Small calibre recommendation

[Heym SR20]

223 as ammo is readily available in everything from cheap plinking target ammo to high quality precision hunting type.

 

[Foxyboy43]

For goodness sake, get a triple deuce!
Next question….

 

[Smellydog]

223 as ammo is readily available in everything from cheap plinking target ammo to high quality precision hunting type.

Are you recommending lead ammunition buddy?

 

[Heym SR20]

Are you recommending lead ammunition buddy?

Nope - it works perfectly well with copper, especially if you get a faster twist barrel. Mine with a 1 in 12” shoots 51gn copper bullets very well.

 

[Smellydog]

Nope - it works perfectly well with copper, especially if you get a faster twist barrel. Mine with a 1 in 12” shoots 51gn copper bullets very well.

Even the " cheap plinking ammo " you mentioned?

 

[Hoppy]

Here's my two twenty cals. Vartarg and Ruger.
View attachment 398445

How do you get on with your Pulsar scope at 200-300m ranges?

 

[hedge hunter]

I have had the opportunity to shoot quite a variety of cartridges over the years and owned a few different ones too.
My current stable consists of 22lr, 20 Tactical, 222 Rem, and a few deer legal ones.
I am soon to change the 222 for a 223 (to get all cartridges in Sauer 202’s) and add a.17HMR.
To answer your question some of the smaller .17 and .20 cartridges are fairly frugal powder wise. Performance wise I have found mine doesn’t quite match the stated US speeds but, I can still get a 32gn bullet well over 4000fps. If I was starting from scratch I’d go with the 20 Practical which is 223 necked down to 204. So you just use a 223 bushing die. As it was I got dies, brass and bullets as part of the deal, although I have found I can form brass with the dies I have too.
It does depend on how far down the rabbit hole you want to go, but there’s a lot of small calibre cartridges to choose from. They are popular over the pond for the likes of Prairie Dog shooting where long range and lots (hundreds in some cases) of shots are fired per day. Low recoil and heat in the barrel are a couple of the reasons for the popularity.
I have a book called Terrific Twenties by Richard Kindler (iirc) that covers many of the 20 cal chambering’s available. It’s interesting reading, with some fairly wild ones in there too.
I am not going to tell you which one is best, I haven’t tried enough to make that choice myself. However I would think VarTarg 20 Practical, Tactical or 204 Ruger would fit the bill.

Plus one for the practical. Just evil on corvids ect

 

[Heym SR20]

Even the " cheap plinking ammo " you mentioned?

To be honest, since the days when mil surplus ammo was put onto the civilian market, cheap plinking ammo no longer really exists. Even basic FMJ ammo from S&B or PPU in 223 is now getting in for £1 a round - of course depending on where you buy it and in what volumes. Even basic bullets are getting expensive.

 

[Smellydog]

To be honest, since the days when mil surplus ammo was put onto the civilian market, cheap plinking ammo no longer really exists. Even basic FMJ ammo from S&B or PPU in 223 is now getting in for £1 a round - of course depending on where you buy it and in what volumes. Even basic bullets are getting expensive.

Could always cast for it

 

[njc110381]

Something flat and cheap to load for - .17 Fireball. Henry Krank sell a tipped 17gr bullet for about £6/100 I think and it'll need about 15gr of powder to get them up to about 4k fps.

I had Jager put a Walther barrel on a Sako action for me. The accuracy is outstanding, it feeds perfectly and costs next to nothing to run.

 

[the prowler]

How do you get on with your Pulsar scope at 200-300m ranges?

I mainly shoot to 200yards max. As I've no need to go any further. Am not a game keeper. So if I can't get a sure shot. It will be there another night

 

[villaman]

223 and I have reloaded anything from 35-60 gr 1-8 works perfectly great cal for fox as well

 

[UpNorthMI]

Another vote for .223, a 1-8" twist will shoot a wide range of bullet weights. Easy to find a range of factory ammo, used case availability and cost is another advantage. Good for light vermin / fox and deer where legal. I also shoot .17 HMR and have shot .222 for many years. My new Tikka 3X lite stainless in .223 just seems to make sense and shoots well for a standard rifle.

 

[1894]

I have had the opportunity to shoot quite a variety of cartridges over the years and owned a few different ones too.
My current stable consists of 22lr, 20 Tactical, 222 Rem, and a few deer legal ones.
I am soon to change the 222 for a 223 (to get all cartridges in Sauer 202’s) and add a.17HMR.
To answer your question some of the smaller .17 and .20 cartridges are fairly frugal powder wise. Performance wise I have found mine doesn’t quite match the stated US speeds but, I can still get a 32gn bullet well over 4000fps. If I was starting from scratch I’d go with the 20 Practical which is 223 necked down to 204. So you just use a 223 bushing die. As it was I got dies, brass and bullets as part of the deal, although I have found I can form brass with the dies I have too.
It does depend on how far down the rabbit hole you want to go, but there’s a lot of small calibre cartridges to choose from. They are popular over the pond for the likes of Prairie Dog shooting where long range and lots (hundreds in some cases) of shots are fired per day. Low recoil and heat in the barrel are a couple of the reasons for the popularity.
I have a book called Terrific Twenties by Richard Kindler (iirc) that covers many of the 20 cal chambering’s available. It’s interesting reading, with some fairly wild ones in there too.
I am not going to tell you which one is best, I haven’t tried enough to make that choice myself. However I would think VarTarg 20 Practical, Tactical or 204 Ruger would fit the bill.

Todd Kindler. Used to own a shop called the “Woodchuck Den” and owned/edited Small Calibre News, a postal magazine. Very high quality writing

 

[Sonicdmb73]

Todd Kindler. Used to own a shop called the “Woodchuck Den” and owned/edited Small Calibre News, a postal magazine. Very high quality writing

I'm not 100% sure but some of SCN was available online.
He certainly liked to play around with wildcats. Some of the small stuff based on pistol cases etc look like fun if not a lot of work.

 

[5MM/.20Man]

If i were you id look at buying a air rifle .
At least your legal to shoot up into trees .
Some people dont like them . My argument to those is ? Just because you dont like them , in the right hands they are capable . So you must be crap at using them or your fieldcraft is shyte .

 

[sauer]

.22 hornet for bunnies and crows
( not in trees) fox if close enough
.223 for roe and fox ..I have DNT zulu on the t3 .223
And I have scope in QR sportsmatch one piece mount then a TQ50 thermal scope with a QR mount for the hornet
I'm in angus as well if wanted a look ar either caliber etc

Paul