calibres for fox control

[jimmygillborn]

hey guys and girls

 

looking to get a rifle just for fox shooting what would people suggest?

 

cheers

 

jimmy

[kent]

Depends on use. I did a ballistic comparison on here a while back and suffice to say there isn't much in it at normal ranges. If you like just enough gun and can shoot .22 hornet will do fine (if your fields are only 150yards across you don't need more), if you want or need to tackle really long range daylight foxes on a windy Fell little beats the .243 win. imo .222,.223, 22-250 and there is nothing really in it till you get to 250 yards and over (which is substantially further than I should shoot at night) and further than most can be sure of a good hit under field conditions with one ccb shot

[Essex Keeper]

.223 is the tool I use

[remy223]

223. 17 Fireball!..... Sweet!

[V8 90]

For me it's the .204 - like mine so much I bought another - 1 for days & 1 for nights

[paulthekiller]

My number one is the 22-250 with Hornady ammo they drop perfect at 250 yard.

[foxbuster]

My number one is the 22-250 with Hornady ammo they drop perfect at 250 yard.

+1

 

Very flat shooting calibre, but saying that I shot a .222 for years and that also did the job perfectly up to 200yrds with less recoil.

I think any of the .22 centrefires are easily capable tools of choice. Also have a look at the 204, never shot it but heard some excellent reviews on them. Cheers.

[Archie-fox]

223 for me and soon a 243 x-bolt.

[Old melv]

.222 for me does the job accurate cheap to reload light recoil

[stan68]

.243 with 58g norma v-max phenomenal combo!

[steve_b_wales]

.243 for me, followed very closely by my .22-250.

[eccles]

223 for me does the job. atb Terry

[remmy1100]

223 does buisness on the foxs cheap to reload too

[kent]

.243 for me, followed very closely by my .22-250.

 

 

That's interesting as with the lightest bullets in the .243 the two are near enough a ballistic mirror of each other

[maddog546]

110gr ballistic tip through the 270,cheaper than the 243 to feed and more range,but thats for rare outings,my eapon of choice is my Tikka T3 lite with 55 gr Normas(confidence everytime you squeeze the trigger)

[flynny]

17 hmr at 400 YDS , no mither,

 

Seriously the 223 is all you need , cheap to feed etc etc, but it's up to you any 22 cf will suffice or fox,

 

Atb

 

Flynny

[kent]

110gr ballistic tip through the 270,cheaper than the 243 to feed and more range,but thats for rare outings,my eapon of choice is my Tikka T3 lite with 55 gr Normas(confidence everytime you squeeze the trigger)

 

 

Is that badly worded? As its like 10 grains more powder to feed a .270 over a .243. I am not familiar with the 110 Nosler (in my records which might be somewhat in need of upgrading the .270 b/tip starts at 130 grains for the .270 what is the BC but how do you figure more range than a .243 win and how far do you want to shoot out to? Bullets can be selected for the .243 win that will win long range competition events, its just the average top flight target shot will burn through a barrel in less than a single season. Peter Jackson held the 1000 yard British record with a .243 AI before the short magnums became available, I cant recall the .270 ever doing much

[kent]

17 hmr at 400 YDS , no mither,

 

Seriously the 223 is all you need , cheap to feed etc etc, but it's up to you any 22 cf will suffice or fox,

 

Atb

 

Flynny

 

For a lot of my foxing .22 Hornet is all I need all said and done its 200 yards capable on them as long as the wind aint difficult and its daylight. Sometimes though the .243 is certainly needed out on the fell with the wind blowing in the daytime. Or at night at shorter range when the wind is up

its very hard to make catch all statements on what others need (FEOs have tried it many times )

[flynny]

its very hard to make catch all statements on what others need (FEOs have tried it many times )

 

Just my opinion mate tis all ,is that ok with you ????

 

Atb

 

Flynny

Edited April 14, 2014 by flynny

[bornfree]

For a lot of my foxing .22 Hornet is all I need all said and done its 200 yards capable on them as long as the wind aint difficult and its daylight. Sometimes though the .243 is certainly needed out on the fell with the wind blowing in the daytime. Or at night at shorter range when the wind is up

its very hard to make catch all statements on what others need (FEOs have tried it many times )

I live in rural Norfolk and have worked on a farm for 32 years and have only seen a fox once during daylight hours.

[kent]

I live in rural Norfolk and have worked on a farm for 32 years and have only seen a fox once during daylight hours.

You know if I had to pick a peak time to see a fox it is certainly first breaking of light when they are using their regular pathways home, besides being out with the gunpack (when the foxes are flushed by hounds) I have rarely shot one during the main part of the day but again towards dusk and on those long drawn out summer evenings another peak occurs, sitting over a fresh deer guts at dusk in Sitka Spruce forestry has proved very successful wherever deer are regularly shot it must be a favoured food item . All my experience is in Northern England and Scotland though I have little to no knowledge of the flat arable fields of Norfolk.

During the winter months were its dark by 4;30 pm and not light till 7;30 am you have a big window for free movement, so personally I find it pays to hit those peaks and not devote shooting time to just lamping 10x 1 hr can certainly better 1x10 hr in productivity and effort. I suppose if I could just drive about at night scanning on flat fields and using service tracks between them I might do it different but a lot of the ground here is not drivable in the accepted meaning of "drivable" we have heather, white grass, bogs and hills interspaced with thick forestry

[Archie-fox]

You know if I had to pick a peak time to see a fox it is certainly first breaking of light when they are using their regular pathways home, besides being out with the gunpack (when the foxes are flushed by hounds) I have rarely shot one during the main part of the day but again towards dusk and on those long drawn out summer evenings another peak occurs, sitting over a fresh deer guts at dusk in Sitka Spruce forestry has proved very successful wherever deer are regularly shot it must be a favoured food item . All my experience is in Northern England and Scotland though I have little to no knowledge of the flat arable fields of Norfolk.

During the winter months were its dark by 4;30 pm and not light till 7;30 am you have a big window for free movement, so personally I find it pays to hit those peaks and not devote shooting time to just lamping 10x 1 hr can certainly better 1x10 hr in productivity and effort. I suppose if I could just drive about at night scanning on flat fields and using service tracks between them I might do it different but a lot of the ground here is not drivable in the accepted meaning of "drivable" we have heather, white grass, bogs and hills interspaced with thick forestry

+1

[daz2202]

I see more during the first hour of daylight than any other time.

[Dekers]

hey guys and girls

 

looking to get a rifle just for fox shooting what would people suggest?

 

cheers

 

jimmy

 

What land, what conditions, what distances, what neighbours etc etc.

 

There isn't a rifle that covers fox shooting, I use everything from a Shotgun and .22lr subs upwards, depending on the situation. So what is your situation?

 

Some situations I wouldn't dream of using anything but a .243, in others I wouldn't dream of using anything but a .22lr!

[bornfree]

I see more during the first hour of daylight than any other time.

I wish I did. I only shoot about 30 a year and last year 27 were between 12 and 3 am.

Edited April 18, 2014 by bornfree