What calibre should I buy

Boiled-egg

Getting into stalking next season and trying to make a decision on calibre. I realise there are many threads in the topic and every one is loyal to their own.
All opinions appriciated.
Also please take cost of ammo into consideration

kay 9

I'd say 30-06 or 308 if you have considered shooting boar or the likes abroad;)

rob308

25-06

ssl

308, Its the king of the jungle!

.243

all really depends on your shooting grounds and as above if any future intentions on shooting abroad,

Boiled-egg

Shooting abroad?? What difference should this make to calibre choice??

Mauser 308

Boiled-egg wrote: »

Shooting abroad?? What difference should this make to calibre choice??

308 are not allowed in some european countries ie France

.243

Boiled-egg wrote: »

Shooting abroad?? What difference should this make to calibre choice??

because some of the popular calibres here in this country are unsuitable for certain types of shooting in other countries

Mauser 308

Boiled-egg wrote: »

Getting into stalking next season and trying to make a decision on calibre. I realise there are many threads in the topic and every one is loyal to their own.
All opinions appriciated.
Also please take cost of ammo into consideration

What kind of Deer and land are you hoping to shoot ie distances etc ? is it for foxes also? Is kick and noise an issue

Boiled-egg

Will be shooting in Connemara, not exactely sure which species of deer yet.
I would love to be able to have a rifle that I could use for foxes as well but the most important criteria is a caliber to bring down animals as humanely as possiable.
Ranges as of yet are un known but I intend to zero out to 400.
Kick and noise are not an issue

Thanks so far lads, for the comments and feed back.

It wasn't me!

Go shopping, find the rifle you like best. That'll be more important. I reckon .25-06, .270, .308, .30-06, the latter two particularly if you'd be hunting abroad at all.

Boiled-egg

Rifle I like best mmmm...... Tikka T3 hunter any opinions??

It wasn't me!

Boiled-egg wrote: »

Rifle I like best mmmm...... Tikka T3 hunter any opinions??

Personally I found it a little bit mediocre in the hands, balanced wrong for me and it's quite light if you were shooting anything above about a .270 or a .308 in it. It would kick quite considerably. In theory it's the same weight as my Sako 75, but trust me, even if it is, the two are completely different animals in terms of handling. The Tikkas also have quite short barrels, so would do better in say .308 than in .25-06, which needs a longer barrel to live up to its potential and is *extremely* loud from a short barrel. All the cartridges are good, and plenty for deer here, so the rifle you find it in at the price you like is going to be the deciding factor really.

sfakiaman

Since the OP mentions cost of ammo as a consideration the .308 would give him cheap(ish) ammo for practice and a good range of hunting rounds at the same kind of exorbitant price as the others. I don't think a deer is going to notice the difference between any of the rounds if well placed. A 400yd zero sounds a bit optimistic for a hunting rifle.

Boiled-egg

Thanks lads for the opinions. Looks like the 308 is going to be the one.
As for the Tikka T3 Hunter. I hear what you are saying about the weight but it is going to be used as a stalking rifle, weight & balance is not as much a factor as it would be in a target rifle.
I was actually considering the T3 Lite which is lighter but I just prefer the more traditional look.
Thanks again for all the info

It wasn't me!

Boiled-egg wrote: »

Thanks lads for the opinions. Looks like the 308 is going to be the one.
As for the Tikka T3 Hunter. I hear what you are saying about the weight but it is going to be used as a stalking rifle, weight & balance is not as much a factor as it would be in a target rifle.
I was actually considering the T3 Lite which is lighter but I just prefer the more traditional look.
Thanks again for all the info

I dunno, personally I really value proper weight and balance in a hunting rifle myself, but if all your shooting is going to be off a bipod it won't make much difference (though an extra bit of barrel length is always going to help hold it steady, whatever the position). If you're going to be doing any shooting from field positions, without rests or supports, it's pretty vital, for me at least.

Tackleberrywho

What kind of stalking will you be doing?

My stalking involves a lot of crawling through undergrowth to pick off a deer on the edge of a thicket or wood.

I personally use a 20" .308 with a moderator and find it very handy.
24"'s including the Moderator.

It can still 3 round clovers @100 and 200 yards so 20"'s is not unrealistic in a hunting setup.


Make sure the check piece is comfortable when firing from the shoulder.
I have shot a few deer on occasion this way, and a comfortable shot invariably is a better shot.

I have a PSE Composites Stock which is the bees knees and a Tactical bolt knob which makes reloading easy even with gloves on.

Mauser 308

Boiled-egg wrote: »

Ranges as of yet are un known but I intend to zero out to 400.
.

Zero out to 400 :eek: Just so u know that would not be the norm by a long shot (excuse the pun), I am sue you will look into it further, but hunting deer at ranges like that is extreme to say the least. And if that is the norm ranges on ur teraine then its a larger magnum round you need not a 270, 308 or 30-06. I am sure lads with experience on them sort of ranges will jump in. For ref, and you may already know, most deer will be shot between 50 and 170 yards in most cases.

It wasn't me!

A typical .270 130gr bullet is still carrying nearly 1500 ft/lbs of energy at 400 yards and it's flat shooting and plenty accurate in a decent rifle. More than capable of killing deer well at that range. Certainly a bigger rifle isn't going to make you more capable of killing at that range. It's all going to be shot placement, and most people shoot smaller rifles more accurately than big ones. Not that I condone shooting unwounded deer at that sort of range in all but the most exceptional circumstances, but it's important to know how to make the shot if it were the only possible option or something goes wrong and you have to make a long range follow up shot.

Mauser 308

It wasn't me! wrote: »

A typical .270 130gr bullet is still carrying nearly 1500 ft/lbs of energy at 400 yards and it's flat shooting and plenty accurate in a decent rifle. More than capable of killing deer well at that range. Certainly a bigger rifle isn't going to make you more capable of killing at that range. It's all going to be shot placement, and most people shoot smaller rifles more accurately than big ones. Not that I condone shooting unwounded deer at that sort of range in all but the most exceptional circumstances, but it's important to know how to make the shot if it were the only possible option or something goes wrong and you have to make a long range follow up shot.

Yea but setting your Zero out at 400y, to me that means most shots will be 300 - 500+ yards on average. I know we have been here before but in my opinion its not a good idea to shoot at a deer beyond 300 yards max.:)

It wasn't me!

Mauser 308 wrote: »

Yea but setting your Zero out at 400y, to me that means most shots will be 300 - 500+ yards on average. I know we have been here before but in my opinion its not a good idea to shoot at a deer beyond 300 yards max.:)

He said zero out to, not at, which means knowing the scope adjustments/hold over out to that range to enable practical shooting at that range. I'd hold the same opinion, wouldn't take a shot past 300 as I am now, probably even 250 as a personal limit, but if I could extend that, then under perfect circumstances, I'd be happy to shoot further.

Mauser 308

It wasn't me! wrote: »

He said zero out to, not at, which means knowing the scope adjustments/hold over out to that range to enable practical shooting at that range. I'd hold the same opinion, wouldn't take a shot past 300 as I am now, probably even 250 as a personal limit, but if I could extend that, then under perfect circumstances, I'd be happy to shoot further.

My misunderstanding, have it now.:):)

Boiled-egg

Sorry lads if i caused confusion.
I will zero for poa/poi @ 150 and then move in to 50 and start taking bullet drop data every 50 out to 400.
Now this is not set in stone but its a good starting point. I may find i need poa/poi @ 100A lot will depend on the optics and how i choose to aim for the various distances i.e. clicks on turrets or mil dots ect..

deerhunter1

Boiled-egg wrote: »

Getting into stalking next season and trying to make a decision on calibre. I realise there are many threads in the topic and every one is loyal to their own.
All opinions appriciated.
Also please take cost of ammo into consideration

308:D

hunter91

I voted .243 in your poll because i have one and love it. Great gun for stalking and the odd fox. BUT 25-06 should really be in your options too. lad i stalk with has one and its also a great round especially if your going to be shooting out to longer ranges..

ps: you wont go wrong with a tikka T3