Thinking of a new .243

[Nova_C]

Seeing as this is my first post to this forum, I may as well introduce myself:

I've been shooting for 21 of my 28 years and have been getting more and more interested in precision shooting lately. I've got a Lakefield (Savage) .22 repeater that my dad gave me when I was a kid, a Winchester Model 70 7mm Rem Mag that my Dad gave me recently as well as a custom Ruger 10/22 that I bought and modified this spring.

For the interested:
(I couldn't find any rules about image size, so if this is too big, I apologize)


And a closer look with the new scope and scope rings:


That .22 has been doing .5 inch groups at 50 yards (1 MOA) with Winchester Super-X 40 grain ammo. I've been trying different ammo types and so far that's the best. Still have a few to try, though.

As far as the title and my question, I'm thinking of buying a new .243 rifle for precision target shooting in the 400 - 1000 yard range. As much as I love the 7mm Rem Mag, after 50 rounds it's a little punishing and would like something lighter for recreational target shooting.

I was thinking of the Remington 700 VLS with a Leupold VX-III Target Scope. I don't really want to spend upwards of $2000 on the rifle alone as this is just recreational. A good rifle for $1K is ideal and I'm willing to take it to a smith for accurizing if necessary.

However, I'm not very knowledgeable about what to look for in target rifle and would like any advice you guys can offer.

[Stinky Coyote]

http://www.6mmbr.com/243Win.html

you and me both thinking of a .243, i'm thinking more for a superlight mountain hunting build on a rem 700 sps stainless action for the base, then barrel/stock from there, designed around 115 gr bergers with .595 bc...

if you want target then maybe go for the smaller 6's, dasher, 6x47 would be a top pick also...

another interesting read here...

http://www.6mmbr.citymaker.com/board...1246/68336.htm

good luck with your choice...

[fluxcore]

Id say go with a .308, great factory ammo, not much recoil, easy and accurate 1000yrd reach. Check out some of the savage rifles like the FTR and the 10FCP Mcmillan short action. If your interested in savage one of their dealers is a great family friend, I get most rifles at cost usually saving a few hundread bucks

[deerslayer]

243 win, or 243 wssm? I had a win, sold it and bought a wssm, love it, shoots great , very little recoil. The win shot great also, but I prefer the wssm.

[raised by wolves]

I had a Remington 700 Varmint in 243Win that could put 5 shots into a 2 inch group at 300 metres. It shot extremely well but I prefered the 6MM Remington over the 243Win. I didn't like the 243's performance when I brought it out for deer.

If you want a light calibre, go with the Remington 700 VLS in 6MM Remington, or the same model in 308Win for longer range applications. Both shoot very well.

[Northern_Hunting_Mom]

How about a Tikka T3 Tactical in a 6MM or 270 WSM? You will need a Pachmyar recoil pad on it though because Tikks stocks and hard butt plate can make it uncomfortable with a lot of rounds per day.

[Salvelinus]

Good work on the 10/22, very sharp.

Do you reload? If shooting only factory ammo, I second the recommendations of the 308: cheaper to shoot, plenty of long range accuracy, sill mild on recoil, plus you get a greater selection of appropriate rifle choices for target work.

For the rifle, I'm partial to the Tikka T3 tactical or CZ 550 Varmint. Even a cheaper and great choice is the Remington 700 SPS Varmint, use the money saved to buy better optics, and tons of upgrades available for the model 700 platform if you want them at a later date..... but as always, try on a bunch of different rifles, shoot them if possible and get what you like.

[Nova_C]

I was introduced to the Tikka T3 shortly after I posted here by a friend and I'm just about sold on it. I've also been told many times that the .243 is good, but it probably won't do what I want it to. I don't want to go .308 since my two shooting buddies both have a .308 (One of them a milspec) so I can shoot one whenever I want. I'm doing some more research and my cousin, who knows more about guns than I ever will has recommended a .270.

Yeah, I reload - I probably won't ever buy factor center fire cartridges again. It's so much cheaper and more consistent to do your own loading.

[Dick284]

I think you need to define your type of precision rifle, a bit further.

Fellows like Bushrat, have true precision rifle, those being true blue benchrest rifles capable of doing 5 shot groups of 2 to 3 thou's of an inch.

The 243Win has a nasty reputation for cranky out some wonky pressure spikes, and that is why it is very seldom seen in competative shooting events. M
ore common calibers seen in competitions are 22PPC, 22BR, .223Rem, .222Rem, 6x47, 6 PPC, 6BR. Then there are the larger calibers often used in shillouette matches like 260Rem, 7mm-08, 308Win.
Then comes the even larger stuff used in tactical matches, usually starting at 308Win, and going all the way up to 50BMG.

The common thing about many of these rifles is many are not packing factory barrels, and even more are on precision made specific for competiton type actions.

If you want a good shooting factory rifle, one need not look any farther than a Savage or a Tikka, I'd pick calibers common to competitions, but that's just me.

[Stinky Coyote]

yeah, when you said 400-1000 yrds and for target shooting i stand by my initial reply, whole different ball game if you intend to stick with a factory gun and want it for hunting....if you have a 7 rem mag already then a 6mm target rig would be great, especially since it would still be legal for big game if you wanted too,

a friend has two very accurate 6-dashers (6-dasher is a 6BR pushed out to hold about 4 more grains of powder i believe), one he barrelled for lighter bullets and built off a rem vls for a coyote rig and the other is straight benchrest, they don't have much recoil and very accurate little guys, i'm surprised at the velocity vs bullet weight when you see how small the little rounds are!...the .243 holds quite a bit more powder but its interesting about that guy that beat out a dasher and ppc in that competition from the links i gave...doubt you'd see that very often but still.....for a hunting build that might be just the ticket for me as i'd probably sacrifice a little accuracy potential for the extra horsepower as another guy in those threads mentioned....

choose the bullet you want to shoot first....then the cartridge/gun comes next when you figure out how fast you want to push it and if you want a hunting gun or a bench gun...400-1000 yrds you want the high bc stuff known to be very accurate

i have a tikka .270 lam/ss that shoots really good and with factory ammo i'm very comfortable with it to 500 yrds, the burris ff2 3-9x40 scope with ballistic plex reticle has hash marks for 300, 400 & 500 yrds and the line up perfect with 130 gr fusion ammo at a little over 3000 fps if zero'd 2.9" high at 100 yrds, and its easy on the shoulder, i had a tikka .243 also, it was accurate also

but i remember you saying 400-1000 yrds and target shooting right?......

[Tako]

Look no further!

http://www.remington.com/products/fi...el_700_VTR.asp

That being said, I friggin love my Tikka, accurate as hell. But the stock sucks.

[RUM]

Well I may get tarred and feathered for this around here, but here it goes anyways if you are just looking at a standard factory rifle!

Around Christmas I picked up an A-Bolt Composite Stalker in 243. (I know, NOT a BROWNING!!!) No heavy barrel or anything on it, just vanilla as they come. After putting a couple boxes worth of various factory shells out, that little feller tightened up and can shoot! Settled on the 85gn Barnes TSX, Federal factory loads. At 100yds (give or take 5yds, we have measured it out previous and now shoot "around" the 100yd mark) the last 9 shots I have taken with it, 2 of the 3 in each set were touching, the third not being much more than about half inch off them. Didn't measure it or anything, but sure a sweet little group for plinking off the tailgate in the pits. I would expect to get that third one tucked in a little closer with a proper rest and bench, but don't want to get greedy!

Lots out there to choose from, guess you never really know what's in the box til you test it out. Good Luck in your search

[Dick284]

By the time you jink around buying factory rifles that may or may not shoot for you, you are probaly better off to have something built by a gunsmith with a good reputation for building accurate rifles. A doner action of some type is ok, but getting it trued and blue printed, then having it custom barreled with a good quality barrel, with a chamber reamer of known quality is by far the best and likely in the long run the cheaper route to go, if not cheaper, by far it will be more prone to bring satisfaction with less worries and tweeking.

[Dozer]

For my personal longer range shooting challenges with a factory rifle and ammo I have decided on a Tikka T3 Stainless .243 and a Remington 700 SPS Varmit in .223 Lots of fun and at a reasonable cost. I might upgrade the stock on the Remy someday but I love the 26" bull barrel 1:12 twist with the standard 55gr ammo.

I would likely own a .308 if I didn't already have a 30-06 that I got years ago for moose hunting.

For one rifle to get started I suggest a nice Savage with Accu Stock and Accu Trigger in .308. or .243 with a VXII or Bushnell 4200. And second choice would be Remington 700 action because of the aftermarket options available.

If you are planning on hunting the .243 is great for many situations. I love my .223 mainly because of my access to cheep ammo (no one should buy a .223 if they see a 22-250 sitting beside it!) Just my two cents.

Let us know what you decided.

[shooter55]

for a great bench gun, you can't be a Savage 12 LRPV in 223. A big bugger, but very accurate and fun to bench shoot. I have also a 243 Rem700, I enjoy shooting it as well, but it is finicky, as some noted above. the 6mmbr might be a better choice for range shooting.
whatever you chose, I am sure you will have a blast...