Looking for a new rifle..243? 257?

TheRogue · 11-10-2002, 02:52 PM

Another year of borrowing the father-in-law's 243 for blacktail hunting....I gave it back on the last weekend, but ended up hunting one more day with my long barrelled cannon... SEE HERE :depressed: :depressed:

So, darnnit, I want my own "little" rifle. 243 would be ok, but 257 would probably be a little more appropriate for the across-the-clearcut 300 yd shots. Any ideas?? I'm all for any cheap old used rifle, beat-up is ok. I'll probably replace the stock with synthetic anyway, as well as putting a Leupold 2x7 on it.

I know, I'd be just fine with my big rifle, but it does weigh right at 9 lbs all rigged up with a full magazine, and even loaded down with 130 grainers, it's plenty of umph!

Stopped at Sportsman's Warehouse today, looked at a Ruger lightweight in .257 Roberts and .243. 20" bbl, 6+ lbs, sweet little rifle....didn't really want to spend 390 bucks, though. Also was a Weatherby .243 UltraLightweight, 24" bbl, the same weight. Of course, you could buy three of the Rugers for the cost of one of the Weatherby!

Ideas, thoughts, reccomendations, anyone have something they'd get rid of?? Bolt action only, I had a Savage 99E in 243 for my first rifle, nothing wrong with it, just never was really comfortable with the lever action.

TR

[ 11-10-2002, 03:54 PM: Message edited by: TheRogue ]

KingFisher85 · 11-10-2002, 03:04 PM

You can do 300+ yards with a 243, I have seen it happen and I have also seen it drop many deer.
If I was to go out and buy a gun just for deer hunting, it would be the Ruger M77 in the 243 caliber, But I would also be debating on the same gun but in the 270 caliber. Both can take deer very good at short to long range.

MountainLion84 · 11-10-2002, 03:09 PM

i just bought my son the savage package gun in .243. it was around 350.00 it comes with a 3x9 scope, a synthetic stock and a hard case. It seems like an okay gun. I bought him the youth model, as i figure he'll have to get a bigger caliber for elk someday.

blacktail · 11-10-2002, 03:17 PM

Kyle,

I don't think you are going to find something decent any cheaper than $390.

My suggestion would be a Ruger Ultralight in .243, .257, or .270.

My Dad has them in .243 and .257 and I have one in .270.

They are nice, light rifles for crawling through the brush with, yet they will reach out across a clearcut if needed.

Another nice thing about the Rugers is that you get the scope mount system with the rifle which saves you at least $40.00.

One thing that I don't like on the newer Rugers is the trigger. Most of them have terrible triggers. I would recommend having a gunsmith see what he can do with it, or spend the money and get a Timney replacement trigger. A bad trigger can be one of the worst culprits for poor accuracy.

I also like a lightweight variable scope on these rifles. A Leupold Compact would be great. For more money, a Leupold VXIII in 1.75x6, or 2.5x8 or a Kahles in 2x7 would be great.

Good Luck.

Mike

Boedy · 11-10-2002, 04:24 PM

I would say a .257 over a .243.

My favorite though is a 25-06 for deer / antelope just check the ballistics and you will see what I mean. Flatter and harder hitting then ether .257 Roberts or .243..

Remington makes a nice Model 700 Mountain gun in 25-06 I have my eye on around 6 pounds I think but way over the $390 you had mentioned, Anybody out there have a FFL that could tell me what wholesale is on that Remington? thanks

TheRogue · 11-10-2002, 04:27 PM

I know what you mean about the terrible Ruger triggers, my wife's rifle is a M77 in 7mm. Very tough to shoot, the trigger pull weighs at 8.5 lbs (had it checked)!!

It's on my list of things to get fixed.....any reccomended 'smiths??

I've already got the 2x7 sitting in the gunsafe, so that's probably the scope I'll use.

I had a 270 for a long time, I'd consider it again, but I'd really like to stay down smaller.

Gun show coming up at the Expo Center, may have to visit.

thanx for the input, keep it coming!!

BTW....Remington has a Mountain Rifle in the .260 Rem. Anyone know much about these??

[ 11-10-2002, 05:28 PM: Message edited by: TheRogue ]

Fish_N_Russ · 11-10-2002, 05:53 PM

TheRogue,
what type of shot do you normally take? Heart? Lung? Head? Neck? I ask because for most of those situations, a 300 yard shot is about max for 243 and close to that for a 257 Roberts on deer sized animals....especially if there is a good crosswind. Granted if you're a great shot and are very confident in your ability then those calibers would do well. Personally I would take the extra reach and hitting power of either 270 or 25-06 so that a one shot kill would be much more possible. I would rather heft a little more weight and know im going to only need one or two shots.
just mtcw

Russell

Tilla · 11-10-2002, 06:11 PM

My Ruger 7mm (Circa 1973) has a wonderful trigger pull. My wifes 270 (circa 1984) Ruger lightweight was horrrible until she had the trigger pull lightened.
Anyway.... .243, 6mm, 25.06, .257, .270 all fabulous calibers. I'd love to have one of each. Nothing worth argueing over here. But you gotta admit that the .270 is pretty universal, remember Jack O'Conner?

blacktail · 11-10-2002, 06:53 PM

Kyle,

If you want to stay "smaller" than a .270, there are plenty of great calibers.

The .260 you mention would be a great blacktail cartridge as would be a 7mm-08, 6.5x55, .308, etc.

I killed my first five or six bucks with a .243, but decided to go with something that shoots a little larger bullet.

I might be having a rifle built next year, and will probably have it chambered in 7mm-08.

Mike

TheRogue · 11-11-2002, 06:16 AM

Fish_n_Russ.....I was raised on the premiss of "Put them down, now!!" All shoulder shots, I don't like to hit any farther back. Have ruined a good deal of meat that way, I know, but there isn't much meat on the shoulder of a blacktail, anyway.

I have learned to hold lower on the shoulder though (when I get the opportunity, and don't have last day buck fever

) Less meat loss, and missing a little forward is a clean miss, while a little back is generally heart/liver.

I think I'm going to pursue the .260, and see what I can find. The 270 I had for most of my hunting life was a 21" bbl obnoxious thing, that kicked worse than my .300 I have now. I know that it wasn't the best example of a 270, but I'd rather not go back there.

Thanx for the input!

TR

jfia · 11-11-2002, 07:27 AM

Would go with the .257 over the .243 myself. Have always liked the Roberts. I bought my wife a Rem. Model 7 this year in .260. So far I am very impressed with it. As far as the rifle is concerned the triger could be smother but not bad for a factory job.
Have not found a bad handload yet. It loves H 4350 and 95gr. hornady V-Max bullets (not a deer round though) . Had to walk down range after first sighting in with this load. 5 shots one small cluster. Loaded her up some nosler 100 gr. for deer. See did not get to check the preformance on game this year though. Maybe next year. But I have heard nothing but good things about it. I think I might like this round more then the old .257 which I always thought was a great deer round.

Chum King · 11-11-2002, 07:45 AM

My recommendation would be to go with the 257 Roberts in the Ruger, or go to the gun show and look for something in that same power range.

I have a friend that I respect greatly when it comes to hunting rifle recommendations, and he swears that the 250 Savage is the best blacktail cartridge around. I have seen nothing to dispute that. The 257 "Bob" is a notch up in velocity from the Savage, and the "Bob" has been on "to get list" for some time.

Some others have posted that they like the 25-06. Personally, I would not recommend the 25-06 for blacktail. I have a couple of friends that have used them for blacktail and mule deer, and it always seems that they end up with a lot of damaged meat. With blacktail, unless you only sit on landings, there is a very high likelihood that you are going to end up with a shot at less than 100 yards, and the 25-06 is still screaming that close in.

Just $0.02 more to add to your thoughts. Enjoy shopping

11-11-2002, 08:05 AM

Can't beat a 7mm-08 but a .250 Savage, .257 Robets, ..260 Rem, 6.5X55, 300 Savage, or a .308 Win all will work good for blacktail deer. If you get a .308 you could also use it for close to medium range elk.

Nerta has a Savage M99 in 30-30 that I would like to take from him but he won't let go of it :shocked:

willametteriveroutlaw · 11-11-2002, 06:17 PM

My vote is for the .243.. They do a great job on deer. I have personally shot 7 caribou with mine, including a couple of pretty big bulls. Just use a quality 100 grain bullet and you should have no problems. If you want to go bigger get a 25-06.. Way better ballistics than the 257 roberts.

brshooter · 11-11-2002, 06:34 PM

My vote would be for a Remington Model 7 in 7-08 Rem. or go with the newer 260 Rem. Model 7 in sure sweet to carry. I have been very pleased with the model 7. Remington has a decent trigger also. If you are real particular on your trigger, they can be cleaned up real nice with just a simple hone or you can drop in a Jewel or Shilin trigger. I would try to stay with a Remington short action. Less weight, less action flex, and quicker lock time.

nerta · 11-11-2002, 06:56 PM

I like my 243 but one might consider a 7x57 or 7-08 . Ok Keta if you want the old savage that bad come and get it so you quit bugging me about it. it's yours :grin:

Flatfish · 11-11-2002, 07:04 PM

Ok might as well chime in.First,if you shoot them in the lung/heart they die.If you shoot anywhere else they may slow down enough for a finishing shot...or they may run into the next county.....or they may die.I have little field experience with the .22s for deer and have heard enough bad reports on their performance to rule them out for my use.Anything from 24-30 caliber,regardless of chambering)will kill blacktails dead.The trigger is important,the bullet is important,the person shooting well is important.I stress the good marksmanship thing because I saw 4 deer crippled this year from poor hits.The guns were ,a 6mm rem and a 243,1 deer 2 hits 1 deer lost.
A 25-06 1 for sure hit(poor but it bled for a while)and another possible another lost deer.
A 30-06 that hit behind the gut,angled forward thru the off lung.Shot the deer the next day.Accounted for all the bullets.recovered the slugs.She lived from a low velocity(by the time the bullet had plowed thru a couple feet of gut,food and all the other fun it went thru the diaphram and the off lung at a low speed and radial damage was minimal)impact on the vitals.The bullet in question was a Barnes X.No finer slug made for killing.She was eating when we shot her thru both lungs and finished the job.
1 338 thru the paunch,1 thru the flank,1 thru the front leg low,an hour later 1 thru the lungs.She fell to the lung hit so fast she raised a cloud of dust.
We had a bad season as far as cripples goes.We will be sure of our marksmanship before we release the trigger or we will not shoot.We will not assume a hit,from any size gun,will slow them enough to finish.We will not repeat this season.Painful for the game and the hunter.Some of the folks shooting were green.Some have shot deer for better than 50 years.All deer hit well died very quickly no matter the chambering of the rifle.Every one lost or slowly killed deserved better.
I am not a perfect man.try to learn from some of my experiences.Beware of the man with only 1 gun.Learn your arm well.
Mark and the dog.

GutshotApe · 11-11-2002, 07:06 PM

One advantage of the .243 is it is a "standard" caliber and factory ammo in various bullet wts. is often sold at bargain prices along with .30-30, .30-06, .270 at BiMart, etc. Not so with .257, .25-06, etc.

No Wishin Just Fishin · 11-11-2002, 08:20 PM

My deer and antelope rifle is a 240 weatherby Mag prob flatest gun in North America that still hits hard

SeanD · 11-11-2002, 10:28 PM

Another vote for the 7mm 08. Short light handy rifle with great ballistics with the 140's, and plenty of punch for elk with 160's. I also really like the savage rifles, not sure if you can get one in 7 08?

Mtn Man · 11-12-2002, 07:54 AM

I would have recommend either the 25-06 or the 7mm-08. I have a 25-06 now, I used to shoot a .243. My dad shoots a 7mm-08 and has had very good luck with it. We have killed both deer and elk with them.

11-12-2002, 07:54 AM

AD11 fish,
Wrong, it only pushes a 100 gr bullet to around 3100 fps (the case has too much capacity for the bore diameter, called "overbore"). The 25-06 shoots a 100 gr at almost the same velocity.
Both these cartrages get their energy from velocity and to have real punch a round has to have both weight and velocity. Velocity also tends to increase the amount of blood shot meat. For what "TheRogue" wants to do a 30-30 would be far better than your .240.

[ 11-12-2002, 11:15 AM: Message edited by: Keta ]

Salmon Stryker · 11-12-2002, 08:31 AM

Rogue,

I know, I know it's no pea shooter like you are describing above but if you bought my Semi automatic 30.06 for sale on the general classified board you wouldn't miss big ol nasty bucks like you did this year. You can keep your eye in the scope and keep firing till you fill the old boy so full of lead he can't run any more.

Seriously, it has a light recoil, hair trigger, good 300 yard gun as well as brush buster for those famous "sound shots".

I would make you a good deal on it as I thought I had it sold but the gentleman backed out just today. He had me down to $320 and since I feel for you on the buck that got away this year I might be able to do a little better.

I've gotton a lot of deer with this gun on second and third shots after botching the first one. I swear by the semi autos.

Gus Orviston · 11-12-2002, 09:49 AM

I like a gun that is fun to shoot to start with and as light as it can be. I put a lot of rounds through my 25.06 and it doesn't produce a punishing recoil. My brother is putting his 270 Wby mag away by the 10th round, so practice is ususually short for him. I would buy something that is pleasant and does the job on the target. For cross clearcut on blacktail I would pick the 243/25 or any mentioned above in that class. If you are looking to wade through brush and want to have a better chance at the shot you missed this year... Open sight lever action. 30-30 or similar.

We carry a little of both. From one hunt to the next I will carry a short range weapon to a clearcut "distance shortener"

For Mule Deer I would rethink my choices and might step it up a bit due to the larger bodies.

TheRogue · 11-12-2002, 01:12 PM

Salmon Stryker....if you can find someone to trade a Ruger Lightweight in .243 for your '06, I might consider then buying the .243 from you!!

Right now though, having a .300 I can load down with 100gr pills if I want, I just won't be accomplishing much with getting an '06. Rather have something I'd be happier with shooting all year long, at squirrels, 'yotes, etc.

Thanks, though

TR

RipDatLip · 11-12-2002, 02:04 PM

First off, I've mainly quit deer hunting because of bad hunterts. People out there hunting in shorts and t-shirt just don't make it much fun. There are too many people that don't take it seriously, and too many people that don't know how to hunt!!! Not only do I hate to hear about other people getting shot, but I don't want to be one of them!

Back on topic - I'd probably look for atleast a .270

Matt

Salmon Stryker · 11-12-2002, 02:28 PM

Okay Rogue now that you have refused my offer, I will tell you that a friend of mine bought a savage .243 and it shoots awesome. He can group 1 inch shots at 100 yards all day long with that thing. A couple years ago he droped a doe from 400+ yards with it. He broke its back, but it was still pretty impressive. I don't know what would happened if he didn't bone but that thing dopped like a ton of bricks.

Nookie Monster · 11-17-2002, 08:42 AM

I grew up hunting Montana muley's and anteloupe with a Ruger 6mm - love that gun. This year deer hunted eastern Oregon with a Remington 260. I am extremely impressed with the 260, it is lightweight and great to carry, accurate and pleasant to shoot and the 120 gr. bullet I was shooting did a number on the animal.

BuKuBass · 11-17-2002, 10:19 AM

You might be able to find a Rem. 600 for less than $300. They came in .243, .264, .308 and more. It has a 19 inch barrel. Mine is a .308 that been customized with syn. stock, trigger and bolt work, etc. Weighs under seven pounds with compact 2-8x scope and full magazine.

KingFisher85 · 11-17-2002, 09:05 PM

I have a Remington model 660 in the 243 caliber. it also has like an 19 inch barrel. You can find them for cheap too.

PS I need a new stock for mine, anyone?

11-18-2002, 07:31 AM

Try Gun Parts Inc. 201 Broadway West Hurley, NY 12401 Phone: 914-679-2417 they have parts for almost any gun.

Gun Parts Inc. (Numrich Arms)

[ 11-18-2002, 08:32 AM: Message edited by: Keta ]

KingFisher85 · 11-18-2002, 05:58 PM

They did not have it there. All I could find is 4 other stocks to differnt Remington guns.
Thanks anyways.