becausr let's say you where to wing one and the shit hit the fan and you ended up with the RSPCA trying to prosecute you for animal cruelty the first thing that would get brought up in court is why you using a calibre smaller than the one recommended by defra. A long shot perhaps but I think worth cosidering.

 

I have a. 2506 as well. Lovely lovely round to shoot and it flattens deer very efficiently but I will say this, consider the choice carefully because it can be a pig to get ahold of factory ammo for, unless of course you intend to homeload.

 

I have used .65x55 in the past, great round. No more of a loopy trajectory than. 308.

 

Have you considered. 30-06 massive range of bullets available, easy to get ammo for and with a moderator again... Sweet to shoot. I think personally it's an underrated calibre.

[trenchfoot 4,243]

6.5 x 55 is a cracker of an all rounder and will stabilise a wide range of bullet weight. I have friends who swear by the 25-06, but they do reload

 

have a look at a 7 x 57 if you can find one though. Its a beaut of a deer calibre

[air gun ant 1,666]

6.5 x 55 is a cracker of an all rounder and will stabilise a wide range of bullet weight. I have friends who swear by the 25-06, but they do reload

 

have a look at a 7 x 57 if you can find one though. Its a beaut of a deer calibre

yeah the 7x57 seems to come up again and again as a good all round deer calibre but some reason there doesn't seem to be many on here that claim to shoot them and obviously I'd like to hear of first hand experience. I maybe shouldn't discount.308 as a calibre, perhaps I just don't like my brothers gun lol the trigger seems really heavy to me, the recoil/muzzle flip seems over the top (even with a moderator on) and it weighs a ton after after a few hours lugging the thing around lol I have shot a .270 without a mod and that didn't seem as bad as his .308? But I'd still like something with the recoil of a .243 but a bit more punch for the Reds if you get what I mean?

[trenchfoot 4,243]

 

6.5 x 55 is a cracker of an all rounder and will stabilise a wide range of bullet weight. I have friends who swear by the 25-06, but they do reload

 

have a look at a 7 x 57 if you can find one though. Its a beaut of a deer calibre

yeah the 7x57 seems to come up again and again as a good all round deer calibre but some reason there doesn't seem to be many on here that claim to shoot them and obviously I'd like to hear of first hand experience. I maybe shouldn't discount.308 as a calibre, perhaps I just don't like my brothers gun lol the trigger seems really heavy to me, the recoil/muzzle flip seems over the top (even with a moderator on) and it weighs a ton after after a few hours lugging the thing around lol I have shot a .270 without a mod and that didn't seem as bad as his .308? But I'd still like something with the recoil of a .243 but a bit more punch for the Reds if you get what I mean?

 

It's difficult to compare calibres and how they feel to shoot, unless they are of the same model of rifle. I think some of the less popular calibers that get mentioned as being suitable are no less effective than the more popular ones, just that when it comes to spending hard earned cash most of us bottle it and plump for the "safe" option.

[Born Hunter 17,763]

Go for the 30-06.......... that'll put you in the position to be able to take the piss out of ya brother for having a 'girls thirty caliber'. Something you can remind him of just as he's f****d a stalk up.

[MIK 4,756]

If I was you I would apply for 2 calibres ....huge difference between roe a nd reds especailly the low ground reds ...Ive got a .222 for the smaller stuff and 308 for the bigger and have shot roe with it and it can make a real mess of them

[Hydropotesinermis 724]

If I was you I would apply for 2 calibres ....huge difference between roe a nd reds especailly the low ground reds ...Ive got a .222 for the smaller stuff and 308 for the bigger and have shot roe with it and it can make a real mess of them

That's more about bullet choice than calibre.

 

Fc England use. 308, kielder forest shoot in excess of 2000 Roe annually with it. I would have thought they shoot between 800 and a thousand Roe annually at Thetford. As well as Reds.

 

It does the job.

[sussex 5,777]

Another vote for the 6.5 ..whilst most of my stalking is fallow I do shoot a few roe with it . Does a super clean job on both , as yet not had it on the Reds but a couple of friends use them north of the border and get the same results ..

[Yokel Matt 918]

+1 for the 6.5 swede. Easy recoil when moderated and man enough for the bigger stuff without smashing up the roe. The 120/130 grain factory ammo will give you a decent velocity making it flat enough out to most realistic shooting ranges, heavier than that and yes it drops off a bit but just how many shots do you expect to take at long range?? I've shot a red stag at 400m and sika at 250+ which was plenty far enough for me!

 

If the 6.5 didn't exist I'd have a 30.06.