Tips for hunting feral dogs.

[Oldbloke]

Looks good. But no experience at this stage. Hardly any dogs down my way. Just the odd one or two.
I'm just going to use what I'm carrying at the time. 223 or 3006.

[Oldbloke]

PS. It's actually my picture. Not uncle fester, where did you get that idea?

[bigrich]

ha ha good on ya OB. got two propertys lined up ,one down tenterfeild way and one at stanthorpe. both have issues with the usual pests, but the dogs are what is causing the landowners the most grief with livestock loss and such. 6.5 will be a good all rounder. had a m38 years ago that was super accurate and i shot rings around some mates at the time with that rifle. never forgot how good a "all rounder" it was. have a PTA on a classic krico 600 in 22-250 coming, quite a few fellas on here reckon it would be great for bush puppys. it's a lighter rifle in a flatter shooting caliber, would rather carry that around if dogs and goats are the biggest thing i come across.

[Stix]

I wasnt listening cos i was a mile underground...but i sure felt my ears burning...!!!
I bags the brno...!!!...lol.

Hey i like higher mag than just 12 on a 22-250...i rekon go up to 18x as long as the scope weight doesnt upset the balance of the outfit if its a carry around job...

Ine n a half days left in the filthy hole, one horrible flight home in a tin can, ine day of work at home & then me & my 250 (fingers crossed) are off to bowl some bunnies...
Omfg i cannot wait...!!!

[bigrich]

ya do fly in-fly out work stix ? looked into that line of work, but decided not for me. pays bloody good but ! i'll probably stick with a 4-12 as i do want to use it as a light weight outfit. that and my skills aren't up there yet. picking up my old krico hornet this arvo, will post a pic. yeh well if i do decide to part with my brno hornet i'll give ya first dibs stix. i'm doubling up too much on rifles for uses. i have a weihrauch hw60j in 22 mag i don't want to part with, so the brno might have to go.liking the idea of a brno in 30-06 i saw on used guns........lol

[Gamerancher]

bigrich, you can reload that 6.5 x 55 with 85gr bullets @ 3400f/s, that'll be a lot more effective on dogs than a .22-250 and shoot almost as flat.
The Norma load you are using is about as heavy a bullet as you can get for a 6.5.
Try 100gr ballistic tips as well, you can launch them out of a Swede @ 3200 f/s. Again, flat shooting and a lot better down-range energy than you'll ever get from a .22-250 or .243 win.
With a range of bullet weights, from 85gr through to 160gr, a good range of affordable, quality brass available, and an inherent accuracy that others dream of, the 6.5 x 55 is about as good an "all-rounder" as it gets.

[Oldbloke]

+1

[Stix]

Good in ya Gamerancher.

Hey bigrich, i want to see those krico's...
Can you post pics of the hornet, & then the 250 when you get it...?

[Stix]

Yes bigrich, for now im giving the fifo a crack...
Im doing a carnova job & the pay is rubbish really...
Id really like a 2/2 roster for a better balance, as it stands now im 2/1 & gives bugger all time for shoot'n...

[bigrich]

thanks for the advice on loads GR, i went back to 6.5 swede after all these years cause i know how sweet a caliber they are for so many reasons. the 156 grain norma stuff was on special for $40 a box compared to $43 for rem corelokt just thought i would give it a go. shot under 25mm at 100, for a newbie like me i thought that wasn't bad. not into reloads yet, still spending money on building up my collection 6.5 would definately put a lot more hurt on than 22-250, but this old krico is old school art to me. had to get it "just because". speaking of old german guns this is the 22 hornet krico i've been waiting on. has a new swan barrel ,real nice trigger and was a rifle allan swan owned. he re-blued it with a fresh barrel and i bought it from browns plains firearms. going out to ripley range this weekend to bed in the barrel

[Stix]

Wheres the oic bigrich...?

[bigrich]

keep the fifo till something better turns up stix, works a bit quiet round brisvegas atm. i mostly been a sheetmatal worker most of my life, went to work for bradken when the mineing boom was on at their brisbane foundry doing arvo shift. was good money compared to my trade. hopefully my 22-250 will be approved in about another 10 days. be anice xmas present from liscencing

[bigrich]

22 hornet probably not the greatest caliber for bush puppys, but wabbits cats and foxes lookout ! have found stuff online where fellas have been head shooting pigs and goats with hornet, i'm not that game. that's what my 6.5 and 30-30 are for. been looking at 17 hornet, ballistically very interesting. flatter trajectory and longer mpbr. found youtube stuff of guy consistantly shooting at 300. at least till the wind picks up

[bigrich]

okay fellas, finally got a great old krico 600 in 22-250. wasn't expecting much out of a old 250, but yeah . the barrels shot out. erratic grouping at 100. so, these krico 600's also came out in 243 and 308. was thinking if i re-barrel, why not jump up to 243.already checked and 243 rounds fit the mag no worries. bear in mind i already have 6.5 swede rifle, 30-30 and a great 22 hornet. opinions ?

[RoginaJack]

Is this a deja vu moment? I'd stick with just rebarreling the 22-250, the 243 and 6.5 too close.

[Oldbloke]

Is this a deja vu moment? I'd stick with just rebarreling the 22-250, the 243 and 6.5 too close.

I agree. The reality is that just 3 or 4 centerfires is all you need. So what if you are a little over gunned once in a while.
The game don't care.

[bigrich]

yeh, your right RJ, deja vu. it's a project that's not gunna happen overnight, but ounce it's rebarreled that's it. i like the "collector" side of the firearm thing. not to say i don't want to go in the field but. something that can really reach out would be a asset to my rifle collection.243 is a bit more versatile, but yeh already have 6.5. has a really awsome trigger on it.has three adjusting screws, feels awsome. spoke to my local gunsmith today about it, and he seems to think it may have been brought into the country a long time ago privately. check the photos

[bigrich]

krico deluxe sporter. it's a late 60's build i think

[bigrich]

the mag is spring loaded, you push the release catch and it pops out into your hand. everthing is metal. i agree OB, being a little over gunned is better than under gunned. in reallity a 22lr, my 22 hornet and my 6.5 are all i need. but i fell in love with a weihrauch 22 mag that has started shooting 1' groups at 100, ya should have a 30-30 for scrub country, just put in a PTA on a krico 22lr that will probably turn out to be a tack driver. it's a sickness i know..... yeh probably will rebarrel in 22-250. the other calibers optional on this action were 243, 5.6x57 rws, 308 win. they did make a 222 but i cant go down to that with my bolt

[Oldbloke]

I have never seen the point of rebarreling. For the same price you could buy a replacement rifle in most cases.

[Oldbloke]

I have a 223 and two 3006s. The 223 uses 55gr bullets the 3006 is loaded with 180gr bullets for sambar when I get the chance to get out. I fancied filling the gap with a 7x57, 7mm08 or perhaps 243 for fallow and perhaps a dog or two. Instead I'm going to load the spare 3006 with 130gr SPs. It will be close enough. I pick up the pills tomorrow and a scope in a week or so with luck. Thanks to Brett. Yes 110s would have been better but they are often unstable so 130s it is.

[marksman]

okay fellas, finally got a great old krico 600 in 22-250. wasn't expecting much out of a old 250, but yeah . the barrels shot out. erratic grouping at 100. so, these krico 600's also came out in 243 and 308. was thinking if i re-barrel, why not jump up to 243.already checked and 243 rounds fit the mag no worries. bear in mind i already have 6.5 swede rifle, 30-30 and a great 22 hornet. opinions ?

I'm all for rebarreling but what have you done to make sure it is shot out
being a sporter I wouldn't expect comp accuracy but how long is the throat? have you checked the crown/muzzle or bedding ect?
I usually have a list of things done or try before considering a barrel dead
being an older krico I wouldn't expect it to like heavier than say 50 grainers but maybe 55's

[bigrich]

yeh OB , could go out and get a weatherby/howa , tikka rifle that would shoot moa out of the box no worries for not alot of money. i spent 30 plus years playing with hot rods and restoring old v8 holdens and such. restoring old world stuff just appeals to me i guess. 22-250 keeps it more original, will go with a blued barrel in the original profile as the schnabel forend stock is quite slim. the metal to wood fit is really really good. 7x57 would be a caliber i would have if i didn't like 6.5 swede so much.they are very similar on paper in most respects. on properties i have access to, large pigs and possibly red deer are the biggest game i am likely to encounter. hearing alot of people talking about feral dog problems lately, as you and RJ have already said 22-250 is real good for pooches, as you've said above though OB, 243 can do deer and has more projectile weight flexability. 55-105 for 243, 120-160 for my 6.5. thinking more in terms of projectile weights than caliber on this subject. love discussing this with more experienced shooters to get perspective. cheers

[bigrich]

hey marksman, i bought this rifle knowing it had pitting and would probably need a rebarrel. at 100 it was grouping very erractic 3 inch groups with a occasional flier ! was wanting to keep it as a classic german sporter rather than a dedicated varmiter with a heavy barrel. that's one of the reasons i was considering jumping up to 243. occaisional shots on the move rather than culling. any tips on the barrel you could give me would be appreciated. one unusual thing was the metallic "ring" after each shot. is this a 22-250 thing or are the projectiles wobbling down the worn barrel ?

[marksman]

not sure about the metallic ring but try fit a projectile in the crown to see how worn it is or how far it will go in
if the projie falls in it's cactus, barrels need to be tighter at the muzzle than the chamber to shoot well
I spend to much time on second hand rifles to get them shooting, some really surprise me
as I said I'm all for rebarreling, but myself I would leave it 22-250 but with a tighter twist for heavier projies
the 22-250 should be legal for fallow IMO
probably get lothar walther barrel in the right contour already, the krico's are a very well made rifle made with quality materials

also if you have a look at terminal ballistics website for some tips on how to get a factory rifle shooting might be worth your while
just remember the guy who's website it is is out for your money and believe's there is only his way, not true of course there's a few ways to skin a cat
I forgot to say dont be surprised if you ask a question to be told to buy his books for the answer

[bigrich]

very good advice marksman, and everybody else, thanks. probably will look at rebarreling in 250, allan swan gunsmithing is half hour from my place, probably get him to do it. already spoken to him about a few things and he seems a knowledgable old bloke with a good reputation. krico's are a very good thing, which is why i own three. lol. terminal ballistics is a good resource site i use along with chuck hawks. chuck is probably the most unbiased gun writer i have come across. terminal ballistics does seem to have some unusual veiws on some things,but then so do a lot of people. never really been into online forums but i find this one to be a good one . will pull a projectile and see how it fits. wouldn't be supprised if it rattles down the barrel. cheers

[Stix]

...Hey bigrich...

As RJ said...haven't we been over this ground...?

You have a 6.5 mate, dont get the krico barreled to a 6...especially when you dont have a 222/223/22-250 & your next step down is a hornet...thats just crazy...

Go with marksmans advice, & when it comes to a rebarrel, keep it 22-250, or at worst go the AI version...

Cheers

[bigrich]

Yup, thanx for the input stix . Sticking with 22-250 is the smart move. Just wanted to go over this again to make sure before rebarrelling. That range of calibers does give me a nice spread. That krico hornet rifle has gone to gunsmiths to have a mag feed issue sorted, but mate, it was shooting clovers leafs at 50 on a new barrel and my skills ain't up there yet. Definitely a keeper. Got a krico in 22lr coming as well that should be a great thing

[RoginaJack]

Hey OB, loading the spare '06 with 130gr would also handle the smaller deer and pigs too...Quick thinking. eh

[Oldbloke]

Yep, I don't get out often and not many around but I figured the 180gr projectiles were likely to just whistle through a fallow or dog.

So just making use of what I have at hand. I picked up a box of 100 hornady 130gr today and should have a new 3-9x40 scope in a week or two. A much cheaper option than buying a new rifle and scope. The only down side is the rifle is a bit on the heavy side, that is why I bought the other 3006. But I will mostly use it in flat country.

I think some times people get a bit over excited about having a rifle for every occasion. As long as your not under or way over gunned it will do the job 95% of the time.