Comparing .243 Rifles

[WatersDeerFL]

I am looking to buy a .243 rifle. I'm a female and I am scared of recoil. [] I have shot a .410 and 20 gauge shotgun. I am new to rifles. Can someone tell me which gun is best? Savage, Winchester, Remington, etc... ?? I was looking at a Savage .243 Model 10G and a Winchester Model 70 .243 Super Shadow (Wal-Mart). Does anyone have any wisdom to offer?? Thank you in advance.

[m.t.hands]

if you don't mind the 20 gauge the 243 will be no problem, all the guns you listed are fine guns, i bought my wife a remington model 7 in 260 rem. and it is a dream to carry and to shoot. get a gun that fits you well and the rest will fall into place. btw the 243 has very very mild recoil..

and where are my manners, welcome to the boards

[handloader1]

I think you will be able to handle the .243 Winchester's recoil fine. I would purchase the Winchester Model 70 Super Shadow (I feel it is a beter quality rifle than the Savage). Good luck.

[Alsatian]

I have a Winchester Model 70 Classic Featherweight in .243. It shoots well enough and looks very sharp. It is light weight and easy to wield. I personally find it to be an easy shooter, but it would be a simple matter to make it even easier shooting by having a gunsmith mount a good recoil pad in place of the non-absorbant butt plate the manufacturer provides (no doubt because most people don't miss the recoil pad because of the light firing characteristics of the .243!). I think it cost me $625 at Bass Pro Shops in 2003. No doubt there are other good .243 rifle offerings out there which cost less, but I like the looks of this rifle a lot. The classic featherweight is walnut not synthetic -- prettier but potentially less stable in humid environments (wooden stocks have been known to warp slightly when exposed to mositure -- rain in the field during a hunt, for example -- and this may alter the aim point of the rifle).

[eldeguello]

I prefer the Win. M70 Classic rifles for esthetic reasons, but both the Remington and Savage have excellent reputations for accuracy. If you can shoot the 20-ga. shotgun without too much problem, then you can shoot rifles up to about .308 Winchester without too much problem either. The 20 ga. actually has MORE recoil than standard, non-magnum rifles up to .30 caliber. The reason rifle recoil seems worse sometimes is because when zeroing a rifle, one is generally shooting deliberately from a bench or other rest as opposed to the more relaxed, casual attitude when shooting a shotgun at a moving target. Believe me, when you are shooting at game, you will NOT even feel the recoil, and may not even remember hearing the shot go off.

I suggest you take a look at the Ruger Ultra- Light M77 in .257 Roberts as well as a .243, .260 Remington, or 7mm/08 as possible choices.


In addition, the heavier a rifle, the less it kicks in any given caliber. Weight of a rifle is only a real important consideration if you do a lot of walking/mountain climbing while hunting. If you mostly shoot from blinds or tree stands, you can use a heavier rifle without too much inconvenience. It would be real nice if you could find a gun dealer or an acquaintance who would let you test-fire several different calibers before you buy one.

[nchawkeye]

Welcome...I have 3 daughters...wish I could get them interested in hunting...anyway...I'm 49...have owned my Ruger .243 since 1980..Have killed about 125 deer with...So don't let anybody tell you that a .243 can't get it done....Between brothers/nephews and buddies, I have seen deer killed with everything between 22-250 to 300 Win Mag....We kill about 50 deer a year on our farms...I've had good luck with my Ruger...It is an older model with the tang safety...The Ruger rings are probably the strongest in the business...I understand that the newer Rugers don't have an adjustable trigger....so to get max accuracy out of you might want to replace the trigger with a Timney trigger...I believe this could be done by a gunsmith for 100-150 bucks...but I'm not sure about that...I'd check into before I bought a Ruger...

I have setup 4 Remington ADL 700s in past couple of years...they sell for about 420-440 bucks....The trigger can be adjusted pretty easily...I'd go with the Leupold Dual Dovetail mounts for the scope....two of these 700s were .243 caliber...both buddies that were tired of recoil of 30-06...one was a ADL Youth Model...it would put 5 shots inside a dime at 100 yards with Hornady 100gr factory ammo....the other was full size 700 with 22 inch barrel...it would do almost as well....depending on how much $$ you want to spend and your height etc....you might want to go with the youth model....btw....buy a decent scope....all four of these guns had Leupold VX-I or VX-II in 3x9x40 scopes...I was able to bore sight (by removing bolt and lining up cross hair with target) and had sighted in wthin 4-5 shots...also...clean the barrel before you shoot...to remove any residue left over from manufactoring the barrel....Good Luck

[Superpig]

The Savage you looked at is a nice rifle. You may want to try the model 10GY. This model has a shorter length of pull for small statured hunters. That is if the model 10G seems a bit to long for you. Remington also offers a Model 700 ADL synthetic Youth. It has a shorter length of pull for smaller hunters. Winchester also offers the model 70 compact. Of the 3 I have listed I would purchase the Savage because it will have the accutrigger. A good trigger and a rifle that fits you will improve your ability to shoot. The 243 is mild in recoil and will cleanly take deer if you place your shots correctly. I would stick with 100 grain bullets for deer hunting. Enjoy your purchase and welcome to the forum. Best of luck deer season.

[Bilge]

ORIGINAL: eldeguello
In addition, the heavier a rifle, the less it kicks in any given caliber. Weight of a rifle is only a real important consideration if you do a lot of walking/mountain climbing while hunting. If you mostly shoot from blinds or tree stands, you can use a heavier rifle without too much inconvenience. It would be real nice if you could find a gun dealer or an acquaintance who would let you test-fire several different calibers before you buy one.

I also find that, providing you don't have to lug it around all day, a heavier rifle is easier to keep steady while aiming in the field. Just something else to think about.

[killer243]

also you should get used to your rifle. shooting it as much as possible. and if the 100 grs. bother you after a couple of shots you may want to buy some of the lighter gain bullets to pratice with. 55-80 grs. then when hunting season roles around make sure to resight the 100 grain bullets because they will likely shoot different and you will be well used to your rifle.

i like the winchester's and remington model 7's myself

[little-d]

hi ,my name is daniel and i'm from north ms.i am a forestry fire fighter and on the last day of aug. in 2000 i had a bad accident on a bull dozer and almost lost my right arm and left leg.I wanted to hunt so bad that season i nearly went crazy but it was out of the question so i just taged along with my brotherinlaws and watched.Later on the next spring i decided to buy a new rifle that i hoped i would be able to shoot the next deer season,well i looked around at different guns and bought a remington 700 243 cal. youth model. About july i had to have a bone graph in my arm and i thought i was done for another season but two weeks for deer season opened my doc said it would be alright if i used the gun on my left shoulder.I had to shoot it one handed out of a shooting vice but i was ready that first shot scared the snuff out of me but the next and the next was like shooting a loud bb gun,i guess i just got lucky because ever deer that i saw walked out in the open and stoped long enough for me to dial the vice in.I'M NOT PUSHING FOR REM BUT THE ONE I GOT I FELL IN LOVE WITH.