.243

[TheBassMan]

I am looking for a good .243 for hunting yote and deer. I was wondering what brand made a great gun for about 500 dollars. I was looking at the Howa Lighting Stainless, but was wondering what ya'll thought

[DANTHEHUNTER]

I like the savage 116fss over the howa . It will shoot very well for you and around your price range. I have one in a .300wm topped with a nikon buckmaster 3x9x40 makes an excellent rifle for all weather conditions.

[kry226]

I have a Remington Model 700 BDL in .243 that will print sub 1" groups at 100 yards all day long. It likes the Hornady 100gr Boat Tail Spire Point Interlocks.

[Highpower]

I've owned a Remington 700 in .243 for years and have taken many a deer with it. My favorite load uses a 85 gr HPBT Gameking. Never had a deer walk away.

[rybohunter]

Savages are tough to beat for preformance vs price.

[snipehunter]

i just picked up a ruger m-77 for 512.00 but that is without a scope but none the less it is one fine shooting rifle

[killer243]

i use a winchester model 70 love it however i would look into the wearthyby vanguard or a tikka. tikka rifles are light and have there bolts are smoother then the savage also the savage's action in really nasty i don't like where there safty's are and i don't like there stocks... but they shoot some good groups

[thenuge15]

I have a NEF single shot .243 it was $199.99. Put a nice leupold vx II 3X9X40 and you can still be under $500.

[keyshunter]

I bought a new Howa 1500, synthetic stock .243 to use as a farm gun. I don't think I will ever buy another.
The Howa has a simple adjustable trigger, but this one had a hitch in the pull--a distinctive notch which was almost like setting a set trigger before it would fire. It would not adjust out, and since it was a new gun, I called Legacy Sports, the importer, and talked to their repair manager. I explained the problem and he said to send it to him and he would take care of it. I sent it with a letter carefully explaining the problem, and it was returned exactly the same. I doubt that it was even touched. Anyone could feel the hitch in the trigger--apparently except them.

I took the trigger apart (what I should have done to begin with, since I worked on a lot of triggers years ago when I shot target and benchrest) and took a look at the sear, and the top of the trigger where it contacts the sear. Both surfaces had been polished, but under my 8x loupe, I could see that the surfaces had been polished across the direction of travel and were still quite rough, and that the sear was so rough that the casting marks were still showing. I polished the parts, and used a fine india stone to remove some burrs on the inside of the pin holes in the housing, and reassembled the gun. Now I have a nice clean breaking pull that is just under 3 lbs. I can go lighter, but that is what I feel is about right for a utility rifle.
Now I could work up a nice accurate load fot it right? Wrong. Any load I shot strung shots out to the right beginning with the second shot and progressing right as the barrel heated. Sliding a paper down the barrel channel showed a slight tightness on the left side. I pulled the rifle apart again, and saw that someone at the factory had hogged out the left side of the barrel channel with a grinder in an attempt to correct the bedding.
Now I am not sure what to do--call the company again, or butcher the inletting still further. It does shoot nice one shot groups, however. I just have to let the barrel cool for about an hour between shots.

[Virginia7]

.243 is a varmint cartridge.
Yeah, I know, it's used all the time for deer hunting, and I did the same for several years, years ago. Never lost a deer or antelope, but the performance just was not near good enough.
I'd recommend no less a deer cartridge than .257 Roberts with 117gr. or 120gr. bullets.
Better, move up to the new 260 Remington. In either case, both of these are useable not only on deer, but also coyotes.
Recommended minimum for big game hunting = .270Win.
That's my .02