Best Bunny Bashing Gun

[louis123 12]

im looking to get a joint fac and sgc soon i have access to shotguns but i would like my own fac rated rifle, its has to be within reasonable price and not too heavyy, would be shooting small ground game and the odd charlie if there is one about..so anybody have any suggestions

 

atb louis

Edited February 20, 2009 by louis123

[louis123 12]

anyone?

[hotel2zero 0]

anyone?

 

My 2pence worth is .17HMR

 

Good out to 200yds, perfect for bunny bashing. (22 has the advantage in the noise dept)

 

but i went the hmr route and never looked back,

 

price wise, from £280ish for a CZ 452 (different options for stock, barel length/finish/thickness)

 

SAK moderator £35 ish

 

Scope - sky is the limit, but £120 will get a starting scope.

 

ammo - a bit pricey approx £21-£24 per 100 rounds

 

I only use this for rabbit, wouldn't use it for charlie - some do, some are totally against it - (i'm saying no more)

 

Best of luck

Edited February 22, 2009 by hotel2zero

[louis123 12]

How much is ammo for a .22 lr?

[louis123 12]

and wouldnt a .17HMR litterally blow rabitts to pieces at a shorter distance?

[mattydski 560]

.22lr is £3.50/50 Winchester Hollow point subs.

Yes Hmr is for Head shots only if you want to eat whats left. Other than that is an excellent calibre.

I reckon .22lr for bunnies up to 100/110 yards. Cheap to run, quiet and leaves a meal.

The only time I would consider an HMR, is if there is a serious risk from ricochets. .22lR does not carry enough energy to disintigrate on impact, whereas HMR will.

 

My own opinion is to avoid both for fox, unless absolutely essential, and after sufficient experience with the gun. You will be lucky to get fox listed on your ticket for a rimfire.

[jamie g 17]

go with what your ground suites you if you can knock rabbits off at yards then the 22lr is best. if there over that then hmr is better

[hotel2zero 0]

and wouldnt a .17HMR litterally blow rabitts to pieces at a shorter distance?

 

Not so true, funny enough i've shot about rabbits this year, and the ones that wern't headshots didn't really get blown to bits, some can though.

[jamie g 17]

and wouldnt a .17HMR litterally blow rabitts to pieces at a shorter distance?

 

Not so true, funny enough i've shot about rabbits this year, and the ones that wern't headshots didn't really get blown to bits, some can though.

 

yes your right it depends where the bullet hits. if it hits bone in the head it will rip the head right open

[humperdingle 0]

It will really depend on what the minimum calibre permitted for fox is in your force area. Generally you need fox specified on your conditions to be authorised to shoot it.

In my force area, the minimum for fox is .22 Hornet. As one of the smaller centrefires, it's punchy, and can take longer range small vermin with ease. Plus it's reloadable, so you can vary the load to suit your shooting.

[cyclonebri1 8]

It will really depend on what the minimum calibre permitted for fox is in your force area. Generally you need fox specified on your conditions to be authorised to shoot it.

In my force area, the minimum for fox is .22 Hornet. As one of the smaller centrefires, it's punchy, and can take longer range small vermin with ease. Plus it's reloadable, so you can vary the load to suit your shooting.

 

 

Seems quite a casual question so the answer has to be the cheapest.22 you can find. No other ammo comes near as cheap.

[humperdingle 0]

It will really depend on what the minimum calibre permitted for fox is in your force area. Generally you need fox specified on your conditions to be authorised to shoot it.

In my force area, the minimum for fox is .22 Hornet. As one of the smaller centrefires, it's punchy, and can take longer range small vermin with ease. Plus it's reloadable, so you can vary the load to suit your shooting.

 

 

Seems quite a casual question so the answer has to be the cheapest.22 you can find. No other ammo comes near as cheap.

 

Whilst it's certainly the cheapest, it's not much use if he isn't allowed to shoot fox as well as rabbit with it.

[cyclonebri1 8]

It will really depend on what the minimum calibre permitted for fox is in your force area. Generally you need fox specified on your conditions to be authorised to shoot it.

In my force area, the minimum for fox is .22 Hornet. As one of the smaller centrefires, it's punchy, and can take longer range small vermin with ease. Plus it's reloadable, so you can vary the load to suit your shooting.

 

 

Seems quite a casual question so the answer has to be the cheapest.22 you can find. No other ammo comes near as cheap.

 

Whilst it's certainly the cheapest, it's not much use if he isn't allowed to shoot fox as well as rabbit with it.

 

It's the old argument again one that will never be answered as the various Police areas can't even agree.

 

What I'm going by is the OP said he wanted a FAC rated rifle for rabbit and the odd fox, inferring he goes rabbit shooting and the odd fox crops up, not many folks get a specific fox calibre for that situation.

 

I'd also bet there isn't a single shooter on here that if faced with a fox picking up a shot rabbit at say 40 yds or so, wouldn't shoot it with a .22?

 

The real problem is that the law allows shotguns to be used for foxing, resulting in many walked up charlies being peppered with birdshot at 40 yds Nothing wrong with killing a fox with the SG, but more are wounded than killed due to innapropriate loads.

 

Just my point of view

[humperdingle 0]

It will really depend on what the minimum calibre permitted for fox is in your force area. Generally you need fox specified on your conditions to be authorised to shoot it.

In my force area, the minimum for fox is .22 Hornet. As one of the smaller centrefires, it's punchy, and can take longer range small vermin with ease. Plus it's reloadable, so you can vary the load to suit your shooting.

 

 

Seems quite a casual question so the answer has to be the cheapest.22 you can find. No other ammo comes near as cheap.

 

Whilst it's certainly the cheapest, it's not much use if he isn't allowed to shoot fox as well as rabbit with it.

 

It's the old argument again one that will never be answered as the various Police areas can't even agree.

 

What I'm going by is the OP said he wanted a FAC rated rifle for rabbit and the odd fox, inferring he goes rabbit shooting and the odd fox crops up, not many folks get a specific fox calibre for that situation.

 

I'd also bet there isn't a single shooter on here that if faced with a fox picking up a shot rabbit at say 40 yds or so, wouldn't shoot it with a .22?

 

The real problem is that the law allows shotguns to be used for foxing, resulting in many walked up charlies being peppered with birdshot at 40 yds Nothing wrong with killing a fox with the SG, but more are wounded than killed due to innapropriate loads.

 

Just my point of view

I must be the exception to that rule then. You shoot a fox with a .22 rimfire (and it's not conditioned on your license) and you will lose your FAC if caught. That's why I applied for .22-250. It's only purpose is for foxing.

 

I wouldn't shoot a fox with a shotgun over about 15 yards either. Even with SG, the pattern is rubbish and you'd never be guaranteed a clean kill.

[SportingShooter 0]

To be fair, it really does depend on what your Firearms Region deems "Vermin"

 

Some say that Fox is classed as Vermin and so can be shot if you have Vermin listed on your FAC for a Rimfire.

 

Others say that Fox is definitely not Vermin and has to be conditioned separately. But it doesn't stop there, you can get conflicting views from different FEO's within the same force.

 

My FEO down here says that Fox has to be conditioned separately, whereas his colleague in the East of the force area says that Fox is Vermin. Where do you start

 

If a case of Fox being shot with a Rimfire on a Vermin condition were taken up, it would either be thrown out as the conditions and opinions are so varied and vague, or it would go to court and be ruled in favour of the shooter IMO for the same reasons.

 

As has been said many times, a test case is needed, but who wants to be the one to test it?

 

As for the original question. Check with your Region whether fox is Vermin or a separate entity and go from there.

 

A .22LR is a great round, and supremely quiet with a Mod. Its a good Mid range rabbit gun. The HMR is a headshooting gun really, and will take a bunny to 200+ yards with ease.

 

If you have Foxes on you ground that need taking care of, I personally, would apply for a Rimfire and a Centrefire.

 

SS