What Would Recommend for Fox Shooting?

pm.

thinking of changing my hornet for a .17

Vegeta

A .17 centerfire or a .17HMR?

I thought the hornet would be a fine rifle for fox, never fired one but the brother did own one. Ammo might be a bit hard to come by but definitely up to the task I would have thought, why you thinking of changing?

pm.

its a centerfire, my friend got a .17 iy seems a much more powerfull gun ?

bunny shooter

pm. wrote:

thinking of changing my hornet for a .17

I use a .204 ruger. awsome calibre

Vegeta

Ok I was looking up data there on both rounds but I cannot get anything on the .17

The .22 hornet seemed to have muzzle energies of around 700 ft/lbs

The .223 is a fine round I have a .223 myself and its great to shoot but I wouldn't change the .22 hornet if you don't need to.

if you are missing foxes due to poor shot placement then the .17 wont make your shooting any straighter.

Remmy

any of the three is well capable of dropping a fox.the .223 would be a slightly better choice due to ammo availability and price but if you really want to put a scatter on something hard to beat the .17 remington.hard to argue with over 4100 fps:D

Vegeta

http://www.remington.com/products/ammunition/ballistics/comparative_ballistics_results.aspx?data=R17R2*PRA22HNA*L223R7

There's a link (how do I make that shorter and a clickable hyperlink thingy) to a comparison of 3 remington rounds.

The .17 has about 900 ft/lbs at muzzle but it does retain a decent bit of energy compared to the .22 hornet

If I was to give honest advice I'd say don't change the hornet as it is perfectly capable of the job at hand. If you are determined to change it get the .223 rem as it has great ammo availability and choice.

triskell

I've been using 17 centrefire about 10 years for foxes,IMO its an excellent fox round, though ammo is a bit dear @ €24 FOR 20 I have used it out to 270yds a couple of times. 1 shot kills tiny entry wound and massive internal injuries bullet completly fragments. i like that, not worrying about where its gone. (but i am still making sure of a safe backstop)
if i was starting again the 223 would be my first option due to cost of kit and ammo, i would be concerned that its inclined to go straight through a fox and end up god knows where. A friend of mine uses a 223 regulary he's always very aware of over kill.
i just heard that the brits min caliber on foxes is the 22.250

Trojan911

dfaf wrote:

i would be concerned that its inclined to go straight through a fox and end up god knows where. A friend of mine uses a 223 regulary he's always very aware of over kill.

I started on Sako 55gr Soft Point ammo for my .223 and found that this round went straight through the fox so I downgraded to Remington 45gr Jacketed Hollow Points. Much better & much safer, still does the job, with no follow through. Unfortunately I cannot comment on .17's etc as I have never fired them. I had a Hornet prior to my .223 & found it good for the job, however I wanted more power for range.

Hope that helps.

TJ911...

pm.

the more power for range is what im looking for, was at my local gun shop today he had a new tikka .223, it would cost me around €200 to change. the rounds are also cheaper.

bunny shooter

pm. wrote:

the more power for range is what im looking for, was at my local gun shop today he had a new tikka .223, it would cost me around €200 to change. the rounds are also cheaper.

but will you get licence for 223 ? reapply as far as i know ? can't amend a .220 licence ?

pm.

bunny shooter wrote:

but will you get licence for 223 ? reapply as far as i know ? can't amend a .220 licence ?

oh i didn't know that, might be diffucult i all ready have 4 guns.

bunny shooter

pm. wrote:

oh i didn't know that, might be diffucult i all ready have 4 guns.

223 is going to be a restricted calibre.....traded a 22 for a 223, had to reapply for licence. only got it as a member of midland. wouldn't give it to me for foxing ! mate got one in another district for foxing but still had to reapply, changed from hornet to 223

Umiq88

ask for a 222 so if your dealer will stock ammo not much wrong with a hornett though!

sidneyreilly

bunny shooter wrote:

223 is going to be a restricted calibre.....traded a 22 for a 223, had to reapply for licence. only got it as a member of midland. wouldn't give it to me for foxing ! mate got one in another district for foxing but still had to reapply, changed from hornet to 223

Usual sh*** , depends where you live, plenty of people had .220 amended in other districts. P.s. What about incliuding the mighty .22 Swift in the pole?

Umiq88

Would love a swift if reloading ever came in here trip down to the station amend the .17 to .220 as it stands though its something like €2 a round which is crazy.

tikkamark

sidneyreilly wrote:

Usual sh*** , depends where you live, plenty of people had .220 amended in other districts. P.s. What about incliuding the mighty .22 Swift in the pole?

swift has unreal power and is also very flat shooting but expensive ammo.223 is a great round cheap ammo and surpresses very well it would be an ideal step up from a hornet but as was said already its gettin tricky to get a licence for one i was lucky got mine handy enough:D

Kramer

tikkamark wrote:

.223.........its gettin tricky to get a licence for one

Yep. I had fun going from a .243 to .223 :eek:.

Brother-in-law has a Swift. Absolute canon of a yoke.
Go for the .223 if you can. As has been said, inherently accurate (especially the Tikkas ), very light recoil, lots of ammo choice & relatively inexpensive to shoot.

pm.

thanks lads for all the advice, im going to mcbride gun shop in ballykeeran athlone on saturday think ill go for the .223 if i have much hassle ill stick with my anschutz 1733. the swift is way 2 expensive a shot for me.

tikkamark

pm. wrote:

thanks lads for all the advice, im going to mcbride gun shop in ballykeeran athlone on saturday think ill go for the .223 if i have much hassle ill stick with my anschutz 1733. the swift is way 2 expensive a shot for me.

you wont go wrong with a .223 pm they are a great foxing gun and also a tikka would be a good choice i got a tikka t3 tactical in .223 around 3 months ago and must say its a serious gun very very accurate 1" groups at 150yrds:D and bolt goes through the action smooth as silk.

ranger4

22 250 or 220 swift outstanding.

pm.

i did it i got a Remington .223, its a lovely gun now lets hope my local station will just stamp the license

pm.

what do ye think of the .17 rimfire vs the .22 for rabbits, might also change my bruno .22 for a bruno .17 with a silencer ?

Kramer

pm. wrote:

what do ye think of the .17 rimfire vs the .22 for rabbits?

Well, I've bought/sold many rifles over the years. Changed calibre, upgraded, downgraded etc. but the HMR is one that will go with me to the grave .

Expensive little bugger to run @ 30c a pop but a great little round. Basically a flat trajectory from 25 to 125 yards.........ideal for bunnies.

pm.

thats good enough for me, think ill also change my .22 for the .17 thanks.

bunny shooter

pm. wrote:

i did it i got a Remington .223, its a lovely gun now lets hope my local station will just stamp the license

let us know ?

Vegeta

Congrats on the purchase, you wont be sorry

i've fired a few of the lads .17HMR and they are a lovely rifles and defintely superior for small vermin control than the .22lr but at a cost of course

johngalway

You'll be needing glass for it now.

pm.

bunny shooter wrote:

let us know ?

will do, im going to my local station later today. also think the .17 rim seems to be the way to go.

revan23

if it wasn't for the price of ammo for the swift it would be perfect, it is at almost €2 a shot which is a bit much, mental power tho, and the rounds make a perfect clean entry (shot a clay last week from 200 yrds and it barely cracked it) and at least you know you have no excuse if you miss, its just so accurate.

Keelan

How did you get on at your local station PM?

Hezz700

I'll be sticking with my swift. I find its raw power helps it buck the wind much better than .223. I know it costs 1.90 a shot:eek: but as a Fox taker how many time a year will you actually squeeze the trigger???

I average out around 300 a year on Fox, crows, ferels and distant bunnies,
thats more expensive than my Car insurance but much more fun:D

tikkamark

Hezz700 wrote:

I'll be sticking with my swift. I find its raw power helps it buck the wind much better than .223. I know it costs 1.90 a shot:eek: but as a Fox taker how many time a year will you actually squeeze the trigger???

I average out around 300 a year on Fox, crows, ferels and distant bunnies,
thats more expensive than my Car insurance but much more fun:D

.223 is only 70c a shot for American eagle ammo you could nearly fire three .223 rounds for the price of one swift bullet i know which id be choosing:p€2 a pop:eek:

pm.

my local station is closed till tomorrow evening ( damn rural stations ) im having second thoughts on the .17 due to the cost.

pm.

my budget is around €400 for a scope tops, what would ye recommend ? im getting some great advice here thanks lads;)

johngalway

Variable, I've got an MTC Viper 4-16 x 50 on my .223 got it for £234 posted and all from the UK, fella off the BBS. Does the job well on foxes, also shot greycrows out to 202 yards with it. Or, you could be on the look out for a secondhand Swarovski or Schmidt & Bender in the line of 8x56. That's what I'd be thinking anyhow.

mallards

Can anyone put the the rifle calibres in order of merit for me and more importantly in order of size. .223, .243, .22 swift, .22 hornet etc as I am a little confused. I hope to pick a hornet up shortly when the paperwork comes through for foxing and would appreciate a better understanding. What is the difference exactly between the swift and hornet and the others? Is it just size of bullet, weight of bullet, shape of bullet?

A picture would be nice also!

Mallards.

Umiq88

Hornet, .223, .22/250, .220swift, .243, .270, .

Obviously heaps more they're the mainish ones going in order of energy

mallards

Thanks for that psittacosis.

Does the hornet have an exact bullet diameter?
Do they come in a variety of loads, if so what is the optimin hornet load for foxing?


Mallards.

jaycee

For a list of ammo types and calibers ...

https://www.hornady.com/shop/?page=shop/browse&category_id=9b21ee3d3362d53196e45f77a2b066c9

It will give all the details your looking for

Hezz700

If i'm not mistaken i think that all .22 centerfires have a diameter of .224. bullet weight vary depending on the cartridge in question, the hornet normally 40-45gr.

Hezz

Keelan

johngalway wrote:

Or, you could be on the look out for a secondhand Swarovski or Schmidt & Bender in the line of 8x56. That's what I'd be thinking anyhow.

AGREE TOTALLY

Umiq88

Hungarian S&B 8x56 can be picked up for less that you'd expect keep an eye out on ebay trouble is everyone else is doing the same thing.

The hornett is around .223 or .224 something like that.

Umiq88

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Schmidt-Bender-6-x-42-Rifle-Scope_W0QQitemZ110138447907QQihZ001QQcategoryZ7307QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

For comparison

pm.

i got it its a remington model 700, i also bought a couple of boees of bullets rem 50gr jhp €15 a box not bad

Umiq88

Wow that was fast let us know how she shoots and what scope your putting on her

pm.

whats the diffearnce ? http://cgi.ebay.ie/Leupold-VX-1-3-9x50-Duplex-Reticle-Rifle-Scope_W0QQitemZ120132701657QQihZ002QQcategoryZ7307QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

pm.

http://cgi.ebay.ie/Leupold-Rifle-Scope-VX-I-3-9x50-with-Duplex-Reticule_W0QQitemZ120130514288QQihZ002QQcategoryZ7307QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem im the highst bidder on the 1st one

revan23

the difference is, it's the same guy selling two identical scopes, one is new and is cheaper postage ( ) - and is 209 sterling to buy, the other one is second hand, is more expensive postage and is already at 255 sterling...

why didn't you just buy the new one for 209?

pm.

because i only seen it after i placed my bid, would ye recommend it ?

CJhaughey

Leupold are fairly well thought of in the US , Australia and NZ.
I don't see too many here but they have a solid lifetime warranty , I guess its a bit like cars, european cars here american cars there...
I am looking at one of the VXI models probably a 3-9x 40 wide duplex model but I will chance buying it from the US.
One thing I don't like about the VXII and VXIII is the high turrets, they stick out a long way from the scope body and could catch on things.