rifle for foxes and rabbit only

twin27

hi everyone
never owned a rifle ,always just owned shotguns but now i want to get into foxing a bit more.i own my own land in relation to getting a licence.so i am looking for advice on the best rifle to suit.i willnot be using it for deer.i dont want to face a situation in a few months where i say this rifle or scope etc is only ok , so basically i kinda want to go for top of the range for foxes and only have to buy once.
i was thinking of a tikka 3 tactical in 223 with scopes, moderator and bipod .
any advice lads would be greatly appreciated.

kildare.17hmr

dont think you would go far wrong with what your thinking already! spend as much as ya can on a scope and ya'll be laughin!

twin27

hi kildare
the scope is whats bothering me really as i could spend up to 2 grand on a scope and i dont know if i really need one that expensive as i dont really know the workings of them yet and the benifits of one that expensive so any more info on those lines would be great chief:)

kildare.17hmr

well if i had that money to spend on a scope id only want to spend it once so id be goin the smith&bender route. ill leave the recomendations to the other lads who use them as that kind of kit is out of reach for me at the moment:( you say you want to buy something you'll keep for ever and that would be it

twin27

thats my thinking , in that il just have to buy once.
on the other hand im thinking would a one for half the price do a novice like me just as well? until i get good !!!! and then want to upgrade ! want to be sure as its alot of bobs to let go at the moment:rolleyes:

kildare.17hmr

you would get a new howa with a scope and a few other bits brand new for about 700 quid but you will need to spend it again in a few years ya no. the scope is the important one and if you spend more now you will have it forever, even if you decide to change the gun you can keep the scope ya no. i think most would agree if you have it to spend on the scope it'll be money well spent

Mauser 308

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

well if i had that money to spend on a scope id only want to spend it once so id be goin the smith&bender route. ill leave the recomendations to the other lads who use them as that kind of kit is out of reach for me at the moment:( you say you want to buy something you'll keep for ever and that would be it

I found the Zeiss the best scope around, the victory range are excellent if ur spending that sort of money. Lakelands just outside Mullingar on the Tullamore road are agents for them. Ask for Niall. But for foxes do u really need to spend that sort of money? If u spend €500- €1000 u will get a great scope for foxing. Other guys will advise on the range of scopes I have only fully used and tested the Zeiss so not fully qualified to comment on the others. Good luck with the choice.

ormondprop

have you used many rifles before, the tikka tac is a heavy enough rifle if your only going to be using it for hunting, personally i'd go for a laminate stainless or lite stainless to save some weight especially if you plan on puttung a mod bipod and scope on it, whats your budget

meathstevie

Get a decent sporter rifle like the Tikka sporters or CZ sporters, other ones that are springing to mind are Ruger and Anschutz. Budget wise you can go as daft as you like but I'd go for a good second hand .223 sporter like CZ and invest in a good scope and mounts. The .223 isn't a fast round and unless someone has been really making an effort shooting out a barrel you should have no problem.

Scope wise, buy as good as you can and leave sufficient money for good mounts. The high end Bushnells and the Zeiss Conquest series would be what I'd go for on a .223 (any hunting rifle for that matter). They're expensive enough but they're extremely good for what you pay. If you really want to spend money on glass go for the likes of Kahles, Schmidt&Bender and the high end Zeiss stuff but there's very good stuff to be gotten just below that price level as well.

twin27

have between 2 and 3 grand but dont really want to spend that if its not nessesary thats why im trying to get some advice here

Tackleberrywho

twin27 wrote: »

have between 2 and 3 grand but dont really want to spend that if its not nessesary thats why im trying to get some advice here

`Lord buy a .223 then, Quality scope 6-24 5.5-22 or 8-32 Harris Bipod and a mod!

I'd love a 3 grand Budget!!:(:(:(

twin27

bought a new shotgun last yr , its a beretta a 400 xplor and am damn glad i bought it , shoots good and looks good or so i think anyway !!thing is i new a fair bit about sguns and i know feck all about rifles.like the look of the tikka , think i want a 223 for the foxy fellas ! but i have no idea of how the numbers even work on the scopes i guess its better magnification the higher you go, jesus maybe thats a right tit of a comment now !!

Tackleberrywho

twin27 wrote: »

bought a new shotgun last yr , its a beretta a 400 xplor and am damn glad i bought it , shoots good and looks good or so i think anyway !!thing is i new a fair bit about sguns and i know feck all about rifles.like the look of the tikka , think i want a 223 for the foxy fellas ! but i have no idea of how the numbers even work on the scopes i guess its better magnification the higher you go, jesus maybe thats a right tit of a comment now !!

Low magnification normally for low light
High magnification is normally for long range in goo light.

Tikka is a great rifle for teh money.
Word out there is Paulo6.5 may be selling his soon!!

A second hand Tikka with a new scope and you would be on the pigs back.
Paulo shot a fox from the shoulder 147 yards the other night with it.

Back to scopes.
The bigger they are at the front 42mm 50mm 56mm etc the better they are at taking in light and focusing it.
A 56mm scope can normally use slightly high mag than a 50mm as the sight picture gets fuzzy.

if you have a Budget of a grand or more for a scope, spend it.
You will use your scope on several rifles if you buy a good one.

I know guys who have the same scopes 15 years but changed the rifle several times

Spend 50% of your overall budget (scope,mounts,rifle,bipod,mod) on a scope is my motto

twin27

cheers for that tac,
has helped out alot.

murph has a nice one for sale on here looks like a good scope and has mod and bipod and all the bits !

Hondata92

I think the saying goes "buy a scope and spend the change on a gun"

Magnification is all well and good but imo clarity even with a lower mag is more important, no point in seeing a target zoomed in on if you cant see detail. Generally european scopes have the best quality crystal used for then lenses and are mechanically sound.

As for calibre if your after a .223 then go for it, i could mention another more ballistically efficient hunting calibre but im not up for another debate.

@tac, Im in shock you havent mentioned a remmy yet:eek::eek:

Tackleberrywho

Hondata92 wrote: »

I think the saying goes "buy a scope and spend the change on a gun"

Magnification is all well and good but imo clarity even with a lower mag is more important, no point in seeing a target zoomed in on if you cant see detail. Generally european scopes have the best quality crystal used for then lenses and are mechanically sound.As for calibre if your after a .223 then go for it, i could mention another more ballistically efficient hunting calibre but im not up for another debate.

@tac, Im in shock you havent mentioned a remmy yet:eek::eek:

Generally my threads are left alone if i don't mention a remmy!

Nightforce have serious Quality scopes. I have 2, and I bought the second one as I was so happy with the First!

Second hand NF scope 5.5-22x56 ~€1100, Secondhand Remmy VSSF II or Tikka tac ~ €1100, New Mod ASE/Roedale ~ €300-400 Bipod €145, Mounts €100~

€2600-2800 and you have your rifle to your standard.
Buy €200 of ammo and yopu are foxing for a year! (or a few weeks if you burn through ammo on bunnies )

ormondprop

ya murph has one of the best packages here in the forsale section, if you can get it at a good price you would be sorted, although it would be a heavy enough rifle, although a good few guys here use them for lamping so it mightn't bother you,
personally if i had 3k to spend i'd buy a sako hunter stainless or laminate stainless in .204 or .223 either new or secondhand if i found a nice one or get a rifle built for me,, and stick a roedale or atec mod on it, 9-13 bipod, and a schmidt 4-16x50 or zeiss 4-16x50 or 6-24x56, or swarovski z6,
i'd buy the rifle and mod in a dealers and buy the scope second hand online if i cud find one going cheap,
lots of second hand bargains to be had out there,
go visit plenty of dealers and handle as many rifles as you can to make sure you like the look and feel of them, if you dont know much about rifles, bring somebody who does as some dealers out there will fill you with sh1te and take all your money if they get a chance, although some other guys are dead sound, such as paul o halloran in drangan and sean in stakelums in thurles
take your time and dont rush into anything

twin27

i know what ya mean about the shopping bit ,to be honest i think il keep an eye on here because id like to just buy the package together and i hate travelling around the country and to be honast i dont have the time for that .murphs gun is looking the best at the moment ,but i think price is a little steep ,something else might come along in next week or so , if not il just have to put on the bargaining cap !!

ormondprop

fair enough but atleast ring a few dealers close to you, u'd never know what they would have in stock

heres some more for you, if you could get a deer license aswell this would be great for fox and deer
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056132563

the swift here
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056172869

another swift
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056193049

my own hornet
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056177315

a.17 centrefire
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056172948

and a .204
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056100399

and bunnyshooter here has a lovely remington vssf in swift for sale that is super accurate, i'm sure he'd give you a good deal if you pm him
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/member.php?u=107116

.223 Paul

I would advise you to go the route you are going ie a tikka t3. You will have top of the range there. And yes you should try and spend as much as you can on a scope as you dont want to be zeroing in the scope the whole time if its a cheap old thing. Doctor optics are one of the best. You might pick up one for about €1000 but really it is all about your scope..to thread it for a mod(if its not already threaded) could cost you €100 and then the mod could be round €300. One thing for sure dont go rushing into anything and shop around. DONT let anyone convince you into buying something. You would be surprised what deal a gunsmith might do you in this current climate !!!!..Happy shopping.