Ruger American rifle .243 compact? Other similar rifles?

Bought one for my nephew and it's a tack driver. .243 in a lightweight rifle like the American, still kicks quite a bit though. So it kinda depends on whether she's recoil sensitive. I'd say a .243 in a compact American and a 20 ga single shot are about on par with each other in the recoil dept. But you need to shoot the .243 a lot more to sight it in and practice with it, so she should be aware of that.

This is really where a 7.62x39 bolt action shines. Cheap practice for someone who hasn't hunted with a rifle much (or ever) and very effective on deer at any range those folks should be shooting to begin with. I'd probably point her to the 7.62x39 ranch rifle myself.

I have 2 RAR's- 1 in 6.5 CM and another in 300 BLK. They are both excellent rifles. In fact, you may want to consider one in 6.5 CM or 300 BLK- the 6.5 has very little recoil, but far outshines the 243 in performance, and the 300 BLK has no perceived recoil. Ammunition is available for the 300 BLK in the 125 grain weight range, producing velocities slightly lower than 243 100 grain bullets, and the 300 BLK is very compact with its 16" barrel. My 243 is a Remington 700, which I also like.

Savage made a model called lady hunter. The stocks were made to fit a woman's body. Shorter lop higher comb and s 20 in barrel. They were wood stocked. I handled one a few years back the ergonomics were all who g for me but was considering it for my wife. The rifles were more expensive, in the 800 dollar range, but about perfect for female shooters.

I'm not sure if they are still producing thatodel though.

The Ruger Americans are IMO the best option for the money. They are strictly utilitarian rifles with little to please the aesthetics. But they shoot as well as rifles costing 2X or 3X as much. The original 4 shot rotary magazines could be suspect, but Ruger will replace it for free if it gives you issues. The newer versions come with a 4 round staggered magazine that works much better. Some of them are offered with Accuracy International magazines which are a better choice as well.

I had a factory magazine for my 6.5 Creedmoor that would not feed once in about every 10-12 rounds. I contacted Ruger via Email and they sent me new one, didn't even ask for the old one back. It is the newer version and I like it a LOT better. I also ordered a couple of the new mags for spares.

A 243 with proper bullet choice will kill any deer just as dead as bigger cartridges and is probably your best bet for this person. If there is any chance that she may want to hunt game bigger than deer the 6.5 Creedmoor will get you to the next level with recoil pretty darn close to 243. But finding a compact in that cartridge may be next to impossible. But if there is any doubt about recoil stay with 243. If she decided to hunt bigger game later it is just an excuse to buy another rifle.

Sniper66 said:

I'm trying to help a female family member make a decision about a rifle. She is small and needs a shorter rifle. She has shot turkeys with a youth model shotgun. She likes and wants a .243 for deer on her property. This Ruger looks like it might be good for her, but I know nothing about it. Would like to hear from guys who have had experience with it or similar rifles for the petite shooter. As always, thanks for the help.

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I haven't read the other replies yet. Here goes...

.243Win... IMO, real good choice. It'll do for deer and bigger animals. Placement, in any case, is important as with any other round.

Ruger American... It's a Ruger product, and Ruger makes good rifles. I'm not going to feed you a bunch of crap trying to compare it to their M77 because they're two different rifles. I wish they'd sell just the complete barreled action. If I were to buy one, the first thing I'd do is call Boyd's and replace that flimsy polymer stock. Get the LOP right and she's good to go.

Compare with an older Savage Model 10 or 110, which came with a wood stock with the Ladies/Youth LOP. IMO... a 10/.243 or 110 in something like .25-06... it's a better deal than the new Ruger American.

Well, that's as near as I figure.

stillquietvoice said:

Savage made a model called lady hunter. The stocks were made to fit a woman's body. Shorter lop higher comb and s 20 in barrel. They were wood stocked. I handled one a few years back the ergonomics were all who g for me but was considering it for my wife. The rifles were more expensive, in the 800 dollar range, but about perfect for female shooters.

I'm not sure if they are still producing thatodel though.

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I wonder what the odds are of finding one used.

mustanger98 said:

I wonder what the odds are of finding one used.

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Not that tough. I see them on Cabelas gun library pretty often.

Here ya' go! $499 in Woodbury, MN

https://www.cabelas.com/catalog/sea...rm&N=0&Ntk=GunLibrary&Ntt=savage+lady&x=0&y=0

That's actually a screaming deal for that rifle.

I have a ruger American in 243. It's a fine rifle. I dont like the earlier version of the cheap flimsy stock. The newer ones are much more solid.
I finally checked out a newer reinforced style one and it'll be fine with a bit of sanding to open up the channel a touch.

I can get her to put 8 6mm projos in a little under 2 inches at 100yds. With projos, primers and powder from the 70's.

As much as I dislike the older flimsy stock, I won't sell her.

T/C Venture compact x2

I gutted a 6.5 CM RAP in order to make a compact with a stock and magazine purchased from Ruger. Replaced the factory recoil pad with a Limbsaver and added a Seekins muzzle brake.

This for my young daughter. Worked out nicely with negligible recoil. Trigger on either is reasonably good with a small amount of work, with each being distinctive and the Ruger crisper overall.








Ruger (green) and T/C Compass.


T/C in foreground, Ruger “Compact” in background.


Seekins brake.


Limbsaver pad.


Obvious LOP differences between rifles. Interesting the Compass is rather close to the Compact.


Just picked up a Remington 783 in .243 I haven’t gotten it out to the range yet but in terms of “feel” it feels like an all around better budget rifle than either of the other two. Would most likely need a shorter stock though for smaller shooters.

I own two Ruger Americans; one as you mentioned (Predator in 350 Legend) and a Ranch Rifle in 7.62x39. Both will take deer. Both are light. Both have threaded bbl and muzzle brakes which make them extremely light recoiling.
If she insists on the .243, see if you can get it with the threaded bbl and muzzle brake. If she wants, she can take the brake off for hunting.
Excellent rifles and tack drivers. Honestly one of the best bolt guns I ever owned and I have owned several that cost MUCH more.

Forget the muzzle brake... the blast is more annoying with it... and, if you must screw-on anything, see if a flash hider for .308 fits on a .243's muzzle.

mustanger98 said:

Forget the muzzle brake...

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Nearly all of the effort put into hunting is exerted before opening day. The level of preparation is what separates successful hunters from the pack which means putting in time behind the trigger. A good brake makes for an effective tool not only for recoil mitigation but also allows you to stay on target with a scope.

When considering the needs outlined by the OP; a rifle for someone of novice level, every useful piece of equipment is an asset while gaining confidence and comfort. Not sure why anyone would so casually dismiss the use of a brake. Come opening day swap it for a thread protector.

My daughter has had a Weatherby Vanguard Youth/Compact .243 for a long time. As with most women the comb was too low. It was easily remedied with a $20.00 Beartooth comb raiser which will work on just about any bolt action. If the Camilla Vanguard for women had been out at the time that’s probably what we would have purchased.

A Lady Savage accomplishes the same purpose, I just happen to like Weatherby’s better.

I’m shopping for the kids as well and if I were to buy today it would be a RA compact. Looking hard at 7mm-08 or 6.5 CM as elk are as likely a target as deer. I’ve fired neither round and I’m probably a poor judge anyway, but how much real felt recoil difference is there between the two? It probably matters even less because I reload and can tailor light loads as the kids grow and develop.

I cannot tell a difference.

Skylerbone said:

Nearly all of the effort put into hunting is exerted before opening day. The level of preparation is what separates successful hunters from the pack which means putting in time behind the trigger. A good brake makes for an effective tool not only for recoil mitigation but also allows you to stay on target with a scope.

When considering the needs outlined by the OP; a rifle for someone of novice level, every useful piece of equipment is an asset while gaining confidence and comfort. Not sure why anyone would so casually dismiss the use of a brake. Come opening day swap it for a thread protector.

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I advise against muzzle brakes because, while they used to sound cool in theory, the enhanced muzzle blast is at least more annoying in practice. Ever shoot in the next lane beside one? I have, and IIRC, the guy shooting it was getting more of his own muzzle blast too. If I figure a brake will cost accuracy by enhancing a flinch, I will not advise its use. IMO, the thread protector or a flash hider... either one is more valuable than a brake. YMMV.

If the stock fit/LOP is right, .243Win recoil is minimal to non-existent.

BTW, while I agree that a hunter best know how to shoot his chosen rifle, there's a lot more to hunting.

Skylerbone said:

Nearly all of the effort put into hunting is exerted before opening day. The level of preparation is what separates successful hunters from the pack which means putting in time behind the trigger.

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I was right with you until you mentioned shooting.

Successful hunters are the ones who find things to shoot at through their preparation, which is about 90% of "hunting." The final 10% is shooting, unless you have a tracking job and then the final 5% is tracking. Being a great shot IMO is really only about 5% of any complete hunt. But we like to spend about 95% of our time talking about it.

My vote is used Remington model 7.

dodo bird said:

My vote is used Remington model 7.

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Another good one that, IIRC, can be found in .243Win.

mustanger98 said:

the enhanced muzzle blast is at least more annoying in practice. Ever shoot in the next lane beside one? I have, and IIRC, the guy shooting it was getting more of his own muzzle blast too.

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You’re right, muzzle brakes are nothing but useless noise amplifiers. Don’t bother ever researching or trying one.

Newtosavage said:

Successful hunters are the ones who find things to shoot at through their preparation, which is about 90% of "hunting." The final 10% is shooting, unless you have a tracking job and then the final 5% is tracking. Being a great shot IMO is really only about 5% of any complete hunt.

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Never did I say shooting is the only preparation needed for hunting. Been hunting for 40 years now and bagged plenty of game from squirrel to moose without fences, leases, or trail cameras.