First deer rifle. Calibre and set up?

RedRanger

Member
Hi all,

Apologies for yet another newbie looking for advice on his first rifle but here are my requirements.

I'm about to apply for my FAC so not a calibre that will scare the FAO. I have DSC1 and some ground to shoot over but not much rifle experience. Bisley is on my doorstep so intend to join and get some target experience once I've got my ticket. Also have an experienced stalker willing to give me some pointers.

Anyhoo, looking for a 'one rifle' set up for £1000 which will do for roe, fallow and red. Occasional fox & bunnies.

Unlikely to get into reloading anytime soon so ammunition and parts that are easy to come by.

I was thinking £350 for rifle and £400 scope leaving £200 for moderator and bipod. If I can't get a complete second hand package what bits should I keep an eye out for

Suggestions for bullets to go with your calibre for the above quarry also appreciated

Look forward to your thoughts.

RR
 
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Hi all,

Apologies for yet another newbie looking for advice on his first rifle but here are my requirements.

I'm about to apply for my FAC so not a calibre that will scare the FAO. I have DSC1 and some ground to shoot over but not much rifle experience. Bisley is on my doorstep so intend to join and get some target experience once I've got my ticket. Also have an experienced stalker willing to give me some pointers.

Anyhoo, looking for a 'one rifle' set up for £1000 which will do for roe, fallow and red. Occasional fox & bunnies.

Unlikely to get into reloading anytime soon so ammunition and parts that are easy to come by.

I was thinking £350 for rifle and £400 scope leaving £200 for moderator and bipod. If I can't get a complete second hand package what bits should I keep an eye out for

Look forward to your thoughts.

RR

The 25-06 takes some beating. As for which rifle etc well your about to find out how personal tastes differ in everything inc calibre.

Nutty
 
try for 6.5x55 cal. good in betweener.
have you held or had much past experiance with rifle or held a FAC before, not sure on what size the FLO would issue.
atb
simon
 
6.5 swede or 308 buy once, do the job right ( if your licencing dept approves ) good variety of ammo 70-180gr & easy reloading. ase or dm80 suppressor & simmons scope ,bargains can be had.
I plink 100gr in the 308 from bunny to fox by downloading .
 
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Have you looked at the howa complete packages for 899 you get rifle, scope mod and bipod. Surely worth considering. I know they do them in 243 not sure about 308.
 
Howa complete set up is a good idea. They do do .308.

As you're looking for a good s/h outfit can I suggest you don't get fixated on one calibre or make and instead look out for the following:

Calibers suitable for fox, roe, fallow, red that are common and easy(ish) to get ammo easily and at a good price:
- 25-06
- 6.5x55 swede
- 7mm-08
- 308
- 30-06

Reliable rifle makes likely to be in budget:
- howa
- cz
- Parker hale
- tikka
- sako
- steyr manlicher

308 takes some beating but that's just my preference. For fox and roe I prefer my .243 sako 85.

scope wise just a Burris, bushnell or leupold will do - scopes can be upgraded anytime without a variation so don't worry too much as long as its reliable.

mod wise ASE are sturdy, as are MAE/PES. Mods are nice but they're really only to save your ears and they all do that... So for me it's about size and weight and how they look.

Good luck and have fun! :)
 
With Bisley on your doorstep and not being interested in reloading and considering possible reds the obvious answer as regards calibre has to be .308win.
For you to choose any other calibre would be just silly. That's not to say that .308w is any better or worse than any other calibre just that it is the obvious conclusion. This calibre certainly won't raise any eyebrows with your FEO as it is a well recognised deer calibre.

As regards rifle if you are going to be using it for occasional target shooting in addition to stalking you will need to get a rifle with a medium to heavy weight (varmint) barrel. You don't want a light weight barrel because that will heat up too quickly when target shooting, and you don't want a very long target barrel because that will be too heavy and awkward when stalking. You may be struggling to get anything decent within your budget but it is worth a try. Personally I would be looking for something like a second hand Howa varmint in a laminated stock but that's only a suggestion as there are many good rifles out there it's just a matter of how much you are prepared to pay.

Scopes again are a easy one. Look for a second hand fixed power scope in 6,7 or 8 power made by Meopta, Leupold, Doctor or Schmidt & Bender. Scopes like this come up regularly in the classified ads on this site. With any of these makes you won't go wrong. There are a couple of other makes to consider but they will probably be out of your price range if they are any good.
 
The problem that he could have is ammunition availability in this country with some calibres Pecar. Nothing wrong with any of the fine cartridges that you mention but availability of ammo would be awkward and at a price if he doesn't reload, particularly with regard to .280rem. We also have rules that mean you can't use expanding ammunition for target shooting, and Bisley can be quite kean on this. Yes I know crazy but still the law. :cuckoo:

One of the benefits of choosing .308w is that it is readily available, available in non expanding FMJ, and that cheap cooking quality ex military is sometimes available at reasonable cost for target shooting.
 
Don't discount the 243 particularly if most of your stalking is Roe, but given target shooting won't disagree with 308 suggestion above. Scope - good advice re fixed power above, but add the Zeiss, Schmidt & bender and Swarovski - you can get really good second hand fixed power scopes in your price bracket, but stick to 6,7 or 8 power. There are fixed 10 and 12 power scopes, but whilst good for target, varmints or hill deer are a bit powerful for all round use. Rifle - find a tikka 595 if you can. Don't forget a good pair of binoculars are also essential, and I would spend your funds on these first, and then any left over on the rifle / scope.
 
243 may be a good choice for the first one FO may not allow any bigger, I know they are funny in West Yorkshire. Better off getting one and building up than to fight your way up to a bigger caliber its all down to the local force.
 
With Bisley on your doorstep and not being interested in reloading and considering possible reds the obvious answer as regards calibre has to be .308win.
For you to choose any other calibre would be just silly. ...

​Excellent advice. Good luck. JCS
 
I wish i had gone for 6.5x55 in the first place, but i would not change my Zeiss 7x50 classic for anything and save some money by not bothering with a mod. Good luck and enjoy, perhaps if Bisley is handy go and try a few makes and calibres.
 
anything 6+ to 8mm calibre
it really does not matter. 99% of stalking calibres shoot within an inch of each other out to 250yds

find one that fits and learn to shoot it well.

A well placed .243 is much better than a poorly placed .308 bullet
 
Great advice and that is just what I would suggest but it is still down to what they will allow him

.308 is a recognised target shooting and deer calibre so it should be accepted without problem by all police forces. If you do encounter any problems from a Feo who suggests that you should start off with a smaller calibre such as .243w get him to put his reasons for this in writing and then contact your shooting association. He will be laughed out of the county and land up eating humble pie. To suggest that one deer calibre is safer than another is just laughable.

In any case getting hold of suitable ammunition for target shooting in .243 without resorting to reloading is often extremely difficult if not damn near impossible. We are after all talking about a rifle that will be used for deer and occasional target shooting at Bisley as the original poster lives close to there.
 
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Definately worth looking at the howa packages -
Howa Rifles UK
got a mate in exactly the same position who is looking at these. Can always flog the scope and get a better model like second hand German glass in due course.
 
Not saying that this is a bad deal because sometimes these packages are good, on other occasions the packages may consist of items that are not really what you may be looking for or need. I would just say that if you do go for a package make sure it is what you really want.
 
With Bisley on your doorstep and not being interested in reloading and considering possible reds the obvious answer as regards calibre has to be .308win.
For you to choose any other calibre would be just silly. That's not to say that .308w is any better or worse than any other calibre just that it is the obvious conclusion. This calibre certainly won't raise any eyebrows with your FEO as it is a well recognised deer calibre.

As regards rifle if you are going to be using it for occasional target shooting in addition to stalking you will need to get a rifle with a medium to heavy weight (varmint) barrel. You don't want a light weight barrel because that will heat up too quickly when target shooting, and you don't want a very long target barrel because that will be too heavy and awkward when stalking. You may be struggling to get anything decent within your budget but it is worth a try. Personally I would be looking for something like a second hand Howa varmint in a laminated stock but that's only a suggestion as there are many good rifles out there it's just a matter of how much you are prepared to pay.

Scopes again are a easy one. Look for a second hand fixed power scope in 6,7 or 8 power made by Meopta, Leupold, Doctor or Schmidt & Bender. Scopes like this come up regularly in the classified ads on this site. With any of these makes you won't go wrong. There are a couple of other makes to consider but they will probably be out of your price range if they are any good.

Thanks for the advice on the barrel weight but could you tell me what difference does a laminated stock make? . My concern is whether the FAO will allow me a .308 straight off as its my first rifle. I'm in Surrey does anyone on here know what the FAO is like down here? Also, i'm not sure what calibre the land i've got permission for has been cleared for.

The Howa package looks good but not sure they do a 308 varmint package for my money although I might be able to get a scope on loan.

I've already got Swarovski 10x42 binos so my pennies can be spent on shooting kit.

Thanks for all of your comments, it's really useful.
 
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