Charentebob Posted February 14, 2013 Report Share Posted February 14, 2013 I've been offered the opportunity to hunt Chamois in the French Alps in September 2013. Currently I have a Tikka M695 in 764 calibre. I believe the locals use 6 or 6.5mm rifles as there is less bullet drop over the long distances they shoot. My current ammunition has a 50 cms drop over 300 metres. Frequently the distances are between 200 & 300 metres. Chamois are extremely wary & it's very difficult to get closer. I'd also need a suitable scope. Light conditions are normally good as this is not dawn or dusk shooting. It would be nice if I could have a scope that would also be suitable for stalking deer & wild boar in woodland. Guess it would be difficult to get find something suitable for both purposes. Some hunters go for lighter weight scopes for mountain hunting as the stalk can take all day & they don't want too much weight to lug around. I use an Aimpoint red-dot on my Tikka for driven game in France as the distances are usually 25 to 75 metres. The red-dot is not suitable for Chamois hunting though. All suggestions welcome as I'm a newcomer to rifle hunting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gun nut Posted February 14, 2013 Report Share Posted February 14, 2013 If you are confident with your current rifle stick with it, as for scopes check out the Swarovski Z5 with ballistic turret. They are light to carry, the glass is superb and the 3.5-18 magnification will cover woodland right up to however far you want to shoot. Properly set up the 300m shots will be simple with the ballistic turret too. Good luck with the Chamois, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danpd Posted February 14, 2013 Report Share Posted February 14, 2013 The difference in trajectory at 300m between your 7mm and the 6 or 6.5s is not going to be enough to warrant a change of caliber. You could load some 120 Nosler BT at approx 3100fps, and zero you rifle 1.5-2.5 inches high at 100yds. This will give you a MPBR that will allow point and shoot out to 300yds. When you come across the chamois, you most likely wont have long to listen to the guides instructions on which beast to take, and you may not have time to be fumbling with turrets etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunsgobang88 Posted February 14, 2013 Report Share Posted February 14, 2013 Hi, They don't need a heavy bullet. Two options, use the rifle you know and have confidence in or use the classic chamois calibre, 6.5x68, Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbal Posted February 14, 2013 Report Share Posted February 14, 2013 I've been offered the opportunity to hunt Chamois in the French Alps in September 2013. Currently I have a Tikka M695 in 764 calibre. I believe the locals use 6 or 6.5mm rifles as there is less bullet drop over the long distances they shoot. My current ammunition has a 50 cms drop over 300 metres. Frequently the distances are between 200 & 300 metres. Chamois are extremely wary & it's very difficult to get closer. I'd also need a suitable scope. Light conditions are normally good as this is not dawn or dusk shooting. It would be nice if I could have a scope that would also be suitable for stalking deer & wild boar in woodland. Guess it would be difficult to get find something suitable for both purposes. Some hunters go for lighter weight scopes for mountain hunting as the stalk can take all day & they don't want too much weight to lug around. I use an Aimpoint red-dot on my Tikka for driven game in France as the distances are usually 25 to 75 metres. The red-dot is not suitable for Chamois hunting though. All suggestions welcome as I'm a newcomer to rifle hunting. Rifle you know every time for a one off visit,given it is appropriate,which it is.It's on a very near par with eg 270,280rem -very fine american long range sheep rifles.You may not want to handload for one trip-the Norma 140 nosler accubond,just for example,zeroed at 200 will be 7 inches low at 300 (which is right there with eg 260rem,264 win mag,6.5 swede and better than the older classic 6.5 mannlicher). Should do nicely. george Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbit fingers Posted February 14, 2013 Report Share Posted February 14, 2013 Dont know if it is still the case but dont the french have some strange laws regarding 'military' cartridges. 6.5x55, 7.62 etc. Be worth checking beforehand anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baldie Posted February 14, 2013 Report Share Posted February 14, 2013 The french are not allowed military calibres , check before you go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnthonyR Posted February 14, 2013 Report Share Posted February 14, 2013 The french are not allowed military calibres , check before you go. I have it on very good authority that the law on this is due to be changed this year with only 2 or 3 calibres remaining on the restricted list, one of which I know is 223 but I don't know the others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big C Posted February 14, 2013 Report Share Posted February 14, 2013 No sound mods allowed either. If you are new to rifle shooting as you state it may pay to check the effect of gradient on bullet drop for your rifle as its likely you will face shots at steep angles if hunting in the Alps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted February 16, 2013 Report Share Posted February 16, 2013 6.5x68 is a classic Chamoix calibre. Id opt for accuracy over power every time, personally look at 260 or 6.5x47, they require no more killing than any other "goat or deer" with well placed shots. Drop is unimportant, you will not be taking snap shots, learn your come ups and have a suitable scope which you can dial in, i'd also consider using an ACI as you may be faced with steep incline shots. A wonderful opportunity I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted February 19, 2013 Report Share Posted February 19, 2013 At 300 any normal stalking rifle will do the job, like said you wont have time to fiddle. spend time practising not in the gun shops. Very jealous BTW always fancied a go at this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yetidude69 Posted March 18, 2013 Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 You are in for a truly awesome experience, its damn hard work but is worth the effort! I was lucky enough to hunt the chamois along side the tahr whilst in the southern alps in new zealand! They were by far the hardest animals i stalked over there, the terrain in which they live can be truly extreme! From my experience, just stick with the calibre you know, I was just using my .308 and i had no problems. I did meet alot of hunters over there, and most opted for the .270, but i met guys using anything from the 22-250 right through to 300wsm's! I even met 2 guys using a .338LM and .50BMG, but there was no stalking involved there lol atb J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cumbrian 1 Posted March 19, 2013 Report Share Posted March 19, 2013 I use a 7x64 and berger 168 Vlds for chamois hunting, I used a PM2 in scope in the Alps afterwards my guide said it was illegal to use a scope with anything othr than a straight forward duplex reticle for hunting. He said a lot of french hunters use ballistic reticles but either don't know the laws or don't care he said it was not such a big problem for a french citizen but could be a big problem for a foreign visitor. I am heading to the pyrenees this autumn and will take a zeiss conquest with target turrets and a normal duplex reticle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaun Posted March 19, 2013 Report Share Posted March 19, 2013 What is there reasons for the law against anything but a duplex reticle?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris-NZ Posted March 19, 2013 Report Share Posted March 19, 2013 As has been said, they're not hard to kill, just gotta put one on the money. Anything from .243 up is OK but thar deserve a bit bigger as they're tough. The Z5 3.5-18 mentioned is sure a nice scope. My one has had the zero stop single-turn mods done to the turret- only 13.25 MOA available but that's plenty and you just can't get lost. Wind her back and it's always zero, don't even have to look. Have fun Chris-NZ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cumbrian 1 Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 What is there reasons for the law against anything but a duplex reticle?? Haven't got a clue, nobody mentioned anything when I was there, the owner of the company later emailed me about the reticle when forwarding on some pics, for all I know he might be wrong, but to avoid hassle I will take the conquest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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