Advice on 1st rifle & scope
Moderator: carlson1
Re: Advice on 1st rifle & scope
Out of the three you listed, I would go with the .243.
270 or 243, either is plenty for anything in Texas
check your local shops for prices and availability for various loads for each.
You will most likely need to go through several boxes of each to find a load that groups the best with your particular gun. And while you can always order stuff in, local conveniance is very nice...
my old Sako 243 has had numerous scopes on it, and as of now has a Monarch 4-12. With factory Federal 80g sps, about $11 a box, it groups an honest 1/2 at 200 yards... deer are just as dead just as quick with that load as they are with $27 a box Hornady Light Magnum 100gs...
The high power rarely gets used hunting unless it's a long shot and I have a very solid rest.. 3-9 is plenty for most hunting..
my dad's old Sako 22-250 has killed a LOT of deer and hogs and he's had scopes of all power ranges and it's setup with an old Leupold 2-7
My brother got a bit caught up in the power thing and got a 270 WSM, he sort of regrets it and would get a 270 if he did it over.. main reason is the cost and availabilty of ammo. being able to go into any walmart in the middle of nowhere and get factory ammo that works is a nice thing assuming you don't reload..
check your local shops for prices and availability for various loads for each.
You will most likely need to go through several boxes of each to find a load that groups the best with your particular gun. And while you can always order stuff in, local conveniance is very nice...
my old Sako 243 has had numerous scopes on it, and as of now has a Monarch 4-12. With factory Federal 80g sps, about $11 a box, it groups an honest 1/2 at 200 yards... deer are just as dead just as quick with that load as they are with $27 a box Hornady Light Magnum 100gs...
The high power rarely gets used hunting unless it's a long shot and I have a very solid rest.. 3-9 is plenty for most hunting..
my dad's old Sako 22-250 has killed a LOT of deer and hogs and he's had scopes of all power ranges and it's setup with an old Leupold 2-7
My brother got a bit caught up in the power thing and got a 270 WSM, he sort of regrets it and would get a 270 if he did it over.. main reason is the cost and availabilty of ammo. being able to go into any walmart in the middle of nowhere and get factory ammo that works is a nice thing assuming you don't reload..
yep. 25-06 is a great round
I shot one a bunch growing up that belonged to my dad
some idiot stole it
arg
I stumbled on my old Sako 243 at a show and it was beat up, stock needed refinishing and a new recoil pad cut
had belonged to an old farmer, got it new in 59
passed on and was being sold by a friend of the family
bore was clean and in great shape
so, knowing what a Sako is I bought it and have no regrets
if I were to buy a new gun for myself it would hard to decide
I like flat shooting guns
a 25-06 would be at the top of the list for sure
I shot one a bunch growing up that belonged to my dad
some idiot stole it
arg
I stumbled on my old Sako 243 at a show and it was beat up, stock needed refinishing and a new recoil pad cut
had belonged to an old farmer, got it new in 59
passed on and was being sold by a friend of the family
bore was clean and in great shape
so, knowing what a Sako is I bought it and have no regrets
if I were to buy a new gun for myself it would hard to decide
I like flat shooting guns
a 25-06 would be at the top of the list for sure
-
packina45
- Senior Member
- Posts in topic: 1
- Posts: 271
- Joined: Wed Jan 24, 2007 5:55 pm
- Location: Fort Worth, Texas
I once owned a Ruger 77 in .270, and kick myself frequently for ever getting rid of it, even with the somewhat cheap Weaver glass I had on it. Ruger doesn't have the best rep in the gun world, I know, but after glass-bedding the barrel it was a MOA rifle at 200 yards, and had put a lot of meat on my table.
My next planned long arm acquisition will be a DPMS M4 in .308/7.62 NATO. Get the best of all worlds. Drive tacks at 200 yards on the range, hunt hogs/deer etc., or be ready for when the zombies come.
Spendy, yes, at $1150 or so for the rifle and another $400+ for appropriate glass, but it's a one time investment with multiple usage opportunities.
My next planned long arm acquisition will be a DPMS M4 in .308/7.62 NATO. Get the best of all worlds. Drive tacks at 200 yards on the range, hunt hogs/deer etc., or be ready for when the zombies come.
Spendy, yes, at $1150 or so for the rifle and another $400+ for appropriate glass, but it's a one time investment with multiple usage opportunities.
CHL timeline: 43 days mailbox to mailbox
I started with hunting rifles and went to handguns only recently.My favorite deer caliber is still my 6mm remington model 788.It is the brother to the .243 win.Bad marketing by remington in the early days of it's existence was the main reason it never got popular and lost out to the .243.They are almost identical,the 6mm just a bit faster and flatter.I have put alot of deer in the skinnin' tree with that little rifle.I would go with the .243 for the reason of being fast,flat,and low recoil plus..AMMO is easy to find anywhere!!!.....and usually cheap.I have ferral hogs on the property I live on and hunt them regularly.I have taken several with my trusty 6mm.But I will say it is on the light side for hogs.....deer...perfect in my opinion.I opted for 30-06 for a step up for a hog gun and fitted a 6.5x20 scope w/50mm objective for greater light gathering characteristics.The hogs usually don't move until right at dusk or dawn.Low light periods.
All that testimony aside.......I would choose a .243 remington with synthetic stock,stainless barrel and a 3x9 leupold scope.Dial it in with remington core-lokt 90 gr. soft point.....100 yds......and add a Butler Creek sling with neoprene pad and you're ready to go.
I also inherited an Ithica .20 gauge deer slayer,shoots rifled slugs.I am wanting to take a hog with it but haven't yet.I have shot it @ 5 rounds and it puts a hole in the paper @ the size of a nickel......ewwww nasty...I think it would put the hurt on some swine.I was also a witness to a hog shot 4 times with a .270 before he went down.It was an exception rather than the rule....the hog weighed 411 lbs.Have fun!!
All that testimony aside.......I would choose a .243 remington with synthetic stock,stainless barrel and a 3x9 leupold scope.Dial it in with remington core-lokt 90 gr. soft point.....100 yds......and add a Butler Creek sling with neoprene pad and you're ready to go.
I also inherited an Ithica .20 gauge deer slayer,shoots rifled slugs.I am wanting to take a hog with it but haven't yet.I have shot it @ 5 rounds and it puts a hole in the paper @ the size of a nickel......ewwww nasty...I think it would put the hurt on some swine.I was also a witness to a hog shot 4 times with a .270 before he went down.It was an exception rather than the rule....the hog weighed 411 lbs.Have fun!!
-
portsider44
- Junior Member
- Posts in topic: 1
- Posts: 33
- Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2007 9:30 am
- Location: Lubbock TX
Lots of good suggestions 270, 7-08, 25-06, 243 it hard to argue with them one as being much better then the other.
Since it seems this is your first trip into center fire rifle. I would suggest that the 243win would be a great start. Will handle most everything you will run across in Texas.
It gives you the flexibility to shot 70-85 grain bullets at varmints or 90 - 100grain bullets at hogs & deer. Plus you get an easy kicking, good accuracy, all in a short action rifle.
As for scopes I would look at spending a little more & look at the Bushnell Elite 3200 in the $180 to $200 price range.
Since it seems this is your first trip into center fire rifle. I would suggest that the 243win would be a great start. Will handle most everything you will run across in Texas.
It gives you the flexibility to shot 70-85 grain bullets at varmints or 90 - 100grain bullets at hogs & deer. Plus you get an easy kicking, good accuracy, all in a short action rifle.
As for scopes I would look at spending a little more & look at the Bushnell Elite 3200 in the $180 to $200 price range.
-
DSARGE
- Senior Member
- Posts in topic: 1
- Posts: 219
- Joined: Wed Jan 17, 2007 6:20 pm
- Location: San Antonio, TX, USA
Fat Barrel Remington 700 is the way to go! Leopold and Nikon make the best scopes IMO, but Taso has really shaped up and makes a sweet affordable one--depending on the distance you want to shoot. I--- I mean my wife has a 22-250 that has dropped Mulies, whitetail, a couple of rams, a few hogs, and piles of prarie dogs. Flat shooting, cheaper to shoot, and very deadly depending on the bullet. Nosler partition will have all the penetration and knockdown; coupled with expansion you need for hogs. The .30 cal round will do wonders and is well capable of out to 1000 meters (shooter/equip dependant). Put thousands of rounds through a Rem 700 (M-24) with a 9X Leopold, and it was locked on everytime. It has tremendous knockdown and less effected by wind/heat/humidity than the .22 cal rounds. On a different note, my Dad's old 30/30 with the duct taped stock does the job every fall! Good luck and go to the range and try some different ones! The right bullet/placement is all you need!
I found the Lord again--although he never lost me!