ok i had a fox problem a couple yrs ago where they were close to house and trying to get my cats and dogs my problem is the big tom cat my moms fav is so much a hunter it won't back down even being outnumbered and yes still alive.ok to the question i borrowed a friends rem 222 and it worked well the shots were 40 yards and did well he won't sell the gun to me so i want to buy my own.i,m a lefty but willing to shoot a rh bolt for this gun should i stay with the 222 or move to 223 the shots will stay in the 40-70 yard range so i don,t need the longe range 220 swift and don't want to spend big money one this one it won't come out much so whats the recomendations

The 22 rimfire mag would work pretty good at those ranges and can be had in a reasonable priced rifle.

Take a look at the 22 Hornet.
Pete

My favorite fox calibers are 222rem, 22Hornet, 22Mag and 223.

I have one fox rifle that has taken more fox than all the others in my cabinet put together.

It's been doing it since 1917 and still does it today as good as ever.

It's range is about 100 yards and it now is a "reloading only" as the ammo I shoot is no longer available.....

It's a M-92 in .25-20.....one of the all time finest varmint rifles.

Other than that the .223 is king!

I'm sure I've Killed more Fox with a 22LR than all other Cartridges I've used. Tend to see them slipping around when calling Squirrels.

For what it is worth, the Subsonic Remington 22LRs are excellent on Squirrels, but not nearly as good on a Fox. The High Velocity 22LRs(not Stingers though) do a right fine job on Fox.

So, anything previously mentioned in this thread would work real well for me. I do have a fondness for the 223Rem as others have mentioned. Excellent Design that works extremely well with a multitude of Powders. And darn near the perfect size for any Varmints under 50#.

Good Hunting and clean 1-shot Kills.

if you're not saving the fur it makes little difference what caliber you use from 22lr on up. if you just want a rifle of your own to shoot fox the 223 is excellent especially if you don't reload.
here have a little inspiration:

now go kill the little buggers

You have a number of good options available to you, including some 'hot' rimfires as well as some of the smaller centrefires. In centrefire you might want to consider the .204 Ruger. At the relatively close ranges you're looking at, you probably don't need the extra accuracy of a bolt action, so you could look at a semi-auto. That would also reduce the importance of the 'left-handed' issue. The least expensive option would almost certainly be .22LR, and a Ruger 10/22 would be a good choice if you decide to go that direction. There are plenty of rifles available in .223, if you decide to go centrefire - and that would also be more 'flexible' in terms of other uses. At the close ranges you've mentioned, a smaller gauge shotgun might also be worth considering - maybe 20 gauge or even .410.

it sounds like the consensious is toward the 223 over 222 i already own plenty of 22lr's and mags and i have the full gamit of shotguns but much prefer rifle as far as fur don't care it would be nice to stuff one but i'm more concerned with clean kills

I use a .222 Rem on "reds" with great results. I also use a Hornet and a .22 Mag rimfire. It all depends on how populated (residential) the area is where I'm hunting.

T-Bear,

Advice from one Leftie to another.....Remember you're getting your money's worth!

PLEASE DON'T SUCCUMB the World of Right-Handed Rifles - NEVER! Pure Blasphemy your Statement.....

quote:

I'm a Leftie but willing to shoot a RH bolt for this gun

May I suggest you signing off with "Left-Handed before Death & Dishonor?


The .222 Remington you borrowed - nice Fox getter; one of my alltime best-loved cartridges, even with the popularity of the .223 Remington (except it's reversed in Europe; the .222 Rem. is still King here, not the .223).

Like VapoDog, I've got a personal favorite too and this time agree wholeheartely with PJ - it's the .22 Hornet. In my lifetime I've probably shot about 4 Dump Truck loads of Foxes with this cartridge and it works right out there as far as your backyard extends with total efficency, superb accuracy, low cost and without ear busting blast. Net, my favorite Bang-Flop Fox cartridge but then again, Foxes don't wear Kevlar, a 22lr or 22 Mag. with a solid chest hit drops 'em at the ranges you're talking about. Under the circumstances this small centerfire is additional insurance though, IMO.

As a Leftie I could sorta imagine a Fox stealthly slinking through your backyard, a .22 Hornet T/C Encore (rifle, not handgun) poking it's barrel outa the kitchen window followed by a light report......

Have fun!

A 221 fireball would be a good cartridge for fox at those renges also. You could look into a TC contender or encore & it would not make a difference which hand you prefer. You not want a single shot though.
The 204 Ruger or any of the other cartridges would be fine as well.

TBEAR99 wrote:

quote:

they were close to house and trying to get my cats and dogs

Are you certain you are talking about FOX? That is certainly not typical behavior but is something a coyote will do on occasion. Also, a fox tends to be a lone hunter; numbers can be seen with coyotes at certain times of the year.

Of course, I have no idea what size dog you are referring to -- and a fox indeed may try and take on a chihuahua. And yet I'd still have to consider that an extreme rarity as well.

But back to your question: For fox at 40-70 yards, a .22 WMR will do quite nicely.

I have both .222 and .223. Like em both. My .223 is probably a little more accurate with jacketed bullets,but wont shoot cast bullets. The .222 seems to harder to find a combo it doesnt like than one it does. I also shoot air guns and have .17's and .22's but find the .20 cal(5mm)to be the best of both. This leads me to think I'd like the .204 Ruger.

i've shot 2 of the 3 fox's that cornered my cat one afternoon as far as where i live is farm land i own a small 60 acre apple farm so close to house for me is about 50-60 yards and i have a barn behind that about another 40yards just to left of driveway that is why not wanting the superlonge range burners i seen them at driveway from orchard and i sighted the 222 at that range and had exact range to fox preset for shooting

What, no 17 ackely hornet? 338vt

I like a 22 mag. I have a Brno 611 and it is a fine fox gun. 22 hornet or 218 bee are pretty cool too.

Ed

quote:

338vt
one of us

Posted Mon Dec 03 2007 10:46 PM
What, no 17 ackely hornet? 338vt

As a small caliber wildcatter that was my thought exactly 338, especially if in an area there are other houses around or animals etc. No ricochets, no exit holes so the furs intact, great fox round.
Wildcats aside the parent of the .17 Ackley Hornet would get my vote, the plain old .22 Hornet. I'm sure as mentioned at 40 to 50 yards the .22 Mag would be quite effective.

>I,m real interested in this thread because I shot 2 canine predators this year , one with a 416 and one , a fox with my 9.3x64 B ..Pretty hard on the fur... Pretty nice stuff to have on your mellon at 50 below ....So I have been thinking about a little 17 something or a 22-250 or 223 ..with a light Blue Dot load and 40 gr bullet for the close on fox and coyotes and full house GSHV or TSX for wolves at longer ranges ....

The .22 Mag sounds like the one for you. It gets the job done and it is much quieter too.

I consider the .222 Rem as the all time classic fox rifle however, the .223 Rem is probably easier to get now-a-days.

quote:

Originally posted by Gerry:
T-Bear,

Advice from one Leftie to another.....Remember you're getting your money's worth!

PLEASE DON'T SUCCUMB the World of Right-Handed Rifles - NEVER! Pure Blasphemy your Statement.....

quote:

I'm a Leftie but willing to shoot a RH bolt for this gun

May I suggest you signing off with "Left-Handed before Death & Dishonor?

Hear, Hear! well said!

Lefties unite and throw off the oppressive yoke of a right handed world.

Anything from 17HMR up through a 470 Nitro will work, just make sure it's left handed!

I've had great luck with the 17 Rem on foxes here in Alaska. I seldom get an exit hole and most drop in their tracks. I imagine the 17 HMR would work nearly as well for close shots.

I have used the 223 on Australian Foxes with great results