i'm one of those weirdo's who hunt birds with a rifle.

well, actually it's not hunting for the most of the time.
i just take a walk in the woods, sit down and listen to the sounds, maybe have a bite and a cup of coffee etc. and quite often i get a shot-oppertunity on birds and other types of small game.

so lately i have always brought my rifle with me.
but everytime i shoot a black grouse, capercaille etc. i find that everything eatable has been weatherby-ized.
and it's really a shame to waste such a good eating.
(i guess Roy never intended his .300 for such work).



so, to the question:
does anybody has any experience with this kind of shooting?
what cartridges do you use, and are there anything eatable left?

i'm looking for a cartridge with an acceptable trajectory out to 200m, and who can be had in a 500-600$ rifle(no custom-projects)

Steffen...the cheapest way would be to get some FMJ's and some Bullseye powder for your .300 Weatherby...works great in .308Win. and 30-06...I don't think that combo would work out to 200m but should work at least to 75m+....

i was more thinking of a .243win or something in that range(less energy than 6.5x55/.260rem).

i have looked on a Rem seven cdl in that caliber, and it seems like a neat little gun.

Ok...I have never shot a grouse at 200m with a .243...I would expect the high vel. .243 would tear a grouse up....But if you used one of "seafires" BlueDot loads at lower vel. it may make a fine Black grouse rifle out to 200 meters....The grouse we have here in the central interior of B.C. are quite a bit smaller than your Black grouse....
Other cals./cart to consider are the .22 Hornet,.222Rem, and my pick would be a 250Sav barrel on Rem Model 7 like you are looking at...I have one in a .223 and .260Rem so I can't really justify having a .250 Sav. built... ...can I???

I suppose that it is illegal where you are but a 22 hand gun is great, just great, for this. My understanding is that suppressors are much easier to own in Europe than in America. A suppressed 22 would be perfect.

I'd suggest a 22lr rifle. I don't know if you can have semi autos where you are, but I've been working with a 10/22 and with some minor effort and after market parts it will shoot just over an inch at 100yds, about 1/2-inch at 50 and a 1/4-inch at 25 yards. There a bunch of bolt guns and single shots that would be this accurate. I think the 22lr would be fatal to any of the game you mentioned. Kudude

a silenced/supressed 10/22 would have been great(and legal on most of the species) for ranges up to 50m.
but where i hunt there are a good deal of flat areas, that's why i want a rifle capable of killing a 12lb bird at 150-200m.

quote:

My understanding is that suppressors are much easier to own in Europe than in America. A suppressed 22 would be perfect.

i have always been fascinated by how an american can walk in a store and buy unlimited amounts of ar-15's, but a silencer...

I'm also in favor of the Ruger 10-22 . They are a neat little rifle and you have lots of options . For a modest price , this would be a good bird slayer .

To avoid blood shot meat, the impact velocity should be less than 2400 feet per second. A .22 Hornet, with muzzle velocity of 2800 fps and a 40 gr bullet, will slow to 2400 in about 50M. If the range is less, take head shots.

I recommend that cartridge for your purpose. Savage makes an excellent single shot bolt action in that cartridge, which in Europe is I think called the 5.6x36R.

i've used a rifle to plink birds with a lot. what has worked best has been a 22 mag with the full metal jacket bullets. Just puts a hole thru them. the 22lr doesn't have enough knockdown power. usually it'll knock the bird down and then it gets back up and flies away. the other one thats working well is the 17 mach 2

Steffan There are a number of "chamber inserts" that are on the market availible for the larger cartridges. In the 300 win and 300 Wby I believe you can shoot the 32 short colt revolver round. Ideal for taking the head off of a grouse or rabbit without destroying the meat. Much better than reduced loads in large cases.

thanks for all the advices.

but i have to post-pone this rifle, because i "need" a patriot rifle.
a 8x54 K-J build on a kongsberg action.

Suprised I havent seen this option posted, maybe I didnt read carefully enough. 17HMR is great out to 150 yards, you can get FMJ, ballistic tips or hp's to suit your need at the time. There are some cool pistols in this caliber also, and it is a very accurate cartridge also. My marlin shoots sub moa sized groups @ 100 yards fairly easily.

.17 Rem or one of the .222 or .223s would be my votes. Work well on cranes around here.

My 257 WBY Mag will reach out and get that game.

now you're talking of a fun cartridge.

just too bad we can't use it for reindeer and seals due to the stupid rule about minimum 139gr bullet.

and i think it's to much for roe and downwards.

Custom 25 caliber bullets are available in heavier weights.

yes i know, but then i'll need a custom rifle too.
the weatherby barrels won't stabilize 140gr bullets.

Steffen-9.3

quote:

i'm not a european, i'm scandinavian

OK - now I'm confused What's the difference? I'm 'Germanic' - which means my ancestors came from Scandinavia. (I’m part Norwegian, part German and part English - who in turn are part Viking, part Celtic and ..... ahhh.... who knows? Just kidding of course!

Any reason why you did not choose the 6.5x55? I personally have a leaning toward the 7x57. (Or maybe the 6.5x57).

quote:

OK - now I'm confused What's the difference? I'm 'Germanic' - which means my ancestors came from Scandinavia. (I’m part Norwegian, part German and part English - who in turn are part Viking, part Celtic and ..... ahhh.... who knows? Just kidding of course!

you aren't the first to bring it up.
if i told you, i would offend 5.9 billon people.

quote:

Any reason why you did not choose the 6.5x55? I personally have a leaning toward the 7x57. (Or maybe the 6.5x57).

did you mean as a patriot-rifle, small-game-rifle or something-between-small-and-large-game-rifle.

if you meant as a patriot rifle the answer is simple, the swedes was involved with the 6.5x55.

I am dead hones when I tell you the guys I hunt with can pop te head off as grouse with there hunting rifles, and do it almost every time.
But If you are gonna body shoot them I would get a 17HMR or at the biggest a 22 Hornet...tj3006

CZ in 22 Hornet

Rich
DRSS
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