Gun nuts input needed

[heavyduty1340]

I recently off loaded an awesome Winchester Mod 70 .222, and want to step up to a .243
Looking at a sako varmit with fluted stainless barrel and laminated stock - anyone got one or know if it is as good as the write ups? or an alternative

I don't shoot a lot of rounds these days, but want the fucker to shoot straight as every time.

The old .222 was one of the most accurate guns I have ever used

[thommo]

Step up to .22-250 very nice rifle and with my experience it's super accurate. Also has enough power to be shooting birds to kangaroos or picking off rabbits at 150+

http://cdn2.armslist.com/sites/armslist/uploads/posts/2013/07/26/1924974_01_winchester_model_70_sporter_va_640.jpg

[S85FI]

.222 :)

[heavyduty1340]

Had the .222 and the .22-250 have a god awful crack when you fire them - the .243 is a bit more of a boom and easier on the ears.
Did think of going .270 as well.

[180SXTCY]

308

/thread

[Damo 69]

Have been doing a fair bit of a shooting lately at lone ranger on my RNR as its just around the corner and kills an hour or so, have been speaking with shooters shed about licencing my own rifle.

Have been looking around the .222 / .270 range, be good to see what rifles people are running and how they rate them.

Would love an old Lee Enfield Rifle one day for more of a historical thing.

[thommo]

We've got

.22 .22-250 .270 all bolt action and a .30-30 lever action plus a few other bits and pieces haha

I much prefer the 270, lovely bit of gear but thought that was getting a bit bigger. Buy buy!

Damo you should look at joining the rifle club in mundaring or the pistol club. Shooting at targets indoors is aids

[Deke]

I recently off loaded an awesome Winchester Mod 70 .222, and want to step up to a .243
Looking at a sako varmit with fluted stainless barrel and laminated stock - anyone got one or know if it is as good as the write ups? or an alternative

I don't shoot a lot of rounds these days, but want the fucker to shoot straight as every time.

The old .222 was one of the most accurate guns I have ever used

You cant go past a Sako, its got the best reputation out of any rifles , if you dont want too spend the money get a Tikka , iv got two of them , there made by Sako and i shoot sometimes 200 rounds a week through my .223(which i think is hands down the best cartridge for shooting basically anything). Iv got a 243 aswell , its a great all round cartridge. Best advice i can give is go anywhere but shooters shed if your going too make a purchase.

[Damo 69]

Best advice i can give is go anywhere but shooters shed if your going too make a purchase.

why is that?

[thommo]

Barry's firearms kenwick.

[Deke]

why is that?
if you feel like having a read you can read this , this isnt the exact one i was looking for but you get a fair idea.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/511053562242052/permalink/954280614586009/

Otherwise my experience was , i called up too buy a 30-06 , i was travelling from SOR they said they had heaps in stock i could come and look at , drove all the way up there over an hour and they had not one in stock. got one orderd in despite all that, took 4 months too get it in. I then wanted too get a 243 called shooters shed too get a price (was doing a ring around to see who was cheapest) asked 3 questions got "im not sure" for all three questions and that they will call me back , never got a call back. Claremont firearms had my gun orderd in within a week , same with my .223


Another dude on that facebook page , bought a gun there , while he was waiting for his servicability certificate , they put the gun in storage and when he came too pick it up the stock had scratches and gauges taken out of it and wouldnt replace it.

If you cant acsess that link the page is called "feral hunters western australia" if you want too join

[Brett_J]

Beaton Firearms Maddington - Zaine or Bill will give you solid advice, been in the game a long time.

[heavyduty1340]

I buy my gear from South West Firearms and Gunsmiths in Busselton - Garry Trigwell has run this for the last 30 plus years
Has always looked after me

[MrSparkle]

I haven't heard a bad word about Sakos yet so that can only be a good thing. They make tikka? or tikka make sako? Something like that.


.222 have a reputation for being deadly accurate and the 22-250 isn't far behind. My main hunting rifle is a .243 and I chose it because it can go from 100 grain down to 60 (i think) which covers a wide range of targets. However I get sick of shooting mine after a few hours especially if I am not using hearing protection so I would suggest a .223 if your decision isn't set in stone.

I'm not sure what you are shooting but the .223 has a lot going for it. Its not too big which means it doesn't pound your shoulder like a long action rifle like a .270 or 30-06. Its not nearly as loud as a .243 (.243 and up seems to be when they really start to bust out some eardrums) and the ammo is nearly half the price of .243. Plus its basically in the middle of your 22-250 and .222 that you had before.

Roo's foxes goats etc are no problem. When I go shooting with my friends/ brother they always start using big guns .308 /30-06 these guys have 4 or 5 rifles each. And by the end of the weekend. Without fail they end up using their .223s perhaps they are bitches lol



Damo69 : Next time you are in town send me a pm. I am able to take my shotgun and my .22 into lone ranges to shoot some targets and that's always fun. You can have a go and instead of paying $50+ it costs like $6 bux because I use my own stuff as many shots as you want (as i can carry). Plus I haven't been there is ages and last time it was fun blowing the little rabbit target to bits with the shotgun. The ppl in the booth next to you think they are big with their .44 colt held on to wires but the shotgun trumps them for "boom" factor everytime.

[thommo]

That's some good advice!

What are you buying the gun to shoot is the question?
Do you reload or just buy packets?

[Damo 69]

Damo69 : Next time you are in town send me a pm. I am able to take my shotgun and my .22 into lone ranges to shoot some targets and that's always fun. You can have a go and instead of paying $50+ it costs like $6 bux because I use my own stuff as many shots as you want (as i can carry). Plus I haven't been there is ages and last time it was fun blowing the little rabbit target to bits with the shotgun. The ppl in the booth next to you think they are big with their .44 colt held on to wires but the shotgun trumps them for "boom" factor everytime.

will keep that in mind, doing a silly long swing this time so will shoot you a PM end of october

[Deke]

Sako make tikka shane. I use both my .223 and .243 for shooting roos , the .223 is my go too gun theres no doubt about it , its my favourite. but when i know there is going to be wind that night i opt for my .243 the projectile is alot more stable in the wind then the .223 past 150m. 22-250 is a great calibre aswell , you can still get cheap projectiles but you just use more powder if your reloading yourself , only thing iv noticed is , projectile choice is a big thing , because the 22-250 is such a fast calibre iv seen projectiles just split up by hitting a branch or twig before actually hitting the animal.

[crabman]

Damo69 : Next time you are in town send me a pm. I am able to take my shotgun and my .22 into lone ranges to shoot some targets and that's always fun. You can have a go and instead of paying $50+ it costs like $6 bux because I use my own stuff as many shots as you want (as i can carry). Plus I haven't been there is ages and last time it was fun blowing the little rabbit target to bits with the shotgun. The ppl in the booth next to you think they are big with their .44 colt held on to wires but the shotgun trumps them for "boom" factor everytime.

Best thing is going with a group of mates who are shooting rifles and you take your own 12ga and blow their targets apart lol

Finally got my 12ga out on the weekend with the clay thrower for a decent session. Turns out I'm not half bad and keen to do it more.

Need a job so I can buy a decent over and under though, something more balanced and made for clay shooting.

[S85FI]

Have been doing a fair bit of a shooting lately at lone ranger on my RNR as its just around the corner and kills an hour or so, have been speaking with shooters shed about licencing my own rifle.

Have been looking around the .222 / .270 range, be good to see what rifles people are running and how they rate them.

Would love an old Lee Enfield Rifle one day for more of a historical thing.

Not sure why but when I go down I like shooting the pegs off the target. .. people think you miss until the paper falls :)

[Marti]

im a remington fan through and through but I wont fault a tikka. for the price they are awesome and they shoot almost perfect straight out of the box.

223/22.250 are pretty light and do get pushed around by the wind when it picks up but still are both great cartridges(22250 is a barrel burner as the round screams out the barrel so bear in mind you may need to get it re barreled down the line if you do a lot of shooting). 243 is a good medium as it can be loaded light or heavy depending on what you want to do. brass and projectiles are cheap and easy to find for all 3 calibers.
anything 30 cal is great(308 my personal preference and favorite) but you need a decent amount of land to license a 30cal.

Joining a club will benefit you as the range of equipment, people and knowledge base is far greater. Jarrahdale have a great rifle,hand gun and shot gun complex which you could look into. I shoot there quite a lot in all 3 disciples

id be going to either Barries, Midland fire arms or Claremont fire arms for a new rifle if your that way inclined

[Fozzy]

Im in the Tikka Camp for all round value and quality. Not a sako but not sako money.. If I was a pro I would shoot sako but for a hack like me tikka will shoot better than I ever can.

Kim Potter at Target Solutions is the best dealer in WA (in my experiences) Followed by Mark at Claremont and anyone at Barrys.

[Mr Bender]

if i was a pro i would still be using my banged up Ruger .223 with its back yard paint job.

its the rifle i go to when i want to head shot things from most distances and look like a pro.

why did you get rid of the .222? you could of just brought a .243 and have the two.

[heavyduty1340]

.222 was a great gun, but a mate pressured me for ages to sell it to him, and weakened, plus have a metric shit load of guns, so some things have to go plus it was too small for my needs now.
Getting permission for any calibre isnt a problem - could get a 338 mag if I really wanted to but my shoulders aren't what they used to be(have had a 375 H&H fark me) - this gun will be used from foxes to deer, donkeys and camels so I thought the .243 would be ideal where as the .270 would be topping it out.

[Mr Bender]

buying a gun from a friend is great its like a try before you buy.

243 is a great round. flat shooting and a huge range of loads available (from 60grain to 120 I think)
and you will be able to use it to take down pretty much anything with a good shot placement.


my brother has a weatherby .243 and thats the reason he brought one, you can shoot anything from birds to camels.

[Deke]

im a pro shooter and i use a tikka awesome gun can put 3 bullets into a 5c peace at 100m no worrys and cops sometimes 200 rounds a week, .243 will be a great calibre for all round shooting , mate of mine shot on the nullabor and up through the murchison for 30 odd years with a parker and hale (sp?) .243 and shot camels, horse , donkey and roos with it no worrys , all about shot placement

[Marti]

Its all about shot placement, you dont need a massive caliber unless your hunting animals like buffalo,hippo or real thick a skinned stuff in africa. id love a 375 hh or a 458 lot for a safari but its just over kill for stuff hear. a 270-308 will pretty much take care of everything we have here and more. i also agree that the 222 is an awsome caliber. should stick with it

[S85FI]

Its all about shot placement, full stop.

My bit. :)

[heavyduty1340]

.222 useless for donkey and camel
Roos and possibly goats is about as big as you want to go with .222

[S85FI]

.222 useless for donkey and camel
Roos and possibly goats is about as big as you want to go with .222

Get closer. Stalk the animal. Head shot. Neck shot. Just below and behind the forelegs. If I can take a deer out with a .222 and donkies with a 140lb bow then you got to be able to do it with high velocity low mass round.

Should have a AL hunt day.

[MrSparkle]

If your targets include donkeys and camels I would use .243 as a minimum. I'm not a perfect shot so I can't rely on perfect placement each time. I don't want it running off and dying slowly.

One gun can't do everything which is why most people have a few.

[50SHADES]

My dad regularly ventures north for Camel and Donkeycide. (I stick to goats with my Tikka .222)

He uses a .270 CMC Mountaineer with a 4.5-14 Leupold scope and had lots of 400m+ kills

[thommo]

Get closer. Stalk the animal. Head shot. Neck shot. Just below and behind the forelegs. If I can take a deer out with a .222 and donkies with a 140lb bow then you got to be able to do it with high velocity low mass round.

Should have a AL hunt day.

But can't catch a possum.

[S85FI]

But can't catch a possum.

Made me chuckle. ... pingpingpingping of a thing. ...

[Marti]

What are you trying to do hit the animal at 500 yards ?, most hunters hear will tell you a average shot on an animal is between 100-200 yards. at that range a 222 will drop a camel, boar or donkey with a head or neck shot easly

[Mr Bender]

as you have already sold the .222, go and buy the .243 in the brand you want, fit it with a good scope, buy a bunch of rounds and use it until you want to upgrade again!
(because we all know it will happen)


:.223 but same gun http://huntandshoot.com.au/articles/hunting-reviews/sako-85-varmint-stainless-in-223-rem-review/