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Old 03-14-2008, 02:07 AM
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Pavomesa
 
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Texas
Posts: 425
Default RE: A bunch of questions....? which .243 rifle for antelope ?

I'm a great believer in keeping it simple. I'd go with a standard .243 Win simply because this is already max case capacity for the cartridge. Anything bigger is a waste of powder and barrel.

Secondly you are looking for a HUNTING rifle. Frankly, I don't give a hoot in hell for a rifle that will shoot sub MOA. This is some sacred cow most shooters rave about that really means almost zippo in the real hunter's world. I once had a .257 Robertscustom built on Mauser action that never ever shot a group smaller than 2.25" at 100 yds no matter what bullet and powder I tried...and I tried a bunch. But hunting that rifle was a death ray and I made some of the best shots in my life with that gun. Nothing was safe out to about 325 yds. That rifle simply liked to hunt and could care less about targets. And that was fine with me because I was a hunter...not a target shooter.

On the other hand, I've had rifles that would easily shoot sub MOA and they never accomplished anything spectacular at all hunting.

So ask yourself are you wanting a rifle to hunt with or a rifle for playing off a benchrest? If you're a hunter, forget the other BS. Get a standard .243, or even a light one. The advantages of light rifles for a hunterFAR out weigh the any supposed disadvantages. And the assumption that a rifle is light therefore automatically not nearly as accurate is another popular myth. The most accurate rifle I ever shot was a .220 Swift with a barrel so thin you could pick your teeth with it.

Get you a good little .243, scope it well and live happily ever after. It's been done by many before. No big mystery.
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