I'm in the market to get a .243 but am stuck between a few brands.

• Browning A-bolt micro hunter
• Remington Model Seven CDL
• Ruger M77 Mark II

While I want to stay in favor with my future father in law (he reco's the Remington) I wanted some other opinions on these gun makers. I'm a pretty short hunter (5'0, 135lb) who likes to travel fast and light. But I don't want to sacrifice quality to get a light gun.

Overall, most folks I've asked rank Remington and Browning over Ruger. I've held all 3 guns, and the remington and browning feel the best. I'm intrigued by the Ruger and have heard some good things about it, but man, it felt too light, and too thin!

While I think LOP is important for quick shot acquisition for shotgunning, it's not that important for rifle hunting. The LOP on both the Remington and Browning are similar, the Ruger is way smaller and has less drop at comb and at heel than the REM or BRWN. The latter is what makes me keep considering the Ruger. I plan on mounting a scope on the rifle and am thinking I want a small drop at comb and at heel to keep my eye in line with the scope.

Am I putting too much emphasis on the drop at comb on the Ruger? If it's not that important to properly using the scope, then I'll forget the Ruger all together. Then the choice is down to Remington and Browning—which of these guns is better? Which gunmaker is better? Which has better customer service?

And since the drop at heel is so small on the Ruger, doesn't that mean it's more of a straight stock so the recoil will go straight back instead of directed downward? That might be another reason to forget the Ruger. I know the .243 doesn't kick that much, but I hear lighter guns with a less than average drop at heel will kick more comparatively.

Thanks in advance for all of your help, advice and stories!

C