General purpose rile set ups Foxing and Deer

countrryboy

Well-Known Member
Alright

Just wondering wot people believe is the best set up for a general purpose rifle? One that is ur first choice out cabinet for fox and small deer (22cf-243 type size).
I'm not after a specialised set up as for all u can afford the NV scopes nowadays, u still have to buy another rifle to sit it on and sit in the cabinet, fair play to u pro boys but a lot off money to have 2 rifes setups sitting in similar calibres. Far too much for me anyway

In the past u would stick the best glass on it u could but just wondering with some of the modern NV sight costing around the same money as even a moderately priced scope.

Would u ever put say a phonton or other NV scope on ur rifle and use it throu the day, as some of them can be used throu the day. (Not wanting to open the can off worms on wether it is legal to use an NV scope for daylight stalking) In the past u paid the extra money for that extra 10-15mins but with a NV that obviusly isn't an issue


Also with the modern small scope mounted lamps nowadays making solo lamping far easier. Seems to be a lot of reviews saying the NM 800 etc type LED lamps are amazing but they are still a lamp so could still dazzle/scare foxes and possibly more so with the more focused beam, in the old days with the LF u just held fox in the very outside edge of beam and moved in very slowly till there was a bang.

Are the laser designators a better choice for a wee bit extra money, like the ND3 althou i see very mixed reviews some saying best thing ever and other saying biggest gimmick/waste off money ever, yet unlike the LED or normal lamp type they shouldn't spook foxes to the same extent. From wot i can gather the ND's no longer have problems with the cold .

So is it worth the money and paying an exta 100 quid and gettin a laser 1 over a led or are u better moving to the dark side just saving a load more pennies and gettin a NV scope/complete setup
 
You raise some good points here. For a single rifle taking into account smaller deer, I would say 243 is a great all round calibre - with a good variance in bullet weight to give good performance with different types of shooting. Oddly I do not (currently) own this calibre.

I would not buy a laser over a good LED torch having owned both.

I would advocate a good NV add on (like a PVS or Archer) as this prevents the duplication of rifles and for me gives better performance than current digital options. Not quite as good as a dedicated NV, but again, no duplication and makes good use of the magnification of your day glass, so often higher mag possibilities this way than going the dedicated route.

JMO based on having done this journey in front of you.
 
If I could have just one of my rifles, and wanted to be legal, I'd have my .243 with my day scope on top - I do as much fox as deer shooting.

Have an original ND3 and it's a great bit if kit but does suffer in the cold - the newer "sub-zero" version doesn't have these problems though. You can loosen the beam on the Nd3 to make it less spooky for Charlie.
 
For me first choice out of the cabinet is the first rifle I ever bought and still love to bits
It's a Tikka T3 varmint in .243 cal
Stainless / synthetic with a Swarovski Z6i BT sat on top. I started off with 100 grain Norma soft point factory ammo and now use 100 grain sierra pro hunter soft points home loads. It has the attachment on the scope to fit a Deben tristar pro lamp.
Reasons :
it's legal for all deer
It stops foxes dead
It's fantastically accurate
It's easy to clean
Can withstand being thrown around in the vehicle
Does not matter about a few scratches here and there
Weather is not an issue
The scope offers the best in low light capability

When lamping I use a lightforce 240 blitz from the vehicle to spot, then either out of the window with the rifle or exit the vehicle and use the scope mounted lamp
Wingy
 
Aye, just wondering wot my options are. And wot everyones opinions are. I can't justify the cost of a NV rifle or scope as don't really get a problem with lamp shy foxes, i don't take pot shots and neighbouring shoots are also very good so thankfully not. And there is plenty off fulltime keepers who do a lot more than me still don't have them

My blitz has packed in, again! probably just the wiring or switch thou, but my battery pack has also packed in (but it is ancient, mind i bought it for my airgun when the tracers where about the first off the smaller scope mounted lamps) so it has done me really well.
Got a cluite rechargable that get used for work and foot lamping now but can't compete with the blitz when it was running, and still got an old 170 that works too for spotting from van/bike.
I have got a cheapy type led torch on scope which does ok for taking shots out to 150ish.

Eric the add on's (althou i'm not really familar with them) generally fit on the optical side of scope do they not? Always looks a queer shooting position to shoot rifle from using 1, are they not also pretty dear 1K upwards. For that money u could prob bite bullet and have a dedicated 2nd hand rifle and NV scope

Bunny. Have u found that the ND3 does spook foxes? According to all the blurb it shouldn't.

I did speak to a retailer about them at stopping time on friday on the phone, he sells both but said the ND3 is a far better piece off kit, which seems to go against most users opinion i can find. They're usually pretty good at giving honest advice, but he did seem under a bit off pressure and not his usual self
 
In my Gallery there's a 260 Rem. It's recently been fitted with a rail which allows the scope to be quickly changed. My answer to your question would be a 260 Rem fitted with a picatinny rail.

Regards

​JCS
 
In our case 6mm BR 75grn Nosler BT, sako action, Shielen barrel and a good nightforce, Macmillian thumb hole stock. lightforce lamp and sometimes NV if required.

D
 
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