Advice Please

fodda

I need a rifle to protect my livestock, the fox keeps out of range of my 12 bore so i am looking at a rifle.

My nearest neighbour is 250-300 yards away but other directions quite clear for at least 500 yards to a mile or more, it is not heavily populated.

What rifle should i go for .22 winchester magnum or a .22 hornet or maybe other? I dont want something that may take the neighbours out so i am thinking of safety here.

Also this is to protect my own stock i am not interested or have the time for shooting trips.

Jonty

What kind of budget are you looking at?

Sparks

Have you considered asking some of the lads from the local gun club to do a bit of lamping for you?

fodda

I would prefer to control this problem myself and the only price guide i have is from the only online website i can find which is the fishing and shooting shop in Galway.

But it is the power/type of the gun that i am confused at because my fox will most likely be at around 100 yards away when he can see me so i want a gun that will do the job but not something that could richochet to my neighbours and also as i said this is a vermin control job not a sporting/hunting application

If you have no experience in this, then the best bet is to get someone who knows their stuff to take you out a few times and show you the ropes.

It would be somewhat reckless to buy a rifle if you have no experience with it and then go hunting directly as the probabilites of you

a) wounding rather then killing
b) missing completely

are much higher for a novice then an experienced hunter

Also, you mention the distances to your neighbours but not the line of sight. If there is nothing between you and them, then thats a risky shot to take as there is no natural backstop. Whereas if there is a hill between you, then the shoot is more reasonable as the hill will catch the bullet.

A .22lr (smallest round I think) will travel for a mile a and half but it looses accuarcy and power pretty much after 50m and is not seen as a fox round.

Anything with more bang will travel further.

Don't forget the tradeoff, to drop the fox you need a round that is accurate and powerful enough to deliver a clean kill within a set distance (call it the 'lethal-accurate' range which you want out to 100m). However, the round will keep travelling after this (call this the 'lethal-inaccurate' range) but with not enough accuracy for you to take a shot but it's still packing enough whallop to hurt / kill someone.

Now, a .22 is pretty accurate for target shooting purposes up to 100m and for hunting purposes (in the hands of an average shooter) for say 50m. However the round could potentially cause harm for up to 1000m so the lethal accurate range is only 10% of the lethal-inaccuarate range.

With a bigger round, these ratios might change but probably not more then 20/80.

My basic point is that unless you are at the bottom of hill or have a clear backstop, don't take the shot!

fodda

Sorry should have explained, i do have exprience and i am an excellent shot and when younger was even a prize winning shot but i have no experience of the .22 hornet round or rifle and wasnt sure on the clean killing range of the other rounds i have only mainly only shot targets with rifles and vermin with the shotgun

No problem - can't help you there, I've no experience with these rounds.

Was a bit worried you were another cowboy after a fullbore there!

pestshooter7

Well you best bet the is to get a 22 hornet or 223 Rem!
There are loads of threads here about both!
Basically 223 is the cheapist 22 round on the market!
Effective range about 200 yrds!
Little chance of a richochet as the round is very fast and explodes on impact!
Hornet has less power and inferior ballistics but is more expensive!
Reasonably good rifle scope combo will set you back 1300-1500 easily!
No other way im afraid!

fodda

Yes i have read other threads and agree with what you are saying on .223 but as i stated initially i dont want something that is too powerfull.

I understand that .22 hornet is around 1 euro per shot but anything else would be too powerfull, is the hornet too powerfull? would i be better with the winchester magnum or is that not powerfull enough?

foxshooter243

fodda wrote: »

Yes i have read other threads and agree with what you are saying on .223 but as i stated initially i dont want something that is too powerfull.

I understand that .22 hornet is around 1 euro per shot but anything else would be too powerfull, is the hornet too powerfull? would i be better with the winchester magnum or is that not powerfull enough?

if your talking about ranges out to 150 -175 yards then the hornet is the job after that you must move up the calibre to 223 , but the 22 magnum is not a fox round , if they are to be shot then hit them hard for instant kills.but if I were you i would be using a 223 with polymer tipped ammo like hornady v max or nosler ballistic tips which is frangible and not likley to ricochet , but you can get this type of ammo for a hornet also.
thats my thoughts;)

Jonty

The winchester magnum will give you a 100 yd effective kill range on a fox. A second hand hornet will be picked up cheap enough as lads are trading them in for .223s. The .223 is a 300yd round on foxes, in the right hands. Its not excessive power.

I know very little about the hornet, but ammo for the .223 can be had for €12for 20 rounds (American Eagle HP) and its good enough for foxes for 200yds.

Another option would be a .17 remington.

fodda

Thanks for that, i have seen these .17 rounds on the galway website.

Is this like the .177 air rifle size ammo but with a powerfull cartridge?

Would this take a fox out as it seems a bit small or is it very powerfull and maybe then too powerfull for my circumstances?

Also what price for as new second hand hornet off one of these lads are they going for?

pestshooter7

17 HMR is a rimfire and is well under powered its the same as th 22 magnum but necked down to 17 its about a 100 yrd fox killer! The 17 Rem is a different round but its jus a necked down 223 case! So it mite be over powered for you! Id say your looking at the hornet or 223 polymer tipped ammo! There isnt much in between!

fodda

OK looks like a hornet.

I still have a 3-9x40 Tasco silver Antler scope from my old shooting days (yep i am afraid i am that old) should do the job. Jesus just found out they still sell em or give them away almost and i paid £100 stirling for mine nearly 20 years ago.

So what hornet guns do i look for and what do i avoid and also what price second hand of these lads trading up.?

foxshooter243

fodda wrote: »

OK looks like a hornet.

I still have a 3-9x40 Tasco silver Antler scope from my old shooting days (yep i am afraid i am that old) should do the job. Jesus just found out they still sell em or give them away almost and i paid £100 stirling for mine nearly 20 years ago.

So what hornet guns do i look for and what do i avoid and also what price second hand of these lads trading up.?

there shoulb be plenty of good hornets out there as the price of ammo has always kept the bores in good nick:D

mallards

I bought a Krico hornet. It's second hand and in good nick. Looks well and the whole set up cost about €380 or so. Can't complain. Bought a box of 50 shells for £20 up home in tyrone recently but he said the price would go up with his next order coming in!

Note subtle use of camoflage paint!



Mallards.

fodda

I can see you saved up the money for the gun by not shaving:)

mallards

It's how I saved up for my first razor!


Mallards.