keeperdan Posted November 7, 2010 Report Share Posted November 7, 2010 I am looking in to getting a fox rifile but a bit unsure what to go for,, dont really want to spend to much,,, Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CZ550Kevlar Posted November 7, 2010 Report Share Posted November 7, 2010 Depends what your force stipulates, Kent allow .17HMR for fox but i`m sure someone from your neck of the woods will pass on some calibres but .223 is a perfect all rounder and you can pick them up left right and centre for not alot of money and reloading is cheap along with off the shelf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Logic Posted November 7, 2010 Report Share Posted November 7, 2010 17 HMR is never a calibre to buy as a 'fox' rifle, merely one for when you're out after rabbits and charlie sticks his head up. 223 is the calibre which ticks every box, so get that unless your needs are massive range or quieter than 223's moderate crack. As for the rifle, assuming 223, pretty much every one is half-decent. Tikka T3 is my choice but they're not the cheapest. You could do a lot worse than a Howa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickcass23 Posted November 7, 2010 Report Share Posted November 7, 2010 (edited) Gotta look at the Remington 700 range aswell in .223 Everyone says Tikka,Howa,Browning or CZ but second hand remi's are a cracking gun at a very afordable price and accurate................... 17hmr is a fantastic round but like its been said...its a long range bunny round and if a fox pops out them maybeeeeeeeeeee but its not a dedicated round. if youve got a reasonable budget then its .223 all day long for the fox!! Edited November 7, 2010 by nickcass23 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamie g Posted November 8, 2010 Report Share Posted November 8, 2010 any of the 22 cf will be more then up to the job. i have two for sale your welcome to come see as you dont live to far away. tikka 222 and a winchester 22/250. both shoot great. the tikka is lighter and compact and the winchester is heavier as you would guess being a varmint rifle. soild h&s stock. jewell trigger. and it shoots most factory ammo very very well. there both better with reloads though which i have data for. if you do go for a 223 you wont be sorry there good also Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyb Posted November 8, 2010 Report Share Posted November 8, 2010 Forget the rest.. 223 or 243 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted November 8, 2010 Report Share Posted November 8, 2010 Have to agree with the majority of replies on here! Either a .222 (Sometimes hard to get suitable ammo for) or a .223 is the better option if it is going to be a dedicated foxing rifle. The only time I would say otherwise is if there was a possibility of wanting to take deer at some time in the future, then I would suggest a .243 to be the better option (That's what I am doing at the moment). I'm sure that someone will disagree with me but not to worry. Good luck whatever decision you make! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted November 8, 2010 Report Share Posted November 8, 2010 Have a look at Jamies .222. The Tikka is a nice rifle, especially the pre T3 like the one on offer. .223 is easier to get factory ammo for but you can always order it. If you want something for close range Foxes and bunnies then the Hornet is nice too if you home load. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted November 8, 2010 Report Share Posted November 8, 2010 .243 would be my recomendation as well if you have any likelyhood of wanting to shoot deer in the future. Cracking foxing rifle and deer legal saves buying one then the other or having 2 rifles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprags Posted November 8, 2010 Report Share Posted November 8, 2010 My opinion, and it is only my opinion, would be a .243win. As Alex says, one rifle for two purposes. I used to have a .22-250 for Charlie and a .270win for deer, now I have just one rifle, a .243ai. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted November 8, 2010 Report Share Posted November 8, 2010 the other thing to bear in mind is they are just as likely to grant a .243 as a .223 as a first centrefire and almost like it if you say you're thinking you may move onto deer and want the one gun to handle both. Obviously it doesn't help the rifle collectors for whom more guns is better but that does depend on the depth of your pockets with two rifles two scopes etc etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamie g Posted November 8, 2010 Report Share Posted November 8, 2010 (edited) the other thing to bear in mind is they are just as likely to grant a .243 as a .223 as a first centrefire and almost like it if you say you're thinking you may move onto deer and want the one gun to handle both. Obviously it doesn't help the rifle collectors for whom more guns is better but that does depend on the depth of your pockets with two rifles two scopes etc etc one rifle for all is good but alot of forces wont just grant 243 just for fox which is silly really. they want proof of deer to most the time before granting it. dont hurt asking though i guess Edited November 8, 2010 by jamie g Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted November 8, 2010 Report Share Posted November 8, 2010 (edited) The last page of chapter 13 of the home office guidance to police states that 6mm/.243 is suitable for Fox. That is listed seperately to Deer. To me that means that you can have a .243 to shoot Foxes. No need to mention Deer at all, rather just put in a variation for it at a later date once you have the rifle. On another note it will be harder for them to introduce mentoring conditions to your Deer stalking if you've already been let out on your own with the same rifle, possibly at night, to shoot Foxes! The only reason they have for that is safety and if you're safe to let fly in the dark then you will be fine shooting Deer in the day time! Guidance can be found here.... http://www.cpsa.co.uk/userfiles/file/HO-Fi...uidance2835.pdf EDIT... To save you scrolling for ten minutes, click on the chapter in the list at the start to skip to it! Edited November 8, 2010 by njc110381 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willy1 Posted November 8, 2010 Report Share Posted November 8, 2010 (edited) .223 is easier to get factory ammo for but you can always order it. If you want something for close range Foxes and bunnies then the Hornet is nice too if you home load. If shooting up to 150yards then consider the .22c/f Hornet ,35gn v-max with 13gns (ok, njc, in your case 12.8)Lil'Gun powder.works wonders My reason for suggesting the Hornet is because IMO it's the most under rated c/f on the market,better than a .17hmr. over three times the energy,twice the bullet weight and as cheap or cheaper than the .17 hmr to supply with ammo(if you reload) Alan Edited November 8, 2010 by willy1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted November 8, 2010 Report Share Posted November 8, 2010 Per tub of powder you get twice the number of handloads from a Hornet than a .223. Makes it cheaper to run. The lighter bullets are often a smudge cheaper too. If Deer are at all possible though the .243 wins. Especially if you don't feel the need to shoot bunnies with your Foxing rig too often? There are so many things to consider - just the one gun is never enough! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprags Posted November 8, 2010 Report Share Posted November 8, 2010 Thanks for that link NJC110381 found the relevan info in Chapter 13! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted November 8, 2010 Report Share Posted November 8, 2010 Edited! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted November 8, 2010 Report Share Posted November 8, 2010 Per tub of powder you get twice the number of handloads from a Hornet than a .223. Makes it cheaper to run. The lighter bullets are often a smudge cheaper too. does cost come into it with many people though, as a fox gun I'd have a .223 over a hornet any day of the week simply because why restrict yourself, they are no easier to get and on you may save 4p a round on powder but I don't know anyone who uses enough rounds for it to really be an issue when foxing. As said a .243 is listed as a suitable fox gun and all you say is you might want to add deer later and it makes your choice very easy to explain to the FEO Loads on here have been sucked into getting a .22 centrefire as a fox gun me included and its a fairly expensive mistake if you want to go onto deer later on and as NJC says its hard to add deer conditions to a rifle you've demonstrated you are safe with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted November 8, 2010 Report Share Posted November 8, 2010 I have to say I've never seen the point in .22-250? It's pretty much a .243 in that it burns loads of powder and makes quite a bit of noise but it's not quite Deer legal! It's a silly calibre for UK use (in my opinion that is)! I like the Hornet because I don't just shoot Foxes with it. My Hornet is your HMR, so you can see why it then matters how much powder I burn. I've fired 100 rounds through it and I've only had the gun for two weeks! If you want a bunny and respectable Fox gun the Hornet is great. If you'll never shoot Deer the .222/.223 is pretty good. If there is a chance you may shoot Deer in the future go for .243. The .243 was designed as a Fox type gun, not for Deer. Since I've had mine I'm converted - you can shoot to silly ranges with a .243 and still use bullets that fragment well on impact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddy Galore! Posted November 8, 2010 Report Share Posted November 8, 2010 the 22-250 is just a variation on a theme, large case and small bullet= very fast and flat round, not everyones cup of tea but so what? what ever floats your boat chap, .22 WMR is a fox round too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprags Posted November 8, 2010 Report Share Posted November 8, 2010 I may be wrong but I have always understood the 22-250 to come from the 250-3000savage round, 22 from the calibre and 250 from the parent case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted November 8, 2010 Report Share Posted November 8, 2010 Can't argue with that! I'm hardly one to talk when it comes to sensible firearms purchases! Looking at the Hornady figures though the .243 with a 58grn bullet drops 2.3" more than a 40grn .22-250 at 500 yards. I don't see why you wouldn't just buy a .243 in case the oppertunity for a Deer arises? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted November 8, 2010 Report Share Posted November 8, 2010 that one is quite easy to explain its one of the flatter shooting fox calibers, liked by keepers and people who have a fox gun and a deer gun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted November 8, 2010 Report Share Posted November 8, 2010 I may be wrong but I have always understood the 22-250 to come from the 250-3000savage round, 22 from the calibre and 250 from the parent case. Yep, it is indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted November 8, 2010 Report Share Posted November 8, 2010 that one is quite easy to explain its one of the flatter shooting fox calibers, liked by keepers and people who have a fox gun and a deer gun. I'd be pretty gutted if a nice Deer popped out one evening when I was looking for charlie! Having said that, with a .22-250 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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