Fox cartridge

[henry d]

I'm not having that I'm afraid. They don't penetrate any more than a 222 or a 223 or a 243 if it comes to that, which all get used to kill foxes.

 

The foxes I/we shot last night varied, some exited some did not and SG used on a fox drive or in an area where there may be walkers is not a good idea.

[Pigeon sniper]

If going out particularly for foxes I use 36g aaa,1,2,3 through a half choke but if I'm expecting done longer shots such as a fox bolts when walking to the den I use 3.5 inch carts of 50g+ 1's through full or extra full and there's not much disagrees with that haha

[pippy96]

my choice is hull solway magnum 50 gram 3s or 50 gram bbs, charlie don't like them

[Doriboy]

Lylvale express 36g 4s no worries.

[kent]

42 grm of lead no.1, have used bigger but although had an odd good kill at range with all sorts of daft things- within 40yds my choice performs through most chokes in the 12 ga as good or better than most things. There is a serious temptation to go to super sized buck etc- in reality kills will become more unpredictable rather than better. A few dozen no.1 into the heart lung area is very final. remember a fox is say 14 lb average, I don't see them any harder to kill than a large goose. Large buck is for short range heavy quarry and I seriously doubt a pair of pellets striking the outer edges of the lungs and an odd one in the guts will perform quite so well, so consistently. Its all about getting inside the boiler room with as many pellets as possible NOT penetrating through maybe a fair amount of tough hide, muscle and fat

The maximum lethal range is far further than 40yds BUT percentages of DRT kills will plummet, I have gone much further out than I care to talk about on foxes that have taken a bad shot previous.

[njc110381]

They over penetrate if they hit the target as a fox is so much smaller than a boar.

I'm not having that I'm afraid. They don't penetrate any more than a 222 or a 223 or a 243 if it comes to that, which all get used to kill foxes.

What you have to consider with Henry's post is that the rules of shotgun and rifle shooting are very different. A game shooter with a shotgun may not give a second thought to backstops - you generally don't when shotgun shooting unless you know there are beaters etc. I have no idea how far an SG will fly and how hard it will hit in the end but it's going to present safety issues in some situations. Take that into account and his statement makes a lot of sense.

 

My choice is 50g BB in a 3" gun, or 42g #1 in a 2 3/4. When the shot weight drops the pattern becomes a bit sparse with BB so I drop a size and shoot accordingly. I've dropped a fox with a .410 using #6 before so it's all down to range.

[TIDES EDGE]

What ever I have in the gun at the time

[kent]

What you have to consider with Henry's post is that the rules of shotgun and rifle shooting are very different. A game shooter with a shotgun may not give a second thought to backstops - you generally don't when shotgun shooting unless you know there are beaters etc. I have no idea how far an SG will fly and how hard it will hit in the end but it's going to present safety issues in some situations. Take that into account and his statement makes a lot of sense.

 

My choice is 50g BB in a 3" gun, or 42g #1 in a 2 3/4. When the shot weight drops the pattern becomes a bit sparse with BB so I drop a size and shoot accordingly. I've dropped a fox with a .410 using #6 before so it's all down to range.

A good point, well made as anyone who has done much with the hounds will appreciate not having those big lumps flying around also . .222 rifles etc kill so differently to a charge of shot, expending energy and fragmenting inside the quarry and striking through most of the time. Fragments of lead and jacket separate from the main part of the bullet (that continues on its path) these bits create multiple wound channels and a large concentration of kinetic energy comes off the main bullet leading to cavitation of the main wound track. Any who have fired into a broadside on fox more than an odd time with tougher larger game bullets will have experienced knock down "n" get up runners through bullets pencilling through, this could well be an issue with large buck shot and only a few strikes. Admittedly I haven't tried it and don't intend to. Fine if you get one straight through a major artery or the heart but less than good elsewise. The only important issue with a shotgun load is breaking through just one side and getting as many shot as you can into the critical area, creating the quickest shut down via loss of blood to the brain, shock etc.

[jonesbach]

36 AAA gets another vote from me.

[Gee.]

46g 3's for me.

[njc110381]

Any who have fired into a broadside on fox more than an odd time with tougher larger game bullets will have experienced knock down "n" get up runners through bullets pencilling through

 

Me and my lamping partner call them break dancers. They almost always go down, but nowhere near as quickly as when the whole bullet stays inside the body. I've had deer do the same with my .338, although some wasted energy in that situation is better for the carcass.

[kent]

Me and my lamping partner call them break dancers. They almost always go down, but nowhere near as quickly as when the whole bullet stays inside the body. I've had deer do the same with my .338, although some wasted energy in that situation is better for the carcass.

And I suppose brain shots are Body poppers LOL please excuse the lack of good taste

[henry d]

A good point, well made as anyone who has done much with the hounds will appreciate not having those big lumps flying around also . .222 rifles etc kill so differently to a charge of shot, expending energy and fragmenting inside the quarry and striking through most of the time. Fragments of lead and jacket separate from the main part of the bullet (that continues on its path) these bits create multiple wound channels and a large concentration of kinetic energy comes off the main bullet leading to cavitation of the main wound track. Any who have fired into a broadside on fox more than an odd time with tougher larger game bullets will have experienced knock down "n" get up runners through bullets pencilling through, this could well be an issue with large buck shot and only a few strikes. Admittedly I haven't tried it and don't intend to. Fine if you get one straight through a major artery or the heart but less than good elsewise. The only important issue with a shotgun load is breaking through just one side and getting as many shot as you can into the critical area, creating the quickest shut down via loss of blood to the brain, shock etc.

 

Interesting point as I shot a fox at less than 10yds with 1`s and it was surprising that he ran 10-15 yds before dying, perhaps there is such a thing as overkill

[njc110381]

Are you sure he didn't roll ten yards from the impact?! I'd expect a shot like that to smash a fox instantly but now and again most animals offer us the odd surprise.

[kent]

Are you sure he didn't roll ten yards from the impact?! I'd expect a shot like that to smash a fox instantly but now and again most animals offer us the odd surprise.

I once hit a fox with 63 grm of BB lead within Reasonable range broadside in the chest. One of the very few times I have literally knocked something back off its feet. The thing got up and disappeared into some thick ferns and a steep ravine, the hounds couldn't find it (though they sometimes ignore the truly dead) regardless of how hard you hit them the brain needs time to know its dead.

[henry d]

Are you sure he didn't roll ten yards from the impact?!

 

Absolutely sure, he was coming out of a ditch crossing a single track road when I hit him, he then ran through a 4 wire fence and through 10yds of standing crop. I even gave him another barrel as he was still twitching and I did not want to see him suffer, though I suspect it was just nerves.

[rioulike]

50/52 gram 0,or bb,i drop down to 42 1s for around a hole/den(bolting foxes/hole ending)