Thread: Rifle/ caliber opinions for bush and mountain

Its good to see youve started with the scope. Theres no doubt that VX 5 will cover it all and do very well.

It sounds as if you want one rifle to do both “ bush and mountain hunting”.
For south island bush up to 22” is fine if you dont put a suppressor on it. Youll want the length to give enough velocity for the long shots on the tops. With a single all round rifle your max range will be about 300m in NZ South Is conditions.

Regarding choice of rifle, i suggest getting a new one rather than second hand. They are still ffordable if you only buy one and you know someone else hasnt dicked around with it. NZ hunting usually involves getting it wet, often muddy, full of leaves and windblown sand, frozen, knocked about a bit. So your stainless idea is good. A synthetic stock is best, carbon if you can afford it. Get a mainstream brand, not something unique and not the latest never heard if it before or semi custom brand. The standard rifles to compare all others to are the Tikka T3 and the Sako 85 which both have the simple rugged bombproof design features you need in NZ.