Thinking about my first bolt action

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I'm interested in learning to hunt and have been shooting for a number of years. As I posted in the hunting forum, I'm probably going to start with small game and eventually want to try deer hunting. I currently have semi-auto's chambered in both .22LR and .223.

I'm thinking of getting a bolt action. In particular, I'm thinking of a Remington 700 SPS in .243 Win, with a Leopold VX-2 3-9x Scope. What do people think of this for a first bolt action for the type of hunting I'd like to do.

Any other chamberings you'd recommend? Any other rifles I should look at?
 
I jsut picked up a rem 700 sps varmint in .223 and couldnt be happier. It will reach out to 300 yards with accuracy, its a nice rifle. a .243 with that scope would be super accurate
 
take my thought with a grain of salt (because i have no experience to back this up) but...

you might want to look at something in .308 or .30-06. both rounds can be found as milsurp and thus good for cheap practice, and i don't think you'll find a soul that would doubt the ability of the -06 to down a deer. i'd say the same would go for a .308.

though if it's strictly a hunting gun and you won't be doing any other shooting with it, ammo cost/availibilty won't be much of an issue, i suppose.

tmm
 
.308 or .30-06

I've thought about both of those cartridges, and for a while was thinking of .308, since I like target shooting I might use it for some targets, but I primarily want it for hunting and thought that the lower recoil would be nice to have. I've shot both a M1903 and M1 in .30-06 and really didn't care for the cartridge, but that was quite a while ago when I was more recoil sensitive than I am now, although I did like shooting a lee-enfield in .303 British, so who knows?
 
I think that is an excellent choice of rifle and chambering for hunting deer. My first "Deer Rifle" was a Browning Abolt in .243. Relatively light recoil, flat shooting, easy to find ammo for, and works great for deer out to, say 250yards depending on the load you use. Oh, and I also have a Leopold VX-II 3-9x40 scope on it.
 
yes, the .243 will do the job unquestionably, also a .257 roberts is a good choice, it has relatively minimal recoil and has a little more punch thant the .243 becuase of its heavier bullet weights.
 
I like that, and the more I look at the new marlins, the more I am really digging them as well. I would do one of those, or a Savage or howa or CZ. the cz will be a lifetime type rifle as well, and super accurate, plus it has a single set trigger. If you have not fired a rifle with a single set trigger, and you have access to a public range, see if anyone on that range is shooting a cz, and ask them if you can fire it, if it has the single set trigger option.
Your mind will be made up , as soon as you do this.
 
If I were getting ready to start a hunting career instead of wrapping one up I would suggest a 270 or a 30-06. With the premium bullets available either one will kill anything you are likely to hunt. And for the normal deer hunting that most of us do the plain jane bullets work just fine.

The one 308 I owned had a sharp painful recoil especialy with military surplus loads. It was a light weight remington with a 20" barrel. I do regret selling it.
 
I would look at a Savage or its Stevens 200 counterpart. They both have greater out-of-the-box accuracy. I'd also look for a slightly larger caliber. Anywhere between 25-06 and 30-06. They have far more versatility both with range and types of game.
 
One thing you'll notice while you hunt, you hardly ever notice the recoil when you shoot big game.

Target practice...yes. I can throw on my thick hunting coat, shoot my 300 Magnum 9 times, and come out with a hickey. It hurts, but I force myself to make accurate shots, ignore the pain until the next day.

.308 will be a lot less that a 300 Magnum recoil wise. A .243 will be even less.

.243 is also a great varmint caliber. Certainly if you reload, the .243 will be very versatile out in the fields.
 
Well as I've said, I haven't hunted before, so I'm probably going to start with small game, probably groundhog. I currently have a 10/22 with iron sights that I was think of using, but eventually wanted to move to centerfire. That another one of the reason I was thinking .243 is that I could still use it on small game.

Should I give up this idea and move up to a larger bullet and use the 10/22 for the small game? I've heard good things about .257 Roberts, but sort of shy away from it because it is not as popular as other cartridges.
 
Get the .243.

Ammo is cheaper, more versatile, and it's a very flat shooting gun.

Look into a reloading set up. About $200 will get you a set up that's easy to learn on and ready to start pressing. With the .243, it's almost a must have to get it's true potential out of it.
 
A 243 will be great for what you want to do.

The 308 is a great universal cartridge but not a must-have in this situation.
 
I just got back from the gun store, where I tried out a Savage Model 11. Nice trigger. I noticed that lifting the bolt required more strength, I'm assuming that this is due to cocking when lifting up on the bolt.

It seems that this would be tougher to keep the rifle still for a second shot than a bolt that cocks on close.

Still trying to figure out what caliber to get it in. Maybe I'll have to get two :)
 
If you've got the cash handy for 2 rifles, I say do it.
Savages are known for their out of the box accuracy. A bit cheaper than a Remington, and the Accu-trigger models are loved by many.
Get a varmint rifle, then the big game rifle. Just remember to save some cash for scopes.

Other options:
Split the difference between .243 and the .308 and look into the 25-06 or .270 Winchester. Both are excellent calibers for anything from groundhogs to elk. Both are flat shooting and easy to find ammo or reloading equipment for. Bit stouter kick than a .243 though.
 
Okay, now I think I'm going in circles again.

Talking calibers. I have a flat top AR-15 in .223. I could put a scope on that and use it for small game. Probably not as accurate as the bolt actions I'm considering, but what would .243 give me over .223?

As I mentioned, I'd eventually like to try deer hunting. I spoke with a friend of mine who hunts locally and he says that there are very few places to hunt around hear with open space where the .243 would be an advantage. Lots of places with wood and brush and shorter range (under 60yds).

So here is the question, should I stick with a bolt action in .243, get a bolt action in something heavier, or get a lever gun in .30-30 when I'm ready to start deer hunting?
 
Ok, if you're talking about using the same rifle, such as the .243 for groundhog, coyote, and deer: you'll likely become a very good shot with that rifle. Being familiar with its trajectory and it's limits with you behind it is a very good thing.

The closer the better, but you will probably drop more money on a new .243 than a new 30-30. Either will do, a dead deer is a dead deer.

As far as advantages the .243 has on varmints over the .223 is stopping power and the .243 is known as a flat shooter. Then again, a .22lr is more than enough to take a groundhog at 100 yards.

Sounds like you have a dilemma on your hands. In this case, the more the merrier. Get the .243 now, practice on some groundhogs this summer, and try it deer hunting in the fall. You can always drop $250-$350 dollars on a used or new 30-30 (I think Wal-Mart has the Marlin's new around $340) sometime down the road. Both the 30-30 and .243 are quite common calibers around here during deer season.

Keep in mind that the 30-30 with newer factory ammo (LEVERevolution) has changed the way the 30-30 presents itself in the fields. Something to look into more, but a 30-30 is a great deer cartridge.
 
yes, the .243 will do the job unquestionably, also a .257 roberts is a good choice, it has relatively minimal recoil and has a little more punch thant the .243 becuase of its heavier bullet weights.
Click to expand...
+1
I have used both and would go this route if you plan to reload.
 
The Rem. Mod. 700 in .243 was my first bolt action rifle, very accurate and has killed several deer over the years including the largest mount on my wall. This rifle is so accurate I normally take neck shots with it. I think it would be a good choice if you chose one.
 
25-06, an excellent elk cartridge? It works but I would not say it is excellent at dropping a big bull.
 
My two leading contenders are a Savage 11FCNS and Remington 700 SPS. Probably going to go with .243 Win. The leading scope is a Leopold VX-II 3-9x40.
 
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