People have started talking about the .204 rifle for fox shooting as it is very flat between 100m -300m . Has anyone got one or perhaps tried one out ? Lets me know what you think .

I have been using one for foxes most of this summer, and it a pretty good round, we had a few problems early on finding a bullet make that it liked, but we are now resonably happy with what we are curently using. I'd have to say though that 220-230 mts is about as far as I'd want to shoot anything with this round.

I have now decided to sell this rifle and go back to my prefered .22-250AI as I feel this is a far better round and cuts across the wind better and is a true 300 mt fox killer.

Thanks for that Strimmer i did wonder if it was just another rifle for the cabinet . I have shot a .22-250 for years now and am quite happy with it . I will say that both of my beatkeepers have bought .177 and the .22s have been sold never to be seen again. What a round!

has anybody got a 220 Swift. what do you think of it.

Ian the beat keeper who has moved on had one ,what a rifle . The thing was very accurate but with its heavy barrel, silencer,pod and the kitchen sink attached you needed a crane to carry it . I'm sure my truck roof was two inches lower when he left i know i've not grown!

Hi Happykeeper, long time no speak, been having a few problems which were inevitable, i think we spoke many months ago about it, suffice to say my site no longer exists :(

Personaly i think the heavy barrel is the way to go, after all its accuracy that counts.
Dont know what the foxes are like where you are, but where i was they were as spooky as could be and most had to be taken normaly at 250 yds or more. I know to most this might seem extreme, but you get used to a particular way or style of shooting and if you cant do it, then you start to have problems.
I believe that 220 swift is a very fast round, faster than the 22-250, but ive also heard that they tend to go through barrels fairly rapidly.

Hi Big Fish good to hear from you again . I think it is horses for courses when i was in Dorset and took a single handed job for the first time i only had a .243. This rifle acounted for 110 in the first year but they didn't know what it was all about so it made it easier . What happened with your site i thought it would be going strong now the hunting has restarted . P.m me if you want.

Hi Happykeeper, after some pursausion ive reopened my site today as it happens, sillly person me.
Anyways to foxes, yes IF they are not "educated" then they are easy, if possible keep em this way, unfortunatley round here everyone and his granny seems to think that they are thee ultimate fox killer, when in reality the know nothing about it.
It just makes yours and my life harder when it comes to deal with such problems, i doubt it will ever get any better.
Anyhow i wish you all the best and to your members here, this site will flourish in time.
Some good info being put down here. Keep that way!

what the longest anybody has taken a fox at with one. I have heard about people droping foxes at 400 yards I know that the rifle could do it but at 400 yards your cross hair would blot it out.I like the old 22 magnum It is very missunderstud peole said to me you do not want that why not go for a hornet ( at £60 a 100 for ammo ) I have been rolling rabbit at 200 easy and not had a shot on any foxes yet beacse my m8 has a 223 so

Hi Cobra, i have had the occasional rare shot at 400 yds or so on fox, but like i was saying the rifle used for this was 22-250 varmint barrel and was used from a landrover. All in all its a very stable gun and position to shoot from.
Its like anything, the more you do, the better you become.
Most of my foxes were 200-300 yds on average, but as time went on and more and more people were "having a go" the local population became very shy and we were ending up having to take running shots, which in my opinion is not the best situation to be in.

Did you get the 1 at 400.

Ive had more than one at that range. But as i state its rare and usualy only with ones that were near on impossible to get near too.

And that is with a 22-250 at 400 yards droped a fox! Might have to found someone near me to have a go with one what is the longets you have taken a rabbit with one? using what scope and ammo?

Ive only ever shot one rabbit with the 22-250 just to see what would happen, about 50 yds or so, was silly realy :D , the ammunition dont come cheap at £1 per round, probably even more expensive now.
If you can find someone with one its realy worth tyring it out. Get some targets up and try at different ranges.
I used a tasco scope with special mounts, the scope had a zoom of 12 times and 30 mm tube.
The ammunition i used was norma 53 grain.

thanks but at a £1 a round I think I will stick to the 22 magnum. 200 yard is good range for rabbit and foxes at day time and at night we can call them in to about 30 yards so It dose the job. 1 more thing have you found thet the rounds go stright in and out and do you get many runners. Thanks cobra

Most of the time when a 22-250 round hits a fox, it explodes like bomb, the fox is exterminated very rapidly :o
But on the odd occasion i have had rounds go through and exit without blowing a gurt great hole in them. I put this down to the bullet not touching any bone whatsover.
When this happens the fox tends to run on adrenaline but drops down not too far away.
One other thing that i should mention, ive had this conversation with quite a few keepers etc about listening for the bullet strike. Many have said that they cannot hear the bullet hit. Now virtually every time i have shot a fox i have heard the bullet strike, its loud, very loud. At night time, if you are shooting correctly when you fire, you are temporary (only for a second) blinded by the muzzle flash and will not see the strike throught the scope. If you listen you hear the bang then the bullet travel through the air, then you will hear the noise of the bullet hitting the target. If you miss it usually sounds like a swishing noise. If you hit it sounds like a someone hitting a cricket ball.

so that fox you took at 400 yards was lamped that was some shot. I think it may beworth a £ a round. do you know speeds of the rounds and what is trjectroy like.
how hight did you aim at that fox and what range was your scope tuned in for.

Yes these were on the lamp, i could probably dig out some old info on speeds etc, but i think your looking at close to 4000 ft per second.
I always zeroed at 1" high at 100 yds, this seemed to be the best for my rifle and ammo, others no doubt will be different.
The trajectory over 300 yds is real flat, just aim straight at them, but at 400 i would aim just over the top of his shoulders. No head shots at that range, but in saying that the best shot i ever had was a running fox going full tilt around 350- 400 yds and cracked him right in the head, second shot. Purley luck, doubt i could do it again.
Best of luck and consider this caliber i think you will more than pleased with its preformance. But do spend what you can afford on the rifle and the scope not forgetting decent mounts, it realy does pay off in the end.

"cracked him right in the head, second shot. Purley luck, doubt i could do it again"

So do I.

Twas a long time ago in a galaxy far far away, lol
But true to this day.

Oh I don't doubt you did it . I just doubt that you could do it again! :-)

Me too, i havent fired a rifle in 4 years, so i would expect that i would need muchos practise :D
But what with the fuel prices at over a pound a litre and rifle ammo at over a pound per round life is getting a tinee bit expensive nowadays.

The simple answer is load your own and brew Bio fuel diesel, its about 35p a litre plus the duty of course.Ha Ha Ha

The old landy stinks like a chippy but what the hell, I can live with it and it covers up the smell of dried blood and wet labs.

I don't want to sound a spoil sport but if anyone attempts shooting thier target on the run please do remember that the back drop is changing all the time. What was once safe may be now looking straight into someones window! It dosn't take long to be 60-70m from your first point of aim. Safe shooting.

Couldn't agree more happykeeper, i only ever took running shots where i knew i was 100% safe with a backstop behind the shot.
In fact i always made sure that on every shot i had a backstop behind the target.