Hunting Forum

What is the best all around best fox gun. If i want to keep the pelt.

I don't know about best all around but I prefere 22 mag or 223

I would use my .204.....................

I'd say 223.

I have .223 fever it does the job on all of them.

I used my .50 cal. Hawken muzzleloader on em once, when the deer hunting was real slow and I felt I just had to shoot something. You can still keep the pelts as long as you don't mind a couple big holes.

I would say that a .22 mag or .17HMR would be a good choice for fox.

I don't own one but my neighbor loves his .17 remington centerfire for fox.

Any gun you would use for hunting any large or small game will work for fox. Remember that when a bullet enters an animal, it blows the hide inward on entrance and outward on exit. Regardless of bullet diameter, every one of those wounds can be easily repaired by a taxidermist for a mount, and in the case of a pelt most of them will shrink and not be very noticeable once the hide has been tanned. I've killed fox with everything from bird shot to .300wsm and even have one hanging on the wall that was killed with the .300. I cured the hide, myself and I can't find the bullet holes.

I shot a fox last week-end with my Savage Striker in .243 win. I would not recommend it if you want the hide, it was coming strait at me and going down a hill. I shot it between the shoulder blades (just to the right of center apparently) at 150 yards, and the V-Max bullet took the left front leg right off at the shoulder and then put a roughly 3" hole in the underside. The hole in the underside would be easy enough to fix but the left front shoulder being not only removed but shredded (from bone and projectile fragments) would be about impossible to fix. Next time I go to that spot I plan on bringing my .22 mag. or scattergun with # 4 buckshot, and stick in heavier cover to help get a closer shot, that or try to hold out for a shot from the side, I doubt the damage would have been so bad had I not hit shoulder bones, or had I been using rounds that were not made to "fragment" on impact. The v-max's don't ricochet though, they just fragment even if your shooting prone across a flat field, they just leave a wedge shaped spot of particles of lead, copper, and plastic, from impact forward a couple feet, so I prefer to use them. If hunting just for fox I'd stick with a .22 mag or .17, if you want it for bigger stuff too, like say coyote and up, I would defiantly go with bigger cartridge, probably a .223, or .243 do to ammo availability.

Jeff, I didn't think about the type of ammo used or something like a head on shot, so cullison, you need to keep that in mind! Sorry, my bad!!!!!!

Nah unc, just different angle of looking at it. Pun intended. lol I'm guessing you were using a "deer" load, so you got minimal damage? That and I like to save the skulls for decoration/display, so I avoid head shots. On that note just putting the skinned head in a plastic bag and putting it in the rafters of my shed for a day and a half, at 115 for the high cleaned it up very well, just had to hold my breath while I dumped the water thru cheese cloth to sift out the teeth, now I just need to glue the teeth back in and mount it on a plaque.

I would not recommend a .223 if you want to save the hides. The last fox I hit with my .223 was at 45 yards and it was nearly decapitated. It was not even a head shot, the round actually struck the fox in the neck. It was such a mess that we did not even take pictures. As I recommended earlier, I would stick with sometype of rimfire magnum.

Not only likes it but rather proficient with it as well. lol

Better shot than me, it appears!

I like to do minimal damage as well to the fur. in the .223 I use the fmj it leaves a small hole entrance and exit. But I prefer my 204 remington with varmint rounds .
I shoot the v-max from Hornady.

Can anyone make out what gun the fox uses.....may be him ...but might be the gun....either way he is doing better than me.

i have used a222 whit a v max at 150 yards and every time your looking at a 4 in hole not a good gun for fox the 204 whit a 32 grain bullet vmax that is i have no exit hole your choice

.17 rem with a Berger 25 gr bullet or a 204 ruger with a 39gr Sierra BlitzKing, 222,223 ,22/250,220 swift with a Sieraa 52 gr match king bullet