Hunting?

[beeman]

You might want to check with your State regs in relation to Deer. In certain States there is a legal minimum caliber when shooting certain Deer.
.223 is too small for Deer here in Vic, need a minimum of a .270.
I use a .223 (55gr projectiles) and it has plenty of stopping power for goats. Deer and pigs I upgrade to the 30-06.

In Vic the regs are that Fallow Hog and Chital deer may be taken with a caliber no smaller than 243 with a bullet weight of no less than 85 grains.
Samba, Rusa and Red deer have a minimum caliber of 270 with a minimum bullet weight of 130 grains.
We run 2, 30-06 rifles and have the ability to down load to the same specs as the 243 or we can load up heave weights of 220+ grain projectiles, Generally a good medium to large game rifle with good versitility and stopping power

 

[PhilK]

Sounds good beeman, any photos?

 

[tonk]

i cant believe no one has recommended a 22-250 great flat shooting very fast cal.. its the only gun i own and will easily take goats and hogs out to 250m.. Id recommend a medium sized calibre and practice so u become a competant marksman..

 

[PhilK]

Again.. sorry for my lack of knowledge here but what is a 22-250? How is it different from say a .243? Is the ammo any cheaper/more expensive etc?

 

[Brigsy]

22-250 is similar to the 223 just that much faster and flater shooting. Ammo is cheap as

 

[Brigsy]

Red deer i shot last year

 

[naledge]

Just a pic of some of my babies.
Guns are like snakes - you just cant stop at one ha ha ha
View attachment 150283

The bottom one looks awesome, lightweight and agile. What is it?

 

[cris]

Again.. sorry for my lack of knowledge here but what is a 22-250? How is it different from say a .243? Is the ammo any cheaper/more expensive etc?

The caliber is just basically a measurement of the diameter of the bullet, although its more complex than that. A 22-250 is a high power .22 caliber round its less powerfull than a .243, but considerably more powerful than a .223(aka 5.56mm) while still firing the same sized bullet as a .223(which is actually .224 of an inch in diameter). Price of ammo is more related to how common a particular cailber is, things like .223(5.56) and .308(7.62) are much cheaper than other calibers if buying factory made ammo. If you load your own ammo the cost factor isnt really significant. If your primary targets are pigs and goats a .243, .270 or .308 are ideal choices, but there are heaps of other calibers offering suitable performance. A shotty is also worth considering, they kill anything cleanly at close range, an 1887 lever action is the best you can get here without going through heaps of red tape.

Here is a pic of a nice gun, sako 75. Not cheap but good value.

 

[kkjkdt1]

The bottom one looks awesome, lightweight and agile. What is it?

Its a mossberg plinkster .22
I bought it for the wife to use, its suprisingly accurate for a cheap plastic gun.

 

[naledge]

Edit: On second thoughts, it's more polite just to start a new topic.

 

[PhilK]

The caliber is just basically a measurement of the diameter of the bullet, although its more complex than that. A 22-250 is a high power .22 caliber round its less powerfull than a .243, but considerably more powerful than a .223(aka 5.56mm) while still firing the same sized bullet as a .223(which is actually .224 of an inch in diameter)

ARGH! Hahaha OK I think I'm catching on slowly.. so a 22-250 is the same sized bullet as a .22 but just with more firepower behind it? And a .223 is the same diameter but less powerful than the 22-250? And a .243 is just a bigger diameter?

Does that mean the .22, .223 and 22-250 bullets all have same diameter but different power? And the .243 just has a bigger diameter?

Price of ammo is more related to how common a particular cailber is, things like .223(5.56) and .308(7.62) are much cheaper than other calibers if buying factory made ammo.

How about that .243 if I was going to go for that - pricey? Is there somewhere I can compare ammo prices? Like if a .243 is going to me a lot more expensive than .308 to keep loaded I would choose the cheaper calibre.

Thanks for all your help and patience haha

 

[Dar1stheory]

Hey Phil,

I'm going through all the application stuff myself at the moment, been able to go and test some mates guns which was good, and I'm now going with a .243 as my first rifle.

Bit of a bugger that the .22 bullets are so cheap compared to larger rounds, the .243 and .308 are close enough in price that I think the benefits of the individual rounds should be the deciding factor...

Look up the SSAA (Sporting Shooters Association of Australia, ssaa.org.au I think, and if you send an online enquiry they'll send you a free sample pack of hunting/shooting magazines with reviews and specials from stores Australia wide, I found it really useful!

 

[PhilK]

Hey Dar1stheory,

I have one onto their website and read up on how to join/apply etc but have not sent them a query - I will do so, would be goo to get some goodies!

Yeah I have been on wiki etc this arvo and reckon .243 is the way to go. Or maaaayybe .308.

Finally found the perfect picture for me - a .223, .243 and .308 round all side by side! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.243_Winchester)

Any good hunting forums around?

 

[cris]

How about that .243 if I was going to go for that - pricey? Is there somewhere I can compare ammo prices? Like if a .243 is going to me a lot more expensive than .308 to keep loaded I would choose the cheaper calibre.

.223 and .308 (5.56 and 7.62x51) are military calibers so are mass produced, they are also very popular and accurate so are available at lower prices. A .243 is a .308 with a smaller bullet, which basically means more sting and less thump. A 243 is one of the best alround calibres to start with, you can get 55 grain(grain is an imperial weight measurement) bullets that go 4000fps+ to invert cats and foxes or 90-100grain rounds to cleanly kill pigs. If you plan on shooting big stuff like horses, camel and buffalo i would suggest a more powerful gun.

Its a good idea to get a air rifle or .22 rimfire to practice with. More friendly on the wallet and the ears (our lame government has banned silencers)

 

[PhilK]

If you plan on shooting big stuff like horses, camel and buffalo i would suggest a more powerful gun.

.308 too small for that? Just out of interest - don't think I'll be shooting anything that big.

How expensive is .243 ammo?

 

[cris]

.308 too small for that? Just out of interest - don't think I'll be shooting anything that big.

How expensive is .243 ammo?

A .308 is quite capable of killing anything in this country, but with larger animals more killing power is always better. Ammo prices can vary a bit, but most common rifle calibers cost around $1.50 a shot.

 

[Brigsy]

My first was a 243 as said you can load the 55 grain projectiles for shooting small stuff then the 95 or 100grain for everything up to red deer size. Now i have a safe full of guns and wish i had never sold the 243.
Chris

 

[waruikazi]

A .308 will kill a buff but you need exceptional shot placement. Hopefully will be going shooting tonight, will let you all know how we go!

.308 too small for that? Just out of interest - don't think I'll be shooting anything that big.

How expensive is .243 ammo?

 

[PhilK]

Another question here - I could ask the SSAA but it is much faster to get a response on APS I find haha.

If I get a licence in Qld, but my mates farm is in NSW.. What do I need to do to go shooting there?

He also wants to get his licence with me, but can he do that in Qld if his farm is in NSW or does he have to get a NSW licence?

 

[smartmonkey]

I have the same model as this:

Winchester .32 1892

Very expensive on ammo even worse to get parts. I wouldn't want to be on the recieving end since its is getting 50mm groups at 400 down range