Blr243 wrote:Is west oz a sad place to be for a hunter..? When I lived in Kimberley’s decades ago there was only donkeys to shoot
mickb wrote:308 is a great choice, it kills everything in the list above which are also in QLD too. The advantage over 270 is with 308 you can load up heavier bullets for the big stuff, 200-250 grain softpoints if you want. I would not feel undergunned plugging big scrub bulls with that.
Being a cheap arse, I make do with cheaper brands but two of my relatives got 270's in Tikka and cant say enough about them. 3-9x power scope is all I would bother with and no muzzle brake.
Coming from a perspective of big game rifles with muzzle brakes, which was all they were really seen on 20 years ago(along with long range rifles), I personally dont have any interest in them on medium bores. Particularly the 308 with its moderate powder capacity. A case could be made for tripod shooting and stuff like 300 win mag, which burns a ton more powder( and recoil) but general hunting with a 308, I just don't see it worthwhile for the extra weight, barrel length and noise.
evilstig wrote:A 308 or 270 Calibre will cover you for both Animals.
If you want to go cheaper but not less quality, A Howa, Ruger american or Mosserg Patriot will get you there no problem.
As for a scope. HAWKE VANTAGE 6-24×50 (about $415 from shooters delight Qld) i can recommend it.
Muzzle breaks buy from Gunbloke off Ebay. they around $100
You would be looking at $1100-$1400
Hope this helps
mickb wrote:308 is a great choice, it kills everything in the list above which are also in QLD too. The advantage over 270 is with 308 you can load up heavier bullets for the big stuff, 200-250 grain softpoints if you want. I would not feel undergunned plugging big scrub bulls with that.
Being a cheap arse, I make do with cheaper brands but two of my relatives got 270's in Tikka and cant say enough about them. 3-9x power scope is all I would bother with and no muzzle brake.
Coming from a perspective of big game rifles with muzzle brakes, which was all they were really seen on 20 years ago(along with long range rifles), I personally dont have any interest in them on medium bores. Particularly the 308 with its moderate powder capacity. A case could be made for tripod shooting and stuff like 300 win mag, which burns a ton more powder( and recoil) but general hunting with a 308, I just don't see it worthwhile for the extra weight, barrel length and noise.
Blr243 wrote:I find that when hunting I don’t often have time or discipline to wear ear protection....for this reason I would never hunt with a brake
Wm.Traynor wrote:Bombus1
A scope with that much magnification could be too big but I am basing that on my Qld experience where a long shot is 100 yards. Also, a lower powered scope will give you a wider field of view for running shots, which were not uncommon here. Again, WA could be different for all I know.
Good hunting mate
flutch wrote:Blr243 wrote:Is west oz a sad place to be for a hunter..? When I lived in Kimberley’s decades ago there was only donkeys to shoot
Depends how opposed you are to heading on a drive.... there are hogs, deer, cats, foxes, rabbits, camels, donkeys, horses, goats, water buff, scrub bulls etc etc...
thing is in WA there is no legal hunting in state and national forest, and unless youre in the know, or know someone in the know and arent a complete poser or d**khead or noob with too much bravado, you wont be getting onto 95+% of places. Another point is like myself, most are very reluctant to take newbies shooting because the majority dont have someone to go with or somewhere to shoot for a reason (gut shooting, miss too much, equipment is sub par, dont chip in for costs, shoot livestock, just plain careless and dangerous, white ants {go back to your property without you and without permission}, poach, raid dams, sook and whine, damage property or equipment), So this can make it a glum place for blow ins that dont have family/friends/work connections to gain access to these places.
bigfellascott wrote:I wouldn't go putting a high mag scope on a hunting rifle that will be used for pigs and deer and certainly not one with side focus - any good quality 3-9x50 will get the job done.
I'd also pick a light rifle if you intend doing a lot of walking (which you will be doing if you are hunting deer in Vic.
The 308 will get the job done and not to hard on the shoulders and ears, you don't need a muzzle brake on hunting rifle so don't waste your time and money on one, you don't need a rifle with 10rd mag capacity either as most times you are lucky to get 1 or 2 shots off before everything disappears so don't waste your time buying stuff you won't ever need.
xDom wrote:[quote="bigfellascott"I'd also pick a light rifle if you intend doing a lot of walking (which you will be doing if you are hunting deer in Vic.
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SCJ429 wrote:I own a couple of Tikkas and the barrels on them are fantastic for a factory barrel. Howa don't come close, I would not own a Howa with a factory barrel. A friend has had two Howas and the quality is not good with chatter marks right up the barrel.
If the Tikka is too dear then get a second hand one. The 308 should last you for in excess of 4000 rounds so getting a lightly used one will still have plenty of life in it.
Bombus1 wrote:Hi all. Apologies if this has been asked a million times. I'm just getting back into shooting (haven't done anything in 20 years) and am looking to go pig hunting (I live in WA) and also Deer hunting (in Vic Highlands with my brother who lives over that way).
I've done a bit of research and am considering the Tikka T3x CTR S/S in .308. It is pretty exy though and over my $2k budget for a rifle (I've been quoted nearly $2,500 for this - but comes with spare mag and muzzle break).
I would certainly welcome some feedback on this given what I want to do, including:
1. Rifle Selection - given what i want to do with it per above. I see Howa's are comparable? How do they stack up?
2. Optics Selection - have been recommended the Bushnell Elite 4500 4-16x40. Are these decent? Any other brands/models i should consider
3. Good gun shop (price/service) in WA - will also consider Oz wide too and will share the love to whomever wants my business essentially.
As a lot of you on here are very experienced, I'd really appreciate your opinions and advice.
Thanks everyone and looking forward to getting back into the swing!!!
flutch wrote:SCJ429 wrote:I own a couple of Tikkas and the barrels on them are fantastic for a factory barrel. Howa don't come close, I would not own a Howa with a factory barrel. A friend has had two Howas and the quality is not good with chatter marks right up the barrel.
If the Tikka is too dear then get a second hand one. The 308 should last you for in excess of 4000 rounds so getting a lightly used one will still have plenty of life in it.
arent anecdotes fun, three howas in my family all are well sub moa, and not fussy on ammo like a hipster coffee critic like tikkas, also know a few ppl with more than useless tikkas, but hey all anecdotes, my honest opinion is howa and tikka are equal, just only one of them charges the correct price, the other is taking the piss.
SCJ429 wrote:xDom wrote:[quote="bigfellascott"I'd also pick a light rifle if you intend doing a lot of walking (which you will be doing if you are hunting deer in Vic.
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How much did they give you in trade for your varmint in 223?
flutch wrote:mickb wrote:
you wont fit a 308 loaded with 200gn projies into a tikka magazine... just saying... and tbh, if you really wanna use rounds that heavy just bite the bullet and buy a 300win or bigger. especially for a noob, using anything that heavy in a 308 is going to require some pretty serious knowledge of the rifles "dope" that which a noob isnt going to have a handle on. I still say go the 300 win, but then again i dont own anything in centerfire that shoots slower than 3100fps, takes all the guess work out of it.
mickb wrote:flutch wrote:mickb wrote:
you wont fit a 308 loaded with 200gn projies into a tikka magazine... just saying... and tbh, if you really wanna use rounds that heavy just bite the bullet and buy a 300win or bigger. especially for a noob, using anything that heavy in a 308 is going to require some pretty serious knowledge of the rifles "dope" that which a noob isnt going to have a handle on. I still say go the 300 win, but then again i dont own anything in centerfire that shoots slower than 3100fps, takes all the guess work out of it.
Mate the big bullets I refer are roundnoses. I admit I dont know what COAL the tikkas handle but you might find these bullets shorter than you realise. And it doesnt require pretty serious knowledge of the rifles 'D.O.P.E', (Btw I spent a few years in the middle east, when did we start calling shooting at animals back here 'engagements', are we hunting or at war with the animals? ) A 200 grain bullet will get 2450-2500fps+ out of the 308, 220 is 2400, that is a good velocity and plenty flat shooting for big game ranges, aka under 200 yards. Its no guesswork for noob or otherwise.