Question on .243

[Ken_K]

Ken,

Why do you say to steer clear of the 770? I prefer the 700, but we're talking about half the price or so...

The 770 feels cheap (to me anyway). When cycling the bolt it "drags" along and feels like it's trying to hang up, the stocks are on the flimsy side, and the trigger leaves much to be desired. Keep in mind I'm not some gun snob that thinks if your not spending wads and wads of cash on a rifle it's junk. I almost bought one but when compared side by side to my 700 ADL the price difference seemed well worth it then, and still does now.

[chipD]

Man those look really nice, I have always liked wood furniture just old school that way. I have to say that those are some of the best looking synthetics I have seen.

[Ikeo74]

No one has mentioned these 2 facts. 1) .223 is not legal for deer in a lot of states. 2) .243 will take deer consistantly only if you use premium ammo. Don't use cheap ammo for deer, 3) your wife will love the .243.

[JustinN]

I guess I should state, I am in Missouri, where .223 is legal (but it's not really something I'd want to use). Also, I'd say ammo choice is just as important as shot placement with many rifles. You can get to the point of overkill for caliber on the game where any round will kill it, but even the 125 grains I shot out of my 30-06, once, left a lot to be desired on the whitetail I killed. I switched back to 165 or 180s quite promptly after that.

[JFootin]

Justin, you can nix the pink thing by pointing out that, for hunting, the gun needs to be unnoticeable amongst the trees.

[JustinN]

I can already hear the "Aren't deer color blind?" and "What about this bright orange vest?"

[Bawanna]

Justin, you can nix the pink thing by pointing out that, for hunting, the gun needs to be unnoticeable amongst the trees.

Like his wife is gonna be unnoticeable amongst the trees? Oh you probably haven't see pictures of his wife. Very very pretty.

It's actually amazing what will blend into the woods especially if it's not moving. A Pink rifle I'm sure would go completely unnoticed. Come on Jfootin we're going to bat for the missus here. Get on the train.

[JFootin]

Like his wife is gonna be unnoticeable amongst the trees? Oh you probably haven't see pictures of his wife. Very very pretty.

It's actually amazing what will blend into the woods especially if it's not moving. A Pink rifle I'm sure would go completely unnoticed. Come on Jfootin we're going to bat for the missus here. Get on the train.

Ok. Hows this? Kind of a pink camo.

[Bawanna]

perfect

[AJBert]

I'll throw my two cents in, though I concur with everyone here. The .243 is a fantastic deer round. My mom hunted with hers for many years and my wife used it for a few years. My son took his first deer with it, too. Now my neice will be using it.

One of the flattest shooting calibers out there. Recoil is next to nothing compared to my .270's. Great selection of factory ammo out there, too.

And, yes, stay away from the 770, particularly if it comes with a scope. You'll wish you went with a 700 AND you'd be changing out the scope soon rather than later. In fact, stay away from any gun/scope combo unless the scope is a name brand you have faith in. Most of those scope combos are complete pieces of crap.

[muggsy]

I have a .243 built on a Mauser Mark X action with a Douglas barrel. It has a Leupold Vari-X II 3X9 scope. You can load it with heavy bullets for whitetail deer or with light bullets for chuck hunting. The .243 is a great rifle round for a women and/or new shooter. Good choice on your part.

[paperpuncher]

Not sure if I can get this to post since I'm mobile, but my Savage .243 is as easy a shooter as there is. I downsized from a 7mm mag in my old age, and it's a tack driver.

[CJB]

Ive got a 6mm rem and 243... Both very easy in the shoulder if firef and held correctly.

[Gliderguy]

.243 or 7mm-08 if you want to step it up a teensie bit in caliber or bullet weights for slightly larger game. .243 is a very flat shooting round and has taken a LOT of deer, and still appropriate as a varmit round with the lighter bullet weights. My dad hunted whitetails with a Sako .243 for ages before finally kicking it up a notch to a 7mm then eventually a 30 WSM.

Loads and rifles for the .243 will be easier to find, but the 7mm-08 may be a better all-around caliber if larger than deer are going to be on the agenda.

I have found in my rifles that a composite stock helps reduce felt recoil. I have a .300 Win Mag that I swear kicks less than a .308 of the same weight, the .308 is a hardwood stock, the .300 is composite. I have done 100 round range sessions with the .300 in the summer in a t-shirt, and I am not particularly recoil tolerant, just average.

[jeepster09]

My favorite rifle calibers are:

.243, .270 and .308 those calibers are all flat shooting and will work on almost any game out there.