Playing "Ma Bell" for not a ton of $$

A

almark

New member
So I have a friend that seems to have this obsession with long range shooting, and I thought I may help facilitate her habit and augment my rifle collection at the same time. I'm somewhat interested in long range shooting, but I was also considering getting into deer hunting. What I'm looking for is a flat-trajectory, Texas Whitetail-capable round that isn't horribly expensive and doesn't have too much recoil (my friend is recoil sensitive, but she can handle a 12 ga pump with light target loads). If I were just going to do the longrange shooting I would probably choose a gun in .223 because of the ammo cost but since I've added the deer gun qualifier I'm thinking something more in the range of .243. So, my question is, what would you consider to be the cheapest cartridge that still has a fairly flat trajectory out to, say, 300 yards, can kill a whitetail with good shot placement at maybe 200 yards tops, and isn't a shoulder-killer? I'm currently thinking .243, but am open to suggestions. Also, if anyone could recommend a platform I'd appreciate it. I'm currently looking into the NEF/H&R single-shots. Thank you! :)
 
M

Mal H

Staff
Considering the kick criterion, I don't think you need to look any further than your current thinking about the .243. It has a lot going for it - low recoil, fine for short range white tail deer, good ammo availability (and price) and every popular rifle maker chambers it. For a little more kick you could go with the 6mm Rem (same .243 bullets) or for even more, the 7mm-08 as Brian suggested.
 
S

spacemanspiff

New member
6mm or 6.5x55 would probably be good options. cz produces new rifles in 6.5x55 i believe, if you didnt want to go the c&r route.
 
J

Jseime

New member
.243 seems to be the ticket

.243 offers what you want
it is quite versatile and able to use a wide range of bullets from little varminters to 100 grain premiums.

for rifle id say a remington or savage blot would serve you well in whatever configuration you choose. or if you have more funds available a winchester sako or tikka would be very very nice depending on how much you like the friend.

of course dont forget a good scope. a fine rifle with a cheap scope is a crime


for your texas white tails id look into a good 85 grain premium bullet (boat tail, polymer tip for greatest accuracy and trajectory)
 
A

almark

New member
IronLance: None at the moment. I just recently got her involved in guns and shooting in general, and she seems to have gravitated to the long range stuff. Currently "long range" is cantaloupe-sized targets at ~50 yards with a 10/22 and scope.
 
I

IronLance

New member
:) Ah. In that case the .243 will fit the requirements you're looking for.

:D When she gets hold of the .243 and starts banging steel (or whatever) at 300+ yards, we'll talk again.

My first choice would be a Savage.

Have fun!
 
J

jonathon

New member
Just out of curiousity, what about a .308?

Not very much recoil, and accurate out to pretty far ranges....

If only I wasn't a pistol addict..
 
A

almark

New member
Hadn't considered the .308...

I thought the .243 actually shot flatter at long ranges... thats the impression I got from the Remington ballistics page anyway. Of course, that info could always be off (or maybe I'm not interpreting the chart correctly). About how much "kick" does a .308 have? Any gun you could compare it to? It'd be cheaper because I could get milsurp ammo, I suppose, but how do the prices compare between the two for modern commercial ammo? I wasn't anticipating buying milsurp ammo anyway, but if it makes a big difference I'd consider it. Oy... so many decisions!! :p

Edit: Out of curiosity, Iron Lance, what type of cartridge were you considering for longer ranges? Being a college student, money's tight, and I'd rather not buy a rifle now that is gonna hamper my shooting in a year... then again, I doubt I'll ever find the limits of a rifle/cartridge considering how I shoot! :p
 
D

Dave R

New member
About how much "kick" does a .308 have?
Click to expand...
Noticeably more than a .243 or a 7mm/08. Kicks like a 12ga. with moderate loads--depending on which load you're talking about for the .308, too. 180gr. bullets produce more recoil than 15ogr. bullets (just enough to tell the difference.) Also depends on the weight of the rifle...

But in general, .308 kicks significanlty more than .243.
 
A

almark

New member
well...

Sounds like it'll be the .243, however, as with all my purchases, it may be a while before I can get my hands on one, so keep the suggestions coming if you have one! If it weren't for the recoil, I may go with the .308 just to get a more capable deer cartridge and be able to buy cheap surplus ammo. However, my friend is recoil sensitive and I probably will never need a more capable deer rifle. So I believe I'll go with the .243 and thanks to a glowing review by rojoe67, I believe I will also go with the H&R/NEF Ultra Hunter, unless a nice bolt action appears for cheap. I just really like the single shot thing, dont know why, but then again I also shave with a straight razor! :p Thanks for all the great info! Now... can anyone recommend a scope while we're at it? :D
 
Last edited:
T

Trip20

New member
.243 is great :)


Also to be considered for this application is the .270. It's known as one of the "flat shooters" and is a great deer round. The recoil is not bad IMO - but you know her better than I do...
 
S

Smokey Joe

New member
Kick etc

Almark--I have to respectfully disagree with Trip on the .270; it recoils more strongly than a .243, with proportionally the same bullet, all else being equivalent. I don't disagree at all that the .270 is a flat shooter. I dealt with this recoil issue when my #1 son was starting hunting; he was small and slight, and a .243 was as much as he could reliably handle. With 100 grain Nosler Partitions, he kilt every deer he aimed at.

'Scopes: Serious advice: Buy the best glass you can afford!! You can't get a fine rifle to perform to its ability with inferior glass. In perfect conditions, you won't see the difference. It's when the light is low, or at very long range, or you're looking through precipitation, that a quality 'scope becomes worth the difference in $$.

FWIW, I have a Bushnell 3200 and a 4200, on different rifles. Both are very nice. Right at dawn (best time of day for deer) the 4200 is better.
 
Last edited:
T

Trip20

New member
I couldn't agree more Smokey Joe. The .270 kicks more than the .243.

If she finds the recoil acceptable it's a good choice, because in my opinion it's a more substantial deer round than .243. It also has a wider range of application than the .243 (i.e. I hear of plenty of elk hunters who use .270... not so much .243).

I love .243 & .270 both. If she can stand the recoil of the .270 I'd go with that. If not, the .243 is awesome and she'll enjoy it just as much I'm sure.

My girlfriend is 5'2" (130lbs - she'll kill me) and has shot the .270 with good results. I'd suggest this round for others of her same size. Everyone is different and while she's able to handle the recoil - others may not.

I'm buying a .243 soon myself so I'm definitely not knockin' it :)
 
A

almark

New member
Update!

Well... I just went and bought one!!!!!! :) :D :p ;) :cool:

Got a .243 H&R UltraHunter with 22" barrel for $250 + tax. Technically, I have one on order... should get here on Friday. Really looking forward to it. Thanks for all the help, guys!! Now I gotta start the hunt for a good scope! ;)
 
P

Picher

New member
A recent development is reduced power factory ammo in .270 Win., .30-06, and I think, .308 Win. That opens up a whole range of possibilities. Don't know if you've looked lately, but 30-06, .270 Win and .308 are the cheapest factory ammos you can buy at WalMart. Why? VOLUME!

Now, lets say your friend got a Remington 700 synthetic in .270 Win. She could practice to her hearts content with reduced power loads that kick about the same as a .243, then switch to full-power loads for killing deer, if she liked. If not, she could still shoot deer with the lighter loads, just at ranges under 200 yards.

The big advantage to these new rounds is that they are supposed to hit at about the same point of aim out to 200 yards, due to use of a lighter, but still a deer bullet. Wow!!! My grandsons are going to love those rounds in my rifle.

The other advantage is that rifles in .270 Win are very re-sellable if she ever wants to get out of it, where a .243 Win, .25-06, 6.5, or 7mm-08 may not be as sellable in some parts of the country. Many dealers shy away from used .25-06 rifles because many are used with hot varmint loads and get shot out.

Picher
 
T

tbradford

New member
I know this is a little late, but I would have shied away from a single shot rifle, when recoil is one of your main criteria. A semi auto will help dissipate a lot of the felt recoil in a rifle.

As for caliber, the .243 is an excellent choice. The reduced recoil loads for several different larger caliber rifles do offer you some more options, as well.
 
A

almark

New member
TBradford: Yah, I was thinking that the single shot would increase the recoil a bit, but more important than recoil was cost, and the single shot was definitely the most economical.

SmokeyJoe: How much did those two scopes cost you? I'd really REALLY like to keep it under $75, but I realize that won't be likely.

Picher: Maybe .270 woulda been better, but oh well. I really don't think that .243 is gonna be something I'm disappointed in, and I highly doubt I will ever resell the rifle (this will be the first gun that I actually purchased with my own money). I may not even get into deer hunting, but I thought it may be a possibility. If I had to, I suppose I could always get another rifle later. :D

Anyway, I'll post a range report whenever I get a chance to shoot it. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top