Jump to content

andyf

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content Count

    686

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by andyf

  1. andyf
    Hi again. Yes the 17hmr does ricochet, especially with the heavier hollow point bullets. But the 22 rimfire, especially the subsonic do ricochet something cruel, that slow soft lead bullet really is a rubber ball, so watch out, try to avoid long shots at shallow angles. AF
  2. andyf
    Hi: Cracked casings, well why worry that's after you've fired them and your not reloading, so it doesn't matter a jot. Stuck rounds (bullets), I had a 17hmr for 18 months when they first came out, too many times there was NO MAIN CHARGE just the primer, it goes phutt and squirts the bullet into the barrel an undescribed distance, as long as you know its happened it's a case of cleaning rod from the 'sharp' end and tap out the bullet, if your ok with that sort of 'shinanagins' carry on. 22 rimfire does none of the above, is cheap to run (ie £40 for 500, not £15 for 50), the 17 is very
  3. andyf
    Well, that's a start, I'll assume you don't currently have an FAC? If that's the case (I would) apply for a 22 rimfire (for general vermin) and a .223 / 22.250 (for Fox), assuming it's good to go and the land is ok, & as long as you have at least had a SGC for one or more terms, you should be ok. When you get the FAC buy a 22 and get out and use it 'learn the craft', then decide if you fancy something different to the 22 centrefire you should be able to get a free variation to for example bin the .223 and change it to a .243 or a. n. other calibre so you have a Deer legal set up to b
  4. andyf
    Also the centrefire option gives the user RANGE, a 22rf is fine at it's 'precise' range that is sub 75 yards, no wind and the time to get off a good shot. A reasonable centrefire fox rifle (22.250 in my cabinet) will give you all of the capability of the 22rf but extend the range to 200 yards. In my area most Fox shots are 100+ and often more like 150, for me (and that is just me) that's way too far for the 22rf, my opinion the 22rf cannot inflict enough trauma at that range, but the 22.250 can with a bit spare. That said I shoot more Fox with my stalking rifles, as I am out and about sit
  5. andyf
    The land may never have been cleared for anything,or on the other end of the scale it's cleared for Deer calibres. You should have some idea of the history? The landowner who gave you permission must be aware of the recent history regarding shooting? But whatever, when you apply the process will be followed through, suffice to say the proximity to roads, footpaths, houses etc or the exact opposite of this i.e. a Scottish hill estate will impinge greatly on the outcome. Bes of luck. AF
  6. andyf
    I used a Marlin 30-30 for wild boar in Tennessee, it was an 'estate rifle' with a low power Leupold on it, worked fine and the Marlin was a decent quality rifle, if I was looking around I'd be on the Marlin straight away.
  7. andyf
    I'd be happy with my home loads making 3/4" @ 200!! Go for it, PPU country has low wage economy, just paying more for nothing?
  8. andyf
    Two things: A low end power FAC air rifle is not worth the bother (sub 20 ft/lbs in my opinion), FAC airgun is questionable anyway, again my opinion only. Once an airgun is up rated it CANNOT EVER be de rated to non FAC. Look at the prices of second hand otherwise identical airguns, non-fac & fac, fac maybe worth 1/2 on a good day? Your choice and your money, I've not owned one but I have shot one, and have a friend who has a 32 ft/lb pre-charge, I couldn't tell the difference and he had trouble finding a pellet that worked, I'm sticking with my 22rf and a 12ft/lb .177 HW100
  9. andyf
    My daughter holds a shotgun certificate, I have SG & FAC, we put all 3 of my shotguns on her certificate (hence 2 SG Certs with the same 3 shotguns on each). She has no access to the gun cabinet, and doesn't live at my address. Apart from a minor confusion by the local firearms admin, they 'thought' I had suddenly kept 6 shotguns, until I put them right & they actually read their own paperwork!! After that It all worked fine. This was done only so that my daughter can legally carry a gun on our syndicate pheasant shoot for 2 days a year. (Read this in America).
  10. andyf
    How high the scope is off of the receiver has no effect on the elevation. Something must be amiss, you can get moa inclined pickatinney rails, but these are for very long range shooting where the elevation is off the end. surely not the case with you. Try winding the turrets fully up & down a few times, I reckon something is 'stuck' inside?
  11. andyf
    I wouldn't go down the .17 road, it's a specialised and advanced 'rifle gourmet' reloading science thing, factory ammo will make you draw a sharp breath if your used to .22RF. (that's if you can find any, this isn't America). If your 'Joe Soap' and need to cull Fox, the calibre choice is fairly set in stone, .222, .223, 22.250 for the centrefire 22's. But my best advice to someone like you who has plenty of land and need a 'cooking' variety rifle ammo & scope I'd go for .243 as it does all of the things the 22 centrefires can plus it's Deer legal, the ammo is in every Gunshop in the UK
  12. andyf
    Don't worry at all, 14" is plenty of barrel, at 14" all the powder is burned off and the bullet is now starting to 'slow down' in the barrel that's left! I can only comment on my experience, both with a factory 16" 17hmr and my Sako Varmint. The CZ 17 American was very accurate, the cartridge (in my opinion) was over rated and expensive to feed, the factory ammo was really crap, with too many primer only, bullet stopped 3" up the barrel, plus runner Foxes needing a second or more shot, reverted to a 22.250 and no complaints thereafter. My Sako will group at 3 shots under 1/2" at 75 yar
  13. andyf
    There's a good reason 'most' rimfires are made or cut down later to 14" or 16", at least this 'my' engineers take on it. The twist rate of the rifling in a rimfire is almost always 1 in 14, so it would seem to make sense (to me) to get the bullet to turn at least 1 revolution when passing through the barrel? My Sako Finnfire is however different (I researched this first), it's 1 in 16, so when I had it shortened from the 22" factory length, bearing in mind my theory about twist rate, I figured that the case on a 22 rimfire is 1/2" so the rifled 'bit' should be 16" at least, so I asked
  14. andyf
    With you on this one, Winchester Sub's 'Blue box' GOOD, Black box Not even QUITE GOOD. The best of the rest in my rifle are RWS subsonic, and best of all Standard Velocity GECO 42gr Target. I know the target 'solids' aren't much good for hunting, but they group amazingly, I mean 'that good'. Trouble is they ricochet something awful out in the field, so much so that I won't use them at night or on land I'm new to, but head shot Rabbits with a backdrop fine.
  15. andyf
    .22 Ammo condition HOLD 600 BUY 500 This I believe the 'normal' allowance for non range shooting, applicable in most Police areas.
  16. andyf
    I think the 'target boys' who use those AR15 look alike .22 semi autos probably use HV as they cycle the action much better even when it starts to get dirty (which isn't long in a repeater). They also aren't 'snipers' and spray the rounds all over the place so deadly consistency is not high on the priority list. But anyway, horses for courses, in my patch the fewer people aware of my presence the better, so it's subs in bolt gun for me all day (and night)..
  17. andyf
    How much are you looking to spend, and assume it's 12g? You need to know this as well as me! Minimum price in a gun shop for a used OU that's not a 'nail' would be £500>750. Minimum price for something half decent with an 'easy' not to painful trade in prospect in £900>1000 (This should be your optimum zone if possible). After that the prices go North big time, a GOOD Berretta costing £3,000 & up second hand. A cheap not so very nasty Spanish side by side non ejector might be had for £150>200. Also there are 12g Semi-Auto's and other calibres 20 bore, 28 bore .410 et al but
  18. andyf
    At your stage getting an FAC (licence) for a .22 rimfire would be a major hurdle, (Unless you own a 1,000 acre farm, or have a relative who does)! Small game & pest/vermin species can be started on with an airgun, you can just buy one of these, then see how it goes getting somewhere to use it. Shooting a scoped air rifle is exactly the same as shooting a Deer calibre centrefire, just less noisy, don't try to run before you can walk. Look at airguns and how you go with that is my advice.
  19. andyf
    Your Sauer's front sight is 'toast' sorry to say. So if you want a moderator it's gone (or you could pay silly money to get a skilled relocation effort). That said I know where your coming from, my beloved wood & blue 7x57 Heym SR20 is untouched by the 'foul hand' of barrel screw-cutting, and so it will remain, hideous 'boom' iron sights and all. But my trusty Browning A Bolt Medallion .270 wears a big fat Wildcat moddy, ugly yes, heavy yes, but oh so soft, smooth & low noise to shoot. I guess you'll just have to get another rifle, one with a 'can' & one without, oh what a
  20. andyf
    Back to the 'Soft Point' thing. I have a 22.250 for Foxing and use Sierra 55gr hollow points, as they are the most accurate in my rifle, and that works extremely well. However the Foxes around here don't co-operate too well and I am usually carrying one of my stalking rifles, (.270 Win or 7x57) when we bump into each other. So therefore I shoot most of my foxy friends with those, either (Home loads) 150gr soft points in the .270 or 168gr soft points in the 7x57, the big calibre's with soft points certainly have big knockdown power, and I have yet to lose a Deer, but on Fox not so good, I a
  21. andyf
    Cheapo S/S ok. but also cheapo O/U viz Non Ejector Baikal, plenty around look on Guntrader. From experience very old & cheap non ejector Spanish S/S are often cursed with breaking firing pins and top lever springs that snap, as the materials used are low end, but the good old 'tractorial' Baikal's are just about indestructible. Either way if you get a shotgun, you'll either give a try and pack in, or you'll be buying a better gun fairly soon, I still have an old gun I bought 40+ years ago still use it now even when I can choose a gun whose set of chokes cost more than the old gun!
  22. andyf
    1/2 & 1/4 is what I use, but whatever. On the Fox thing I have found that tight chokes are not good on big shot, my testing on homeloads found tight chokes actually scattered the already 'crap' pattern, true cylinder was the best by miles. I tested them 'properly' over 10 rounds each, and on two different guns, so it wasn't a fluke. That said I am talking BIG shot AAA & SSG, maybe BB will behave itself? AF
  23. andyf
    Bore sighting, if you don't get that? Sit the rifle in a sand bag, take the bolt out and look down the bore, move it about until a 'spot' of something is visible in the middle i.e. something not too far away (50 yards) but easy to see maybe a stone or something else that's not going to move. Then look through the scope, the reticule needs to be near the 'stone' or whatever, then adjust the scope clicks until the cross is on the target. That said if you have a 'crap' scope that came with the rifle don't be surprised! Get a 'proper' scope and try again. This is no rimfire the ammo is £
  24. andyf
    No contest: A decent Beretta A303, 1980's version, thousands out there, very popular when new/in production. I have a 26" multi choke, had it 18 years never malfunctioned over 1,000's of shells Nothing wrong with the Hatsan's (when new anyway), they are a crude copy of the A300 series. But in truth a used Beretta is always better, and will hold it's value, a Hatsan will bomb as soon as you take it out of the shop. But hey it's up to you, remember if its to good to be true, it probably is!! AF
  25. andyf
    The Browning's a very good well made gun good choice, forget the 3 1/2", the cartridges are VERY expensive and hard to find. I've shot a 3 1/2" through a Beretta Semi Auto and that was fierce to say the least, through a drop barrel gun I can only imagine! 30" barrels seem to be the most popular these days and that gun is useable for anything.
×
×
  • Create New...