What to get?

[Sausagedog 7,381]

If I had to only have one rifle out of my 22 and the wmr I think I would have to keep the WMR. Ok I wouldn't plink as much but the ammo cost for 22's would buy a lot of wmr so I would still be able to practice and an air rifle is always ready for practice and low power work.

[Dervburner 2,549]

19 hours ago, Alsone said:

I think that's why the Mach 2 never really took off. It wasn't a hot cartridge so didn't really offer anything matching what some of the other wildcat .17's were already offering. Best calibre in .17 in my opinion as an alround gun is .17 hornet. If you prefer .22, the .22 hormet. Little to choose between the two. .17 if anything a little flatter and more usable range. However, stirring a hornets nest in trying to justify one over the other. Both will kill fox at medium range and are usable on rabbit, if a tad expensive for shooting many of the latter.

I love my .22 hornet for vermin control, rabbits for the pot have to be head shot though, and the shot pretty much removes part or most of the head. Body shots just blow them apart really so make good fox bait. Great for corvids out in fields

[Sausagedog 7,381]

2 hours ago, Dervburner said:

I love my .22 hornet for vermin control, rabbits for the pot have to be head shot though, and the shot pretty much removes part or most of the head. Body shots just blow them apart really so make good fox bait. Great for corvids out in fields

Hornet is so versatile if you reload. I use to slow it down to wmr performance and use 45g fmj bullets from S&B. It goes for ages on a pound of powder. I use to fill the case with slower powders than normal hornet speed powders.

H322 never got up high pressure like shotgun powders can all of a sudden!!

No messed up rabbits and no splattered heads but way better filling an order for the game dealer on a blustery night.

[Sausagedog 7,381]

My last hornet. A BSA. 1958.

[Dervburner 2,549]

Yer, lovely little calibre and with plenty of knock down power for foxy when required

[Longshanx 833]

All this talk of new rifles is making my bank account itch you can't beat a new rifle day. Don't think the Mrs would agree though ? I keep buying bits and bobs and parcels keep arriving at the door, keep telling her I'm saving a fortune not going the pub so I'm putting the money to better use

[Baldcoot 2,352]

Cant wait for lockdown lifting, Lcc police allowing nothing at the minute but I'm going for a .270 on freedom day.

I've a 1200 safari in .243 and it's the nuts.

My farming friend in Wales has both and I too want a 2nd p/h to replace my .308 BSA .

Itl cover all the bases and fettle an itch .

I cant buy anything else small so something big will have to do

[BenBhoy 4,706]

13 minutes ago, Baldcoot said:

Cant wait for lockdown lifting, Lcc police allowing nothing at the minute but I'm going for a .270 on freedom day.

I've a 1200 safari in .243 and it's the nuts.

My farming friend in Wales has both and I too want a 2nd p/h to replace my .308 BSA .

Itl cover all the bases and fettle an itch .

I cant buy anything else small so something big will have to do

Standard case or the short magnum, mate?

[Sausagedog 7,381]

11 minutes ago, Baldcoot said:

Cant wait for lockdown lifting, Lcc police allowing nothing at the minute but I'm going for a .270 on freedom day.

I've a 1200 safari in .243 and it's the nuts.

My farming friend in Wales has both and I too want a 2nd p/h to replace my .308 BSA .

Itl cover all the bases and fettle an itch .

I cant buy anything else small so something big will have to do

Nothing wrong with 270 or a Parker Hale.

Friend of mine used a 270 for decades. Rabbits at silly distances, fox's at long distances, roe and red. Think his longest red was over 400yds just north of loch Dochart.

[Baldcoot 2,352]

Standard Ben ,it just works. Reds,Fallow, Roe its balanced and smooth atb

[Alsone 789]

On 27/04/2020 at 21:20, Sausagedog said:

I had 30/30, 308 and 357 just for fox on my license. 

You have to give a good reason. I did and got what needed/wanted.

You were lucky to get .308 for fox alone as it's fall outside the guidance for fox. Obviosuly you had a very good reason (long range?) and a sympathetic FAO. .357 and .30/30 I can see why. .30/30 actually has much less energy than I believed so energy wise does fall within fox guidelines. I was wrong there. I thought it was up there near .30-06. Still both .357 and 30-30 unusual calibres due to their cross sections. I still believe some forces may object on bullet size though even though the energy of those 30's is within guidance. Firearms is a funny old game in the UK. 

[Sausagedog 7,381]

19 minutes ago, Alsone said:

You were lucky to get .308 for fox alone as it's fall outside the guidance for fox. Obviosuly you had a very good reason (long range?) and a sympathetic FAO. .357 and .30/30 I can see why. .30/30 actually has much less energy than I believed so energy wise does fall within fox guidelines. I was wrong there. I thought it was up there near .30-06. Still both .357 and 30-30 unusual calibres due to their cross sections. I still believe some forces may object on bullet size though even though the energy of those 30's is within guidance. Firearms is a funny old game in the UK. 

Luck had nothing to do with it thank you.

[KimE 487]

"Never get it in the UK as the Uk restricts calibre by prey size. You have to prove good reason to possess a calibre.
.30-30 is going to be deer as good reason not fox or rabbit. You'd never usually get a grant for fox alone. .357 mag or .45 colt might possibly get for fox being handgun calibres although size wise they probably exceed the typical bullet size commonly granted for that reason. Decisions however are made on energy not size, so a chance here depending on what energy they make from a 20" barrel. However, I'd expect no chance of either for rabbit."

Bullet size are a strange thing to go after .357mag have about the same energy level as .22hornet or .222r a short possible maximum range makes it safer than a .222r. Most 30-30 rifles doesn`t get to the energy level 2000j with a 154gr bullet so its only allowed for small game (up to and including beaver, roedeer) in Sweden.

 

"You were lucky to get .308 for fox alone as it's fall outside the guidance for fox."

A work mate use his 308w for small game and his 45-70 for moose and bear, the slow bullet of the 45 makes a small wound with little meat damage. Here are 9,3*62 a popular cartridge for most biggame species and smallgame as roedeer.

[Dervburner 2,549]

Guidelines are guidelines, not protocol.

[Sausagedog 7,381]

2 hours ago, Dervburner said:

Guidelines are guidelines, not protocol.

You say that but the guidelines say to deter any request for a muzzloader rifle for hunting. However there's no law specifically prohibiting their use for hunting. No logical reasoning seems to get through on the subject. No sense in it at all. It's a white wash rule to stop heavy muzzloaders being miss used but it could be easily controlled via a spread sheet of the various types, as are breech loaders are.