i have a .22 rifle and i was thinking of getting a better gun with a bigger calibre.?

Question

i don't know what the prices are of other calibers are and what size i should get. i don't want a really big one like .50 but something that is better and not too expensive, do you have any suggestions?

Answer 1

That depends on what you wont to use it for.
Guns are tools each one having a specialized area of operation.

223 is an excellent varmint, predator hunting caliber and yet cheap to shoot, of the 22 center fire calibers.
But all 22 center fire calibers are excellent varmint, predator hunting caliber but in truth to small for most deer species from whitetail on up.

243 is an all around caliber an excellent varmint, predator hunting and even most deer in the whitetail size and down.
The ammo is still reasonable to shoot.

25-06 is yet another all around caliber an excellent varmint, predator hunting and deer up to and including Mule deer.
The ammo is still reasonable to shoot.

270 can be used on varmints and predators, but it is better suited to deer size game up to and including elk.
The ammo is still reasonable to shoot.

308 Winchester can be used on varmints and predators, but it is better suited to all deer species including Moose and small to medium size Bears.
The ammo is still reasonable to shoot.

30-06 is in the came category as the 308 Winchester.
The ammo is still reasonable to shoot.

338 calibers and up is for Elk, Moose and all species of Bear.
But the ammo prices start getting high.

Now just pick the caliber you thank will fit your needs.


D58


Hunting with Rifle, Pistol, Muzzle loader and Bow for over 3 decades.
Reloading Rifle, Pistol and shotgun for over 3 decades.

Answer 2

Patrick, this depends on what you need your bigger caliber rifle for. I noticed you used the Continental spelling 'calibre;' what are the regulations on owning/possessing firearms where you're from? I hail from Texas and here you can own nearly anything, caliber-wise. My shoulder firearms range from .22 to .458 Win. Mag.

I agree that you probably don't need a .50, or a .458 for that matter. Do you want to stay with a rimfire rifle? Consider the .22 Magnum or the .17 HMR. Or you could move up to a center fire .22 like the .223 or .22-250. If you want to hunt deer consider at least a .243 Winchester (.24 caliber) or better yet, a .25-06 or .270 Winchester. A .308 Winchester or .30-06 Springfield is a great all around big game rifle suitable for any North American big game animal.

You could also consider the dated but useful .30-30 or a carbine in .44 Magnum. So you see, your question is not so easy to answer.

Good luck.

H

Answer 3

You are wrong. The 22 Short is a 29gr projectile with a velocity of only 710 fps. If you want to make a fair comparison between a pellet gun being lethal - you probably should not skew your data by choosing the most less letal bullet vs. the most potentially lethal air rifle. 22 short is not known to be excellent at anyting - except when used in some Olympic model pistols that are way too expensive for the average person to purchase. What you want to do - is take the speed of the bullet (in feet per second) X the weight of the bullet in pounds (there are 7000 grains in a pount) and this will yield the ft lbs of energy. Since most all air rifle projectiles are in metric - you will of course need to convert them. Most affordable air guns are in that 700 fps to 900 fps range. There are no shortage of places in the human body where a precise hit from an air gun would be fatal - any of the main blood vessels on the outside of the neck, fired up the nose into the brain cavity, and the skull temple............ however 99% of the human body would not find a stike from an air gun fatal. Ouchie. But not fatal. Below is a link to a box of Federal 22 Short ammo so you can verify the data above. Hope this helps

Answer 4

A Yugoslavian SKS is perfect. You can find older Russian ones for 300 dollars but the Yugoslavian SKS is about 200 dollars, a real bargain even though it has literally DOUBLED in price in 6 months. I don't doubt it will go up even more though, a good investment.

It has a 10 round internal magazine you feed by hand or with stripper clips.

It fires the standard Soviet 7.62x39mm intermediate powered round. This ammo is still very cheap at only 18 cents per round and is everywhere.

If you ever decide to hunt, this round and rifle can take deer at reasonable ranges, although you might want to splurge and get some better ammunition for accuracy and performance reasons although cheap 18 cents per round stuff is great for the range.

This rifle is also a nice conversation piece. It comes standard with a rubber butt which reduces recoil a little, it has a grenade launcher on the barrel with a sight for it farther back and has a folding bayonet. If you own a lot of land, you can even get inert rifle grenades to shoot from it IF YOU HAVE RIFLE GRENADE FIRING BLANKS. The bayonet turns a few heads at the range and the rubber recoil bad makes it one of the more comfortable SKSs to shoot.

....really a great choice, the Yugoslavians really put a lot of effort into making it a quality weapon, all parts on it are machined except the magazines walls and cover, you can't see this part anyway and it doesn't do anything. No other SKS has as many machines parts as this.... the Chinese SKS is stampings whenever possible.

It isn't a performance rifle but it is a decent rifle that is great as a first "big boy" rifle....it was my first and I wouldn't take other in its place. It has even been called "The Poor Man's Garand", you know it has to be good to earn the title "Garand" in its nickname.

Also, a lot of history behind the weapon...but thats another story.

Answer 5

That depends upon what you plan to hunt. If you have not fired bigger rifles before, you can begin with a centerfire .22 or a .243 or 6mm for varmints. The .243 with heavier bullets will do for whitetail deer. My nephew used one for his first deer at age 10. These calibers have low recoil. Next up are 6.5mm and 7mm rifles. Some are Magnums and kick more. A 7.62 or .30 is versatile. The old .30-06 is not a bad choice, but I use a .300 Magnum.

Answer 6

a .50 is quite a step up from a .22, it slike going from a mini horse to a buffalo. Defintly get a centerfire cartridge. the list is pretty much endless. If i were you id look for something that is versitile that you can use for alot of different things. A .223 is a goos varmint gun and plinking because the ammo is one of the cheapest centerfire rounds, and a 30-06 is a versitile gun because you can get a bunch of differnt bullet sizes.

Answer 7

I would say a .223 Remington, but you say you want a bigger caliber than a .22 cal. I am going to tell you to look into the .243 Winchester. I am not a fan of this caliber, but it has a slightly larger .24 cal. (6mm) bullet. It is not too expensive and is a great varmint round, and some will say a great deer round too, but I feel it is just too small. Good luck.

Answer 8

Your best all around caliber is the 30-06>* You will never have to buy another Rifle when you have the 30-06.*

Answer 9

As others have pointed out, your best choice is going to be highly dependent on what you plan to use it for. A good varmint caliber also suitable for smaller medium game is 257 Roberts. The classic medium game cartridge is the 7x57 Mauser. 30-06 is suitable for a wide variety of medium game and much African plains game. You might even have a need for a medium-bore like 9.3x62. I suspect you'll have little need for anything larger in the near future, but there are lots of choices, and you'll want to plan according to what you think you'll need.

Answer 10

For most folks a .270 is the perfect caliber. You can buy them for under $300 and they will take down anything nearly anything. Deer, elk, big cat, etc. I wouldn't go bear hunting with it in Alaska by any means though.