Help with picking a 250m- 300m Varmit calibre

[Jezz]

Well its that time again when i feel the need to add a new gun to the safe. iv taken to helping a few local sheep farmers this winter by helping shoot foxes.
I have been using a 17hmr with very good results, however there have been at least a 10 or so foxes that we havent got a shot at because the are out past 200m.

I plan on only really using this rifle on foxes at extended ranges, max of 330m id say.

Calibres iv been looking at are .223, 22-250. Any others i should consider? i dont plan on reloading at the moment (may change) and dont want to pay a massive amount of money for ammo. (decent box of .223 is around $1 a round here in Aus, 22-250 $1.20 or so)


also what kind of magnification do you use to 300m? Im thinking 4-12 power, is that sufficient or should i go more?



thanks for your help

 

[Italian_Marksman94]

.223 is perfect, you have a wide variety of load you could go from such as in the 40 grain area all the way to a 90 grainer all though you could only shoot certain ones depending on your twist rate. The .223 is more than suffiecent enough out to 400 yards for fox sized game, there cheap, and they dont burn barrels either. Not only that but the AR is a very good platform for long range shooting, I was watching the hunting channel and these guys were predator hunting bobcat and coyote, on two occasions a man shot a running coyote at what I remember being something like 380 yards and killed them both with one shot from a 20" barrel, DRT. Just imagine what you could do to a animal thats smaller than coyote such as a fox at even further a distance.

PS- Sorry I had to use the english system of measurement, Im not very familiar with the metric system lol.

 

[kraigwy]

You want to shoot between 250 & 300 yards and dont want to re-load????????

Sounds like a 223 to me.

 

[mikejonestkd]

.223 - cheap, accurate, widely available everywhere, and more that powerful enough for the range you are considering.

 

[Jezz]

its not that i dont want to reload, its that i dont have the cash for all the gear 2 do it

the down side that since i live in Australia is that getting an AR 15 is next to impossible, as it is with anything semi automatic

so a bolt gun it will be. the front runners at the moment are a Tikka t3, remingtion 700 sps and a Sako A7.

and Italian_Marksman94 dont worrie about using the imperial system. Guns over here are always in imperial so i know what your saying

 

[Jezz]

What scope power do you use to 300m? im looking at a Leupold vx-2, 4-12 40mm

 

[dsa1115]

I'd consider a .270

 

[Italian_Marksman94]

Oops, sorry I forgot no semi-autos in Australia, anyways you might want to check out the Savage Model 12, there generaly cheaper than remingtons and just as accurate and in my opinion they have a much better trigger. If you look hard you could probaly find one for about 750-800 US dollars. The money you save could be used to buy a nice 4-12 power scope.

My grandfather has a Savage Model 12, it has the smoothest action and nicest trigger out of all his varmint rifles.

 

[Bamashooter]

.243 is an excellent varmit caliber. i have a single shot handi-rifle .243 with a burris 3x9 fullfield II. get a little more range from the .243 than the .223 but both are adequate.

 

[Scorch]

Help with picking a 250m- 300m Varmit calibre

Calibres iv been looking at are .223, 22-250.

250-300 m is right in the sweet spot for both the 223 and 22-250.

i dont plan on reloading at the moment (may change) and dont want to pay a massive amount of money for ammo.

Then it sounds like a 223 is in order.

the front runners at the moment are a Tikka t3, remingtion 700 sps and a Sako A7

Given those choices, I would opt for a Sako A7 first, or a Remington 700.

what kind of magnification do you use to 300m? Im thinking 4-12 power,

I have a Leupold 4.5-14 on my 22-250 and a 3-9 on my 223.

 

[banditt007]

Fox actually hurt/kill sheep? Doesn't a fox max out at like 15lbs? Enlighten me. Also i take it you are not trying to save the pelt with the cartridges listed. If you are you are prob best off looking at something a bit smaller.

 

[mdd]

Italian marksman, aren't you the same 16 year old who just a few days ago was asking all of us what bolt gun & caliber to purchase to use for coyote hunting with your grandfather? Despite all of the other, better, recommendations you decided on an AR platform in 223. Now you're advocating to another person a platform which you don't yet own for a purpose with which you have no experience. The phrase "blind leading the blind" seems quite apropos.

 

[Italian_Marksman94]

Uhh yeah but I was just askin a good caliber despite my age I'm not a complete idiot. I read about firearms and hunting as much I can and if I have a question about something I always ask a more expierenced shooter so Id like to consider myself fairly knowledgeable on certain subjects, don't let my age fool you
And even then your statement is a moot point, the man who asked the question lives in Australia where semiauto rifles are illegal so I corrected myself by recomending a savage 12 which in my opinion is an excellent rifle. The Ar is also a decent coyote platform to for coyote hunting judging by some photos, stories, and videos I've seen but like I said he lives in Australia.

 

[10-96]

Jezz,
Just wondering- Is the CZ 527 available in your locale? It has a single set trigger system that is out of this world!
Also, I don't want to add to your confusion, but if you're sure you'll not get into dingo's or other larger critters- the .204 Ruger is a fine performer and may be worth looking at.

And, I think you would be well set with your idea of a 4-12. My passion is shooting little critters we call Prairie Dogs (size of smallish rabbit)- and I mostly use .223's outfitted with scopes anywhere from 18x to 25x.

 

[Jezz]

for banditt007

Just some info on foxes for you.

Big foxes only really get to 7 or so kgs so yeah your right. the problem with the foxes only really exists in Lambing season (early winter usally).

Anyway the foxes tend to kill the lambs, and eat the soft parts ( Usually just the tongue and tail, and leave them to bleed out), its not nice to say the least.

when there are a lot of foxes about my mates can lose up to 30 lambs a night somethimes more, and with Sheep prices around $130, 150 a head at the moment thats a huge loss of potential $$$$$$.

foxes tend to kill for pleasure as the often kill a lamb and dont touch the meat



o and yes im not shooting for the pelts. I get a few with my mates 17hmr if im looking for pelts. this gun is for those foxes that sit just out of range

 

[Jezz]

10-96

I do love CZ, i have a a 452 American in .22lr and love it. However i want a rifle that can take a beating. I want a nice Synthetic stock with a blued orstainless barrel. Dont think i could live with myself if i scratched up something as nice as a CZ lol

 

[FrankenMauser]

I have to say .220 Swift, because it is absolutely brutal on varmints.


However, the .22-250 is plenty good, and will work great.

As for magnification: My Swift wears a 6.5-20x50mm Leupold Vari-X 3 (now know as the VX-2, but I think you have to buy a "Mark 4" to get that magnification and objective size...).

Edit: My screen size made the word "foxes" blend in with everything else. I missed that part. If that's all you're after, the .223 with a 3-9x40mm scope would probably be adequate. Bumping that up to 3.5-10X or 4-12X might be worth it.

 

[Art Eatman]

I had no trouble getting on-target with prairie dogs to 300 yards with 7X, so 9X on foxes would certainly be plenty for precision shooting.

A .223 with the common loadings of 50- to 55-grain bullets should do nicely on foxes.

 

[Picher]

The .22-250 has a flatter trajectory than the .223 Rem, which is handy at 300+ yards, making it easier to hit critters when you don't know the exact range.

I always wanted a .22-250 around, until I stopped woodchuck hunting and picked up a .223 Rem for a shooting range rifle.

I love the .223 for general target shooting, and am having the .22-250 rebarrelled to .243 Win for greater versatility in shooting larger coyotes and deer. The grandkids will LOVE it!

 

[brewman]

As others have mentioned 223 would probably be great for what we get here in SA. I have only had limited experience of this round in a good friends CZ but can tell you he swears by the round and the CZ rifle.

Personally I have a Rem VSSF II in 22-250 that I have basically just run in, yet to have a good range day to zero properly. I topped mine with a Leupold VXII 6-18 x 40 fine duplex, I think the fine retical is important for any varmint scope

I also own a Sako75 stainless synthetic and will say it is the nicest functioning rifle I own, action as smooth as silk, based on that the A7 should be a nice well made rifle too.

Where about in SA are you?