which gun to go use for foxing

[Archie-fox]

222 or 223 are just fine for foxing...I've used most calibers for the job but my 223 is just rite for me and the area I use it...

[JDBenelliM1]

I'm about to jump to 30-06. Been shooting a Tikka T3 varmint using 58gr in .243 for years. I'll be pushing 400 - 500 yards so want more consistency and the 30-06 is very good out to this range.

Anyone have experience with browning? particularly the Euro bolt. I'll be after fox and Roe deer.

 

Cheers,

John

[Dougy]

I'm about to jump to 30-06. Been shooting a Tikka T3 varmint using 58gr in .243 for years. I'll be pushing 400 - 500 yards so want more consistency and the 30-06 is very good out to this range.

Anyone have experience with browning? particularly the Euro bolt. I'll be after fox and Roe deer.

 

Cheers,

John

The mighty 30.06 will sure manage the task you expect of it with ease, a bit OTT for Fox though i have taken a few with mine

 

I shoot an A Bolt its a basic tool and extremly accurate with 150SST's, the Euro is nice though rolled cheek piece, rose wood end caps and may possibly have a set trigger. Nice rifles, built to do a job

[JDBenelliM1]

I have an open .30 on my license so can pick any i want. Was looking at .308 but changed to 30.06 after using a friends pro hunter. Does anyone have a preferred .30 cal for foxing at longer range? I have not owned a .30 so any feedback is very welcome.

 

I would love a steyr pro hunter 2 but a Euro bolt is for sale just down the road for £375. The gun shop owner sold the gun new and knows the owner. Says its been well looked after (usual sales spiel i know) but he is local and I trust him.

 

Think this is a good buy?

[Dougy]

I have an open .30 on my license so can pick any i want. Was looking at .308 but changed to 30.06 after using a friends pro hunter. Does anyone have a preferred .30 cal for foxing at longer range? I have not owned a .30 so any feedback is very welcome.

 

I would love a steyr pro hunter 2 but a Euro bolt is for sale just down the road for £375. The gun shop owner sold the gun new and knows the owner. Says its been well looked after (usual sales spiel i know) but he is local and I trust him.

 

Think this is a good buy?

30's are not normally given as a choice for Fox, there are more suitable smaller cal's that would run cheaper as a Foxing round, you have a 243 that is ideal for the job. you say "longer range" what is long range in your opinion 6.5's are becoming the choice for any long range shooting because of the high BC low recoil and allot less powder than an 06.

If i was going long range i would definately be looking at 6.5 due to cost, recoil and most of all ability over the 30.06

[JDBenelliM1]

Thanks for the info Dougy. I haven't really had experience with anything bigger than .243. As you say the .243 is very good for foxing and it's what I take out every night, but I'm after something with a bit more bang! I do get the occasional deer which is what it will be used for but in the spring I have alot of opportunities to take foxes at 500 yards+ as they track along the forestry edge.

 

As I now have the .30 on my license I would want something in this range. As stated before I was looking at .308 but have been told 30.06 is better. If there is another .30 calibre that will do the job better than 30.06 please share. I do like my 58 gr flat trajectory and will probably run a lighter (120-150gr) round in .30. I know the 30.06 doesn't run flat but its accuracy at 500+ that now matters.

 

Cheers

John

[welshwarrior]

308 is used by a lot of target shooters I've not really heard of any using 30.06 I therefore expect but don't know that 308 is a more consistent round so easier to shoot accurately. Where this is the case in 'the real world' I don't know I've not used a 30.06 more than the odd shot. 308 on the other hand I've shot a lot and very accurately at long range.

 

If it was me I would buy the 308 partly as I know it so well.

[kent]

.308 beats 30-06with lighter bullets and level pegs with it mid range weight at 175- 180 grns it starts to better it IF it has the barrel length. Both are bad choices for foxes and a good 6mm or 6.5mm will kick the butt of either at 500 yds.

If you want a long range foxer and also use the gun on Deer or long range practice .260 rem (6.5mm) and .243 win (6mm) are the way forwards both are based on the .308 case. Mag feed will be impeccable, bullets correct for purpose are easy enough to obtain, recoil is light enough and the action is not overly long for purpose as it is in the .30-06.

[JDBenelliM1]

Oh Jesus! Thanks for the info Kent but you're making my decision even harder!

i do have a T3 varmint in .243 but want something harder hitting. The .260 does look like a good round but as I have .30 already on my license i'd like to give one a go. I feel like i want to try something with a bit more bang without going to far. Im very used to shooting .243 and love it but I want something that thrills me again. Will I be disappointed in 30.06? that is the question. Can I hit a 4-6" plate at 600 yards with a little wind? That is another reason i'm looking at .30 cals. It is windy in the lake district.

 

Another question for the experienced- are Remington 700's any good? Im probably the poorest person I know so cant afford Sako!

[Dougy]

Have a look at all 30 cals if you cannot change mind, the 300 Short Action Ultra Mag will fit the bill and exedes 30.06 velocity's.

Will a 30.06 hit a 4-6" disk at 600yds more than capable. i have on old 30.06 A Bolt that clover leafs at 100yds and 295yds will do 1.5 inches in the dark. ( i ran out of time and used the truck lights to check zero)

 

I must say i am looking at a variation next year for a 260

[JDBenelliM1]

would you swap .243 for a .260?

I'm going to try a browning eurobolt in 30.06 next week to see how it feels. Only problem I can see with .260 is getting factory loads. Will you be reloading?

[Alycidon]

I think a lot will have been shot with normal game loads 30 -36g no 5&6. It drops them fine

 

I prefer 34g no4 or 3 but if Charlie walks past close he get my normal load of 30g 5s.

 

5s and 6s are ok under 25 yards, last fox I shot with 5s came forward on a rough drive and sat looking at me, took 3 at 25 yards through 1/2 choke to kill it.

 

To be fair if your "close enough" a 28 grm load of 7 1/2 will kill the life out of them

 

 

Agreed.

 

One of the first I ever shot with a 12 bore was with a 1oz Rottweil 7.5 at just under 20 yards.

 

A

[bullet boy]

.30 CF for Fox?A .22 CF is plenty good enough for Fox at decent ranges!!

[JDBenelliM1]

don't think I could loop a .22 head shot consistently at 500+ yards! "ARRGGHH!!! ?? .30cal??!! ON A FOX???!!!" is what i'm hearing, but I want consistency in breezy weather at 500+ yards.

 

Also hitting deer, but at a max of 250 Yards. I also like to shoot paper targets far enough away that I have to ride my bike to see the results. It may even get used to shoot crows.

 

I guess what I'm asking is 308 or 30.06 and are Remington 700 varmint/tactical accurate? just want peoples experiences with either and pro's / con's

 

Cheers

John

[kent]

Oh Jesus! Thanks for the info Kent but you're making my decision even harder!

i do have a T3 varmint in .243 but want something harder hitting. The .260 does look like a good round but as I have .30 already on my license i'd like to give one a go. I feel like i want to try something with a bit more bang without going to far. Im very used to shooting .243 and love it but I want something that thrills me again. Will I be disappointed in 30.06? that is the question. Can I hit a 4-6" plate at 600 yards with a little wind? That is another reason i'm looking at .30 cals. It is windy in the lake district.

 

Another question for the experienced- are Remington 700's any good? Im probably the poorest person I know so cant afford Sako!

 

I am not surprised you cant afford a Sako sounds like a bad case of gunitis to me. Its not the calibre of the gun that hits the plate its the calibre of the shooter

[Dekers]

Oh Jesus! Thanks for the info Kent but you're making my decision even harder!

i do have a T3 varmint in .243 but want something harder hitting. The .260 does look like a good round but as I have .30 already on my license i'd like to give one a go. I feel like i want to try something with a bit more bang without going to far. Im very used to shooting .243 and love it but I want something that thrills me again. Will I be disappointed in 30.06? that is the question. Can I hit a 4-6" plate at 600 yards with a little wind? That is another reason i'm looking at .30 cals. It is windy in the lake district.

 

Another question for the experienced- are Remington 700's any good? Im probably the poorest person I know so cant afford Sako!

 

I have a Remington 700SPS in .308, they have been making them a long time, people will tell you they are not what they were, just like they will tell you the latest Sako, Tikka. etc models are not as good as earlier models.

 

They work, mine is out of the box and simply about 3" cut off the barrel, it has the factory X Mark Pro trigger.

 

It does 1" all day with PRVI 150g SP, with the right load it does much better.

 

Remington are fine, and in the great scheme of things, if you want to trick them up, they are easy!

[Dekers]

don't think I could loop a .22 head shot consistently at 500+ yards! "ARRGGHH!!! ?? .30cal??!! ON A FOX???!!!" is what i'm hearing, but I want consistency in breezy weather at 500+ yards.

 

Also hitting deer, but at a max of 250 Yards. I also like to shoot paper targets far enough away that I have to ride my bike to see the results. It may even get used to shoot crows.

 

I guess what I'm asking is 308 or 30.06 and are Remington 700 varmint/tactical accurate? just want peoples experiences with either and pro's / con's

 

Cheers

John

 

Long time shooting pal had the .223 tactical, out of the box; accuracy was exceptional, but it was a monster of a lump to carry around.

 

Heavy rifle such as these serve no purpose for me in the field and become counter productive after carrying for an hour or two, any perceived improvement in accuracy isn't worth talking about and is potentially offset anyway by your state of exhaustion after carrying the thing.

 

They sell, they work, so some people like them!

[JDBenelliM1]

 

Long time shooting pal had the .223 tactical, out of the box; accuracy was exceptional, but it was a monster of a lump to carry around.

 

Heavy rifle such as these serve no purpose for me in the field and become counter productive after carrying for an hour or two, any perceived improvement in accuracy isn't worth talking about and is potentially offset anyway by your state of exhaustion after carrying the thing.

 

They sell, they work, so some people like them!

My Tikka is a varmint and I have a T8 moderator so I'm used to lumping that thing around for miles. Only changed to a lithium battery for the lamp this year so I must be a sucker for punishment!

 

How far can you go with your 700SPS before consistency drops? Im not a bad shot, been shooting since a was 11 so I think I will be able to adjust to the medium range (500+ yards) OK.

 

Cheers

John

[JDBenelliM1]

 

I am not surprised you cant afford a Sako sounds like a bad case of gunitis to me. Its not the calibre of the gun that hits the plate its the calibre of the shooter

Please explain gunitis Kent?

"Evidence of gunitis. Not being able to venture out without gun could be symptomatic of other issues."

Do you think I have issues?

 

I can hit the plate, don't you worry. I just want a calibre that will explode a fox on impact.

[kent]

Please explain gunitis Kent?

"Evidence of gunitis. Not being able to venture out without gun could be symptomatic of other issues."

Do you think I have issues?

 

I can hit the plate, don't you worry. I just want a calibre that will explode a fox on impact.

 

It starts with a yearning then lots of staring and drooling over catalogues and gun dealers shelves, ends up with a hefty credit card statement, normally the afflicted have many and frequent reoccurrences of the condition before a cure is finally found. Death can occasionally occur but only if the wife sees the state of the savings account.

 

On the final point try RPG, tell the FEO its for moles - great big blighters

[JDBenelliM1]

Ha, that made me chuckle.

 

You are of course correct. Thank christ i'm not an impulse buyer or I would be in trouble!

 

I've manged to only have two .243's. First was an old BSA that I bought for £250. Once my skill exceeded the rifle's capabilities I changed to the Tikka. Bought the Benelli M1 new as soon as I got my license (18 years old) and never looked back shotgun wise. Asome bit of kit. My dad gave me his 10/22 ruger once I got my license but it was **** so swapped it for the CZ bolt. Great gun and I love It.

 

Im very happy with the guns I have but I have had them a while and want to venture into the bigger calibres. Probably a mistake but unless I give it a go, I'll never know.

 

Would love to try the .260 after looking into it in more detail.

 

 

 

Cheers

John

 

 

PS. I already have an RPG, use it for badgers

[Dekers]

My Tikka is a varmint and I have a T8 moderator so I'm used to lumping that thing around for miles. Only changed to a lithium battery for the lamp this year so I must be a sucker for punishment!

 

How far can you go with your 700SPS before consistency drops? Im not a bad shot, been shooting since a was 11 so I think I will be able to adjust to the medium range (500+ yards) OK.

 

Cheers

John

 

My 700SPS is .308 and I never have cause to use it at great distance.

 

It gets used regularly at Bisley at 600 yards and is more than capable of V-Bulls with PRVI at that distance, but it isn't/never was, intended as a target rifle. In the field I seldom have cause to use it much past 200 yards and very rarely past 300, so the truth is I don't know. With regards consistency my feeling is the rifle is up to the job, but ammo would need careful selection.

Edited December 25, 2013 by Dekers

[welshwarrior]

Any Remi 700 is capable at 600m with a correctly mount scope and right ammo if the nut behind the butt is capable.

 

I've used a 700 action beyond 1200m an hit targets happily.

[bunnage]

You need a true cylinder auto or pump ( so you can rapid fire ),12g, 2 3/4 inch , loaded with SSSG shot . squeak them in to 25 yards or nearer , no further, as pattern too thin . I have shot 25 this autumn near our free range hens .

[bicykillgaz]

You need a true cylinder auto or pump ( so you can rapid fire ),12g, 2 3/4 inch , loaded with SSSG shot . squeak them in to 25 yards or nearer , no further, as pattern too thin . I have shot 25 this autumn near our free range hens .

You can drop them with no6 or no5's at them ranges, can't understand the need to shoot marbles at stuff when as you say pattern is so poor you need to be stood next to it!

 

42g no3 out to 35yrds, 50g no3 or no1 out to 40/45yrds just point at the front half so you get the bulk of your pattern over the head/neck/chest area through 3/4 choke. I'd save the marbles for breaching doors!

 

Merry Christmas