Vince Green Posted June 18, 2010 Report Share Posted June 18, 2010 I have allways advocated the .308 as the jack of all trades calibre and still do . I am now a one gun stalker and shoot an m77 in 308 for foxs up to red stags . The best choice of bullets come in 30 calibre and the round is very versatile from 100 grain up to 200 plus . I have owned all the stalking calibres over the years and have realized that the .308 winchester is the only gun a stalker needs to shoot deer and foxes with . I now only load 150 grain bullets and use them for every thing . Proberbly my most favourite rifle was my .270 , which I used for many years on european big game with fabulous results . The only problem with the .270 is they are a bit noisey at first light in woodland and tend to have a bit to much power for the smaller deer . Harnser . The .270 is certainly an under rated calibre IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted June 18, 2010 Report Share Posted June 18, 2010 The .270 is certainly an under rated calibre IMO Vince , I think that people who know guns ,know of the capabilty of the mighty .270 . Harnser . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullet boy Posted June 18, 2010 Report Share Posted June 18, 2010 If your going to do Roe,Fox and Reds then I'd say go for the allrounder and that be a .243! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groach1234 Posted June 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2010 Right to get you up to date i have been thinking and not got very far i have emailed the man i am stalking reds with in summer to see what he thinks about it as i stated that the .243 would be good as i would get used to it and confident but that i was worried about feeling under gunned so to speak although no matter what you are shooting with if it doesn't strike true it wont do the business i like the idea of the .243 for now and possibly getting say a .300winmag for the boar and plains game at a later date as it isn't needed right now so to speak. Thanks for all the advice and i have taken it all to heart and will let you all know what i go for when i send off for the variation in the next week or so. George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harv Posted June 18, 2010 Report Share Posted June 18, 2010 STOP before you send if off.... 25-06 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groach1234 Posted June 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2010 STOP before you send if off.... 25-06 :look: The ****** is there was even a left hand 25-06 mauser in my local RFD a couple of months ago and i divered about and it went George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harv Posted June 18, 2010 Report Share Posted June 18, 2010 sleep well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted June 19, 2010 Report Share Posted June 19, 2010 Really, if you think about it logically it sounds like you're going Red stalking once, plains game hunting once, then Foxing every week at home? If that's the case get a .243! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieT Posted June 19, 2010 Report Share Posted June 19, 2010 Really, if you think about it logically it sounds like you're going Red stalking once, plains game hunting once, then Foxing every week at home? If that's the case get a .243! Strange advice from you chap, are you sure you didn't mean a 458 Lott. That's more your sort of caliber. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddy Galore! Posted June 19, 2010 Report Share Posted June 19, 2010 as others have said, .243 :( if you're reloading then you can mess about with it to your hearts content, 2 rigs will cost you a small fortune, a waste if you only shoot large game once a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted June 20, 2010 Report Share Posted June 20, 2010 Strange advice from you chap, are you sure you didn't mean a 458 Lott. That's more your sort of caliber. I was thinking the same C, why not a 20mm cannon, you just never when you might (not) need one.... I didn't know common was contageous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groach1234 Posted June 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2010 Really, if you think about it logically it sounds like you're going Red stalking once, plains game hunting once, then Foxing every week at home? If that's the case get a .243! Yep, get what you are saying and seems obvious really but i hope to be getting into stalking in a major way over the next 16 months or so as i am on a gap year (due to poor grades brought up by resits and reapplication) and due to medical reasons i am unlikely to be going traveling for more than six weeks from the end of this july to the start of end of next september/early october. George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted June 21, 2010 Report Share Posted June 21, 2010 In that case rather than going smaller for foxes and muntjac etc just go .243 now with a view to something a lot bigger for when you go for big reds and elephants etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted June 21, 2010 Report Share Posted June 21, 2010 Strange advice from you chap, are you sure you didn't mean a 458 Lott. That's more your sort of caliber. I was thinking the same C, why not a 20mm cannon, you just never when you might (not) need one....I didn't know common was contageous :blink: I know, but the lad's saying he's on a limited budget. In that situation you've got to go with what's right rather than what sounds like the most fun. .243 would be perfect for what will essentially be a Foxing rifle that can shoot some Deer. If you do the safari bit then .375H&H is nice. It shoots about the same trajectory as a .30-06 but with an extra 100 grains of bullet. They don't destroy Deer, are accurate enough to hit Squirrels and don't kick the **** out of you when you fire them! On an Elephant it's similar to using a .243 on Red Stags but it will do the job. .458 Lott! I knew there was something I missed out when I put that variation in! As for the 20mm, I've seen one of those babies in the flesh and there's no way I'd fire one from a sporting rifle (assuming such a thing even exists?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groach1234 Posted June 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2010 I know, but the lad's saying he's on a limited budget. In that situation you've got to go with what's right rather than what sounds like the most fun. .243 would be perfect for what will essentially be a Foxing rifle that can shoot some Deer. If you do the safari bit then .375H&H is nice. It shoots about the same trajectory as a .30-06 but with an extra 100 grains of bullet. They don't destroy Deer, are accurate enough to hit Squirrels and don't kick the **** out of you when you fire them! On an Elephant it's similar to using a .243 on Red Stags but it will do the job. .458 Lott! I knew there was something I missed out when I put that variation in! As for the 20mm, I've seen one of those babies in the flesh and there's no way I'd fire one from a sporting rifle (assuming such a thing even exists?) :blink: I get what you are saying and having spoken to the man the stalking is with he said if you want a .243 then go for it but i am still spilt as i am coming around to the idea of a 6.5x55 but maybe a bit big for fox and my land at home suppose i will probably go .243 but i am still worried about the idea of feeling under gunned even though i know they are up to it. For one last time do you honestly think i will be just as well with a 100 grain bullet from a .243 than a 150 grain from a 6.5? does the wind move a bullet much when you compare those two sizes its my last worry as if a stag runs 20-30 yards on an open hill before it dies its not such a problem that the .243 doesn't have the 'shocking power' of a larger rifle. George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted June 21, 2010 Report Share Posted June 21, 2010 The 6.5 is a lovely calibre. For Fox I think it's a bit heavy and often they don't handle really light varmint bullets so well. It is good in the wind but that's not really an issue for you as you shouldn't (in my opinion) be hunting at ranges where the wind will be pushing either of them that far off the mark. If you plan to go for Reds then the 6.5 is great, but I doubt it would be big enough for plains game so you'd need something bigger for that anyway assuming you're going for big stuff? I've just sold my 6.5 and put in for a .243 because I wanted to throw lighter bullets at Foxes. Being realistic either of them will be fine for you. If you're keen on 6.5 look up the .260 Rem. That handles lighter bullets better as the throat is shorter, although the downside to that is it wont throw the 140grn+ bullets quite as fast. Stuart is a big fan of the 6.5 and can probably give you more info on a wider range of species than I can. He rates it for Boar though so if it will stop them it will stop most things! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groach1234 Posted June 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2010 The 6.5 is a lovely calibre. For Fox I think it's a bit heavy and often they don't handle really light varmint bullets so well. It is good in the wind but that's not really an issue for you as you shouldn't (in my opinion) be hunting at ranges where the wind will be pushing either of them that far off the mark. If you plan to go for Reds then the 6.5 is great, but I doubt it would be big enough for plains game so you'd need something bigger for that anyway assuming you're going for big stuff? I've just sold my 6.5 and put in for a .243 because I wanted to throw lighter bullets at Foxes. Being realistic either of them will be fine for you. If you're keen on 6.5 look up the .260 Rem. That handles lighter bullets better as the throat is shorter, although the downside to that is it wont throw the 140grn+ bullets quite as fast. Stuart is a big fan of the 6.5 and can probably give you more info on a wider range of species than I can. He rates it for Boar though so if it will stop them it will stop most things! Thanks the problem with a less common caliber like a .260 rem is that i will struggle to get one in left hand although if i get just the one i could buy knew i suppose i could get hold of one with out much hassle although i will need to look into it further as i don't know much about it as a caliber. George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted June 23, 2010 Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 The .260 uses the same case as a .308. In theory you could get your RFD to get you a second hand .308 or .243 action from a rifle that had been shot out and get it rebarrelled in .260. The barrel work may not be cheap but a second hand shot out .243 or .308 is going to be really cheap and also very common. It would make getting a lefty action quite easy and you'd probably be able to come up with a semi custom rifle for quite reasonable money? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groach1234 Posted June 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 The .260 uses the same case as a .308. In theory you could get your RFD to get you a second hand .308 or .243 action from a rifle that had been shot out and get it rebarrelled in .260. The barrel work may not be cheap but a second hand shot out .243 or .308 is going to be really cheap and also very common. It would make getting a lefty action quite easy and you'd probably be able to come up with a semi custom rifle for quite reasonable money? What sort of cash are you looking at for a re-barrelling? also what weight of bullets can you put through a .260? George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamie g Posted June 23, 2010 Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 What sort of cash are you looking at for a re-barrelling? also what weight of bullets can you put through a .260? George depends on what make barrel you want. the gunsmith rates, then you have the £ rates against the $ barrels cost more then they use to due to £ being poor. your prob looking about £550 to £600 now if not more. dasherman who is on most shooting forums is about the cheapest around from what i can tell. yet his work is second to none. seen alot of happy people on the net giving him good feed back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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