Recommend a Bolt Action in 243 Win

In .243 I'd go at least 22", and why not match your .270 as far as the rifle goes?

I used H4831 in .243, but I was loading for a 26" 1:7.5" twist shooting long 105s. For a friend of mine's .243 I load H4350 in a 22". Hodgdons does list IMR4831 in .243 for everything from 85grn to 115s.

TIKKA

IMO 243 is too close to 270 to justify both. I'd be looking 223.

The 270 could cover varmints or deer, but would still work on moose size game. 243 was developed as a combo round for varmints up to deer and it will still do that. But with todays bullets and loads is bigger than needed for varmints and an even better deer cartridge than ever. But if I had a 270 and 243 I'd never use the 243.

223 is dirt cheap to shoot, has virtually no recoil, and is extremely accurate for punching paper at the range. It is near ideal for varmints and with proper bullet choice can be used on game up to deer. You'll shoot more, and become a better shot.

I'd get a Browning X-Bolt.

dak0ta said:

Never considered the 223 as an option as I don't have an AR. I mainly just want a rifle that can be good for the range, economical to shoot, not fatiguing, but also can do varmint and blacktail deer work.

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Personally, I'd use the .270 for blacktail and get a .223 for the range/economy/varminting uses. Really can't beat the 223 as far as bang for your buck for rifle rounds. Can be nearly half the cost of 243 and 270 depending on what kind of rounds you're buying, and can be used on everything up to coyote sized game (and maybe a little larger). Some people use it on deer as well in states that allow it, but it wouldn't be my first choice for deer.

Tikka is never a wrong answer. The most accurate off the shelf production rifle I've ever loaded for was a plain vanilla Tikka T3 .243. It routinely shot 0.5-0.7 MOA with the cheapest bullets I fed it (i.e., Hornady 100 grain Interlocks)

dak0ta said:

Looking for something to complement my 270 Win. What rifles do you recommend for this caliber and what's a good barrel length? Budget wise, $700-900

For reloading, is IMR 4831 that I use for 270 Win able to cover the powder burn rates of 243?

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First thought... Savage Model 11G... back when it was wood-stocked and had open sights. Good barrel length... 20-24"... shorter and you loose velocity, longer and you get into diminishing returns.

IMR 4831... yes... 100gr SP's... I've done it... hafta check the Hornady manual... I've slept a few nights since then.

I've killed a couple blacktails while I was stationed inn WA, they aren't all that big as I remember, smaller than the average whitetail. Also I shot mine around St. Helen's and the longest shot was still under 100yds.

I agree with the others, the .270 will do anything the .243 will do as far as deer go.

"I mainly just want a rifle that can be good for the range, economical to shoot, not fatiguing, but also can do varmint and blacktail deer work."

The .223 bolt gun will definitely work well for: economical, not fatiguing, and varmints. Guys do use .223 on deer with the proper bullets, and probably larger deer than blacktails. I shoot my .223s just about weekly, had one out this morning practicing at 200 & 300 on steel.

Personally, I'd look for a good used Remington 700 BDL like this one. Or maybe a Model Seven. I like Remingtons, especially in .243.

Model 7, or if you want a budget tack driver, Savage <insert model here>
Even the regular Axis is an accurate rifle. I just spent yesterday helping a friend zero the .243 Axis I scoped for him. I explained reducing parallax, then did the adjustments for him as he shot. He decided on a .243 because he has rheumatoid arthritis in his shoulder, and he had developed a flinch when shooting his .30-06. (Rem. 750. It is going to his son.) Plus, his daughter has killed two deer with her .243 Axis.
We got that Axis shooting into 1" paster dots at 100 yds. I shot it after he zeroed, and I put 'em in the 1" dot also. This was with factory Federal 100 gr. PowerShock and Win. 100 gr. Power Point ammo. We are going to work up some loads with 95 gr. Nosler CT Ballistic tips and 95 gr. Partitions.

Chuck R. said:

and probably larger deer than blacktails.

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Yup, my son has killed around 20 WI whitetails with .223, and lent his.223 rifles for others to get deer with.

dak0ta said:

Looking for something to complement my 270 Win. What rifles do you recommend for this caliber and what's a good barrel length? Budget wise, $700-900

For reloading, is IMR 4831 that I use for 270 Win able to cover the powder burn rates of 243?

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For a rifle, hands down, running away, with my dying breath: Savage.

My current caribou load/projectile is a max charge of Hodgon Superperformance and an 85 grn Barnes TSX.

If you were to hunt varmints, I would suggest a 50-60 grn HPBT projectile and IMR 4895.

I wouldn't really suggest a 243 in heavy, dense brush, but if I had to, I would use some version of a 100 grn projectile with a reputation of holding together. I think the TSX bullets open too easily for this environment.

This rifle and caliber combo has vast potential for a dedicated hand loader.

I hunt with a Savage 110 in 243. It's a bit of an odd pairing, putting a small low-recoil round in a rifle that weighs 9 or 10 pounds slung and scoped, but it gets brought out anyway because it absolutely shoots the lights out.

I love ruger and normally would recommend, but my Ruger American is meh.

My buddies model 7 in 7-08 is a dream and the Howa i bought this week is already showing promise with my 75 gr hp loads.

So I'd recommend a 700/7 or savage or Howa

I'd match the rifle to your 270: a common manual-of-arms is never a bad idea. In line with jmr40's suggestion, if the your use of the gun will lean more towards the range than blacktails, I'd go 223 and continue to use the 270 for the deer....you just can't get any cheaper to shoot than a 223. But a 243 as an all rounder, as long as the upper end is limited to whitetail-sized critters, makes a lot of sense. And, for deer hunting purposes, it can come in a significantly lighter package than the long action 270. On the other hand, where I am, it is not unheard of for the opportunity to take a 300-400# black bear to present itself while hunting whitetails, for which I'd much rather have 150g 270 load than anything 243.

Hi...
I would recommend a Sako.
I particularly prefer the L579 model. Not terribly expensive on the used market and they are very nice rifles.

CZ 557 American. Enjoy.

dak0ta said:

I like the Rem 700 action, as that's what my 270 Winchester is.

Is there much difference in a short action 700 vs model 7 in 243? What about a venerable Model 600 or Model 788 in 243? Other one I would be interested is the Browning A-Bolt II.

I should add I prefer walnut and steel and I like vintage rifles. Mauser 98s, Husqvarnas, SAKOs, Winchesters etc.

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Not sure about the 600 but have had hands on a 788 and the thing to keep in mind is what projectile do you want to launch? Barrel twist will be a factor. The best twists come from Ruger, Savage and Remington. Modern Remington barrels have a 1:9 1/8" twist but some of the other stuff will have a slower barrel and not stabilize some bullets (nothing wrong with flatbases though). This is just something you should be aware of.

I have 3 bolt guns I use for hunting: an older Rem 700 in 243, a Ruger American in 6.5 CM, and a Mossberg MVP in 223. The 243 does very well with the cheap Winchester power point 100 grain rounds. However, I wouldn't buy a newer Remington. The RAR (a $400 rifle) gives accuracy on the level of some sniper rifles I used in the military, using Federal non-typical white tail 140 grain SP's, at about $17 a box. The MVP uses 75 grain Hornady BTHP match, and is accurate and deadly on white tail and hogs. If I were to downsize to only 1 hunting rifle, it would be the Ruger in 6.5 CM. It is also available in 243. I think a 6.5 CM would be a better choice for blacktail than 243 if you are shooting them at longer distances than say 300 yards.

With so many good budget rifles and scopes being produced now in your price range or less it is hard to make a bad choice. I would look hard at the fit and controls. A good trigger and safety is big for me.
An example is the Ruger m77 and Winchester 70 three position safety is one of the best designs but I don't like them. The forward push tang safety on the Browning A bolt and Savage 116/16 or side mounted on the Remington 700 or Weatherby Mark V are my favorites.

I would look at the same style safety as your 270 if you like it.

If I were buying, it would be a Browning X-Bolt or CZ, as I’ve had experience with them and I’m very highly pleased with both.

There are probably a lot of good answers and few bad ones. We live in a time when accurate rifles and great scopes are relatively quite inexpensive. When I was growing up, a 1” rifle was rare as unicorns and a scope that didn’t fog was rarer. Today it’s common place

In the end, it’s personal preference as much as anything

Keep in mind that Savage short action rifles don't have to be heavy. In the plastic factory stock, with a lightweight scope, I've had several that were just a hair over 7 lbs. That makes for a nice weight in a .243. Savage factory recoil pads are very nice too.