Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles rifle/ammo

My father, relatives, friends etc are not into hunting, and we live in a urban area, which is the reason I have not hunted before. I am becoming more and more interested in hunting, unfortionalty I do not know much/ if anything at all. I am wondering if anyone could help me, or point me in the right direction about several things. First off, what sized rifles are used for what? My father has a .22 and 12 gauge, and I have shot both of them once. What can a .22 take down? What is the difference between a .22 and .223? The numbers have me believing that there isn't much difference, but I have a feeling I am very mistaken (and confused lol). What are the calibers with hyphens? Again, if anyone could just point me to a site that has some of this I would be more than appreciative. Thanks in advance!

Welcome gicts. Hunting and shooting are wonderful pastimes and I hope we here can give you some encouragement as you begin. I would suggest that you start out by getting in touch with people that can help you out best. The NRA tops the list, your local gun club and/or hunting club can be of great help. Simply talking to hunters and beginning friendships is a lot of fun. Take a hunter safety course and don't be shy about asking and asking and asking again things you are curious about. The internet is a lot of fun, but it just can't take the place of talking personally to another hunter and being able to physically handle various pieces of equipment when you are starting out.

In order to answer your immediate questions, the smaller the caliber the smaller the game that the caliber is suited to. This is a broad rule of thumb and can cause arguments but bigger bullets for bigger game is what you need to worry about for now. A .223 for prairie dogs and a .338 for moose. There is a lot more to it but that is step one.

Cartridges have families. One basic case necked up and down to different calibers. This is one reason for hypenated cartridge names. The 7mm-08 is a 7mm cartridge born of the .308 case, the .338-06 is born of the 30-06. A 30-06 is the .30 caliber created in 1906, litterally .30 caliber of '06. Military and European cartridges most often denote caliber and lenth in thier name. A 7x57 is a 7mm bullet in a 57 mm lenth case. Confusing ain't it? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> Learning about different cartridges is something of a hobby in and of itself. A good reloading manual can help understand where different cartridges come from and for what purpose.

In closing, for now, I would suggest reading a lot and asking a lot and talking to as many credible people as you can. One word of warning however. Every one of us has some very strong opinions. Undoubtedly, you will get contradictory advice and suggestions. All of us should come standard with a grain of salt and a disclaimer stating that more research may be required.

Glad to have you aboard.

gicts, I would second what NESoDak, has mentioned about taking a hunter safety course and asking lots of questions. As you are starting out I can not over-reccomend reading. Pick up some different hunting and firearm mags and go from there. Depending on what kind of game your hunting will depend on your Rifle/Shotgun caliber/guage selection. So if you can let us know what sort of game you would like to hunt there are many of us here who can start pointing you in the right directions.
Good Luck and good Hunting, Rob

ok, you have a lot of very broad questions, so here's a very short answer... a few other short answers contributed by some of these other gentlemen, and you're on your way!

a 22 is a rimfire round. it is a low recoiling, low velocity, cheap to shoot, fun-gun. typically capable of taking rabbits and smaller.

a 223 is a high velocity centerfire round. capable of bigger game. lots more pressure than the 22, lot bigger case.

the two are completely different critters, and not in anway interchangeable.

you should start your shooting odyssey w/ a 22, then graduate onto bigger and better things once you are comfortable and safe w/ the li'l gun.

hyphenated cartridges usually means they are based off something else (22-250 is a 250 savage necked down to take a 22 bullet, a 7-08 is a 308 winchester necked down to take a 7 millimeter bullet)...

thank you all. I am going to the local hunter safety class in the middle of May. Tomorrow I plan on going to the public library and checking out some books. I am excited, and very eager to learn, which is certainly a big advantage. Right now I can only see myself hunting, what for I don't care for now. I guess doves and squirrels would be the best to start off with, and other small animals then move to larger and more challenging.

Here are some definitions from the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institue (SAAMI) that may help you.

http://www.saami.org/glossary/

Hey, gicts, where are you at, anyway? There's probably somebody 'round this here Campfire in your neck of the woods that knows a good bit about hunting and shooting. Might not be a bad idea to try to find out...

BTW - welcome aboard and it's always good to have new blood here and in the field. Listen close, learn well, hunt hard, and enjoy much.

Welcome to 24 hr,

I suggest you try to find The book of the Rifle by Jim Carmichael.

Again welcome

Welcome to 24 hr,

I suggest you try to find The book of the Rifle by Jim Carmichael.

Again welcome

You may want to consider doves in the "challenging" catagory. Folks burn up lots of shotgun ammo and end up with a pile of birds that is smaller than the pile of empty hulls. When you start out hunting this fall, don't let dove hunting get you down. Dont dwell on the misses, celebrate the hits.

Welcome gicts. Fjold - that is a fabulous page and is a good place if you sometimes feel embarrassed to ask a questions. Gicts (and others) here is a link to a great site. The site itself is a bit jumbly to get around but this page is chock full of exactly what you are looking for. I recognize the author from here or another forum. Great stuff.

http://www.again.net/~steve/table3.html

There used to be a site called Haas guide to ammo (or somesuch) that had super details that explained each cartridge name and defined it's basic premise. they use to offer a downloadable database but now I think you have to join and pay. Anyway - take a look at the link I gave. I would like some feedback on it by guys on this forum.

You say your father has a 22 and a 12ga.? Then you're pretty much covered for small game(squirrels, rabbits) and birds (quail, dove, grouse, etc.). I don't know where you are, but as mentioned the hunter safety course will be a great start in the right direction. You'll learn alot of basics there to include safety and regulations and get an opportunity to meet other hunters and get information from them. Best wishes to you, warning....hunting is very addictive!!!!!!

check out this web site

reloadersnest.com

they have lots of calibers with descriptions in them an some pictures.

Where state are you in? If your close to a campfire member and there is a gunshow close by it would be fun to go and learn some things.

Just remember there is no gun low powered enough that it won't kill you!

SAFETY FIRST, LAST, and ALWAYS!

I live in Louisville Ky. It is actually more urban than I bet you believe <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> . I have found a few small public hunting grounds 2-4 hours away, which might be good possiblity for me when I get my hunters safety card in 3 weeks. I am going to Murray State University (south west ky) in the fall. It is located next to Land Between the Lakes, an amazing hunting and fishing park from what I hear

Welcome to the campfire. I've been shooting for 38 years and I'm still learning. The best advice I can give you is to stay tuned to this page, read all you can and don't buy any guns for about a year. By then you'll know enough to get started. Until then, you can hunt everything in Kentucky with a 22 and a 12-gauge.

And don't be bashful about asking questions.


Okie John

just search around this website and you will take in a great amount of information . welcome to the sport and site .