Which is the right rifle for shooting foxes and stalking deer?

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The 125-grain load is quite frangible and will cause more meat damage than the traditional 150- to 165-grain bullet weight for deer.

By Steve Bowers

Saturday, 09 February 2008

I require a rifle to shoot foxes and to stalk deer. I want to buy a moderated .308 because of the ammunition choice, but have been told by friends that this calibre would be overkill for foxes. I can only afford one rifle. Can you make any suggestions?

A: .308 is overkill for foxes, but dead is dead and loaded with the 125 Nosler ballistic tip cartridge it is a lethal load in windy and long-range conditions.

The 125-grain load is quite frangible and will cause more meat damage than the traditional 150- to 165-grain bullet weight for deer.

This is also true for the .243 round which is a good cartridge for both foxes and deer. You can have 55-grain to 75-grain light, fast bullet weights, while 75-grain to 100-grain bullets are suitable for deer.

The deciding factor may be the land over which you shoot. Your local police may decide that a .243 may be safer or more suited to your needs than a .308. If it was a 50/50 fox and deer split then I would recommend a .243, but if you intend to shoot more deer than foxes the .308 would be my choice.

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Comments

jim

March 11 20:25

I agree with the above, the police have nothing to do with anything related to gun saftey as regards to hunting. Both cartridges can be deadly and its up to the hunter to make his shots as intelligently as possible.

Gordon Crawford

March 03 19:49

I'm somewhat concerned by the comment in the article about 'which is the right rifle for shooting foxes and and stalking deer' relating to the Police deciding whether a .243 is "SAFER" than a .308 depending on the land you are shooting over I'm of the opinion that all land is safe, it is the shooter, their competence and experience that determines how safe the shot is. All bullets shot with a safe backstop will be caught, there are risks related to ricochet but they are not necessarily calibre dependant. Anyway great magazine Regards

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