.243 Good all around gun?

[Craig Fletcher]

Hi all.

Need some input from all of you that know more about rifles than I do, That includes most everyone!:rolleyes: :rolleyes: Any way, I'm looking to buy a rifle that I can use to hunt mainly deer in W. Va. and groundhog in Ohio. Is the .243 a decent compromise caliber? I'm looking for something that is fairly cheap to shoot using factory shells. I may reload later down the line, but it would be factory ammo for awhile. What kind of effective range does it have? assuming I don't flub the shot, what is the range. Does anyone have any other suggestions for a decent all around rifle? Thanks, Craig

[MadCatter]

I don't think you can go wrong with a .243, very good all round rifle, good assortment of factory ammo. You can get decent factory varmit rounds or load even better ones yourself ... very accurate, mild recoil.. The 25 calibers are good too, but the drawback to them is it might be a little harder to find ammo ..

[crappielooker]

i remember when i lived in australia, my friends was using .243 to dropped kangaroos and wild hogs.. great range too.. i dont know much about guns tho..:rolleyes:

[george tinkham]

great for deer,you won't have to worry bout overkill...don't use it on moose or elk

[Basementdweller]

I have a friend in the military who lives and hunts in wyoming every elk season. He harvest his elk every year with a 243. Personally I wouldnt do it but he has done it as long as I have known him. Where he hunts it is really thick and long range shots are not an option.

IMHO probably the best round for general hunting. Good on everything from grd hogs to deer. Light recoil, lots of factory loaded ammo. You can get a new remington 700 for less than 400 bucks,

[george tinkham]

yup i have heard of elk being kilt with .243...defineately not overkill

[vvarmitr]

If you aren't going to handload for awhile this is your best choice
for what you want it to do. There are varmint loads as well as deer loads readily available. Be sure to save your brass for when you start handloading.

If you're going for a new rifle I would be looking at the Savages!
As far as I'm concerned I've bought my last new Remington. Not that Remington makes bad guns, but for out of the box accuracy I haven't seen anything better. Just talk to Sharp Shooters Supply in Delphos, Oh. ;)

[M.Magis]

I agree with everyone here. The .243 is a great all around gun. I have a 6mm Rem., which is almost the same gun. It's a great compromise up to deer size game. Anything bigger than that I have no experience with.

[vvarmitr]

Craig: you mentioned effective range. Well, if you can see still see some groundhog behind the crosshair of a 12x scope; it's trigger time! If every thing went right that 'hog's gonna die. As for the effective range for deer there are no end to the articles written on that subject. A lot depends on the load you're using & your ablities (which should be pretty after 'hog hunting all summer).

What about an all around scope? :eek:
Personnally I've come to favor a 4-12x especially if varmints are a concern. 3-9x some how leave me cold.

By the way Craig, why do you only want one gun?:confused:

[Turkeyfoot]

Craig....got my .243 years ago with the same idea in mind. Have'nt taken any deer long range with it but have shot groundhogs out to 300yds with 85gr. HP. I understand there is a new 52gr. HP that is very flat shooting and devestating on groundpigs. Several WV rifle hunters I know swear by the old 25-06 for long range deer hunting. But, I don't think you can go wrong with the little .243 either!....TF

[george tinkham]

i used a 30/06 on puny texas whitetails...definately over kill

[Thunderflight]

I've got an old lever action Marlin 30/30 that I inherited when my father passed away.

I've hunted with that gun several times and have never once fired a shot at a live animal with it. It's almost like the gun is cursed...:eek:

My next rifle is going to be a Remington Model 700. I'm thinking about a .308 or 7mm mag. Then again I may just buy another bow instead...... A "real" bow...(que: thunder)...:)

Thunderflight

[george tinkham]

real bow,hmmmmmm

[Craig Fletcher]

Thanks for all of the replies. I wasn't expecting this much help. Much appreciated.


vvarmitr: It's not that I only want one, It's just what I can get away with at this time.:) You mentioned Savage rifles, Any particular model you prefer?

What's a decent brand of scope to buy? Something decent but affordable?

Any preference of ammo brand?

Again, Thank You for the input. Craig

[M.Magis]

I've not owned enough to give an objective opinion on a particular brand, but with any optics, buy the very best you can afford. Don't be afraid to spend as much, or more, on a scope than you do the rifle. Of course, that depends on the rifle you buy. Leopold, Nikon, and Burris all make quality optics, with affodable models to chose from. Try to determine how much you will use the gun. Some people use their guns only occasionally, and are very happy with cheaper scopes. Others want only the very best. Most of us are somewhere in the middle.
BTW, I got to put a round through the 6mm tonight, and saw my first case of mange in the area. 100 gr soft point at about 250 yards. Did very little fur damage, it was shame to have to bury him.
Let's see if this works:
http://www.ohiosportsman.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=211

[vvarmitr]

Craig: If you can get away with one; that's a good start. If you can get away with 20 ,that's a better start at least in my book.:D
As to what model you should get depends on how you hunt. If you run for the barn every time it starts raining. Anything will do.
If you take really good care of your guns you don't need stainless steel. Now if you don't have the good sense that God gave a goose to come in out of the weather then I would look at the un-wood stocks. However, as in most cases the George$ rule.

As for scopes you can't buy a new one that isn't funtional. I totally agree though with M.Magis put as much $ in the scope as you can. Personally, I'm a Burris fan. One scope brand to really look at is Swift, if you can find a dealer. I'm buying more of them.

As for ammo brands this is where the Savage shines.:D
Savages will shoot 99.9% of ammo from well to great & some even better. But like all guns it will have its favorites.

One other thing, rings & bases. Get bases that are windage adjustable so you can keep your crosshairs centered as much as
possible within the scope itself. (better clarity)
And if there is enough money left the Burris Signature rings have a lot going for them. Good night son!

[Thunderflight]

BV (aka:george tinkham)

Don't let that get out on bowsite.com..... I've got an image to keep...:)

Thunderflight

[Smallie34]

The 243 is a great groundhog round good out to 400 yds or more, I hunted with a guy who used a 243 and he had pretty good luck with it(he loaded his own though) I have a 6MM Rem myself its a Ruger 77 and I have nailed several pigs with it, I know this might draw some fire but I wouldnt use a 243 on deer, reason being if you get a trophy deer out in front of you and here you sit with a 243, the margin for error would be small, not to mention the fact that you will probably be more than a little excited, I know its a proven fact that thousands of deer size game are harvested every year with 243s but if I had a choice I wouldnt use a 243, I would consider a TC Encore, you could buy one in a smaller varmint caliber such as a 223,22-250 or even a 243, and then when the time comes buy a extra barrel for it in the form of a 308,30-06 or 25-06, I have one and I love mine, I have a 26" heavy barrel in 223 and a 26" heavy barrel in 25-06 they both serve me well, they cost somewhere in the nieghborhood of $500-$550 and then the extra barrel run about $200 new, thats when the fun of TCs start when you can start buying your extra barrels so cheaply, but whatever you decide I hope that you will be happy with it and that it serves you well.