what rifle for foxes??

[stevienicknacks 2]

To put this into perspective I have shot a few foxes with my .17 HMR with my best shot taking one right between the eyes at 150 yards (no wind obviously). Obviously .17 HMR is not ideal for fox adn should never be used for body shots and in most areas the FAO recommned that .17HMR should not be used. My point is that if you can kill a fox with a .17HMR imagine the capability of a bigger round. I have now bought a 22.250 for fox for 2 reasons. 1. Much less impact from wind, 2. Body shots 3. FAO are ok with it

[black lab 3]

Hi,

I use my .270 for all my shooting now from Red's to Magpie's, - Red's & Roe's 130 gr sp and Foxes & vermin 110gr Balistic Tip's homeload's

ATB

Wullie.

[stevienicknacks 2]

Hi,

I use my .270 for all my shooting now from Red's to Magpie's, - Red's & Roe's 130 gr sp and Foxes & vermin 110gr Balistic Tip's homeload's

ATB

Wullie.

 

 

110gr on a fox....would ;like to see that, wouldnt be much left of it!!! I shot a bunny yesterday with a 50grain Remington accutip at yards...not much left of it.

[THE POACHER 13]

i do alot of fox shooting and i think the ideal gun is a 223 when it hits them they know all about it

[irishnut 297]

i'd go for the .243 mate, i shoot a .222 for fox only, its expensive to feed, and also no good for deer,

the 243 is great for everything from fox to nags not running fast enough at the curragh

[jay222 0]

243 is the thes to pick if you want a all round gun. if it is just for foxing tho i would go with the 22/250

 

For foxing I like my 22-250 a very flat trajectory not so loopy as a .243 and you can use it on Roe deer in Scotland (subject to certain ballstic requirements). But I have to admit that .243 is probablly more suited as an all-round calibre.

a .243 with 55gr is flatter than a .22-250 with 55gr

[Treacle Trackpad 6]

i'd go for the .243 mate, i shoot a .222 for fox only, its expensive to feed, and also no good for deer,

the 243 is great for everything from fox to nags not running fast enough at the curragh

 

I estimate my .222 to cost me no more than 36p per pop (reloads). Not too expensive. Not sure about factory rds as I have never used them, but I hear PRVI ammo is cheap as chips in this cal.

[black lab 3]

Hi,

I use my .270 for all my shooting now from Red's to Magpie's, - Red's & Roe's 130 gr sp and Foxes & vermin 110gr Balistic Tip's homeload's

ATB

Wullie.

 

 

110gr on a fox....would ;like to see that, wouldnt be much left of it!!! I shot a bunny yesterday with a 50grain Remington accutip at yards...not much left of it.

 

You would think it had swallowed a GRENADE

[matt_hooks 188]

Is a .270 "too much" for a fox?

 

Well, no, if you hit it with the .270 it will kill it. You can only kill something and there's no such thing as "overkill".

 

However, the .270 will tend to go through, so you need to be extra careful about your back stop (though of course you should do that anyway whatever you're shooting)

 

The main drawback with the .270 is not at the receiving end, but at the firers end. It is a powerful round, and so gives you a pretty good shove in the shoulder. If you're used to airguns then the kick from the .270 might be a bit offputting to start with, and you would have to make sure you mount properly otherwise it could hurt!

 

I would go the .243 route. It's a great fast, flat shooting round that will knock down anything you're likely to find in the UK (except boar) safely and reliably as long as you put the rounds in the right place. It's reasonably inexpensive and most manufacturers chamber a rifle for it, so the choice is wide, and the FEO is more likely to look kindly on it as a first rifle and mainly for foxes.

 

My advice would be to try and get your hands on as many different calibres as you can and see which suits you for recoil, weight of rifle for carrying and cost.

[jamie g 17]

just remember inless your going for deer to. alot of forces wont let you have 243 just for fox. they will want you to have deer on the land. before they grant you a 243

[Deker 3,453]

just remember inless your going for deer to. alot of forces wont let you have 243 just for fox. they will want you to have deer on the land. before they grant you a 243

 

 

You are of course quite correct, even though the Home Office guide makes it quite clear the .243 is acceptable as a stand alone fox tool!

[jamie g 17]

just remember inless your going for deer to. alot of forces wont let you have 243 just for fox. they will want you to have deer on the land. before they grant you a 243

 

 

You are of course quite correct, even though the Home Office guide makes it quite clear the .243 is acceptable as a stand alone fox tool!

 

silly really isnt it. 243 is the all rounder really.

[sharp_shooter_sam 0]

A .270 is few people first choice fox calibre!

As is 6.5x55 swede. Lots of choice out there, and everyone you ask will give you a different opinion.

I like the .243 because they are versatile, but when I get a deer calibre, it will be the humble swede as it is just too much for fox alone

Edited June 20, 2010 by sharp_shooter_sam

[jamie g 17]

243 is the thes to pick if you want a all round gun. if it is just for foxing tho i would go with the 22/250

 

For foxing I like my 22-250 a very flat trajectory not so loopy as a .243 and you can use it on Roe deer in Scotland (subject to certain ballstic requirements). But I have to admit that .243 is probablly more suited as an all-round calibre.

a .243 with 55gr is flatter than a .22-250 with 55gr

 

yes your right mate. but imo its wasted firing a 55 grain round form a 243. surely if you want a 243 then the choice of heavier bullets would be better. otherwise your not ghaining anything over a 22 cf.

 

dont forget a 243 uses alot more powder then a 222 or 223 and if most foxing is done up to 250 yards the 22 cf is the best for the job if you want to keep cost down

[cassshantia 16]

ive had the same question asked when i went in for my ticket ,

i purchased a howa 1500 .243 and got some 90 gr sako game heads

and when i finally set my sights to 100m i shot a 1"group then i set a target @50 m and @150m and shot @ both targets and there was only a 1.5"difference between all 3 targets so its very flat and very accurate