Thread: Guns and Optics

Just back from seven years overseas and looking at getting back into it.
Kind of looks like the days of 30.06 and 270 Win have gone.... What's the best all round calibre for NZ deer hunting these days?
Also want to get into wallabies, what's the most popular calibre for them bouncing critters.
Optics: One of the biggest change areas. Does anybody still use fixed power scopes or is everything variable power and illuminated? How important is an illuminated reticle?
Thermal or Night vision or both combined. I was hardly even aware of this option seven years ago, but it seems everybody has them these days. What's your thoughts on thermal or Night vision for: deer, wallabies, and rabbits...

I am selling all my stuff in December,fucking loads of really good gear and firearms . Start saving now,make me an offer and resell the rest.

Good luck sorting through all the comments to follow

Originally Posted by KERR

Just back from seven years overseas and looking at getting back into it.
Kind of looks like the days of 30.06 and 270 Win have gone.... What's the best all round calibre for NZ deer hunting these days?
Also want to get into wallabies, what's the most popular calibre for them bouncing critters.
Optics: One of the biggest change areas. Does anybody still use fixed power scopes or is everything variable power and illuminated? How important is an illuminated reticle?
Thermal or Night vision or both combined. I was hardly even aware of this option seven years ago, but it seems everybody has them these days. What's your thoughts on thermal or Night vision for: deer, wallabies, and rabbits...

I don't think that much has changed. Those calibres are fine. Lots of people still using fixed power scopes and non-illuminated reticles. Can't use a thermal or night vision scope when hunting on DOC land, but handheld thermal spotters are now allowed. I think their usefulness depends on where you are hunting.

Wallabies is easy. 223. Would be surprised if the majority didn't agree on that.

Deer, there is no consensus. You will get votes for everything under the sun. 30-06 and 270 still work fine if that's what you want to stick to. We have these discussions all the time - do us a favour and try to avoid re-opening that can of worms.

Night vision + thermal spotter = great improvement over simply spotlighting. Thermal spotter + thermal scope = excellent. Built in LRF + ballistics on the scope = pest slaying machine. Thermal/NV scopes verbotten on DOC land. Illuminated reticles no more important to have now than at any point in the past.

223 for the Roo’s, tikka 6.5 PRC or 308 for everything else

3006 never gone. Nothing wrong with 270 either. If you know what you are doing with either stick with them

How deep are your pockets, my go to rifles and I only have two are .308 and 22-250 that covers everything I do and I'm only running 3x9 scopes as I'm too poor to get anything bigger.

you would not need much more than that Happy Jack I used to have a ex army 30 M1 for pig hunting - but sold that when I gave up going after dogs - so for 30 years its been 222 and 308 222 for fallow meat hunts and 308 for the roar job done -- would love a Shultz and Larsen in .270 but

wallabies, fallow and meat reds, sika subject to range anything from 222 - 6.5. (22 hornet is no go on DOC land and a bit range limited)
larger bodied deer and subject to range anything in the 308 or 3006 families.
The big change I think has been the impovement in projectiles. Now my fast twist 243 will easly deal with deer out to 500 mtrs.
Down south all the various fast 7mm are very popular up to the 300 win mag.

Other factor to help with suggestions is what's your max shooting distance. This could narrow things down.

Are you a reloader or factory ammo person?
Z

Don't see as many 30-06 rifles at the range or out on the hill anymore, but plenty of diehards still swear by it.

The .270 doesn't show much sign of becoming old news any time soon. If not in the top five most popular large calibers, it must be close, I understand some North Islanders even use it.

You can't hunt these days without a thermal, it's just too hard, if not impossible.

Fixed power scopes still work, but are just too hard to find in the shops now. If you're committed enough to track one down, find out whether it's FFP or SFP. If you get the wrong one, it could be a disaster.

I don't think the types of animals you used to bowl over with the .270 and 30-06 would notice too much if you had the newest fancy whizzbang autoaim fully flash anticoriolis effect negating 300 zipmag phase to plasma in 20 watt range or not, I reckon they are still going to die. What do you like to shoot?

The .30/06 never really was that popular in NZ, to be fair. The .270 is still around as much as it ever was. The only thing has changed is some smaller number of rifle enthusiasts have been experimenting with the new cartridges, the Creedmores et all, but every one else is still shooting a .308 or a 7mm-08 or a .270.

twenty years ago I was one of the few still using a fixed power 4x or 3x. Nowadays Im about the only one, everyone else uses a variable. (I have them too, but half of my rifles have still got Leupold M8's on them)

(Oh, I still shoot a .30/06 too..)

If you want wallabies, then a .223, and a .308 for everything else. I still think half the shooters in NZ use a .308 for everything.

Originally Posted by longshot

Don't see as many 30-06 rifles at the range or out on the hill anymore, but plenty of diehards still swear by it.

The .270 doesn't show much sign of becoming old news any time soon. If not in the top five most popular large calibers, it must be close, I understand some North Islanders even use it.

You can't hunt these days without a thermal, it's just too hard, if not impossible.

Fixed power scopes still work, but are just too hard to find in the shops now. If you're committed enough to track one down, find out whether it's FFP or SFP. If you get the wrong one, it could be a disaster.

Tell me more about how FFP and SFP fixed power scopes are different?

Originally Posted by gimp

Tell me more about how FFP and SFP fixed power scopes are different?

Are you baiting?@gimp

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