Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints what caliber for fox???

Hi all,
My 22-250 was not very fur friendly on my last fox. If you had to pick a caliber dedicated for fox hunting, what would it be?

Thanks

17 Rem and 20 grain V-Max at 4250 makes 'em look like they were trapped....

And I'm thinking aalf knows whereof he speaks...


Never having done it, Id think the .17HMR might work well inside 100 yds....

The 17 stuff is the best but IMHO, you'll make a fox messy at least some of the time no matter what you do minus shooting with a rimfire which I cannot recommend for all-purpose use.

I'd use a Vmax of some sort in 17 or 20 caliber and make it leave the muzzle at about 3K...

Wisconsin reds are more likely larger than our 8 pound Texas grays...

Thanks all.
That was the easy part. Now comes the harder part of convincing my wife I need another gun. Along those lines, can you recomend what brand I should look at first?
Thanks

You did not say how you would be hunting foxes but for called foxes I've found it very hard to beat an accurate 22 Magnum. Out to 125yds or so it is deadly on foxes and never ruins fur no matter the shot angle or distance.

For something with a little more range I'd be thinking .17 Fireball with 20gr V-maxes. That may well be the quintessential fox fur load........


X-VERMINATOR

I'd be tempted to take a hard look at Remington's Model 7 Predator in 17 Fireball. It just screams take me varmint whackin'. Best hurry though, looks like big green made it obsolete.

My 17 Rem with the 25 gr Berger Match HP's

I am not very familiar with the 17 caliber. What is the difference between 17 Remington, 17 HMR, and the 17 Fireball?

Thanks

17 HMR is a rimfire.

17 Rem is a centerfire based off the 223 case, shoulder moved back and necked down to 17.

17 Fireball (created in 2007) is better case-to-bullet effiency with less blast and nearly the same velocities as 17 Rem. Uses a lot less powder (less heat, less fouling).

BF...have you heard any reliable reports on the .17FB and fouling...is it as bad as the .17 Rem....?

Ive only heard a couple, and they both say no.....

Found this handy pic for you.

Left is 223, middle is 17 Rem, right is 17 Fireball:

You can just about guess by the pic and contours of the cartridge that fouling shouldnt be bad....

I have a 17 FB, but have never shot it yet. It's the Rem 700 Limited Edition CDL SF "gun of the year" from a couple of years ago.



From what I have heard from other owners, they really like the caliber. Reports I've heard are significantly less fouling than 17Rem. But I can't report any first-hand knowledge just yet.....

204 Ruger would be another option vs the 17's.

If saving fur, I'd shoot a .22 magnum with the 30 grain Vmax and limit shots to 100 yards.

This will be one of the most "reliable" fur combos you will find.

Thank you BlackFrog and all the others. Your input is greatly appreciated.

Have a good day

Until you get your new rifle, you might try some of Seafire's Blue Dot loads in your 22-250. You can duplicate the .22 WMR or get .17 HMR trajectory with a 40 gr. bullet.

This is what I have. I happen to know it works on fox too, with acceptable results. 73yds



Bought it for calling close to farms/acreages where the 22-250 might be too loud. Energy wise, I will try to limit myself to 200yds on coyotes.

If only the fox would cooperate.....

AB,

What bullet?