Mossberg 100 ATR .243

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TImnlinz2006

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I'm looking into buying a mossberg 100 atr in the .243. I seen it at academy with a nice scope on it for $298. The guy told me that it is probably the most versatile gun you can buy. he said depending on the grain size of ammo i can shoot anywhere between squirrels and maybe even small black bear if i get good enough with it. does anybody know anything about these guns are they any good give me some good info on them.

thanks TIM
 
While I don't personally own one, I've heard good things about the Mossberg ATR. It sounds to be a great starter rifle from all the reviews I've read and heard. I'd pick it over a Remington 710 anyday, and I'm a Remington fan.

The scope is probably not that good on it, so be aware of that. If I bought one I'd buy it with the intention of later putting a better scope and possibly better mounts on it.

As for .243, it sounds like the guy behind the counter was trying to sell you. It's a great round within it's limitations, but a "squirrel" or "bear" round it is definitely not. Most folks like them for white tail, coyotes, medium to medium/small game. There are better deer calibers out there IMHO, but the .243 will get the job done.

What are you looking for in a rifle? Hunting? What game? Just paper punching? I'd ask myself what I want out of a rifle first, then search for the right tool for the job.
 
The .243 has been chambered in many varmint guns, so it would world for squirrels (if it works on ground hogs). But, a .22LR works just fine on squirrels, so going with more oomph is not necessary.

The Mossberg 100ATR is a fine rifle and is much better than the Rem 710. You might never be real proud of it, you might not feel like bragging about it to friends, but it remains a decent rifle. I own older Mossberg centerfires which I live very much, and I take pleasure in taking a deer with a Mossberg 810. The new batch of Mossy's aren't as good, in my opinion, as the older 800 series rifles. However, they are serviceable and are fine for the calibers offered.

As an aside, I was at a pawn shop today with prices far more inflated than I have ever seen. They had a Remington 700ADL for $649 and several 710's for $459. No joke, no lie, no exaggeration. I played with a 710 again, just for grins and chuckles, and am still of the opinion that those are pieces of junk.

Ash
 
They also make this gun in 30-06, and there is still plenty of surplus 30-06 military ammo. So if you are looking for a plinking gun, .243 ammo is going to be more spendy. Unless of course you reload.

IMHO, the .243 is more in the range of a prairie dog/coyote/whitetail gun than a squirrel to bear gun.

As an aside...this inexpensive Mossberg ATR in .223 or 7.62x39 would probably sell pretty well.

Also check out the Stevens rifle by Savage in this price range.
 
i dont know if i would shoot any bear with a 243, only if a absolute must, but yes, a 243 is good for everything , from pdogs a long way off, up to any deer.
 
I still love the .270 Mossy ATR-100 that I bought almost two years ago now. It shoots well, is reliable, and has a better trigger than the stevens.
 
well, even though I don't own one, yes the .243 is a good all-around caliber. Squirrels and Rabbit? Overkill in a big way. Unless you can take headshots there won't be much left.
Bear and hogs? Doable, but I'd MUCH rather have something with quite a bit more "oomph" than a .243.

But for stuff "in between" 'Chucks, coyote and small (southern) deer its a good caliber. Low recoil, etc.

But, if it were me, looking for an "all around gun" I'd go .270 instead.

P.S. As mentioned, the scope that comes with these is just "OK", but you'll wanna change it out eventually. The gun itself is a good value, though, even if you don't count the scope into the equasion.
 
Just got finished comparing the Mossberg 100ATR and the Howa 1500 and guess what, the 100ATR is a clone of the Howa. I cannot vouch as to parts interchangability, but the ATR is very clearly Howa with the Savage barrel mounting system. It's entirely possible that a fellow who wanted to upgrade the stock on the ATR could use one for the Weatherby Vanguard, Howa, or even the Mossberg 1500. Being an American Howa, more or less, it is most certainly a better rifle than the 710.

Ash
 
compared to a bow hunter shooting a 125 grain arrow head at less that 300 fps a 243 looks like a cannon. Arechers take moose, elk and gizzlies so why not a 243?
 
easy there, fellas, any more realistic talk and folks around here might not be able to keep thinking the Mossy ATR-100 is a ticking time bomb made of ill-fitting Chinese parts and Brazilian duct tape!

As to the OP, I say go for it but see if they'll sell it to you for $250 w/out the scope and find something better (even the $50 Cetnterpoints would be an improvement).
 
The .243 has been run down over the last few years as a light weight round, when real men shoot bigger stuff ~ uh-huh, yeah sure :) It will make deadly wounds in lots of things, deer, pigs, 'yotes, rabid dogs, skunks, you name it. Problem with Bears is that they get mad, their adrenalin goes up and they don't seem to notice they been shot - then they come after the shooter :(

For bears I'd be packing a bigger rifle too, but in a pinch and after you practice enough to know your gun - it might do if one is in the cabin and it's all you have? Shot placement with a .243 is vital, but guess what, it's the best hunting skill you can learn, so it's a good teacher, and right handy to boot :)

Hornady has recently been loading some "magnums" for the .243. They call them the Heavy Magnum and Lite Magnum. They are essentially modified powders with slow burn characteristics for max muzzle velocity. I think the smallest caliber they make these for is .243 - so as far as Hornady is concerned, .243 is a "real" hunting caliber :) Some of these rounds will be replaced with the new line of SuperPerformance ammo. I think Winchester is loading hot rounds for the .243 too. The point is that for hunting ammo, you will have plenty of choices :)

It's a very good starting point for center fire rifle and at that price, you can afford to upgrade bits and pieces over time as you see fit :)
 
As for .243, I want another rifle so chambered. Nuf said.
As for the Mossber ATR, I've had 2, one in .308 and another in .243. As a hunting rifle, meaning after zero, one clean cold shot, it's as good as anything out there. As a plinker, it won't stay on zero after the barrel gets warm. Mine were over 5 inches off zero after 5 shots. After cooling back off they came back to the set zero.
Mine came with a P.O.S. BSA scope, I ditched that and went with a Bushnell. As someone said before, look at the intended use and decide from there. As a pure hunting rifle, just remember to check the zero after letting it get completely cold. If you set it with a warm barrel it will not hit cold when you need it.

Scott
 
The Mossberg ATR is a good rifle for the money. Mine is very accurate and I'm happy with it. Despite what the guy at the gun counter said shooting squirrels with a .243 is nutz and shooting bears with them??? Good ground varmint and med game rifle though.
 
Yeah, but for those that have shot a squirrel with an 06, this is easy country :) If you want anything left, it needs to be a head shot. And, it's always VERY IMPORTANT to make sure you know what's behind that squirrel, for a few miles - best to have the trunk there to stop that bullet, cause a squirrel won't :cool:

Can you say poof :what:
 
I have one

I got one of the Mossberg ATRs in .243 this last year. My son took his first deer with it this season. Used the Horndady 100gn bullets, though it shoots the cheap Academy Monarch brand pretty well too. It was raining and cold and nasty out, and the little rifle cleaned up well with some light oil. Two of my sons shot it (11 and 13 yr old), and the recoil was very doable for them, and me. I hear you can get the reduced recoil .270 loads, but for these little whitetails (average around 90 lbs), it just seemed like too much gun.

I had a couple light hammer strikes on the Hornady ammo early on, but that seems to have taken care of itself. Other than that, I have not had any issues.
 
i got one camberd in .30-06 and love it. take it deer hunting with me all the time. deadly acurate. only thing i dont like bout it is the bolt dont lock down like a winchester modle 70. ive lost more than a few rounds while i was walking. allmost missed a buck cuz the bolt wasnt closed all the way. all around, its a nice gun and i love it.
 
What the Deputy said!
I had one in 30'06 that behaved just that way. For the cold shot it was a crazy-good deal.
 
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