Favourite foxing calibre
- Thread starter Frostie
- Start date
223, cheap, accurate and can load/download to perform how I want. Example, 40g vmax or 63g and so on...
big ears
Well-Known Member
What he said but in a CZ 527
Everyone will have their own favourite here and there really is no such thing as a bad calibre if used within the capabilities of the both rifle and shooter all will get the job done, my absolute favourite is the .17 Remington why ?, it has banjo string trajectory to 300yds and little or no recoil also it has really low ricochet potential I say low but not to be taken as non existence it needs the same respect as all calibres, I have shot many foxes over the years and believe me it is deadly.
Bad points are you do not have much choice of rifles or ammo out there you will need to reload to get the best from it, and build re-barrel an existing rifle to get up and running, some say its a barrel burner I am not so sure my current rifle a Remington 700 LVSF only just recently got a new tube after the old one had shot some 4000+ rounds and even then it still shot reasonably good groups.
Steve Kershaw replaced the old barrel with a LW50 light varmint barrel and boy does it shoot I have just coming up around the 100 rnd count and am sure it will last me for very many years thank you Steve you done a brilliant job sir.
My favourite bullet load combination are the Hornady 25grn v-max bullets superbly accurate and devastating on target, I have also had great success with Hornady/Berger 25grn HP bullets and the heavier Berger 30grn, but my bullet of choice are the 25grn v-max pushed along with Hodgdon Varget or Alliant RL15, I tend to keep my loads on the mild side around starting loads or just a little more I never go to maximum never exceed loads, they seem more accurate barrels last longer and it gives me a greater margin of safety.
Damian
Bad points are you do not have much choice of rifles or ammo out there you will need to reload to get the best from it, and build re-barrel an existing rifle to get up and running, some say its a barrel burner I am not so sure my current rifle a Remington 700 LVSF only just recently got a new tube after the old one had shot some 4000+ rounds and even then it still shot reasonably good groups.
Steve Kershaw replaced the old barrel with a LW50 light varmint barrel and boy does it shoot I have just coming up around the 100 rnd count and am sure it will last me for very many years thank you Steve you done a brilliant job sir.
My favourite bullet load combination are the Hornady 25grn v-max bullets superbly accurate and devastating on target, I have also had great success with Hornady/Berger 25grn HP bullets and the heavier Berger 30grn, but my bullet of choice are the 25grn v-max pushed along with Hodgdon Varget or Alliant RL15, I tend to keep my loads on the mild side around starting loads or just a little more I never go to maximum never exceed loads, they seem more accurate barrels last longer and it gives me a greater margin of safety.
Damian
240 ish on a day scope is long enough for me 
180- 200 at night with ye olde photon is just right and doo able
Originally a Border barreled .223 shooting anything from it's designed 69 grain bullet down to 52's, then a .17 Fireball ... now using a custom built .20 Practical.
.243 easy to get ammo does the job
jimmy milnes
Well-Known Member
And factory ammo available everywhere if you get stuck.
243. Easy to get ammo. It is deer legal as well. I don't shoot enough foxes to bother with a different rifle. In saying that, if I was to double my foxing I would look for a smaller lighter rifle as I walk over the Fields.
Unless I am after Roe, I just use the .222 for literally everything these days. Corvids up to Munty.
The rabbits are gone, so the rimfires are used for the odd bit of target fun. Stalking rifle is what it is. I just shoot literally everything with the .222 these days.
Easy to moderate, costs same to reload as HMR is to buy, barrel and brass life is extensive and recoil is low with easy enough retention of sight picture to see bullet strikes. It is also beautifully light and great to carry. Ammo is light and easy to carry without sacrificing stopping power.
If noise and cost and component life were not important (and it is to me) then I would say it is hard to see past the .243 or 22-250 for the ultimate foxing round. I like the laser like ability of .17 and .20 cals but I prefer to chuck a bit more lead at Charles than that. I cannot recall the last time I shot a fox over 225yds. The .222rem does everything I need. Jack of all trades, master of none.
The rabbits are gone, so the rimfires are used for the odd bit of target fun. Stalking rifle is what it is. I just shoot literally everything with the .222 these days.
Easy to moderate, costs same to reload as HMR is to buy, barrel and brass life is extensive and recoil is low with easy enough retention of sight picture to see bullet strikes. It is also beautifully light and great to carry. Ammo is light and easy to carry without sacrificing stopping power.
If noise and cost and component life were not important (and it is to me) then I would say it is hard to see past the .243 or 22-250 for the ultimate foxing round. I like the laser like ability of .17 and .20 cals but I prefer to chuck a bit more lead at Charles than that. I cannot recall the last time I shot a fox over 225yds. The .222rem does everything I need. Jack of all trades, master of none.
Sonicdmb73
Well-Known Member
My current favourite is a CZ527 rebarreled with a varmint profiled barrel. Shoots very small holes with most bullets I’ve tried.
However I have a 20 TAC coming which I have a feeling will take its place as favourite.
I have used various other calibre’s 243 takes some beating especially as an all rounder.
However I have a 20 TAC coming which I have a feeling will take its place as favourite.
I have used various other calibre’s 243 takes some beating especially as an all rounder.
kenbro
Well-Known Member
I had one of, If not the first (10 twist barrel, not good.) 17 Rems. In the UK, bought off John Longstaffe in ‘72 i think, and over the years I nearly always had one.
I’ve had several slash wounds when hitting a fox rib or shoulder, not nice.
My prefered bullets were always Hornady sp. when I could no longer find those I bought a good stock of hp ones from Channing Nagel and they were brilliant. Not sure whether Chan. still makes bullets, seem to remember there was a problem getting jackets when Berger didn’t make enough J4s.
I used a 17 FB for few years and than was fine also for foxing. I think the slightly slower than 17 Rem speeds were sometimes an advantage,, helping bullets get inside before blowing up.
I seldom Fox now, but I think a 17 Fireball would be my choice, just because of the land I shoot foxes over.
17 Rem. a very good fox round, but, if you regularly shoot at longer distances, there are much better choices.
Ken.
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