Thread: first time using center fire

Hi team,

Got my 1st centre rife rifle (Ruger American 0.308) few weeks ago but just tried it out today
a bit nervous at the start, I learn things as I go and mostly from YouTube and reading forums.
I checked, double checked and triple checked everything, to make sure the rifle was ok and safe to fire.

1st shoot was fired and it was way out of the target sheet,
the scope needs some adjustment but oh well... that's for another day,
as the noise was a bit louder than my liking.

Bullet was Fiocchi 0.308W subsonic 200 gr and it was as loud as CCI 0.22 1640 PFS 32GR.



Both rifles have ghost silencers with 7 baffles.



is there a factory bullet (0.308W subsonic) that is not as noisy but powerful enough to take down a rogue bull at 150 yards (if necessary)?

or I better off get a 300blackout setup with subsonic

Thank you for the info and advice

A rogue Bull at 150 yrds needs headshot with EVERYTHINg a full power 308 can throw at it

Subsonic ammo will only detract from your lifespan if said bull thinks your at fault for annoying it

Please use full power ammunition for shooting any animals

I would suggest some ear plugs or muffs, practice and finding someone more experienced to help you get it sighted in correctly
I wouldn't personally be using a subsonic round to take down a "charging rogue bull" as you say. I would be using as above or a bigger gun!!
If its your first center-fire then practice is your friend.

as above, a 300black out is not a bigger / more powerful cartridge than a 308.

The bang comes from the escaping gases and a 308 subsonic will have way more gas and a larger hole than a 22 supersonic.
That round is a full metal jacket. They are not designed to kill anything other than paper and it only has 400 flb's of energy.
Minium recommended energy for a deer is 1000flb's at the deer. A bull is much bigger and way more dangerous than a deer.

For cattle using a 308 you need full power and a premium controlled expansion round. Ie 160-180gr at 26-2700 fps,
Zq

I have put down cows and bulls with a 308, 7.62 and 12 ga. I have shot a lot of goats with 308 subsonics. A bull is a tough animal with thick skin, bones and muscles. Use a full power 308, preferably with a heavy 180 grain bullet, aim for the head or neck and make sure you have a good shooting position. BUT before even attempting this, make sure you get plenty of shooting practice and can hit a small enough target to kill the bull at the range you intend to shoot.

Suggest sporting 'noise cancelling' earmuffs, Peltor Sporttac are one and there are others on the market. Or earplugs work, but while suppressors reduce the impact of the sound waves on your eardrums and minimise the potential for hearing damage it's still on the painful end of the noise spectrum.

As others have suggested subsonic ammo is for specialist and usually short range work, best to stick with the full power ammo for animals as it's much flatter shooting and hard hitting.

Thank you for the advice,
I work in a very noisy workshop so have plenty of ear protection choices
I practise shooting at the farm and prefer to shoot with minimal noise, out of respect for my neighbours.

My local homekill guy used 0.22 mag to put down my neighbour's cow (headshot)
hence I just assume that sub 0.308 will do the job but apparently not.
Thank you for the info, time to visit that friendly fellow at GC I guess.

Hi Snap,
The home kill is a different situation. Generally dealing with an animal that is quiet and still plus its done by an experience operator at close range were he can put the bullet into the brain through a thin part of the skull.
Shooting a bull at 150mtr is a whole different game.
Z

You really have to be carefull with the background of the thing you are shooting at when using those 308 subsonic ammo, they generally do not expend, and depending what you are shooting at they can go through a lot and still make some magnificent richochets after that. I have done a few double goats with one bullet when using subsonic ammo.

I'm as green as a pea can get,
I'm in no near danger with any animal, just wanted to make sure I have the option.
Been practicing with rim fire and getting better each time
however when the situation is not calm or panicky that's a whole different story

How close are the neighbour's

Originally Posted by Snap 4T

I'm as green as a pea can get,
I'm in no near danger with any animal, just wanted to make sure I have the option.
Been practicing with rim fire and getting better each time
however when the situation is not calm or panicky that's a whole different story

The practice with a .22 will translate to some degree but its generally better to practice with a centerfire if your aiming to shoot centerfire. What's your aim for this firearm? Im wondering if it could make sense for you to pick up a 243 as a stepping stone in the centerfire learning curve, minimal recoil, minimal noise suppressed and enough punch for majority of animals NZ holds

My neighbors and i, can't see each others (hilly)
my shooting pad is about 250m away (just a guess) from the property boundary
The closest neighbour's house is about 500m away (just a guess) from my shooting pad.

They all are ok, hence I don't want to stir the water.

I tried to google the legality of shooting in rural land but I need to spend more time on it

a good few years ago on a sth auckland lifestyle block a cape buffalo got free of its enclosure, the owner wanted to put it down so with some mates they went out in the ute to tip this thing over ( im not sure what calibre they were using (and its not really relevant to thiss thread) one member of the party went to take a shot from the tray of the ute , tragically didnt compensate for the fact that while looking thru the scope the barrel was pointed thru the cab . a couple of very basic rules were broken at this point and he shot his mate in the head.
so any way getting to the relevant point a local plod was called to dispatch the beast (being a hunter and keen firearm tinkerer he was the man for the job , right?) well he turned up with his 6.5 swede ....... now im not gonna poopoo the 6.5 they are great ...... but for cape buffalo? after a few shots (at least 3 but cant remember exactly how many) he finally brought it down . the poor thing must have been way stressed and freaking out and the whole situation could have gone south very quickly . so the takeaway from this is you have an opportunity here to listen to the advice from guys that have hunted all manner of beast from possum all the way up to beasts that weigh over a ton , and make sure you are using the right tool for the job. .

You can do alot off practice dry firing at the taget so you learn to hold the rifle still while you squeeze the trigger still make sure rifle pointing in a safe direction tho