Calibers

Kells...

What calibers are suitable for different animals?

It wasn't me!

TroutFisher wrote: »

What calibers are suitable for different animals?

That's a proper "length of a piece of string" question right there.

Being extremely general, and keeping it to typical Irish game and cartridges, you could go with the following.

.22 and .17 rimfires: Rabbits, corvids, occasional opportunistic fox.

.17 and .22 centrefires: Long range rabbits and corvids, dedicated fox gun.

.243 calibre upwards: deer rifles and deer/fox rifles.

Now, as the last part might make clear, there's nothing that says you can't use the bigger rifle for smaller game, but it's not going to be the most useful tool for the job, ever, so while I might whack the occasional rabbit or magpie with my .25-06, it's not going to be the perfect rifle for the job (except in the sense that the only perfect rifle for a job is the one you're holding at the time). At the top end of the scale, keeping to Irish game, there's no real call for more than about a .30-06 or similar cartridges. If you go abroad, you'll find more esoteric and interesting rounds being used, if you're shooting big boar, deer and bears in Eastern Europe, or dangerous game in Africa. What are you interested in yourself? Could recommend something more suitable if we knew that.

Tackleberrywho

It wasn't me! wrote: »

That's a proper "length of a piece of string" question right there.

Being extremely general, and keeping it to typical Irish game and cartridges, you could go with the following.

.22 and .17 rimfires: Rabbits, corvids, occasional opportunistic fox.

.17 and .22 centrefires: Long range rabbits and corvids, dedicated fox gun.

.243 calibre upwards: deer rifles and deer/fox rifles.

Now, as the last part might make clear, there's nothing that says you can't use the bigger rifle for smaller game, but it's not going to be the most useful tool for the job, ever, so while I might whack the occasional rabbit or magpie with my .25-06, it's not going to be the perfect rifle for the job (except in the sense that the only perfect rifle for a job is the one you're holding at the time). At the top end of the scale, keeping to Irish game, there's no real call for more than about a .30-06 or similar cartridges. If you go abroad, you'll find more esoteric and interesting rounds being used, if you're shooting big boar, deer and bears in Eastern Europe, or dangerous game in Africa. What are you interested in yourself? Could recommend something more suitable if we knew that.

It can also depend on range.

My Neighbor wants me to get some corvids ripping his silage bales, and eating his cattle feed.

In this case a shotty might be useful for flying corvids. However I can't cause damage to bales either.

Some guys prefer a .243 for deer as it is a dany rifle on a fox too.
Some lads swear by 6.5 for deer, some swear against them.

For rabbits (in small fields with a lot of scrub, .22lr or .17HMR. If the fields are bigger then a centrefire .17Rem,.204Ruger,.223 Rem .220swift may be more useful.
For foxes (personally) I would prefer a centrefire, I have shot and killed foxes with a .22Lr, however that was 75 yard max. And sometimes required a follow up shot.
The .223 drops them like Hot sn*t.

For Deer I have shot and seen deer shot with .243 6.5x55, 5.6x52,.270 and .308.
No deer was more deader than the other. However the .270 and .308 did seem to hit them better and drop quicker.

im my HUMBLE opinion, there are many rifles suited for many jobs, however range and conditions can make some rifles more suitable.

Some hunters I know have shooting in small fields no bigger than 200 yards, others have wide open ground.

So it depends also on where you are mainly shooting & what you are shooting before you make a final decesion.

johngalway

TroutFisher wrote: »

What calibers are suitable for different animals?

What're you looking to shoot?

Tackleberrywho

This would be an interesting rifle in .243 for deer/varminting or .308 for deer only.

http://www.rpainternational.co.uk/woodland_stalker_rifle.asp

They have a longe barreled one for mountains

It wasn't me!

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

This would be an interesting rifle in .243 for deer/varminting or .308 for deer only.

http://www.rpainternational.co.uk/woodland_stalker_rifle.asp

They have a longe barreled one for mountains

There's an unbelievably ugly muzzle blast off those. Trust me, I've been in the presence of one. Definitely needs to be moderated.

Tackleberrywho

It wasn't me! wrote: »

There's an unbelievably ugly muzzle blast off those. Trust me, I've been in the presence of one. Definitely needs to be moderated.

Well they do come threaded.
with an ASE on board they stand ~21"
Which in real terms is still quite short.

The VTR when she was un modded had a small break on the 20" mark and was not that Harsh.
Very little now though.
No idea of the price though, one would imagine expensive.
http://www.rpainternational.co.uk/offers_rifles.asp
Averaging £2000stg
That wou.d be ~ €2500 here give or take.

It wasn't me!

I've stood behind one. Trust me, it's nasty. It'd be more unpleasant than a .300 Win Mag, much sharper and more piercing.

Tackleberrywho

It wasn't me! wrote: »

I've stood behind one. Trust me, it's nasty. It'd be more unpleasant than a .300 Win Mag, much sharper and more piercing.

16" is short, with an ASE S7 on it still is very short.
I'd like one for the craic.

I see they chamber a nice leftie Target rifle

Tackleberrywho

TroutFisher wrote: »

What calibers are suitable for different animals?

http://www.remington.com/pages/news-and-resources/videos/varmint-predator-calibers.aspx

Might give ya a few tips

And heres another

http://www.riflesintheuk.com/cartridges.htm