looking for a new calling rifle and new Q - which make?

M

muskieraider

New member
im looking for a new calling rifle, something intended for coon, fox, maybe yote and a bobcat (if i ever get a chance to chase them). I was considering a .17 remington fireball, .22 hornet, or a .204 ruger. Im just not sure which one would be the most fur friendly and effective from 10 yds to 150 yards, I most likely won't be shooting over 150 with it. I have a .17 hmr and although i think it would be fine for a thin skinned fox, i haven't had much luck with close range coons. so im looking to expand the arsenal. I don't have the time or the space to reload so factory ammo will have to work for now. I probably won't be shooting thousands of rounds through it either so im not sure if barrel wear is something i need to consider. Any thoughts or opinions from people with experience in any of these calibers would be helpful. thanks in advance for the help.
 
Last edited:
I would say the .17 is gonna be most fur friendly but you might look at other calibers if you're looking for a little more versatile caliber. I'd check out the .204. And i'd consider a .223 over a .22 hornet. Is cost of ammunition a priority at all? IMO if you already have a .17 hmr you might like a caliber with a bit more energy down range versus the fireball.
 
With your under 150yd ranges, I'd say the 17FB or Hornet would be the best if you leave out the coyote(they get big in your country).

AWS
 
Originally Posted By: AWSWith your under 150yd ranges, I'd say the 17FB or Hornet would be the best if you leave out the coyote(they get big in your country).

AWS

Good advice right there..
One size fits all is pretty hard to do when you're really trying hard to save fur...
A CZ527american in 221FB would probably come closer to filling the bill than the choices you gave us..
Or as AWS says,, "take the big eastern Coyotes out of the equasion" and either the 17FB or Hornet would be a good choice..

Luck
Charlie
 
Originally Posted By: RePeteOriginally Posted By: AWSWith your under 150yd ranges, I'd say the 17FB or Hornet would be the best if you leave out the coyote(they get big in your country).

AWS

Good advice right there..
One size fits all is pretty hard to do when you're really trying hard to save fur...
A CZ527american in 221FB would probably come closer to filling the bill than the choices you gave us..
Or as AWS says,, "take the big eastern Coyotes out of the equasion" and either the 17FB or Hornet would be a good choice..

Luck
Charlie

Yeah. Just what they said, a Fireball.
 
if your a reloader then I would say 17 Fire ball or 22 Hornet. my 17 fireball smokes them out there, and dosent mess the pelts up, it one of my favorite little critter guns. I also love my 22 Hornet, the thing that has kept it down is people say its old and you cant get them to shoot, well thats further from the truth. mine is a accurate son of a pup.
 
Originally Posted By: Bob AddyLook at the .222, awesome round and would be great for your applications. Exremely accurate and easy to load for.

Amen on that.
I've never found a better round to load for; everything shoots...
grin.gif
thumbup1.gif
 
JMO but I would stay away from 17 centerfires. I shot a 17remington for 2yrs and I didn't like it at all. Way too many runners. If you can put one in their head it is ok, but in the boiler room I had runners. This is just my experiences but I wouldn't shy away from a 222 a great gun low report and will shoot lights out. Nothing against the 17s for smaller varmints but it didn't get my knod. HAPPY HUNTING
 
thanks for the tips. i was leaning towards the smaller calibers just because of close ranges and coyotes would be secondary with this setup anyway. ill let you all know which one i end up with.
 
why not a 22mag? a little more umph than ur hmar but not so much that you will ruin pelts and u should be able to use it at the ranges specified plus for a calling rifle it will be a lot lighter
 
a 22 mag would work for sure I have one and it see's alot of calling time but for knockdown power the centerfires in 22caliber will do much better. I hate to have runners and you will have them with a 22mag, calling you will get good shots and sometimes you won't so why limit yourself. A 222 is great advice as is a 223. HAPPY HUNTING
 
does anyone have thoughts on which make to go with? ive done some digging and come up with:
Remington - leery on account of the negative talk w/accuracy. I don't really want to have to have it worked on to shoot like its supposed to.
savage - tempting but would like more than a single shot for that just in case factor.
cooper - nice but a little more than i care to spend right now and again with the single shot.
 
Don't know of a single shot savage, but I suppose there may be some makes I'm not up to date on, The only one I can think of off the top of my head are the old over/under shotgun rifle combos. Currently about 99% of savages are built with hidden or removable box magizines. You can buy one brand new at wally world, package with scope in .223 for $378. The predator is a great rifle but may be a little heavy for the applications you are considering. An often overlooked option would be an H&R Handi rfle and for yuor situation a .222 would be hard to beat. Also check out CZ America, another great option in rifle makes.
 
Go back and re-read my first post...
I already told you what the best choice of rifle for your aplication is.. lol

Seriously,,, take a good look at the CZ 527American...
They're one of only a few manufacturers of repeaters in the small calibers that you're interested in which would be the 221FB or Hornet. (You eliminated the 17FB when you eliminated Remington rifles as they are the only one's offering that caliber in a reasonably priced repeter.) Plus,,, CZ's are without a doubt,, one of the most accurate rifles you can buy these days,, especially at their price point...


Oh,,, and your decesion to go with the smaller calibers is a good one.. The guys telling you to buy 204's and 223's for Coon and Fox obviously don't save fur...

Luck
Charlie
 
Ive got a 221 fireball Ackly improved barrel with a 14 twist all ready set up and ready to go for a savage action. I was going to play with it a little but have never gotten around to shooting it. Its a CM barrel in the white and cut to 17" for quick handeling in the field. Let me know if you wanna give it a workout.
I think after you purchase some fireball brass, you might reconsider it in favor for just a good ol' fashoned 223rem.
 
I just got a 204 in Tikka T3 lite it is a great shooter and nice and light and in the past the 204 has been fur friendly for yote using 35gr Berger bullet not so nice on fox though. 17 furball is nice round as well just wish I could found a gun that was not a POS form the get go got 2 both factory duds that had to go back to go to factory loved the caliber though killed 3 yotes with it seemed to do it's job. 222 is also a great choice as well easy to load and generally shoots great would fill the bill for you nicely as well my 222 is old Rem. BDL and it is very nice shooting gun
 
Look hard at the Tikka in .204. I mean it. Go find one and handle it and look it over closely and read up on it.

Then buy it and go kill something.
 


Write your reply...
Back
Top