Allround calibre for everything from ptarmigans to deer?
06-01-2009, 11:55 AM
#12
Fork Horn
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Colorado
Posts: 335
RE: Allround calibre for everything from ptarmigans to deer?
I'm of the mind to agree that there isn't one center fire rifle that will do what you are asking and not destroy the birds. You're options seem to be Encore, Shot gun, Over/Under with 2 calibers (12 Ga, .308) or I'd add you can get a Rossi or NEF Handi Rifle with multiple barrels. Rossi makes a youth combo with .22, .243 and 20 ga that would seem to be ideal for what you a hunting. I thnk they call it the triple-play. I hope they are available in your country.
Spud
Spud
06-01-2009, 11:58 AM
#13
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 17
RE: Allround calibre for everything from ptarmigans to deer?
Yes, thanks for a lot of answers! 
I do have a 12g shotgun, its a o/u, and I'm more than happy with it. However, Im thinkin of hunting birds and hares with a rifle. To now i've wandered in the mountains without binoculars (i dont know how to spell that, doesnt really matter) with this shotgun with no idea where the birds are, just brawling ahead and boomboom. I got some birds, but next season im thinkin of trying a new tactic, with a rifle with a scope and binoculars, so that I can spot the bird and kill it before it flees, or at least see where it flys.
I was actually thinkin of a ruger 10/22 just for fun, but in my country its illegal to hunt hares and larger grouses with it, so its pretty much a waste of money...
Thanks all for bothering, although I didn't get a lot of wiser.
Have anyone tried or have experience with the 6.5x55mm swedish caliber?
I do have a 12g shotgun, its a o/u, and I'm more than happy with it. However, Im thinkin of hunting birds and hares with a rifle. To now i've wandered in the mountains without binoculars (i dont know how to spell that, doesnt really matter) with this shotgun with no idea where the birds are, just brawling ahead and boomboom. I got some birds, but next season im thinkin of trying a new tactic, with a rifle with a scope and binoculars, so that I can spot the bird and kill it before it flees, or at least see where it flys.
I was actually thinkin of a ruger 10/22 just for fun, but in my country its illegal to hunt hares and larger grouses with it, so its pretty much a waste of money...
Thanks all for bothering, although I didn't get a lot of wiser.
Have anyone tried or have experience with the 6.5x55mm swedish caliber?
06-01-2009, 02:24 PM
#14
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Coralville, IA. USA
Posts: 3,802
RE: Allround calibre for everything from ptarmigans to deer?
If it's illegal to hunt rabbits with a rimfire rifle, are you sure it'd be legal to hunt them with a centerfire rifle? Better check that or you could earn yourself a big fine and possibly lose the rifle to the DNR.
I find it hard to believe that you are actually serious about hunting birds and small game with a centerfire rifle. I've literally turned groundhogs inside out with a .22-250, and they are quite a bit bigger than a rabbit and several times bigger weight wise than a grouse, and the .22-250 is not really powerful enough to be a good deer cartridge IMO, though some will swear otherwise. The point I'm trying to make is that a CF rifle is NOT a small or upland game weapon. Unless you are able to very precisely hit just the animals head, there will be NO WORTHWHILE AMOUNT OF USABLE MEAT LEFT. NONE! Shooting a small animal with a CF rifle will DESTROY IT. This amounts to a blatant waste of game and it not ethical hunting. At that point you're just shooting something just to watch it die. As for the 6.5x55... my grandfather brought a 6.5 Carcano rifle back from WWII, and he'd use it to shoot rabbits, skunks and raccoons around the farm as pest control. It would blow them apart with surplus round nose ammo. Again, a CF rifle is not a good small game round if you plan to recover any usable meat from the animal.
If you already have a shotgun, then you're already equipped with about the perfect weapon for humanely harvesting small game and birds. Now you just need to work on getting closer. The fact of the matter is that if you are far enough away that you can't kill the bird/rabbit with a shotgun (try full choke and heavy field loads to extend your range a bit), then you are probably too far away to get a clean headshot with a CF rifle under field conditions. My recommendation would be to use your money that you would spend toward a scoped CF rifle and go buy yourself a started sporting dog to help you find and get close to birds and small game. Go to the Sporting Dogs forum and those guys will gladly help you out.
Mike
I find it hard to believe that you are actually serious about hunting birds and small game with a centerfire rifle. I've literally turned groundhogs inside out with a .22-250, and they are quite a bit bigger than a rabbit and several times bigger weight wise than a grouse, and the .22-250 is not really powerful enough to be a good deer cartridge IMO, though some will swear otherwise. The point I'm trying to make is that a CF rifle is NOT a small or upland game weapon. Unless you are able to very precisely hit just the animals head, there will be NO WORTHWHILE AMOUNT OF USABLE MEAT LEFT. NONE! Shooting a small animal with a CF rifle will DESTROY IT. This amounts to a blatant waste of game and it not ethical hunting. At that point you're just shooting something just to watch it die. As for the 6.5x55... my grandfather brought a 6.5 Carcano rifle back from WWII, and he'd use it to shoot rabbits, skunks and raccoons around the farm as pest control. It would blow them apart with surplus round nose ammo. Again, a CF rifle is not a good small game round if you plan to recover any usable meat from the animal.
If you already have a shotgun, then you're already equipped with about the perfect weapon for humanely harvesting small game and birds. Now you just need to work on getting closer. The fact of the matter is that if you are far enough away that you can't kill the bird/rabbit with a shotgun (try full choke and heavy field loads to extend your range a bit), then you are probably too far away to get a clean headshot with a CF rifle under field conditions. My recommendation would be to use your money that you would spend toward a scoped CF rifle and go buy yourself a started sporting dog to help you find and get close to birds and small game. Go to the Sporting Dogs forum and those guys will gladly help you out.
Mike
06-02-2009, 05:38 AM
#15
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 17
RE: Allround calibre for everything from ptarmigans to deer?
Well, yes, centerfire rifles are legal to shoot hares with in my country. I guess .17hmr and .22WMR are as well, but .22lr isnt. This is because the .22lr cartidge is considered too weak to kill a hare.
But .22lr with an silencer (yea, its legal in my country) would probably be the alternative? I've heard of some people that load their cartidges (in .223) with some heavier bullets and slower powder i guess, so that they can hunt birds with it.
Im afraid im a student, so i dont have neither time nor money to buy a dog, but thanks anyway!
But .22lr with an silencer (yea, its legal in my country) would probably be the alternative? I've heard of some people that load their cartidges (in .223) with some heavier bullets and slower powder i guess, so that they can hunt birds with it.
Im afraid im a student, so i dont have neither time nor money to buy a dog, but thanks anyway!
06-02-2009, 09:37 AM
#16
Typical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Livonia,new york
Posts: 564
RE: Allround calibre for everything from ptarmigans to deer?
shot gun
get both barrel types, smooth and rifled
rifled barrels these days shooting sabot slugs are good out to 200 yards ... some even farther
plus if ya want to hunt birds, squirrel, turkey or have something for home defense you can switch the barrel to a smooth bore and go with shot
the 12g shot gun really is the best all around weapon in my opinion
get both barrel types, smooth and rifled
rifled barrels these days shooting sabot slugs are good out to 200 yards ... some even farther
plus if ya want to hunt birds, squirrel, turkey or have something for home defense you can switch the barrel to a smooth bore and go with shot
the 12g shot gun really is the best all around weapon in my opinion
06-02-2009, 11:58 AM
#17
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 17
RE: Allround calibre for everything from ptarmigans to deer?
Oh, I really didn't knew that you could have rifled barrels in shotguns! My o/u shotgun only has smooth barrels, and I certainly don't know how to change them. To shoot with a shotgun up to 200y i suppose you mean by slug? Or do you seriously mean that I could hunt grouses with a plain full chocke rifled barreled shotgun with normal shots in it (non-slug)? That sounds pretty insane..
And by the way, isnt the diameter of a slug larger (.5 or .7 or something?) than a .223?
Im not reloading cartiges myself yet (only use fabric ammo)? Is this required for a satisfying result?
Happy to hear from you!
PS: I suppose a drilling would be ideal, but i don't know how its over there, but in my country they cost like 10k USD.
And by the way, isnt the diameter of a slug larger (.5 or .7 or something?) than a .223?
Im not reloading cartiges myself yet (only use fabric ammo)? Is this required for a satisfying result?
Happy to hear from you!
PS: I suppose a drilling would be ideal, but i don't know how its over there, but in my country they cost like 10k USD.
06-02-2009, 12:10 PM
#18
Fork Horn
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Colorado
Posts: 335
RE: Allround calibre for everything from ptarmigans to deer?
Arne, can you fill us in on where you are?
Here a pump shotgun can have multiple barrels that you can switch out quickly. You just remove the endcap and pull the barrel out then replace with the other. That way you can have a rifled barrel for deer sized game and a smooth barrel with a choke for your hares, grouse and other upland game. You can probably look at Benelli, Remington or Mossberg web sites to get more info and maybe even a picture. Check youtube.com as well as I'm sure there is a video on there showing how to do it.
Yes a rifled slug will be considerable larger than a .223.
The way you describe hunting (Walking around and looking for where the animals are) is exactly how we do it here if you don't have a dog. The rabbit flushes and you nail it with a blast from the shotgun, usually inside of 20-30 yds. I don't know of anyone who tries to "spot and stalk" rabits or ptarmigan/grouse. Here it's pretty much find, flush, shoot.
Here a pump shotgun can have multiple barrels that you can switch out quickly. You just remove the endcap and pull the barrel out then replace with the other. That way you can have a rifled barrel for deer sized game and a smooth barrel with a choke for your hares, grouse and other upland game. You can probably look at Benelli, Remington or Mossberg web sites to get more info and maybe even a picture. Check youtube.com as well as I'm sure there is a video on there showing how to do it.
Yes a rifled slug will be considerable larger than a .223.
The way you describe hunting (Walking around and looking for where the animals are) is exactly how we do it here if you don't have a dog. The rabbit flushes and you nail it with a blast from the shotgun, usually inside of 20-30 yds. I don't know of anyone who tries to "spot and stalk" rabits or ptarmigan/grouse. Here it's pretty much find, flush, shoot.
06-02-2009, 12:32 PM
#19
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 17
RE: Allround calibre for everything from ptarmigans to deer?
Okay, Ill try to explain as good as I can.
At this moment, I own one of these:
Its a Star Baikal o/u shotgun, 12 gauge.
It wouldnt be much of a challenge for me to switch the barrel, I just don't know what to switch it with or how.
At this moment, I own one of these:
Its a Star Baikal o/u shotgun, 12 gauge.
It wouldnt be much of a challenge for me to switch the barrel, I just don't know what to switch it with or how.
