best rifle and cailbre for rabbits?

pintos80

whats the best rifle and calibre for rabbits......

my .223 is too powerful and a waste of bullets on rabbits...... so i want cheaper ammo

a rifle that will see me out to 150 at least.....

tomcat220t

pintos80 wrote: »

whats the best rifle and calibre for rabbits......

my .223 is too powerful and a waste of bullets on rabbits......

Hi pintos,that would depend on how far out you want to shoot rabbits .
Most calibers are powerful enough for the job .
My favorite caliber for bunny bashing is the .22lr .
Regards,Tomcat.

Cass

Just for rabbits?

Any of the .22 or .17 family.

.22lr is cheapest to run, but has the least range. .22wmr is a good caliber with range, and effectiveness. The .22 Hornet is a great round, but on the dear side in relation to ammo cost among the smallbores.

Then the .17hmr has good range, and ammo is cheap enough at 17-20 per box of 50. There is the new up and coming .17 Hornet. Seen one the other day and it's a beaut of rifle. No idea on ammo costs because afaik there are no factory rounds available. However they may be available form the north or Uk for import.


Really a matter of what you consider a reasonable price to pay for ammo, and the maximum range you shoot at.

Just my 2 cent.

Tikkat3

pintos80 wrote: »

whats the best rifle and calibre for rabbits......

my .223 is too powerful and a waste of bullets on rabbits......

You are going to be told the .22lr or the .17 hmr loads of times in this thread

For me, I have an FAC Air rifle which is 30 ft/lb, seriously accurate and effective on bunnies and super cheap to shoot.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=81365863

I have a .223 too and needed something less powerful.

Its another option for you to consider.

The .22 lr is the most accessible option though and the most used in fairness and a good choice always.

Edit: I just noticed that you wanted to shoot out to 150 yards so ignore the airgun if thats your need.

At the range you are talking about, the .223 and head shots is grand.

The .17 hmr might be a better lower caliber choice though but very light at 200 yards

garv123

Since you already have a .223 the obvious choice is to go for a .22

With subsonic ammo and a mod it will be almost silent. zero it at 50 or 60 yards and you'll get used to the drop at 100.

Ammo is dirt cheap at around 6-8euro for a box of 50.. cheaper if you buy in bulk.

Theres also loads of .22's in dealers and they last forever.

Won't go wrong with a CZ


I have a .17hmr for rabbits and foxes and its useful for longer ranges than the .22, but louder and the ammo is about 15 for 50. Its a very flat round and you'll be able to shoot rabbits at 150-200 yards

Hunter21

It's hard to beat a .22 with Iron sights shooting rabbits. Probably some of the best sport you'd ever have.

And more so its old skool, it will teach you fundamentals;
-teach you great technique for breathing control.
-shooting from various positions and making use of natural bipods like gates and trees for the longer shots

I got a .17hmr first, then got a .22 lever action and I must say I've leant far more with the .22 with iron sights and has improved my field craft for my other rifles.

I'd highly recommend anyone to try iron sight shooting, its great! This coming from a 23 year old.. Lol

pintos80

Ezridax wrote: »

Just for rabbits?

Any of the .22 or .17 family.

.22lr is cheapest to run, but has the least range. .22wmr is a good caliber with range, and effectiveness. The .22 Hornet is a great round, but on the dear side in relation to ammo cost among the smallbores.

Then the .17hmr has good range, and ammo is cheap enough at 17-20 per box of 50. There is the new up and coming .17 Hornet. Seen one the other day and it's a beaut of rifle. No idea on ammo costs because afaik there are no factory rounds available. However they may be available form the north or Uk for import.


Really a matter of what you consider a reasonable price to pay for ammo, and the maximum range you shoot at.

Just my 2 cent.

ye just for rabbits and greys. basically i want a small calibre that will go to near 200 yards

garv123

pintos80 wrote: »

ye just for rabbits and greys. basically i want a small calibre that will go to near 200 yards

17 hmr will do that and will have about 10" ish drop at 200 yards but like all rimfires at that range it will be affected by wind.

Its easily enough to shoot rabbits at that range with the hmr on calm days.

The 17 hornet when it takes off will also be a good choice. its a centre fire and will be used exactly at the ranges you want it for.. Its not going to be cheaper to run than your .223 though.

Hunter21

Zero a .17hmr at 150yards you'll be roughly 5.5inches of drop at 200

For the type of shooting distances your after a .17 is your best bet.

Brand new Marlin .17hmr XT17 black synthetic for about €350, great value and a tack driver at that.

ssl

I'm thinking of getting a .17 myself. Can anyone recommend brands and models that they have expierence with.
Cheers

garv123

ssl wrote: »

I'm thinking of getting a .17 myself. Can anyone recommend brands and models that they have expierence with.
Cheers

HMR?

I have the marlin 917vs. Its a little tack driver.
Never had any issues with it. Its a lot cheaper than the likes of CZ of Sako but it shoots just as good.

The CZ with a thumbhole stock is also a nice enough rifle, the large thumbhole stock and heavy barrel do make it a heavy bunny set up though. They feel more like a centrefire which some people prefer.

elius

If trying to keep cost down you would get a 22wmr for peanuts i reckon. Know one seems to want them anymore....

Nice little Read.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/compared_17HMR_22WMR.htm

LIFFY FISHING

ssl wrote: »

I'm thinking of getting a .17 myself. Can anyone recommend brands and models that they have expierence with.
Cheers

Cz 452.17hmr american, cant get a more fun or dependable rifle, would get rid of all mine if i could keep only the one

ssl

Yeah I'm looking for info on hmr's. I'd like a stainless synthetic but I'm open to suggestions. My budget is around the €500 mark.
Cheers

garv123

ssl wrote: »

Yeah I'm looking for info on hmr's. I'd like a stainless synthetic but I'm open to suggestions. My budget is around the €500 mark.
Cheers

http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/17HMRMagnum/917s.asp

ssl

LIFFY FISHING wrote: »

Cz 425 .17hmr american, cant get a more fun or dependable rifle, would get rid of all mine if i could keep only the one

Looking at the 452 style. I read a review where the writer said his stock broke as the front eye cannot support a bi pod. I haven't read any other reviews stating this.
http://www.reviewcentre.com/review653174.html

LIFFY FISHING

garv123 wrote: »

http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/17HMRMagnum/917s.asp

Carlow country sports had a beaut .17hmr, pretty sure it around about your budget, but it had a laminated stock, wouldnt harm to give him a call, he is a nice guy.

LIFFY FISHING

ssl wrote: »

Looking at the 452 style. I read a review where the writer said his stock broke as the front eye cannot support a bi pod. I haven't read any other reviews stating this.
http://www.reviewcentre.com/review653174.html

I have a harris bi pod on mine since the day I got it, no problem.
I always feel that a lad writing reviews in magazines etc, are not giving an opinion based on the fact that they didnt pay for the item and are snobs because they are spoilt with the best of gear for free.

clivej

ssl wrote: »

Looking at the 452 style. I read a review where the writer said his stock broke as the front eye cannot support a bi pod. I haven't read any other reviews stating this.
http://www.reviewcentre.com/review653174.html

This a problem that is SO EASY to correct that its not a problem.

The front swivel pulled out of my CZ 452 style because I tightened up the Bi-pod putting it on way too much and pulled the swivel out of the the stock

I just put a little Vaseline on the swivel's thread and epoxied it back in the stock. The Vaseline is to stop the swivel getting stuck in permanently.

The CZ range of rifles are great value for money and very accurate from the first shot.
Ring as many dealers as you can there are plenty of bargains, new & secondhand, to be had from them, this is a good time to buy.

ssl

garv123 wrote: »

http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/17HMRMagnum/917s.asp

That's a nice gun also.
Marlin seems to be as popular as cz in .17.
Both my .22(selling) and .308 are cz but I'm open to new brands

Chiparus

I have a 22 and 17hmr, if you want something to shoot out to 150 then he HMR is the way to go. However if you want to shoot for the table, the 22 does far less damage but not for shooting out to 150.

The 17 is temperamental and the barrel needs regular cleaning.

TriggerPL

ssl wrote: »

That's a nice gun also.
Marlin seems to be as popular as cz in .17.
Both my .22(selling) and .308 are cz but I'm open to new brands

I have a .17 cz advertised with full package in the for sale section and the money is right , take a look and if ya want to view it when ur down this way it can be arranged

garv123

Chiparus wrote: »

I have a 22 and 17hmr, if you want something to shoot out to 150 then he HMR is the way to go. However if you want to shoot for the table, the 22 does far less damage but not for shooting out to 150.

The 17 is temperamental and the barrel needs regular cleaning.

The most cleaning my hmr gets is a pull through of a bore snake every few hundred rounds and it shoots better with a dirtier barrel.. that was the general view on here and on uk forums too last time it came up.

meathstevie

If it's rabbits only, .22lr but seeing that you've got a .223 I'd say you do a good bit of foxing as well. I'd recommend a .22 hornet.

It's a lot quieter than a .223 and a perfect round for head shots on rabbits. It has longer range and longer range accuracy than the usual rim fire rounds ( including the .17hmr due to it being a bit prone to wind drift and high frangability when coming into contact with twigs and rushes etc ). Also a distinct advantage in my opinion is that it's far less ricochet prone than a .22lr. No matter how good your backstop the whining sound of a ricochet always worries me.

Although the bullets all come in at around 45 grains it'll leave you with plenty of good rabbit carcasses as long as you do your job and place your shot well and it'll also comfortably drop a fox beyond the range of all but the more extreme spotlights so spot on there as well.