Fox caliber

I've shot hundreds of Red Fox with my 17rem, rarely did I have a fur damage issue. Fox I used the Berger 25 gr mef(varmint). This bullet is a bit fragile for coyote. Although if coyote were less than 25% of targets I would try them. The Hornady 50 gr SX out of a 223 is very good for coyote and not to bad on fox(if you stay off edges). I would go 17/223, no problems finding brass or worry about losing brass. Or 223 and sew a fox occasionally.
 
Hipp2412 said:
I shot a lot of fox with a 22 mag. But every once in a while I would have a coyote come in so I switched to a 17 hornet. Airs fox right out. No exit and it’s hard to find the entry hole. It will take out a coyote if you place the shot right. 22 hornet destroyed my fox as did the 17 Remington. Been doing this for over 30 years.
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What 22 Hornet ammo were you using that destroyed fox?
 
The country that I prefer to hunt is canyon and cedar also some open prairie dotted with cholla. I prefer the canyon land. Call a lot of grey fox and a few bobs. Used to always carry a 223 or a 22-250 but they would purnt near turn a grey inside out. not good for the hide. Sometimes they'd make a mess of a cat too. All I used at the time was factory ammo so I bet I could have saved a lot of them hand loading. I all but quit shooting fox until one of my boys was given a Marlin 17hmr by g'pa. I was impressed with it enough even on coyote that I bought one, a Tikka. I think I liked the minimalistic approach it brought and the ability to take those smaller framed critters with no fur damage. I still wanted something with a bit more "kick" to it than the hmr offered. So the curtain opened on a CZ 527 .17 Hornet. I have been thoroughly impressed with the little round! I don't think a person can get much better than that as far as a dedicated fox gun. Since I've owned it, it has become my go-to calling rifle no matter whether it be coyote, fox or bobs. It has completely anchored everything I've shot with it except for one coyote. Shot him, fell in his tracks, swung to anther, shot it and noticed the first was back on his feet walking. Shot him again and set him down on his haunches. Third shot put him down. He was 180 yards. I think at that distance, the little bullets are losing enough energy that they are not quite as violent. By far and wide, the majority of my shots are well within 100 yards. probably 15-30 yards on average. Just because of the limited range I have experienced with the hornet, I am building a 17 Fireball. I think it will perform just as well on the little critters yet still have the "thump" needed downrange on those longer shots. Once I have it put together I'll be sure to post results somewhere here on PM:). My kids all go with me so we end with the hornet and a shotty for me, a 223 for the youngest, 204 for the next and a 17 wsm for the oldest boy. The wsm is not one to overlook either! I know ammo has been hard to come by in the past and very expensive when you did find it but lately, I have not had any trouble ordering on line for less than $30 a box. I feel like I'm kinda reiterating everything I've said on other posts and someone is tired of hearing it lol but I am a huge fan of the little 17's. I don't think a guy can go wrong with any of them. Depending on your style of hunting, topography, range, etc. there is one to fill about any niche you can think of!
 
wolverines said:
Very hard to find ammo, and when you do it's way over priced
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Just a screen shot I grabbed. I use Wikiarms.com for a lot of ammo I buy. This stuff is even cheaper than the last stuff I bought. Probably order some more!
 
The on
greengt88 said:
It would be really nice if someone other than Savage made a Bolt Action for the WSM…I think the only other option is the Franklin Armory AR platform.
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My son bought a savage to begin with. It was a pile of junk. Had constant issues with it feeding and ejecting. Sold it off and bought a very nice Ruger M77 MK II. Now that is a classy little gun!
 
greengt88 said:
It would be really nice if someone other than Savage made a Bolt Action for the WSM…I think the only other option is the Franklin Armory AR platform.
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Yeah, as stated above, I know Ruger makes it in the M77. I've never really bothered to look outside of that. I got the Bmag right when it came out. Sporter barrel was junk. They finally agreed to upgrade it to the heavy barrel. It's still not amazing, but shoots way better than it did with that pencil barrel. I've killed my share of woodchucks with it.
 
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