Lemax wrote:Hi,
I’ve recently started hunting and have a small bush property in the northern otways that backs onto SF. Looking at buying a Deer rifle. Just wondering what sort of game/feral animals might be in the area and recommendations on the best rifle to target them.
Thanks Legends
Rifle choice will mainly come down to what you prefer to shoot with. Do you like lever-action rifles, do you prefer a scope or iron sights? Are you recoil sensitive? Do you want something cheap enough that you can do lots of practice with or do you just want to fire twenty rounds a year at deer? Do you plan to walk for a few kilometers in the bush or just jump the fence when you see them in there? Are you going to load your own ammo?
Virtually any rifle from a .357Mag lever carbine to a .300WinMag will do the job. In Vic you need a minimum .243" diameter bullet of 85gn weight for the small deer, if you think there might be Sambar or Red in there then you need a minimum .270" bullet of 130gn weight.
My preference is 7mm-08, but a Winchester 1894 in .30-30 is hard to beat for a bush rifle.