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Post by beehunter on Apr 10, 2016 20:24:39 GMT -5
I intend on purchasing a rifle in .243 very soon. I am not a rifle guy, always been a muzzleloader and shotgun hunter. My question. What is a good, affordable bolt action going to cost me? IS 300.00 to 350.00 enough to get a decent rifle? I have never priced them.
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Post by bucshunter on Apr 10, 2016 20:53:10 GMT -5
Why the .243? I'd recommend another caliber unless you are recoil sensitive or this was for a youth. I think you can do much better in the caliber department. A 30-06 is a good all around caliber or you can go with a .308. If you are looking for an affordable rifle I hear good things about the Ruger American, I have a Marlin xs7 that is good but now Remington has bought them and I'm not sure if quality is the same. Another option is the Savage Axis. The last piece of advice, don't skimp on cheap, trashy scopes! A couple of good economical choices are Nikon prostaff or Burris fullfield II.
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Post by tynimiller on Apr 10, 2016 21:15:46 GMT -5
I would just stick to your Muzzleloader personally. Unless you plan on taking 200 yard shots or more your muzzleloader is more than sufficient.
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Post by nfalls116 on Apr 10, 2016 21:20:56 GMT -5
While muzzleloaders are sufficient and deadly what-if there are two deer there someone wants to kill... I had to reload with a deer staring at me last season it was unnerving trying to get the second shot loaded
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Post by js2397 on Apr 10, 2016 21:27:59 GMT -5
Buy the Ruger American in .308, you can get it for around 360 at rural king.
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Post by nfalls116 on Apr 10, 2016 21:31:36 GMT -5
I agree rural King has good prices
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Post by firstwd on Apr 10, 2016 21:34:49 GMT -5
Why a .243? Because some of can PROVE that size doesn't matter. ;-)
I have a .243 Handi Rifle, but they aren't real easy to come by these days. It's not a bolt gun, but it shoots better than I do.
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Post by jjas on Apr 10, 2016 22:23:28 GMT -5
Five bolt actions in your price range that I would look @ would be.... The Savage Axis, Savage Axis II (it has the accutrigger), the Ruger American, and the Mossberg Patriot. All have received great reviews. I've shot an Axis and was amazed with it's accuracy for what they retail for. If you don't necessarily have to have new, and...if you can find a good used Remington 700 that might be an option. I agree with bucshunter about the scope. While a Nikon prostaff won't break the bank, I have them on just about all of my rifles and have always been satisfied. You can't go wrong with a 3-9x40. Another piece of advice I will offer is that you don't scrimp on scope rings. I like Warne rings and you can get a set from Amazon for less than $30.00 (not including shipping). Here's a link for those... www.amazon.com/Warne-Scope-Mounts-Medium-Permanent/dp/B000NK4JC2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1460344840&sr=8-1&keywords=warne+scope+rings Good luck. |
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Post by tynimiller on Apr 10, 2016 22:40:58 GMT -5
If you want to buy a firearm I encourage you to avoid places like Rural King. Go support your local small gun shops, and while there you may be surprised at a used hunting rifle many of them seem to have on their shelves.
I concur with jjas, though on options he listed. I love my two Savage Axis with accutriggers (.17wsm and .223)
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Post by subzero350 on Apr 11, 2016 1:38:03 GMT -5
My dad bought a scoped Remington 770 chambered in .308 two years ago on Black Friday special. He paid less than $200 for it, brand new.
The scope it came with is a 3-9x40 Bushnell, if I remember correctly, and it's cheap. But it works.
The scope rings are cheap, but they work.
The gun shoots straight at 100 yards, not super accurate though. But that could be due to the cheap scope and rings, or the ammo we were using.
One thing I did not like about this gun at all is the action. It seems to have been designed for the .30-06 cartridge and then Remington modified it to run the shorter .308 shells. The bolt travel greatly exceeds what is necessary to load and eject the .308 cartridges. The bolt is also clunky and doesn't actuate smoothly at all. I greased the crap out of it with Gunslick and that helped, but it didn't cure the problem.
I'm sure if we mounted a good scope on it using some good rings and ran some match grade ammo, it would prove to be accurate. But that doesn't address the aforementioned design flaws with the bolt.
Bottom line: do your homework and research before buying anything. Also make sure you research ammunition prices and availability if you haven't yet decided on a certain caliber/cartridge you want to hunt with. That being said, I agree with what was said above about the .30-06. It has been around forever, it is available almost everywhere ammo is sold, and it is a great all-around cartridge for all sorts of jobs.
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Post by savagehead on Apr 11, 2016 5:05:31 GMT -5
Nothing wrong with a .243 at all...I use one exclusively for depredation control work and it performs flawlessly. I run a Savage model 11 shooting Hornady copper 80 grn GMX. avg fps 3400. It is a very deadly combo.up to and including 300 yds. Well north of 200 have fallen to this combo.This little pill will bust bone. A testament to this is I have only recovered 1 bullet and it was a perfect barnes mushroom. It travelled the entire length of the doe taking out vertbrae along its path. Is the a.243 a bean field rifle? Nope...but is covers 95% of field situations very nicely.BTW...my vote is for a Savage accu-trigger of what ever caliber you settle on. They are hard to beat for the money. i picked mine up lightly used for $300 You can also use it as a dual purpose round and take out yotes...
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Post by parrothead on Apr 11, 2016 5:43:35 GMT -5
beehunter, sign up for Rural Kings gun site. RKguns, they only have the Amercian Rugar on hand when they get them in for a sale you can't order it all the time.
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Post by bucshunter on Apr 11, 2016 6:40:51 GMT -5
Nothing wrong with a .243 at all...I use one exclusively for depredation control work and it performs flawlessly. I run a Savage model 11 shooting Hornady copper 80 grn GMX. avg fps 3400. It is a very deadly combo.up to and including 300 yds. Well north of 200 have fallen to this combo.This little pill will bust bone. A testament to this is I have only recovered 1 bullet and it was a perfect barnes mushroom. It travelled the entire length of the doe taking out vertbrae along its path. Is the a.243 a bean field rifle? Nope...but is covers 95% of field situations very nicely.BTW...my vote is for a Savage accu-trigger of what ever caliber you settle on. They are hard to beat for the money. i picked mine up lightly used for $300 You can also use it as a dual purpose round and take out yotes... Nothing wrong with a 243, even less wrong with a 308 or 30-06! |
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Post by MuzzleLoader on Apr 11, 2016 6:43:09 GMT -5
Picked up a h&r 243 handi rifle for 269.00. Put a Nikon 3x9x40 on it 149.00 and just got it bore sighted. Just over 400.00 for the whole set up.
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Post by bart1533 on Apr 11, 2016 6:44:00 GMT -5
1. Savage axis
2.mossberg
3.ruger American
In that order. More bang for ur buck. I personally don't own a Ruger so that's the only reason for being last. I heard there real nice for a budget gun. I like the savage because my 358 Hoosier is built on it. Didn't care much for the cheap stock but later up graded to a Boyds stock. Trigger job and now it's a sweet gun.
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Post by realhunter on Apr 11, 2016 7:02:49 GMT -5
Why buy new? I'd look at a used Savage model 10, 110 or a Remington model 700 in the caliber of your choice. There isn't a lot wrong with the Ruger American rifles, or the Savage Axis rifles, etc.... but there is not a whole lot right with them either. The resale will be much better on the 10, 110 or 700... I picked up a Savage 10 in .308 at Whittaker Guns in Owensboro for $375.00... Not sure if it had even been fired... Just like this.... (less the scope)  |
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Post by beehunter on Apr 11, 2016 7:26:48 GMT -5
I am sticking with the .243 for recoil reasons because I have a chemo port close to my right shoulder that is sensitive to recoil. I have also shot deer with a .243 pistol before and I was really satisfied with the performance on a whitetail. I was looking at a Remington model 783 in .243 for 320.00 and that includes a scope, rings and free shipping to my gun dealer. I have read good reviews on the Rem 783 along with the Ruger American and the Savage rifles so I would say its between those 3 depending on what I can find unless I can find a good used rifle.
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Post by parrothead on Apr 11, 2016 7:37:45 GMT -5
A gun store in Kentucky had an add on TV that they had 14,000 guns in stock. I bet they have lots of used ones to choose from.
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Post by jjas on Apr 11, 2016 8:52:46 GMT -5
I am sticking with the .243 for recoil reasons because I have a chemo port close to my right shoulder that is sensitive to recoil. I have also shot deer with a .243 pistol before and I was really satisfied with the performance on a whitetail. I was looking at a Remington model 783 in .243 for 320.00 and that includes a scope, rings and free shipping to my gun dealer. I have read good reviews on the Rem 783 along with the Ruger American and the Savage rifles so I would say its between those 3 depending on what I can find unless I can find a good used rifle. If recoil is an issue and you want to stick with .243, Hornady offers some reduced recoil .243 loads. Might be worth a try. Here's a link.. www.hornady.com/store/243-Win-87-gr-SST-Custom-Lite/ |
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Post by tynimiller on Apr 11, 2016 8:54:09 GMT -5
I am sticking with the .243 for recoil reasons because I have a chemo port close to my right shoulder that is sensitive to recoil. I have also shot deer with a .243 pistol before and I was really satisfied with the performance on a whitetail. I was looking at a Remington model 783 in .243 for 320.00 and that includes a scope, rings and free shipping to my gun dealer. I have read good reviews on the Rem 783 along with the Ruger American and the Savage rifles so I would say its between those 3 depending on what I can find unless I can find a good used rifle. If recoil is an issue and you want to stick with .243, Hornady offers some reduced recoil .243 loads. Might be worth a try. Here's a link.. www.hornady.com/store/243-Win-87-gr-SST-Custom-Lite/jjas you know fellas who have used that exact load on deer/antelope sized game? I've heard mixed reviews but all second hand type stuff. |
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