Mine is a Win. 670. I love this little gun. It does have the long bolt in it though.
Its not my normal deer gun, but when I tire of hanging on to the &mag that I normally use. I can't beat that .243.
The thing I don't like about the three listed Sheridan, is they have no character (wood). I like wood stocks.

As versatile as the .243 is, your choices in firearm are every bit as diverse. My recommendation would be to check out as many rifles in your price range as you can get your hands on, get to know their pros and cons, decide which pros you can't live without and which cons you can't live with, and make your choice from there.

For general use, I'll echo that you'd be better off selecting something with a sporter-weight barrel.

Since neither of my pet .243s remain in production, I can't recommend either unless you're willing to scrounge for a used one. Both have served my uses extremely well.

I have a Tikka T-3 Lite in .243. It shoots under a half-inch very often. Not every time, but probably at least once per range session and it is my fault if the group is much over 3/4 MOA. The trigger is great right out of the box and the action is very slick. It weighs 6 pounds or less. It does have the dreaded "long bolt throw" though.

My brother is a gunsmith, and he has had several "screw-ups" that were easily fixed. One was a .308 round shot in a .25-06 T-3. He picked the brass pieces out of the bolt, replaced the extractor and it headspaced and worked perfectly. Not a crack or weak spot on the bolt. He worked at a factory repair center (Remington, Weatherby, Beretta, Browning, etc.) at the time and said that Tikkas and Savages were both great, strong actions. With Savages, he only had to replaced the floating bolt head to fix "blown up" bolts....

Best is such a relative term.

If I was going to buy a .243 I would get another Browning X-Bolt. I love my X-Bolt hunter in the 7mm08 caliber. My father has the same rifle in the .243 caliber and it's a nice gun too.

The reason I like the Brownings over some other manufacturers comes from the fact that their rifles fit me perfectly. I can bring them up and shoot smoothly.

Some guns just don't work with some people.

Go out, and look at as many .243s as you can. When you find one that works for you, you will know it.

It took me some time to find the right .22 rifle for me. Could I shoot others reliably? Absolutely. Can I shoot my CZ rifle better than them. I like to think I can. :wink: All I know is any small game within 100 yards is dead if I can get a clean shot on them.

I hear the new Marlin's XS7's are getting very good reviews and the price is good too. My brother picked up a XS7C, which is the camo version, in the .243 and it has a trigger similar to savages accu-trigger and comes with the mount rail. Still waiting to shoot it but it appears to be a nice gun!! I have a Remington SPS(Buckmaster) edition in .243 and it shoots well. Gettin anxious to shoot that new Marlin though to give it a run around and see how it is.

I've got a Browning A-bolt Hunter with the wood stock,blued barrel and it has Millet rings with a matte-black Leupold 3X9X40mm scope mounted on it,using Hornady 100 grain Custom bullets.So far I have gotten 2 nice 8-Point Bucks with it,several large Doe's and about 6 Coyotes in the past few years..its a very versatile gun,deadly accurate and a very well made Rifle.


I would also reccomend the Savage Rifles with the Accu-trigger,a Kimber Rifle,Weatherby's,Remingtons or CZ-USA Rifles too!

remington or savage,

I have a Low Wall in .243 that is a darling...to carry and shoot!

Best is a relative word, and only you know what suits your wants and needs. I would certainly include a Cooper in the top tier when you include asthetics and accuracy.

Not a great pic, but here is a M22 in 243 waiting to be cleaned.

Plus the strong reliable action, sub moa accuracy, and great customer service. That being said, you can get a lot of Savages cheaper like the blued version in a Model 10 for $387 at Walmart that has the accu trigger, and still shoots sub moa groups, or you can pay more and get a fancier one like the above, or even one with a wood stock.


IMO I'd either go with one of the Savages, and if I wanted a sub moa gun out of the box, that's what I'd go with, or I'd go with a Browning X Bolt. Both are great guns.

I'd personally stay away from anything from Remington made lately. If you get a Remington I'd get an old one.