Thread: Rifle for my boy .243

.243 will be perfect.
I use one as my night culling rifle. Went with .243 as I have far less chance of losing sight picture when I shoot. Mine is 18.5" and mostly use 105gr targex and reloder 26. Have shot a lot of deer with this combo, many out over 500 yards. Projectiles punch well above their weight and make the humble 100gr soft points appear to be sub par.
95gr ballistic tips go well but no better than the 95gr SST which are cheaper.
If the tikkas are finally here I'll upgrade to one as well, weren't many options for fast twist a year ago.

I checked with the LGS today about fast twist Tikka 243s ( a young cobber is after a lefty 243) and he told me that he called Beretta and they told him that they don't have them yet and didn't know exactly when they would see them . . . now did he mean only lefties or is that 243s in general?.

Originally Posted by Tentman

I checked with the LGS today about fast twist Tikka 243s ( a young cobber is after a lefty 243) and he told me that he called Beretta and they told him that they don't have them yet and didn't know exactly when they would see them . . . now did he mean only lefties or is that 243s in general?.

I’m sure there was one in H&F the other day

Originally Posted by Makros

They sure do, a few more calibre options would be nice. I'll have one in a 1:8 twist .243 and another in .223 or 6x45 thanks.
Spent ages trying to find a 7mm or .308 Howa Alpine on the second hand market after they stopped producing them but they just don't come up. I went with a Kimber Hunter instead. But I would have brought one of these if they were available when I was after a .308 or similar bush rifle.

A mate just dropped his standard howa into his alpine stock with zero issues he couldn’t tell if there is any difference between the two


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If going with a .243 then I wouldn’t pass up on using 95 gr targex projectiles, after all their made right here in NZ, have great accuracy and are efficient killers.

I started my sons shooting deer around 10 years on a suppressed .308 and they had no problems. A .243 is a bit light for reds IMO. Suppressor makes a huge difference. I love my Sako finnlight

Originally Posted by O Ekaj

I started my sons shooting deer around 10 years on a suppressed .308 and they had no problems. A .243 is a bit light for reds IMO. Suppressor makes a huge difference. I love my Sako finnlight

You wouldn’t like the ‘.223 on deer’ thread then


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Just a thought.......If its his first rifle I would consider a Tikka T3X Hunter in wood/blued........A very traditional look which will bear the scars and scratches of his hunting history and serve as a permanent reminder of memories that cant be had with a plastic stock.
While I have a few Tikka's/howa's etc in plastic stocks as my 'working rifles', whenever I pick up my first centrefire ( a Sako Vixen in 222) the marks of hunting instantly bring back memories of my first deer and the hunts leading up to that success.
A first rifle in my view should be a little bit special and ,dare I say it, more traditional than an off the shelf plastic/stainless modern model....

But thats just me I guess...

Hornady Custom Lite .308 have less muzzle energy than a standard .243 round. Presumably this would mean less recoil? Just a thought.

Originally Posted by Seventenths

If going with a .243 then I wouldn’t pass up on using 95 gr targex projectiles, after all their made right here in NZ, have great accuracy and are efficient killers.

Yeah good call. I have a heap of .223 69gn pills here Bryn made for me. Great bullets

Originally Posted by Allgood

Just a thought.......If its his first rifle I would consider a Tikka T3X Hunter in wood/blued........A very traditional look which will bear the scars and scratches of his hunting history and serve as a permanent reminder of memories that cant be had with a plastic stock.
While I have a few Tikka's/howa's etc in plastic stocks as my 'working rifles', whenever I pick up my first centrefire ( a Sako Vixen in 222) the marks of hunting instantly bring back memories of my first deer and the hunts leading up to that success.
A first rifle in my view should be a little bit special and ,dare I say it, more traditional than an off the shelf plastic/stainless modern model....

But thats just me I guess...

Yeah , A valid point too ....

243 with 1:8 twist
2.5kg bare rifle
Rigid stock
Suppressed
Good recoil pad

That would be ideal, unfortunately no such rifle exists

The new howa is an exact match . . .

Smack in the middle between 243 and 223 = 22-250

Less recoil than a 243 and kills just as well, a lot more authority than a 223, only negative it has got a '3' on the end

Originally Posted by Tentman

The new howa is an exact match . . .

which one? the superlite is 6.5cm /7-08 and 308 not .243

Howa also don't make a 1:8 .243