small game and yotes

phishroy

phishroy

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Durham region
Hi.
Im looking into buying a small game rifle.
Since I live in Ontario and there are a ton of regulations about hunting small game I want a rifle chambered in a cartridge that I can get the most out of. In the regulation book its written that in some places I can use only a rifle chambered in a calibre 275 and under.
Im considering the 270 since I can use it on larger game as well.

What I was wondering about is if it would be ok in buying a rifle chambered in a 270 winchester or 270 weatherby mag even if the diameter for the bullets on those cartridges is 277. would it still be considered a 270 or would it be considered a 277?
Some advice needed on that regulation issue as far as what cartridges I can use.

Since I would do most of my small game hunting in the area where that
‘275 cal and lower” law applies.

Thank you very much.
 
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Hi ... good questions. You may want to narrow down your wishes a bit more because a .270 isn't considered a "small game" calibre. It'll handle most big game we have in Ontario - if you use it on smaller creatures you'll just destroy them.

There is no real "all purpose" calibre out there. Decide what kind of thing you'd like to hunt - gophers, grouse, rabbits, coyotes, pheasant, deer, whatever, and then decide on an appropriate calibre or gauge.

If you have fairly little experience, it wouldn't be a bad idea to start with .22LR and work your way up from there. Don't be in hurry. And don't be sucked into the hype that you have to have a "powerful" magnum cartridges to be a real hunter ... modest stuff worked fine for decades and you're on a learning curve. Remember, small game is small. It doesn't take much. Learn how to shoot and the "small" bullet will do its job.

Keep reading the forums here, and do your research. Good luck.
 
.204,.22-250,.223


Although is it fun seeing the hit everytime with a 17hmr, I'm going to have to say .204,.22-250,.223 because you mentioned coyotes. Might as well get both 17hmr and .223, you wont be disappointed :D
 
I'd go with a 12gauge to start then save up for a .22 mag or a .22 hornet. You don't need all those high velocity numbers, all the do is take more powder to reload. And by the sounds of it your a beginner and it's best to cut your teeth on something small at close range. my 2 cents
 
you can use the .270s in S. Ont. but for varmints it is way to much noise, recoil, destruction, etc.,people may not invite you back on their land because of the noise. Out here(Sask.) the .204 outsells all other varmint guns for use on coyote and even gophers, while not my cup of tea,we can't keep enough of them on the shelf at the store.
 
While I certainly don't have as much experience as some of the experts on CGN, I have just gotten into guns in the last couple of years and am 2 years ahead of where you are now with the same issues.

I'd also suggest a 22. That will let you get most small game and also let you practice as much as possible for free. The only way to be a good shooter is to be a frequent shooter. 22 will let you figure out the fundamentals and also let you hunt a pretty big variety of small game with a large season.

Once you feel like you want more then either go with a shotgun which will let you get into fowl and deer (in some areas with a slug), or go Black powder, or move up to a 22-250, 223, or similar for coyotes.

Good case could also be made for the versatility of a shotgun but the cost of practice is going to be way more expensive.

my 2 cents
 
i already own a 12 G' and a 308. what im looking for is something for long range shooting coyotes and small game. where i hunt coyotes i cant use my 308.

Ok, so I did a bit of research . what im looking for is a nice all round varmint calibre that would be able to take down coyotes easily and nicely. Im also looking for a cartridge that shoots fairly flat.
So after a lot of digging and reading around through information of several cartridges.
I think that a nice all round coyote hitting and flat trajectory propelling cartridge is the 6mmPPC.
I Just didn’t find any bad information about it. It claims to be one of the most flattest shooting cartridges in the world actually, with very little effects by cross winds like the 22’s.

However the major problem that im finding is that I couldn’t see any rifle chambered in that calibre from any manufacturer which makes me wonder. There must be a reason for that

Does anyone have any info on this cartridge?
A second runner up that im considering would be the 22-250.

Any info , recommended rate of twists etc’ would be gladly appreciated.
 
So you already own a 12 ga. and a .308. Well the first thing you do is say thanks to the people who answered your question no matter how poorly worded. Jeez, asking about a .270 and small game, you should have known the difference.

By the way, research can take more then 24 hours. Give it a chance before you hit the enter key.
 
ok ok. Im sorry if ioffended any one in any way. Didn’t intend to.
I really do appreciate everybody’s help and the info. Wow, some sensitive people.
 
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ChasseurBob said:
So you already own a 12 ga. and a .308. Well the first thing you do is say thanks to the people who answered your question no matter how poorly worded. Jeez, asking about a .270 and small game, you should have known the difference.

By the way, research can take more then 24 hours. Give it a chance before you hit the enter key.
Click to expand...

thanks for clearing that up.
 
phishroy said:
i already own a 12 G' and a 308. what im looking for is something for long range shooting coyotes and small game. where i hunt coyotes i cant use my 308.

Ok, so I did a bit of research . what im looking for is a nice all round varmint calibre that would be able to take down coyotes easily and nicely. Im also looking for a cartridge that shoots fairly flat.
So after a lot of digging and reading around through information of several cartridges.
I think that a nice all round coyote hitting and flat trajectory propelling cartridge is the 6mmPPC.
I Just didn’t find any bad information about it. It claims to be one of the most flattest shooting cartridges in the world actually, with very little effects by cross winds like the 22’s.

However the major problem that im finding is that I couldn’t see any rifle chambered in that calibre from any manufacturer which makes me wonder. There must be a reason for that

Does anyone have any info on this cartridge?
A second runner up that im considering would be the 22-250.

Any info , recommended rate of twists etc’ would be gladly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Though hardly offended by your initial inquiry, the details in this later post goes a far way towards helping us answer your question.

First of all, even with some of our more open country in Southern Ontario, I don't think that you want the noise of the heavier varmint rounds, much less require an extremely flat shooting round. Though I'm open to correction from others, I don't think that you need anything more than a .223, perhaps in an accurate but nicely priced Stevens 200. A .22 Hornet should also suffice for many situations at least up to 150 yards, is considerably quieter and due to it's small case is particularly conducive to reloading at reasonable cost (about 4-500 rounds to a pound of powder versus 150-200 rounds for big-game or larger varmint ammunition). With the right selection of powder and bullets, the .22 Hornet could probably also be made into a practical small game round for those rabbits, squirrels and grouse that you might actually want to eat. On the other hand, commercial ammo starts at $31 (over $35 after taxes) per 50 rounds, making it less appealing to someone who doesn't reload.

You should probably compliment your intermediate small game/coyote rifle with a .22 Long Rifle. Though probably limited to fox sized game and smaller, the shooting experience gained from practicing in various shooting stances with just one $20 brick of 500 rounds will come in very handy when you actually get the opportunity to fire at a coyote at 200 yards with your centrefire rifle. Besides, the practice will be fun as well.

You might want to consider one of the Savage 24 rifle/shotgun combinations that come in .22LR, .22Mag, .22Hornet, .222 Remington and .223 Remington over a 20 or even 12 gauge. It will not only double for small mammals and game birds, but could come in very handy in those places where a called in predator might pop up alot closer to you than you'd think. I have a .22Hornet/12ga that I use for grouse and would think that with a red dot would also be great for predators at longer distances. If you'd like to know more about these guns (there's both pro and con) just ask away.

Regards,

Frank
 
You might want to consider one of the Savage 24 rifle/shotgun combinations that come in .22LR, .22Mag, .22Hornet, .222 Remington and .223 Remington over a 20 or even 12 gauge. It will not only double for small mammals and game birds, but could come in very handy in those places where a called in predator might pop up alot closer to you than you'd think. I have a .22Hornet/12ga that I use for grouse and would think that with a red dot would also be great for predators at longer distances. If you'd like to know more about these guns (there's both pro and con) just ask away.

Just in case it wasn't clear in my first post, the point was that you could take out a distant coyote with the rifle barrel, while using the smoothbore with shot in those cases where the coyote sneaks to within closer range.
 
My choice would be something in 22-250, .243 or 25.06 depending on how versatile you wish the gun to be. The 22-250 being the caliber that is the least suitable for an all around gun but an excellent choice as a coyote gun. The .343 offers long range accuracy and the ability to shoot larger animals. The 25.06 gives maybe a bit more range and knock down energy.

I currently use a .243 on everything from gophers up to deer and I have been very pleased with it. It woks very well as a long range coyote gun and has tons of ammo choices. I find it pretty cool switching between 55 gr vmax and 95 gr SST bullets. It almost feels like a different rifle.
 
if you want an all round rifle for southern ontario id go with a 243 or 25-06 then you will be good for the longer shots on deer, coyote, fox, groundhog, crow, etc. where i hunt theres some fields where a 400 yard shot is very likely so thats what id go with. both are pretty common cartridges but could get pricey blasting critters all day with them.

the 25-06 has a slight advantage over the 243, but the 243 is likely more common at walmart, canadian tire, etc.
 
ChasseurBob said:
So you already own a 12 ga. and a .308. Well the first thing you do is say thanks to the people who answered your question no matter how poorly worded. Jeez, asking about a .270 and small game, you should have known the difference.

By the way, research can take more then 24 hours. Give it a chance before you hit the enter key.
Click to expand...

Let the guy ask his questions. Just because he owns guns doesn't mean he knows a lot about them or use them much. I'm sure you were taught about manners and it's obvious you don't know how to use them! Ease up and don't be a ####! There are lots of people trying to learn things and don't need blow hard like you to discourage them!

Like Bartell says. A .243 would be a great choice. Most if not all manufactuers chamber them. Easy to find ammo. The rifle is easy on the shoulder and also would give you the flexability to hunt deer.
The 6mm ppc would be cool. But not really practical, unless you hand load etc. Hope you choose a nice rifle. Good luck and don't be discouraged in asking things here.

Dave.
 
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