Complete stalking set up for £1000 or under

Charlie b

Active Member
Hi I am looking for a complete stalking set up (gun wise) I am applying for my FAC on my 18th so will be hopefully getting the gun soon after. I am looking for the gun, scope and mod at a minimum and any extra will be good like a bipod. I am looking to buy second hand so if any one knows of any offers please post hear.

I was thinking of 308 calibre yes or no
for muntys to fallow and I have the opertunity to go boar shooting as well

thanks
 
The link isnt much help RE prices! £1
:eek:

Sorry lol, been browsing the site, and doing a few searches..... just found the gun of my dreams, for a bargain.... thanks for the link!!! :doh::D
 
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Hi I am looking for a complete stalking set up (gun wise) I am applying for my FAC on my 18th so will be hopefully getting the gun soon after. I am looking for the gun, scope and mod at a minimum and any extra will be good like a bipod. I am looking to buy second hand so if any one knows of any offers please post hear.

I was thinking of 308 calibre yes or no
for muntys to fallow and I have the opertunity to go boar shooting as well

thanks

.308 is a good choice (as long as you have land approved for that calibre - or booking to prove good reason) as you will have plenty of options ammo wise and relativly cheap too. Its also suitable for boar.

I'd find a decent second hand scope first (you could do that now), suggest a decent second hand german optics, or an american variable. Should be able to get a good one for under £500 with a bit of looking.

There should be quite a few second hand .308's available (have a good search on guntrader), and some may even come with a second hand moderator.

All the best in your quest!

Regards

Jim
 
thanks i will start looking for scopes but do you not think it would be better to wait for a good deal on every thing
 
thanks i will start looking for scopes but do you not think it would be better to wait for a good deal on every thing

The issue with buying combo's is that while they might represent a good deal they are seldom exactly what you want.
The rifle might fit but the mounts may be too high, or you don't like the fence post reticle that blots out your target, or....

There are some good deals around, my advice would be to get something like a second hand T3 with mounts and a mod - I sold my T3 Varmint .308 with an ASE and optilocks for £650 back in June I think. Then look for a decent scope - doesn't have to be high end german, a Hungarian made Schmidt 8x56 or similar should be attainable.
 
Courting controversy, but why not go 6.5x55mm...
Tikka 6.5x55 T3 Lite Stainless Bolt Action Second Hand for sale. Buy for 600.

Add some decent 2nd hand glass:
Leupold VX-11 3-9x50mm Rifle Scope/Sights | eBay

What about binoculars? You could do worse than Bushnell as a starting point:
Bushnell H20 Roof Prism Binoculars (8x42) hunting twitching birdwatching | eBay

You'll need £150 for bipod, sticks, rifle bag and sling... Again eBay.

Just scour eBay for bargains - whack "hunting" in the search and see what unfolds! Buy the best that you can afford, as you can always trade up at a later date. I'll bet most of us on here did. I've now got a Sako with Swarovski glass, but it took a wee while :)

Whatever you get, just make sure that you chuck plenty of ammo down range, and be the best that you can be
 
I think 308 is a sensible choice as the ammo is available and as cheap as any plus you can often pick up mil surplus stuff at very little money to practise with. It is also an excellent round for deer stalking in the UK though to be honest in the field at stalking distances every one of the common deer legal cartridges is as close to the other as to make no difference.

A friend recently bought a Parker Hale rifle for less than £300, He took the stock off it and did it up and it looks great plus it shoots well and there are usually a few of them about.

After that I'd look at decent fixed magnification glass. You will hear a lot about fancy features on cheap variables but you will never, ever, use them in the field. Ask around here and most people with a variable scope admit that it is always set at about 6 or 8 mag unless on the range. Macleods of Tain get a good reputation for 2nd hand optics and for best value for money I'd suggest a fixed 6X42 or 8X56 S&B Hungarian. The Hungarian scopes are the same quality and glass as the German ones but were less expensive and so are a better deal second hand. You should pick one up in the £300 - £400 range.

That would leave you a few quid over for bipod, sling, slip, cleaning stuff and the like.
 
thanks for the advice i cant wait till i have got my FAC. i guess it depends on whats available in a couple of months
thanks again for taking the time to post
 
Just been to local gun shop , they have deal on new tikka t3 lite opti lock mounts and Burris scope for around £1000 if any good to you,
Will pm there details if any use to you.
Nik.
 
Tikka are doing a good deal with Burris at the minute.. T3 lite, Burris scope and optiloc mounts... 1200. Same with the savage axis package. Save a fortune on new. If I were you, just starting out, I would go second hand. Visit your local gun shop and look at some rifles to see what you like and then search for a used one. Plenty of good second hand rifles for sale on here and on gun trader for genuine reasons!
 
Been thinking if I could some how raise my funds in the the next mounths to £1500 and then get a second hand blaser r93 with extras. I have seen some like this for sale on the forum. Is that a good idear ???
 
I have a Blaser R93 and in my view they are good rifles. However, they are not to the taste of everyone and so you'd certainly need to have a play with one and see if it suited you. Also if you are operating on a tight budget and especially if you are just starting out then it would be worth considering that the money might be better spent on some days stalking - if you stuck to your budget of £1000 and had £1500 in the kitty then the £500 left over might pay to take you to Scotland for red hinds for a few days. Also I don't know what other gear you need but if you are looking at binos and slips and slings and cleaning gear the cost of that stuff isn't long in mounting up and the extra £500 will not go very far at all.

On the other hand if you are not intending to chop and change rifles, as some people do, then it is worth buying right in the first instance as you are going to have the rifle for a long time. I've had my Blaser for quite a few years now and have no intention of changing it and so am very glad that I bought a good rifle that is easy to travel with at the outset. The one thing with the Blaser is that it is not a "full time hobby" in the sense that you will not be changing triggers and bedding the stock and so on. The Blaser is just a simple tool that you use straight out of the box with no need to spend another few years getting it to shoot right.

I guess only you can balance this one up in your head but I'd say if you are viewing the rifle as a long term, once in a lifetime, purchase then it might be worth saving for longer and going for the best quality you can afford. However, if you are prone to changing things around a lot and especially if you are new to stalking then I'd seriously consider buying a relatively inexpensive but decent shooting rifle, Parker Hale comes to mind but isn't the only option, and spending the rest on stalking days - take yourself to Scotland and shoot red hinds over the winter as red deer on the hill in Scotland really is something everyone should do and once you go your only regret will be not doing it sooner.
 
Something else to think about £500 wouldnt be to far short of being enough to buy a syndicate place for a year, if you can find one. Nearly all rifles unless something is seriously wrong will be a 'tool' and shoot well enough 'out the box' for stalking purposes. Dont fall into the trap of thinking you have to spend an absolute fortune, shop around and find a rifle that suits you. That rather than a rifles percieved or cash value is whats inportant. There is a guy on our shoot that cant shoot his Blaser as well as another who has a £150 .308 of some obscure german make.
 
Thanks for your views a stalking trip or my own/shared syndicate would be amazing but on the other hand I would like to buy a rifle to keep it for life I get quite attached to guns and would never sell it. And with a blaser I could in Futcher buy new barrels in stead of a new gun. Thanks again
 
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