al4x Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 I was aware of a few feral Fallow around your parts and have an idea from were they came, surely these are still of little to no significance? Well put, very valid and perhaps why so many of us are .243" win devotees. Never forget though as a Deer gun alone it also has advantages funnily enough on the other forum this question is on there are a few people spent their lives culling reds with one who have spoken up for it. Its all about where you point it at the end of the day, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beretta28g Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 The 6.5 is a very usefull and versitile caliber, ane that appears to be getting quite a following. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyb Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 The 6.5 is a very usefull and versitile caliber, ane that appears to be getting quite a following. Yes.. but it simply can't beat a 243 on foxing duties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foggy11 Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 Alex . Which other forum? Would-be quite interesting to read that too. ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activeviii Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 The 6.5 is a very useful and versatile caliber, and that appears to be getting quite a following. So popular that i cant find one at the right price, let alone in the right place to go look first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted August 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 Alex . Which other forum? Would-be quite interesting to read that too. ;-) It's on the stalking directory Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malkiserow Posted August 5, 2011 Report Share Posted August 5, 2011 I have a 243 and it is a great fox calibre but even with a 9 1/8" twist, it has proven temperamental with 100gr bullets on occasion. My concern is why do manufacturers continue to apecify 10" twists unless they know something we dont, Why not go 9" or even 8.5"? I dont doubt the calibre at all for either use but its is my most commonly found complaint from users,"why am i struggling with big deer legal loads" and SO many people seem to resort to using the strangely perfect 95 gr SST's Just an observation, im not crittisizing anyone or their choice of gun, after all, if you dont "damage" the deer it wont die! So what twist rate is reliably good for 100 Grains? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted August 5, 2011 Report Share Posted August 5, 2011 I have a 243 and it is a great fox calibre but even with a 9 1/8" twist, it has proven temperamental with 100gr bullets on occasion. My concern is why do manufacturers continue to apecify 10" twists unless they know something we dont, Why not go 9" or even 8.5"? I dont doubt the calibre at all for either use but its is my most commonly found complaint from users,"why am i struggling with big deer legal loads" and SO many people seem to resort to using the strangely perfect 95 gr SST's Just an observation, im not crittisizing anyone or their choice of gun, after all, if you dont "damage" the deer it wont die! no garantees that any gun will shoot any bullet though are there. Mine will not shoot the 95 grn SST till its pushed into statiferic pressure and even then its not great. Shot 75 v-max great, but now apparantly loves 70 grn Nosler B/tip, hated 87 grn Hornady, dynamite with 100 grn pro hunter and 95 Nosler b/tip. Most do better with 95 grn partitions than 100 grn but the individual must make that call as to which they choose a reasonable range shot into the heart and it makes no matter which shoots a bit tighter imo. The 6mm Remington in many respects could have been the better of the two 6mm's for purpose but had the wrong barrels. so perhaps they do know something you don't as for we i think thats the royal we Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marklestrange Posted September 8, 2013 Report Share Posted September 8, 2013 (edited) Bang - resurrected! I've got .22 (x2) .17hmr and shotgun on the ticket as well as being a member (amongst others) of a 'centerfire' outdoor target club. In Devon .17hmr is a Foxing round so with .22lr for wabbits I'm thinking of getting a used Sako .308 for dear and 'sporting rifle' target. It will take me some time to progress to deer as I have '0' experience, but I'm up for the journey and this is my goal. OK I'm a bit weird but I'd like to shoot all my family eat when it comes to meat; pigeon rabbit and the odd pheasant ain't going to cut it with the kids. Lacking local boar I've gone for a share in some fattening Gloucester pigs but venison is required for the kids as they may revolt if beef is taken off the menu. Is 308 the right caliber for me? ...and does anybody want a 50 yr old IT lecturer on a stalk (I'm East Devon) ...will do IT for venison and mentoring - web specialist....well you can't blame me for asking! Edited September 8, 2013 by marklestrange Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted September 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2013 When I spotted this topic back at the top I was thinking "I bet it's that bloody Al4x taking the **** again".... I must apologise for that assumption! For target and sporting rifle comps I would say a .308 would be a fair choice. Certainly nothing wrong with that calibre and it will deal with anything you're likely to encounter in the UK. I'd prefer a 6.5x55 or 7-08 myself but that's not to say the .308 isn't just as good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marklestrange Posted September 9, 2013 Report Share Posted September 9, 2013 (edited) Thanks, NJC Am I right to think that a .308 Sako would (though on the 'heavy' side caliber-wise): be 'cheap' to shoot with military ammo (can one get it?) would be a suitable platform to learn reloading (not this year I have enough to learn) ? has a range of available commercial loads/types inc expanding that are readily available? I have heard that some Deer land may be restricted on caliber with 308 not being allowed (sounds crazy to me but what do I know) ? (I'm in SE Devon) Is this true? Edited September 9, 2013 by marklestrange Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted September 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2013 (edited) I think you can safely say that you should be able to find fairly cheap club ammo for the .308 - more so than a lot of other calibres. Any centrefire round is suitable for reloading. The .308 will have a wide range of easily available load data, perhaps more so than most rounds due to it's popularity. That could make life easier. Commercially it is going to be a round that almost every gun dealer holds a stock of. It is one of the most popular stalking and target calibres used in this country. Most will be available in expanding form - target ammo on the other hand could be harder to find in calibres other than .308 or .223. When the police go out to clear land it is true that some of it may be cleared for .243, 6.5x55 or whatever. For some reason some forces tend to clear to the maximum calibre that an applicant has requested rather than what the land can accommodate. So if a previous stalker used a .243, even though the ground should be suitable for a .308 it may not be accepted until it is checked again. I wouldn't let that put you off though as although it will be a pain in the short term you will have your land restrictions removed soon enough and will be able to decide where is safe for yourself. At that point the calibre thing is no longer an issue. Edit... And to top all that off Sako is a pretty nice calibre. The .308 isn't hard on barrels so is less risky than some others as a second hand venture. What model are you looking at? Edited September 9, 2013 by njc110381 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marklestrange Posted September 10, 2013 Report Share Posted September 10, 2013 It sounds a bit odd to say but .... I don't know what model as I haven't seen the rifle The Treasurer of the club is downscaling his collection and said that this might be a suitable rifle for me. I trust him and I think he will sell me it at a good price. It has a now 'defunct' companies German optics on it (P.....??) and has fired 300 rounds from when he bought it new. Guessing its a 75 or possibly an 85? My other choice would be a £200 Massant, but getting that 'Deer suitable' and swapping between that and 'service rifle' spec sounds less than ideal for me. A .308 Sako seems to be the right rifle/caliber for the dual use I want to put it to. Now I just need to fire a few centerfires (1st time in many many years) to see if I have any subjective bias or suddenly develop a flinch lol (I'm not expecting to btw) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted September 10, 2013 Report Share Posted September 10, 2013 The scope is probably Pecar Berlin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted September 10, 2013 Report Share Posted September 10, 2013 The reason the .243 is a popular deer calibre is the fact that outside of Scotland you can`t use the .22cf`s for roe and as the population is much greater than Scotland the 6mm will reign as there is little else to compete with it. Just my twist on the debate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted September 10, 2013 Report Share Posted September 10, 2013 (edited) What is resurrecting this going to tell you more than reading the last 4 pages? Edited September 10, 2013 by Dekers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted September 10, 2013 Report Share Posted September 10, 2013 Thanks, NJC Am I right to think that a .308 Sako would (though on the 'heavy' side caliber-wise): be 'cheap' to shoot with military ammo (can one get it?) would be a suitable platform to learn reloading (not this year I have enough to learn) ? has a range of available commercial loads/types inc expanding that are readily available? I have heard that some Deer land may be restricted on caliber with 308 not being allowed (sounds crazy to me but what do I know) ? (I'm in SE Devon) Is this true? Are you intending to shoot deer or target? 1. be 'cheap' to shoot with military ammo (can one get it?) You will struggle to find any deer legal military ammo, and much of the cheap military ammo for .308 is just that, so don't expect miracles on targets. Any land owner can decide on their own shoot rules re calibre, etc as long as they comply with their countries laws.! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marklestrange Posted September 10, 2013 Report Share Posted September 10, 2013 (edited) Thanks guys,@ Dekers: I've read this and many other posts on this and other (US) forums and was coming to the conclusion that this particular .308 might just be the multi-use gun that would make all this affordable, but like most newbies I'm in need of encouragement and reassurance. I wanted the 'cheap' ammo for target and general 'practice' and would want to use the 'best' expanding ammo on deer (almost) regardless of cost. I have heard that the poilce often just past land at the caliber requested by the owner/first shooter when asking for inspection rather than registering that land for the calibers that would be suitable to use on it ...just checking if anyone knows how this pans out in SE Devon.Newbies aye ...what can you do. @Dunkield - YEP that's the one .... good scopes? (I'm presuming they are very good as the shooter that owned this gun is a 'quality gentleman' who loves his guns and the sport). Edited September 10, 2013 by marklestrange Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted September 11, 2013 Report Share Posted September 11, 2013 Yes they are good clear scopes, with interchangeable reticles in some (or all?) cases Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Mule Posted September 11, 2013 Report Share Posted September 11, 2013 So you'd expect a 45gr SP bullet designed specifically for the Hornet and labelled "varminter" not to work on Fox then would you Al4x? You're a better man than me if you can honestly say you would have figured that out without advice from others?! And what's with the "excuses" comment? Not sure what that's about? It cost me £300 more to go to Canada for a month than it did to go to Spain for two days for my cousins wedding. It's not what you know, it's who you know. If you want to go for a walk in Bear country with a .243 then that's fine, but as I've actually been there and done it, I'd rather not. The .338WM is one of America's most popular Bear and Elk rounds so my choice wasn't that stupid. "Ouch" covers it nicely I think. There's more bitching going on here than in the local hairdressers recently and to be honest it's all a bit boring. Well said! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted September 11, 2013 Report Share Posted September 11, 2013 Well said! Ha ha, you missed that 2 years ago then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Mule Posted September 11, 2013 Report Share Posted September 11, 2013 Ha ha, you missed that 2 years ago then! Ah but: the old ones are the good 'uns / Still relevant though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bewsher500 Posted September 12, 2013 Report Share Posted September 12, 2013 its only popular as it is the most common calibre above the legal minimum if 6.5mm was the minimum calibre then the 6.5x55 would be the popular one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted September 12, 2013 Report Share Posted September 12, 2013 The .243 was designed for girls and up hill gardners .Real men use the mighty .270 or the venerable .308 . Harnser . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted September 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2013 The .243 was designed for girls and up hill gardners .Real men use the mighty .270 or the venerable .308 . Harnser . It takes a good bloke to make an accurate point and be funny at the same time. Nice one! Hang on a minute... I just bought one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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