Thread: Air addict and wannabe powder burner

Hi Guys,
I'm located a bit west of Christchurch and do some air rifle shooting around our place both targets and pests and on a couple of nearby farms. I've also been doing .22 25 yard indoor shooting for 3 seasons now.

I'm tempted to try my hand at hunting something bigger than a hare. I had though if I get a 300 AAC I could shoot it at home, but a 308 is probably more sensible for general hunting use?

Cheers

Hi xyon. One member here, @tikka, has plenty experience hunting with a 300 blackout and may be able to offer you some advice. Shameless plug, but I have one for sale if you happen to decide you want to go down that route.

Subsonic 300BLK is fine for well placed head and neck shots, but it can also be done with .308. There are even 1 or 2 factory rounds available. Just be aware that you need a fast twist barrel for subsonic ammo which isn't standard on most rifles. @tikka is the guy!

Hi, welcome!

For my 2c worth, if you’re a beginning larger game hunter, the .308 offers the convenience and ease of availability of ammunition, and the effective range it gives you. It’s a good general hunting rifle.

If you’re focussed on a specific scenario only, the blackout might fit better, but do consider versatility when making your choice

Personally I’d be looking at blackout as my 2nd, not primary option for general bush stalking and potential open shooting at longer ranges.

You’ll find there are numerous threats here exploring the what calibre question.

Good luck!

THREADS

Fuuuuuck. Not threats. Sheesh

Cheers, threats Ha ha, I thought you meant there are heated discussions about what calibre is best

Thanks for the replies and info guys.

Originally Posted by SiB

Hi, welcome!

For my 2c worth, if you’re a beginning larger game hunter, the .308 offers the convenience and ease of availability of ammunition, and the effective range it gives you. It’s a good general hunting rifle.

If you’re focussed on a specific scenario only, the blackout might fit better, but do consider versatility when making your choice

Personally I’d be looking at blackout as my 2nd, not primary option for general bush stalking and potential open shooting at longer ranges.

You’ll find there are numerous threats here exploring the what calibre question.

Good luck!

ywp, 308 is a greea all rounder, plenty of ammo available and so common even the smallest gun shop will have some in stock.

Don't worry there will be one of those threads along shortly
Welcome to the forum.
I second the 308 idea, very versatile

Originally Posted by xyon

Cheers, threats Ha ha, I thought you meant there are heated discussions about what calibre is best

Yes 300 makes a lot of sense in one of those evil black rifles but to get started I would definitely get a 308.

from .22lr to .308 or 300 blk? first question should be what to you want to hunt and what ranges? Depending on the range i don't see much need for anything more than .223 or 7.62x39 for under 200 yards and that's the cheapest ammo. if you want to jump in from air rifle to .308 or .300 blk then get used to the noise and recoil before you use them for hunting. As far as versatility is concerned, that's why you may need more than one gun.

Originally Posted by nowool

from .22lr to .308 or 300 blk? first question should be what to you want to hunt and what ranges? Depending on the range i don't see much need for anything more than .223 or 7.62x39 for under 200 yards and that's the cheapest ammo. if you want to jump in from air rifle to .308 or .300 blk then get used to the noise and recoil before you use them for hunting. As far as versatility is concerned, that's why you may need more than one gun.

Hi, I had thought about a .223 but I was not sure about using it on larger game. I did some .308 target shooting last summer, so I have a idea what I'm getting myself into :-)

There is no recoil from a 300BLK subsonic round and it's pretty quiet with a suppressor. I imagine it's the same with subsonic .308 as it's the same bullet/energy, more or less. Just to be clear, I'm not recommending subsonic hunting to a beginner.

There's bugger all recoil from supersonics too. It's a fraction less than 7.62x39, which is still a bit snappier than 223 but nowhere near 308.

I've bought a Howa .308, so that's what I'll be using :-) I will look/ask in another forum for off the self ammo recommendations to try.