Thread: Good caliber to start hunting with?

Shooting paper the recoil and noise a quite noticeable.
When shooting an animal in the bush I can't say I have really noticed either

You can't run with the dogs if you piss like a pup

Hahaha! I made that mistake many years ago. The divorce was the happiest day of my life, never did have the party to celebrate. This lass is a good earthy girl, but marriage? no.

Originally Posted by mikee

Ba ha ha ha ha, I can even walk thru the house in gumboots !!

I can come home drop my overalls do the deed and go back to work without even taking work boots or overalls off.

Originally Posted by Danny

The .243 is a great place to start. I'm always wary of going to a 308 or 7mm when starting out.
The secret with a 223 or 243 size is the shooter learns to shoot, I had poked through 2000 rounds through my Parker-hale by the age of 16years and I could shoot hares and goats at 300m+/- but put the old mans 308 up and I'd always flinch.

I went 46million 177 daisy pointed hunter pellets, then 22lr then sporterised 303 smle complete with brass butt plate and was actively hunting with it from 14,around 16 I purchased my first rifle of my own a BSA majestic in 308,with about 4 inches cut of the barrel,crooked,with a haqcksaw....But it had a scope and that was cool

Originally Posted by MattyP

I'd always thought the 308 had relatively mild recoil from all the recoil tables I looked at when deciding what my first centerfire was going to be. I had a 22lr and had shot maybe 2-3 rounds of 223 before I got my 308. It's a lot more than a 223 of course...but my wife (all of 55kg's) can shoot it. She was shit scared at first just from watching it being shot, but after shooting it was like..."oh." Same went for my sister.

Everyone's different obviously. I guess the best thing is just to try a calibre before you buy it if you're worried you might flinch or develop one.

The flinch you talk of maybe developed from hearing or seeing "dads big 308" for years from a young age? You may have just built it up mentally to be more than it is. Logically you know all you will feel is a firm tap to the shoulder.

All very true, perception is reality.
As a youngster watching poppa and the old man shooting boars at the bail and deer with the mighty 308 the feeing was all so loud and powerful, the ground seemed to shake...️
In reality, the 308 is my favourite and is a wowser.

Yeah, after using a 243 i always thought a 308 would have a bigger "kick" to it but after just purchasing one i found its hardly any different than my 243, fire it all day so it really is a wowser lol

I have said many times on here and been berated for it many times I cant really tell any difference between any of the non magnum cals,yes 223 is a bit less but not that much.

One of my pet hates is "advice" given to get a 7mm08 over a 308 for the lower recoil, really!??? are you just fucking with the dude or what? they both have the same case and shoot similar weight bullets at similar speeds,guess what recoil is similar!!!

THIS GOT SOO OUT OF HAND LOL

Originally Posted by MattyP

I'd always thought the 308 had relatively mild recoil from all the recoil tables I looked at when deciding what my first centerfire was going to be. I had a 22lr and had shot maybe 2-3 rounds of 223 before I got my 308. It's a lot more than a 223 of course...but my wife (all of 55kg's) can shoot it. She was shit scared at first just from watching it being shot, but after shooting it was like..."oh." Same went for my sister.

Everyone's different obviously. I guess the best thing is just to try a calibre before you buy it if you're worried you might flinch or develop one.

The flinch you talk of maybe developed from hearing or seeing "dads big 308" for years from a young age? You may have just built it up mentally to be more than it is. Logically you know all you will feel is a firm tap to the shoulder.

Yep my 52 kg girlfriend can shoot an unsupressed t3 lite in 308 well enough, so most should manage. That being said she did shoot my 6.5x55 better than she did the lighter, heavier recoiling gun.

Not a big difference between 7-08 and 308 although having shot both back to back in a tikka there is a little more oomph to the shove in the 308. Its no sharper though. 270 shoots similar bullet weights but has a much 'sharper' recoil.

Was sighting in the new bushpig at the range this weekend and a newbie managed to give himself a scope eye with a 243. So goes to show proper technique is still nessesary even with lighter calibres

Chuck doesn't lie veitnamcam.

Rifle Recoil Table

I think its a pretty normal conversation between a group of similar minded enthusiastic people. Not out of hand at all. Conversations wander round, over and under but always remain within a bullets throw of topic.
You should relax your expectations a little and enjoy.
There are many calibres and all are good when used for the right application, of course the odd ones are better than others for various reasons (price, availability, pure joy even).same with scopes as well.
No I don't think its out of hand at all mate.

Here are my thoughts. And I warn you that I am yet to really fire a rifle and this is an opinion formed from like 6 months of reading the shit out of everything on the internet. Pretty much exactly what not to do in regard to starting out...

7mm-08 Browning A-Bolt, but hard to find so probably Remington 700 SPS (Cos heaps of aftermarket shit to change if any feature is crap/annoying).

Leupold VX3 2.5-8x36 or VX2 3-9x33.

I'm looking at spending under $2k cos my Mrs said so...

Originally Posted by Ricochet

Here are my thoughts. And I warn you that I am yet to really fire a rifle and this is an opinion formed from like 6 months of reading the shit out of everything on the internet. Pretty much exactly what not to do in regard to starting out...

7mm-08 Browning A-Bolt, but hard to find so probably Remington 700 SPS (Cos heaps of aftermarket shit to change if any feature is crap/annoying).

Leupold VX3 2.5-8x36 or VX2 3-9x33.

I'm looking at spending under $2k cos my Mrs said so...

.308 would give you the option of cheaper ammo from the likes of barnaul for bombing up goats if thats on your horizon.

Originally Posted by JRW87

.308 would give you the option of cheaper ammo from the likes of barnaul for bombing up goats if thats on your horizon.

And a 22 lr would give you a cheap couple of hundred thousand rounds of practice too.

Chuck Hawks says the recoil's too much for my delicate shoulder.