.243 calibre for fox control
- Thread starter Fishdoc49
- Start date
Before night vision I went foxing for 20 years with a mate of mine who would drive and lamp. During that period I used 222, 223, 22-250, 22-250AI and 243. He based the effectiveness of a calibre on the sound of the bullet impact. He swore that the 243 was hands down the best. I still shoot that rifle with 87g HP varminters which are very effective on fox and deer.
There is something remarkably satisfying about the sound of a 243 bullet hitting a fox....
All centre fire rifles will kill fox, some bullets kill better than others with all calibers.
I have had 223, 22-250, and 243, when watching what happens after you have shot the fox what i have found is the fox will often riddle on the ground for a few seconds with the 223, a little less with my 22-250, and nine times out of ten just drop motionless with the 243 using home loaded Hornady 58g v-max doing around 3750 fps.
IMO the 58g hornady v-max kill better than the nosler 70g bt, but this might come at the price of shorter barrel life.
I wanted my 243 for maximum point and shoot range on fox with the best knock down power and IMO that is what i have got.
For anyone that's buying a new rifle, the same make of rifles are the same price irrespective of caliber so buy what you want.
Another consideration can be when shooting foxes around near by housing where noise can be a problem, my 22-250 is a LOT quieter than my 243.
Dave (warbucks)
I have had 223, 22-250, and 243, when watching what happens after you have shot the fox what i have found is the fox will often riddle on the ground for a few seconds with the 223, a little less with my 22-250, and nine times out of ten just drop motionless with the 243 using home loaded Hornady 58g v-max doing around 3750 fps.
IMO the 58g hornady v-max kill better than the nosler 70g bt, but this might come at the price of shorter barrel life.
I wanted my 243 for maximum point and shoot range on fox with the best knock down power and IMO that is what i have got.
For anyone that's buying a new rifle, the same make of rifles are the same price irrespective of caliber so buy what you want.
Another consideration can be when shooting foxes around near by housing where noise can be a problem, my 22-250 is a LOT quieter than my 243.
Dave (warbucks)
long_range_rob
Well-Known Member
I use 70gn NBT’s they work well but 70gn Varmageddons work better.
Rhodesianjess
Well-Known Member
243 fallow
Well-Known Member
I would just use whatever bullets your using for deer to be fair, it’s accuracy that kills not velocity.
xavierdoc
Well-Known Member
I tried 55gr pills to good effect but wanted a "do it all" fox/deer option so switched to 95SST in 243Win (and got a 204Ruger as fox/vermin rifle.)
The 243Win is now shooting 80.5gr Yew Tree for deer. It's so fast I'm unsure if it is expanding on fox or its the temp wound cavity that's dropping them. Works well on deer, which is the priority for this rifle.
The 243Win is now shooting 80.5gr Yew Tree for deer. It's so fast I'm unsure if it is expanding on fox or its the temp wound cavity that's dropping them. Works well on deer, which is the priority for this rifle.
xavierdoc
Well-Known Member
Agreed. Unless he wants good reason for a new boomstick!
foxhunter
Well-Known Member
Why would you make that statement, works perfectly Ok for me.
Because I don't like it?
I've shot deer with all sorts from .223 to .375H&H - nothing has ever consistently done more damage to a carcass than a .243. Just my personal experience over a wide range of bullets. It's too fast.
My favorite bullet for 243 was the 1515 80gr varminter. Simple boat tail soft point that shoots well from a 243 or 6ppc. Dropped Sika stags in the rut with them as well as over 100 fox. The only reason why one would use a 243 for fox is because one wants to shoot far out. Medium weight higher bc bullets are better than light weight bullets in that way. The 80gr bullet is not as explosive as the name suggests, it mushrooms well and penetrates deep. Fox can be shot from any angle. If 22-250 were sold with faster twist barrels they might be a better choice for fox. The 243 seems a very big cartridge for a little fox.
edi
edi
landkeeper
Well-Known Member
I once shot a big dog fox lying curled up in a ball on a pile of round straw bales with a 270 at about 200 yrdsI've heard it described as "a blancmange hitting the pavement from the top of a block of flats". The chap in question is a keeper friend of mine who uses 90 grns out of 270win. Never wounded one yet
The shot went slightly low and right,windy night and wobbly fourtrack lol
Fox never moved, when I picked him up the bullet had hit him in the rear haunch!
58g Hornady V-Max - awesome stopping power & accuracy
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