Thread: Your cartridge of choice.

22Lr, 12 gauge, 223, 30.06

for hunting for me its;

22
223
284 win x 2 (one set up for bush and one for open tops)
12g

(I have a heap of comp rifles that dont need listing lol)

I think that a talented shooter and smart handloader could use a fast twist .223 for everything, including longer range competition, varmints, pests and putting meat on the table. a long barrel life and cheap components helps this a heap.

However for me the 284 has been an incredible and forgiving all rounder for NZ larger game hunting. it has done it all for me anyway

.22lr, 6.5 SAUM, 7x65R, .308Win .54ml, 16 gauge & 12 gauge.

New to shooting, but I got a .22 and a 30-06 so far. Might get a cheap 223 at some point. Those 3 choices should cover everything I want to put in my freezer.

.22lr, 7mmSAUM(favourite and most used), 7mm08 Bushpig, 223, 44mag and 12ga.

Originally Posted by Jt89

Much meat damage once you get out to that range? Closer in I'd be worried about being left with only ears and a tail...

@Jt89 Correct! The other dusk I was out shooting rabbits at long ranges with the triple two. Then I spied a tiny baby rabbit, about the size of your hand, sitting front on sunning itself at about 15 metres. I shot it and all that was left was a hole in the ground!

Which brings me to the subject of bullet placement. Basically, with either calibre, if the rabbit is sitting front on, there is no point in picking it up, because the bullet passes straight though and it is just a shitty mess!

222 Remington, bunny side on; with a head shot the head is basically gone, irrespective of range. Shoulder or chest shot, the other side is gone and you get the back have to eat. Reserve side shoulder damage does get a bit less with longer range, but you still only get half a rabbit for the pot. Gut shot, it's just a fricken mess!

22 Hornet is a bit less destructive. Head shot, half a head is left! Gut shot, is still a fricken mess! Side on shoulder, total internal destruction, with an exit hole about the size of a golf ball.

The joy of the 22 calibre family is both Hornet and 222 take exactly the same .224 dia projectiles, primer and powder, so no need to buy another type of powder, unless you go to 223 which likes a faster burning powder.

.224 Projectiles are available in weights from 30grn to 90grns.

22 Hornet will fire 30 - 55 grn projectile with 40 or 50 being optimal with 10grn of ADI AR2207. Currently loading Win 40grn HP W/C Fbx CJ which is very good on rabbits. I also accidently bought, to get something else, 6 x 50 boxes of Hornady #83028 45grn SP Match. I think this is the #2230 Hornet projectile with a BC .202. @ 2600ftps. Very accurate, but an absolute bunny splutterier!! It just unzips them from the arse to the elbow! I don't load HOT or MAXIMUM loads, but a HOT load with push a 30grn projectile at over 3000 feet per second.

222 will fire 35 to 60grn projectiles with 18.5grn of ADI AR2207. I'm currently firing Hornady 55grn #2266 BTSP W/C BC.235 which I'm finding very accurate. I bought 2000 of these for 25c - 28c - 36c each. Very good on long range rabbits and very good on goats. No deer yet....

What you get for the pot is very much a matter of bullet placement, projectile type and powder load.

.223, 6.5 creed and 12g wouldn't mind adding a Grendel to the mix for shits and giggles.

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Originally Posted by Rated M for Magnum

17 hmr, 7mm08, 308 win, 7mm rem mag and two 12 gauges. I feel like there is definitely am overlap with the 08 family cartridges I have and both could probably be replaced with a 243...

Oraybw a complete re jig with 22lr, 223 and maybe a boring old 300wsm to round out the top end

What is the perfect combo? Can there BE only one?

Maybe one rimfire, one center fire and one shotgun...for each family member

Things have changed here since this post. Now it's 6.5 PRC for cartridge of choice (what gets taken on the most walks). There's a PRC, 243 and a 22 LR in the safe but the other rifles are gone.

.308 win for me just easy

Anything 11mm


The "gentleman's trio" Would be rimfire, centrefire and shotgun.

300Saum as it's the only firearm I have but is the favorite of the cartridges I've owned over the years.

1).30m1
2).30m1
3).410
4) 30-06

Interesting thread.

I am in my 60s but started shooting centre fire rifles only after coming to NZ 32 years ago. Prior to that I only used a single barrel 12 bore.

Since the early 90s I have bought and sold a number of rifles & shotguns (30+ all the way up to 470NE). I have kept a careful record of them in a spreadsheet.

I currently own 2 rifles in 22LR, a 223 Rem, 7mm08, 280 Ack Imp, 9.3X62, Mannlicher Schoenauer 6.5X54 & 9.5X57 and a SXS 12 bore

Originally Posted by Hugh Shields

@Jt89 Correct! The other dusk I was out shooting rabbits at long ranges with the triple two. Then I spied a tiny baby rabbit, about the size of your hand, sitting front on sunning itself at about 15 metres. I shot it and all that was left was a hole in the ground!

Which brings me to the subject of bullet placement. Basically, with either calibre, if the rabbit is sitting front on, there is no point in picking it up, because the bullet passes straight though and it is just a shitty mess!

222 Remington, bunny side on; with a head shot the head is basically gone, irrespective of range. Shoulder or chest shot, the other side is gone and you get the back have to eat. Reserve side shoulder damage does get a bit less with longer range, but you still only get half a rabbit for the pot. Gut shot, it's just a fricken mess!

22 Hornet is a bit less destructive. Head shot, half a head is left! Gut shot, is still a fricken mess! Side on shoulder, total internal destruction, with an exit hole about the size of a golf ball.

The joy of the 22 calibre family is both Hornet and 222 take exactly the same .224 dia projectiles, primer and powder, so no need to buy another type of powder, unless you go to 223 which likes a faster burning powder.

.224 Projectiles are available in weights from 30grn to 90grns.

22 Hornet will fire 30 - 55 grn projectile with 40 or 50 being optimal with 10grn of ADI AR2207. Currently loading Win 40grn HP W/C Fbx CJ which is very good on rabbits. I also accidently bought, to get something else, 6 x 50 boxes of Hornady #83028 45grn SP Match. I think this is the #2230 Hornet projectile with a BC .202. @ 2600ftps. Very accurate, but an absolute bunny splutterier!! It just unzips them from the arse to the elbow! I don't load HOT or MAXIMUM loads, but a HOT load with push a 30grn projectile at over 3000 feet per second.

222 will fire 35 to 60grn projectiles with 18.5grn of ADI AR2207. I'm currently firing Hornady 55grn #2266 BTSP W/C BC.235 which I'm finding very accurate. I bought 2000 of these for 25c - 28c - 36c each. Very good on long range rabbits and very good on goats. No deer yet....

What you get for the pot is very much a matter of bullet placement, projectile type and powder load.

I can't seem to get any small game for the pot with my 220 swift no matter what the range.

.22 - Meant for bunnies and practice but hardly use them
22-250AI - Pest control on farms mostly goats and rabbits/hares odd deer
308 - Main hunting rifle to 600 yards
44 mag - bush hunting