. 243 For youth

[russ209]

Hey brothers what is the forums opinion on a 243 for a youth hunting rifle? I was handling a winchester model 70 in 243 yesterday and it got the wheels turning. Thanks stay safe Russ.

[tamalpias]

I'd say go for it, but the old timers here will probably say 25-06 due to the fact it is a lot flatter shooting and very easy on the recoil.

[Fjold]

As long as the kid can shoot accurately it will do fine for California hunting.

[Rem222]

My wife (Petite) shoots a Ruger M77 Compact in .243

I think the .243 is a excellent choice.

[pacrat]

.243 is an excellent choice. Light rifles, low recoil, flat shooting nothing not to like.

JM2c

[toby]

You will be hard pressed to find a better rifle than the Winchester and the 243 is a great caliber for anyone except for those who don't believe.

[as_rocketman]

Good caliber for grown-ups, too. Why not?

[thomashoward]

Why not. I've taken 18 bucks with a 6mm

[Sutcliffe]

It might be a caliber that you 'outgrow' and trade up

If you want an easy shooting and accurate rifle that has better large game potential you ought to look at the 6.5 Swede or .260 Remington.

[MongooseV8]

If I can hit a moving squirrel at 400+ yards with mine, you should be able to hit a buck in the boiler room at 100 yards or less. Plenty of hunting loaded factory rounds available or roll your own for the ultimate 243 deer gitter.

[ripro75]

243 is a good choice. I was in the same dilemma with my 12yo son. I ended up getting him a savage trophy hunter xp in 308. He initially used 308 low recoil cartridges.
Either way, can't outgrow a 243, it's good forever.

[Sideways]

If you get a Savage .243, which I really like and has been a great choice for my kid, try to pay the extra for the special trigger. We wish we did.

[Desertdoc]

I would have no problems for using the .243 for everything but bear, elk or moose. It has downrange energy, velocity, it is popular with tons of load data, brass is available.

The recoil is light, but I will say this. I am a big guy, 6' 4" 225 lbs. Recoil is sharp. It is a 6.1 MM projectile in a .308 case.

I have a Remington Model 78 Sportsman 22" barrel, yes it is a 700 SA confirmed by me with Remington, and I added a very nice BDL stock dropped right in, no smithing.

Love this rifle/cartridge combination.

IIRC, Hornady lists a 58Gr factory load @ 4,000 FPS. Fun.

[NorCalFocus]

I bought my wife a Axis .243 last Christmas and she loves it. I grew up shooting Remington 6mm as a kid. Its a flat shooting low recoil caliber.

[Divernhunter]

For hunting I prefer a 260Rem or a 257Roberts. Both low recoil and better for less than ideal shots.
Started my daughter on a 257R when she was about 7 and she has taken many animals with it here and in Africa. All one shot , no tracking kills out to ranges of 410 yards.

You may like the 6mm cartridges but I would suggest the two I stated.

My 2 Cents