Thread: Rifle/ caliber opinions for bush and mountain

I am not a fan of unsuppressed rifles as it fucked my hearing over 40 odd years until i saw the light.
Each to their own though its a personal choice.
Loved the comment about learning how to track though.
I have fucked knees and chronic fatigue and its an effort to walk down a steep hill hence i like animals to fall over straightaway but please feel free to post ignorant comments

-suppressed 308 with 16in barrel for the bush
-braked 7mmRM or 6.5PRC with 24in barrel for the tops (and some ear plugs. Brake optional for the PRC)

-or if you want just one rifle: suppressed 308 or 7mm08 with 20in barrel

Originally Posted by Steven1

Optics wise I already got a VX5 3-15
but may go 2-10 mag for bush setup after my roar stag encounter ... Decisions decisions

The 3-15 should be fine. I have a 2-12 and I use it on 3x in the bush, the optics are a bit weird at 2x in the bush for some reason so I don’t have it set that low. But the 2-10 will have a weight/size advantage

My dad always said " A good tracker is a sh#t shot" ��

2-10 is the way forward in a quality set of glass. Several times I've been too close to the animal to get a sight picture with a 4x scope - can see the eyeball of the deer by eye but looking at individual strands of hair through the scope and can't actually resolve what you are looking at to be able to identify and place the shot. 2x makes a surprising difference in that situation I found. It sounds weird, but litterally on the other side of a toitoi bush to the deer (2m away for range) you are just too close for the scope to be of any use. Bloody sh1tty Kaimais...

In this weird day and age I would say any calibre that is economic to shoot and reload, and has easily available components for. AND suppress for you and your mate's continued hearing...and that occasional follow up shot.

Originally Posted by Hornady ELDX

I have a 308 and have had a number of 270 rifles.
If i was only to have one rifle it would be the 300wsm.
Never lost an animal up to 645 yards.
Its a pussy to shoot with a suppressor. 150 to 212 grain projectiles and my accubond 180 grain gets a tad over 2920 fps. Lozt a number of animals with the 270 as they didnt fall over straight away. ...CAUSE I NEGLECTED TO TAKE OUT FRONT WHEELS AND/OR WAS USING WRONG PROJECTILE TYPE.
Never ever had that with the wsm....YET,WATCH THIS SPACE....

capitals are my input LOL.
the OP wants to go unsuppressed...which is going to make it a tad more loud as soon as powder capacity gets up to or above say 60grains......
your .308 will push the same projectiles out slower..so a hundred yard .308 shot is same as a 3-400 from your magnum......
but horses for courses it would be a boring world if we all did things the same way with the same stuff.

These are such dumb threads

223 1.8 twist will shoot everything from a mouse to a moose with good bullet placement

Originally Posted by 7.62

-suppressed 308 with 16in barrel for the bush
-braked 7mmRM or 6.5PRC with 24in barrel for the tops (and some ear plugs. Brake optional for the PRC)

-or if you want just one rifle: suppressed 308 or 7mm08 with 20in barrel

Second this just setting up a lightweight 308 with a 20"barrel sick of lugging around the rem mag

Originally Posted by Ryan_Songhurst

These are such dumb threads

Also second this everything works, just shoot things with the right projectile in the right place

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.

I would start with a bullet weight between 120gr up to about 180 or 200gr max, with a diameter of between .24 and .31 with a velocity of between 2700fps and 3200fps somewhere.......

I know, I know that is pretty much every centrefire in the range. A bit like saying I need an SUV, what would you suggest and getting between a Jimney to a F350.... But what ever you pick, I expect if it is not in that band, then it wont be far out of being capable of what you want. Try a few, see what you like the feel of. To be serious and honest, the one that is best will be the one that you get the best accuracy from. Everything is a balance / trade off.

More weight = less recoil but heavier to carry versus less weight = easier carry but more recoil,
Bigger bullet + higher velocity = more recoil, but more carried and transferred energy on impact
Bigger recoil can mean more flinch = a potential miss and a bigger hole in the dirt beside the animal instead of in it....

My personal choice would usually be 308. Not because of any perceived shortfall of any other calibre, as I see them as all much of the same but different. But because of accuracy. Accuracy comes from practise. Practise comes from sending rounds down range (ouyt there doing it to use an unpopular phrase..) That is expensive at $5 per round / $100 per pack for the latest and greatest ammo out....but at $2 or less, practise becomes more affordable and 308 is generally one of the calibres for which there are cheaper 'practise' ammos available. If you dont want to use cheap mil surp ammo in your flash rifle, use it in one that is not as flash. Practise with any rifle counts, including rimfire....





Remember the old motor racing saying " to finish first, first you must finish"....That has a translation into 'shooter talk' To have your food to hit the table, first you must hit your food"....It wont matter how big your bullet is if you miss.

And best of all, enjoy hunting for a new rifle....

So far we have votes for...

223
243
25/06
6.5 Creedmoor
6.5 PRC
270
7mm08
280ai
7mm Rem Mag
308
30-06
300wsm
338 Lapua
45/70

@Steven1 I hope we narrowed your selection for you!

+1 270 shitter

To add to Tim’s tradeoff analysis above:

A Heavier rifle is generally easier to shoot well.

And …

Recoil depends in the ratio of bullet weight to rifle weight (and powder charge of course ).
So, you will not be able to get moderate recoil from a light rifle and a heavy bullet.
The idea of selecting an approximate bullet weight first is a good one. Unless you want a heavy rifle > 4kg all up, you will probably want to limit your bullet weight to about 140-150gr if shooting unsuppressed.