Small to medium plains game rifle

**gertjie87** · 07-03-2019, 15:57

Originally Posted by Cbotha15

I understand yes, but how many hunting farms allow their clients to hunt with a .22? That is where the .223 comes in to play

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None and they wont allow the 223 either minnimum is 6mm even then some dont allow it

**Adoons** · 08-03-2019, 07:14

.223 is for "hase" and "dasse". (Hares and rockrabbits.) Have one, is my "bakkie rifle" on the farm. I do kill a lot of warthog cleanly with it, but that is not hunting. Dump the idea of a .223 It will let you down on occasions and shot placements where a better hunting caliber would not.

**marshy** · 09-03-2019, 18:51

6x45

**gertjie87** · 09-03-2019, 21:42

Originally Posted by marshy

6x45

Very interresting that seems pretty cool. I have not seen ammo for it is it readily available?

**marshy** · 09-03-2019, 22:31

Sherbet, sorry gertjie, I overlooked the reloading part...

I echo the sentiments of a lot of the others and would suggest the 243. The biggest plus for it is the availability of ammo.

**carlp** · 09-03-2019, 22:44

Gertjie I think you should start reloading first...

It will maken life easier

Then get a 6.5 creed irnth 243 AI.

If not reloading. 270 or 243.

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**Gert Odendaal** · 10-03-2019, 08:11

Members, I would suggest if possible get hold of this book, the author is a South African who really knows what he is talking about. You will find this book has more knowledge than what we will be able to remember, but we can always refer to it ...I will be ordering one for myself..

**A-R** · 10-03-2019, 09:15

Originally Posted by gertjie87

... but i want more so I am filling each hunting niche with a gun because i can and i want to.

Any thoughts?

I like the way you are thinking! So here is my suggestion on how to go about the matter:

You draw up a table (manually, or on the computer). The left collumn lists all the huntable species you can think of, preferably from small (mouse) to big (elephant). Include pests, birds, reptiles? etc. Decide which foreign species you want to include. This will be quite a list, so make enough space. To the right of the "Species" collumn you add several "Distance" collumns. Start with 0 - 25m. Next 25 - 50m. Then 50 - 100; 100 - 200; 200 - 300, maybe another? You never know where your interests may develop in future. Don't limit yourself at this stage. Go big!

Now you can start filling in the fields with an appropriate calibre for the particular job. This choice will be lagely based on capability, legality, ammo availability and personal preference, so your table will look different from mine. Do your research. Pierre's book is a good place to start.

In the 0 - 25m collumn, there will be mostly hunting handguns, bith some big bore rifles in the DG section. 25 - 50m will typically have a scoped handgun or open-sighted rifle in a short-range calibre. The next will be a rifle with low-powered scope en sedate ballistics. Etc, etc. You get the picture? So, in the Impala row (for example) you will have listed quite a few different fire arms / calibres, from a hunting handgun on the left to a flat shooting barrel burner on the extreme right. These calibre/gun combos may overlap with a few other similar-sized game species.

Be creative with your table. For example, the tools you use for bushpig hunting are not really straight-forward and limited to a single gun. For example, if hunting them at night you may want a rifle equipped with a NV or thermal scope. In daytime, which would normally be in very wet, overcast weather (that's when they come out in daylight), you may want a rifle with stainless steel barrel and action and synthetic stock. (Your prized gloss blue and walnut custom rifle will likely be ruined by being soaked.) So you will have different rows for bushpigs in daytime and at night.

You use this table, firstly to choose the most appropriate tool for a particular job, plan your acquisitions systematically and of course motivate the license application with very specific details.

You don't need to own each and every one of the 100-plus options you may end up with, but choosing a rifle for a particular job will not be a random matter anymore.

**gertjie87** · 10-03-2019, 10:24

Very nice advice i am a charts person so did something similar also added a column for rifle type aesthetics and nostalgia as well as caliber nostalgia. My list is as follows
.22 hornet for varminting and tiny 10
300h&h preferably in ruger no1 for larger plains game(gemsbuck, kudu,eland) might go win mag or 338 due to ammo availability
9,3 cz550 fs for all bush hunting
416 rigby or 404 jef for dangerous game
.308 scout rifle as bangaround do everything rifle
Just the small plains game caliber and rifle that i am still wondering about. Currently leaning towards the 243

**A-R** · 10-03-2019, 20:32

Originally Posted by gertjie87

Very nice advice i am a charts person so did something similar also added a column for rifle type aesthetics and nostalgia as well as caliber nostalgia. My list is as follows
.22 hornet for varminting and tiny 10
300h&h preferably in ruger no1 for larger plains game(gemsbuck, kudu,eland) might go win mag or 338 due to ammo availability
9,3 cz550 fs for all bush hunting
416 rigby or 404 jef for dangerous game
.308 scout rifle as bangaround do everything rifle
Just the small plains game caliber and rifle that i am still wondering about. Currently leaning towards the 243

300H&H is still being produced by PMP, so availability should not be an issue. Same goes for 9,3x62.

22Hornet is also mostly an import option. IIRC, PMP did make some Hornet ammo, but loaded them with their 55gn 223 bullets, which did not stabilize in the typical 1:16" twist Hornet barrels.