Thread: first time using center fire

Hi team,

Got my 1st centre rife rifle (Ruger American 0.308) few weeks ago but just tried it out today
a bit nervous at the start, I learn things as I go and mostly from YouTube and reading forums.
I checked, double checked and triple checked everything, to make sure the rifle was ok and safe to fire.

1st shoot was fired and it was way out of the target sheet,
the scope needs some adjustment but oh well... that's for another day,
as the noise was a bit louder than my liking.

Bullet was Fiocchi 0.308W subsonic 200 gr and it was as loud as CCI 0.22 1640 PFS 32GR.



Both rifles have ghost silencers with 7 baffles.



is there a factory bullet (0.308W subsonic) that is not as noisy but powerful enough to take down a rogue bull at 150 yards (if necessary)?

or I better off get a 300blackout setup with subsonic

Thank you for the info and advice

A rogue Bull at 150 yrds needs headshot with EVERYTHINg a full power 308 can throw at it

Subsonic ammo will only detract from your lifespan if said bull thinks your at fault for annoying it

Please use full power ammunition for shooting any animals

I would suggest some ear plugs or muffs, practice and finding someone more experienced to help you get it sighted in correctly
I wouldn't personally be using a subsonic round to take down a "charging rogue bull" as you say. I would be using as above or a bigger gun!!
If its your first center-fire then practice is your friend.

as above, a 300black out is not a bigger / more powerful cartridge than a 308.

The bang comes from the escaping gases and a 308 subsonic will have way more gas and a larger hole than a 22 supersonic.
That round is a full metal jacket. They are not designed to kill anything other than paper and it only has 400 flb's of energy.
Minium recommended energy for a deer is 1000flb's at the deer. A bull is much bigger and way more dangerous than a deer.

For cattle using a 308 you need full power and a premium controlled expansion round. Ie 160-180gr at 26-2700 fps,
Zq

I have put down cows and bulls with a 308, 7.62 and 12 ga. I have shot a lot of goats with 308 subsonics. A bull is a tough animal with thick skin, bones and muscles. Use a full power 308, preferably with a heavy 180 grain bullet, aim for the head or neck and make sure you have a good shooting position. BUT before even attempting this, make sure you get plenty of shooting practice and can hit a small enough target to kill the bull at the range you intend to shoot.

Suggest sporting 'noise cancelling' earmuffs, Peltor Sporttac are one and there are others on the market. Or earplugs work, but while suppressors reduce the impact of the sound waves on your eardrums and minimise the potential for hearing damage it's still on the painful end of the noise spectrum.

As others have suggested subsonic ammo is for specialist and usually short range work, best to stick with the full power ammo for animals as it's much flatter shooting and hard hitting.

Thank you for the advice,
I work in a very noisy workshop so have plenty of ear protection choices
I practise shooting at the farm and prefer to shoot with minimal noise, out of respect for my neighbours.

My local homekill guy used 0.22 mag to put down my neighbour's cow (headshot)
hence I just assume that sub 0.308 will do the job but apparently not.
Thank you for the info, time to visit that friendly fellow at GC I guess.

Originally Posted by Snap 4T

Thank you for the advice,

Thank you for the info, time to visit that friendly fellow at GC I guess.

right,so now we see the problem....yo uare asking a SALEPERSON working on possibly a commission....what is best for you..... fox in henhouse really.
they will be MORE THAN HAPPY to upgrade whatever you have,at a price.....
dont muck around with a rouge bull.get someone in to do the job who knows what they are doing,better still ask one of big bore guys to come and do it for you..that rigby etc that was bought for African safari will enjoy the exercise and be vasty better for the job...at very least bring that fella along to back you up after you cockup the job..he at least can drop bull before it destroys or kills something.

Hi Snap,
The home kill is a different situation. Generally dealing with an animal that is quiet and still plus its done by an experience operator at close range were he can put the bullet into the brain through a thin part of the skull.
Shooting a bull at 150mtr is a whole different game.
Z

You really have to be carefull with the background of the thing you are shooting at when using those 308 subsonic ammo, they generally do not expend, and depending what you are shooting at they can go through a lot and still make some magnificent richochets after that. I have done a few double goats with one bullet when using subsonic ammo.

I'm as green as a pea can get,
I'm in no near danger with any animal, just wanted to make sure I have the option.
Been practicing with rim fire and getting better each time
however when the situation is not calm or panicky that's a whole different story

Originally Posted by Snap 4T

I'm as green as a pea can get,
I'm in no near danger with any animal, just wanted to make sure I have the option.
Been practicing with rim fire and getting better each time
however when the situation is not calm or panicky that's a whole different story

The practice with a .22 will translate to some degree but its generally better to practice with a centerfire if your aiming to shoot centerfire. What's your aim for this firearm? Im wondering if it could make sense for you to pick up a 243 as a stepping stone in the centerfire learning curve, minimal recoil, minimal noise suppressed and enough punch for majority of animals NZ holds

Originally Posted by WaikatoBushman

The practice with a .22 will translate to some degree but its generally better to practice with a centerfire if your aiming to shoot centerfire. What's your aim for this firearm? Im wondering if it could make sense for you to pick up a 243 as a stepping stone in the centerfire learning curve, minimal recoil, minimal noise suppressed and enough punch for majority of animals NZ holds

yeah agree with the bushman -the last thing you need is to start flinching from noise - if its just the noise that's bothering you then when target shooting I use a set of good sonic ear plugs and combine that with a set of grade 5 ear muffs - dont hear much with that combo- get as comfortable as possible - neighbours well look after them - a courtesy call before target session always and reasure them you have safe range with decent backstop

How close are the neighbour's

My neighbors and i, can't see each others (hilly)
my shooting pad is about 250m away (just a guess) from the property boundary
The closest neighbour's house is about 500m away (just a guess) from my shooting pad.

They all are ok, hence I don't want to stir the water.

I tried to google the legality of shooting in rural land but I need to spend more time on it