what rifle??

[Guest manda]

hello i will be going for my fac soon, and was wondering what rifle would be best for my needs i will be shooting fox, rabbits and might see the odd deer i know quite a bit about air rifles but absolutly fook all about fac rifles so names and calibres would be much appreciated

regards scott

[jamie g 17]

hello i will be going for my fac soon, and was wondering what rifle would be best for my needs i will be shooting fox, rabbits and might see the odd deer i know quite a bit about air rifles but absolutly fook all about fac rifles so names and calibres would be much appreciated

regards scott

 

 

depends mate really ? 22lr rimfire for rabbits upto 100 yards. but some people stick to 70 or yards with them.

they are cheap to run and are allmost silent. so great for night time shooting or when you want to keep the noise down on a permission where the farm dont like alot of noise. eley sub ammo is £3.26 for 50 round here but my mate at kiddyminster gets them for £26 pound for 500.

 

then there is 17 hmr rimfire which a lot of people have now. its a rimfire but but over twice the power of 22lr. if you use sub ammo in 22lr it fires about 1050 fps where as the hmr fires about 2500fps with a 17gr ammo. its range is up to about 150 yards but some people have shot rabbits at more distance then that with them so im told. but i stick to this range.

the ammo is alot more then 22lr ammo its £11 pound for 50 round here ! but it just depends where you live some people get them for £9 to £10 pound a box of 50.

 

then for foxing you could get 222 centrefire or 223,22/250 i would say the most popular is 223 and 22/250

the 22/250 is what ive just gone for. again in some places in the uk you can shoot small deer now with 22 centrefire rifles. but if you have bigger deer to shoot then get 243 centrefire rifle this way you could shoot the bigger ones.

 

if it was me and you get a centrefire at 1st grant which some people do and some dont. then i would get 243 so you could have fox and cover all deer then to. and get 22lr or hmr for rabbits. better still get both 22lr and hmr

 

as for the centrfires some people have bigger still then 243 for the bigger deer like reds. i dont no about this as im going to be new to centrefires when i get granted for 22/250[ i hope ]. but im sure some people on here will tell you all about the bigger cal centrefires soon.

Edited February 26, 2008 by jamie g

[Guest JohnGalway]

Jamie has pretty much covered it.

 

I'd get a .22lr for the wabbits, put a SAK mod or similiar on the end of it and the loudest part of the operation is the bullet striking the rabbit. It makes a nice POP! Mine is aSako Quad bolt action, accurate, light, reliable. Other folks may suggest CZ, Anschutz in the bolt action department or again CZ (511 I think?), Ruger 10/22 or Remington 597 for semi automatic action. Out of the boxes bolt action will be more accurate. My Sako will group just over 1/2 an inch at 60 yards with Eley Subsonics and around the inch mark at 100 yards.

 

HMR is an excellent round. I don't own one but I shoot two belonging to friends regularly (both Sako Quads also). We use it mostly for knocking off hoodies and magpies. Put a moderated .22lr and HMR beside each other and the HMR will be louder. It's just the way it is, you can't take the sonic crack away from the HMR by using subsonics like in the .22lr. I can't comment really on how rabbits react to it as I've not shot them with one.

 

You've got a lot of choices for foxes. .17REM, .204Ruger, .220SWIFT, .222REM, .223REM, .22-250, .243WIN. The last three calibres in that list being the most popular for the job IMO. I got a .223 as I don't need anything bigger than that, it's accurate and cheap enough to feed. Mines a Remington VL SS with a thumbhole stock, it's accounted for plenty of foxes since I got it I've also had a Tikka T3 Varmint but that one had problems which I believe was specific to that rifle. I shoot a Remington VSSF II occassionally and find it very accurate also. They're all varmint barrels so they'll be heavy. Plenty of good centrefire rifles around for foxing, Sako, CZ, Steyr, Tikka, Howa and more I'm sure I'm forgetting.

 

I won't comment much on deer as I don't shoot them, just to say that 6.5x55 also seems to be a popular calibre.

[Mr_Logic 5]

You can't do it in one gun, as has been said.

 

Depending on where you live and what deer you want to shoot, 223, 22-250 can do the job. In England, for some stupid reason, you still need 243 for roe deer.

 

So, 22LR for rabbits. And then it's tricky.

 

I have Hornet for long range bunnies and close-ish foxes. 22-250 or 223 for longer range foxing. 22-250 has the edge for range and power but 223 is cheaper to run, which is why I have gone for it, and then 243 for deer, and in my case also long range foxes.

[tonetone 0]

hi scott,

i have just posted off my fac application last week. i have been using my fathers .22lr for rabbits and it is great up to around 80yds. i needed more range though for killing hoodie crows and ravens(under licence) So i asked a few questions on this forum and a lot of the experienced guys said that 222 or 223 or a 22-250 would do the job. i went for the 223 because the ammo is a bit cheaper and the choice of rifle is greater. probably good for foxes too. i dont know about the deer mate. good luck.

tonetone

[jamie g 17]

You can't do it in one gun, as has been said.

 

Depending on where you live and what deer you want to shoot, 223, 22-250 can do the job. In England, for some stupid reason, you still need 243 for roe deer.

 

So, 22LR for rabbits. And then it's tricky.

 

I have Hornet for long range bunnies and close-ish foxes. 22-250 or 223 for longer range foxing. 22-250 has the edge for range and power but 223 is cheaper to run, which is why I have gone for it, and then 243 for deer, and in my case also long range foxes.

 

a man with many rifles this guy luck sod

[Mr_Logic 5]

You can't do it in one gun, as has been said.

 

Depending on where you live and what deer you want to shoot, 223, 22-250 can do the job. In England, for some stupid reason, you still need 243 for roe deer.

 

So, 22LR for rabbits. And then it's tricky.

 

I have Hornet for long range bunnies and close-ish foxes. 22-250 or 223 for longer range foxing. 22-250 has the edge for range and power but 223 is cheaper to run, which is why I have gone for it, and then 243 for deer, and in my case also long range foxes.

 

a man with many rifles this guy luck sod

I will have... I have Hornet, 22LR and 22-250 right now. Ticket is in to remove the 22-250 and change to 243, plus add a 223 and change one of my LRs into a Sako Quad with 17HM2, 22LR, 22WMR barrels.

 

But even when Plod gets his act together, I still need to find some money

[Guest manda]

thats great guys much appreciated, will just wait for my licence then go and pay the shop a visit and have a good look and see which is more suited to me

atb scott

[Mr_Logic 5]

thats great guys much appreciated, will just wait for my licence then go and pay the shop a visit and have a good look and see which is more suited to me

atb scott

Doesn't work like that, you have to declare which calibres you want and for what, so you need to know BEFORE you apply.

[Guest manda]

oh aye meant to say will go to the shop and see whats best suited first :oops:

[Guest JohnGalway]

Just wondering if you've read this informative thread on fox calibres, might be of help