New/used rifle

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Sullyman

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I am looking at getting a rifle for a combination of purposes. White tail, coyotes, possible hogs, prairie dogs, and general target shooting. What would be a good all around caliber for those purposes. I have been told .223 is fine for deer and I have been told it's too small. I tend to think it's too small.

Also I am left handed, I would prefer a semi-auto, but not an AR type (nothing against them just not my choice). Being left handed poses a problem ejection of the brass across my face. I bought my shot gun that was bottom load and eject (Pump Browning) A left handed rifle can be an issue for resale as there is not the demand.

A right handed bolt is also an option. Being a leftie i have had to adopt to the ways of the others to survive..........golf right handed, bat right handed, bowl right handed, use a mouse right handed..........but can not shoot right handed.

I have about $500-$600 to spend. Good used or new is fine......

Thanks for your suggestions
 
.243. A very versatile and also under-appreciated round. And you can ALWAYS find ammo if you elect not to reload.
 
Underappreciated?

.243 will be the most common and reasonable response you'll get here, I'm certain.

You'll see alot of people start to crow about uncommon oddball and obsolete cartridges soon largely because they're what they got handed down to them by grandad or bought cheap on closeout. They'll have to tell you how easy reloading is because that'll be the only sure way to get ammo and in weights you might need.

But the .243 is a perfect fit for your outline and one of America's most popular cartridges. It is a necked-down .308. Good inexpensive new guns available probably including leftie...
 
As to a cartridge I like the 243 Winchester but also like the 308 Winchester and lean more 308 for your intended application. I believe it allows for more factory loadings, however, as mentioned, even during this latest and greatest ammunition drought 243 Winchester is still abundant. I also like the 7mm-08 and the 260 Remington, all of which the 243, 7-08 and 260 are based on the 308.

As to the rifle? I also shoot left handed. For hunting in general I like the Remington older 760 pump guns and I also like a Remington 7400 older versions. Most semi automatic rifles toss the spent brass far enough out so it has never really been an issue for me. There are also some very good lever guns out there like the old Savage 99 or Winchester 88 guns offering up a wide range of ammunition in 243 or 308 Winchester.

If you have access to a gun store with a wide new and used selection I suggest you try a few different rifles on for size as regardless of what I think the rifle needs to fit you and be comfortable for you. One shooters dream rifle and cartridge can be another shooters nightmare.While I have a few left handed bolt guns I also have no problem shooting right handed bolt guns, it just comes naturally after shooting a little.

Just My Thoughts....
Ron
 
A friend told me that his left-handed, right-shooting hunting buddy had a bear charge him and he got three shots into it within about two seconds...with a right-handed bolt action. I could barely do it right-handed with my right-handed bolt rifle...NOT being charged by a bear might have made a difference. LOL
 
Since one of your options is a used rifle, consider a Model 99 Savage. You can find them pretty reasonably. The cartridge closest to your requirements would be the .250-3000 Savage, but the .300 Savage would also be a good choice. And you might find one in .243 -- some of the last ones made were in that caliber.
 
Handloading for a .243 will work for the OP's uses. Been working for me for over forty years. :)

I haven't kept track of which manufacturers make southpaw rifles, sorry, no help there.
 
The 243 is a great caliber, but the 7.62x39 is more economical, equally destructive, and still in huge supply. There is the Savage Scout and the Ruger Hawkeye (18" barrel, real handy) just to name the two. Not sure about left handed though. Plus a commonality of caliber if you ever become interested in a semi-auto.
 
I have been told .223 is fine for deer and I have been told it's too small. I tend to think it's too small.
Click to expand...

I tend to agree.
For your purposes I would vote for .243 or .25-06.
You can get a left handed bolt pretty reasonable. My brother finally got a lefty bolt in a Savage with a very nice laminated stock and scope mounts for just under $400 at a gun show about a year ago. They're out there.
 
What is your ammo budget? 7.62x39 is so much cheaper than 243. It'll serve every purpose you mentioned and you'll more ammo to practice with or $$ to spend on other things. My SKS sends brass straight up, so your face should be safe.
 
You have a tall order there: autoloader, left-hand, and in a cartridge that can go from the bench, to distant varmint and the next day skip out for big game. It would be easier done with a bolt-action than an autoload for several reasons, accuracy not being the least important factor, but don't overlook the diversity of cartridges. In truth, and I have owned a looooooooooot of firearms over my lifetime. Finding an autoloader with prairie dog accuracy is hard enough, and those are usually the hybrid AR platforms. Even my Springfield M1A "Loaded" would be hard-pressed with its stainless steel, match-grade barrel to take prairie dogs. Then again, it's a righthand rifle.

Even if you succeed in locating a rifle that fits your physical description, you will likely end up spending several hundred in getting the action blue-printed, and a reliable match grade barrel installed. Too, you now have to look to the gas speed of the loads. Assuming you get an autoloader in .243 Win, will it cycle reliably with 58 grain ZMax projectiles and 105 grain soft points? Even if it does cycle reliably, will the barrel's twist rate be sufficient and appropriate to stabilize 58 to 105 grain projectiles? I doubt it.

Based on me having owned too many firearms (if too many is possible), you will be best served either by a bolt-action rifle, or by having the autoloader you so desire, and in addition, a bolt action. You are asking too much of a single rifle to be able to effectively and efficiently pull off everything that you are wanting.

JMHO,

Geno
 
A 243 rifle with a 1:10 twist will handle the a wide range of bullet and makes a good dual purpose cartridge for deer and low volume varminting. However, cost of ammo and recoil make it a less than ideal choice for all day prairiedog shooting. A better choice os to get two rifles, one in, say 260 Remington or 7mm-08 or 308 for medium game and a second rifle in 223 Remington or 204 Ruger or 22-250 if you want to step up in power. The most economical of the varmint cartridges is the 223 Remington.

For a good medium game rifle, just about any rifle type will serve- bolt action, pump, lever, single shot or self loader. While any rifle will send bullets towards a prairiedog, your choices are limited to three types for best inherent accuracy- bolt action, single shot and an AR type self loader
 
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Mossberg makes a ATR bolt rifle, it comes in a few calibers! and its easier on your pocketbook.
 
Uh Oh, my bad back there. I failed to catch something:

White tail, coyotes, possible hogs, prairie dogs, and general target shooting.
Click to expand...

I read right over those little varmints. I said I leaned towards the 308 over the 243. With prairie dogs tossed in the mix I would lean towards the 243 over the 308. There are better, much better, prairie dog choices but in keeping with everything else I would guess the 243. My choices in rifles remain the same.

Ron
 
Reloadron:

Here's my thoughts: a nice condition, LNIB, Ruger Hawkeye Standard, Left hand model, in .243 Win. It has a 1-9 twist, which would work dandy for 80 to 105 grain projectiles. The 80 grain would be fast and flat; the 105 grains would have good section density. Both have excellent ballistic coefficients.

Link: http://ruger.com/products/m77HawkeyeStandardLeftHanded/models.html

While I do like my Winchester M70 Ultimate Shadow, it has a 1-10 twist, and I don't know how well it works for projectiles over 80 grains. It handles 58 to 80 extremely well. But hogs. Hmmm. I'd want more sectional density, or partitions, or GMXs.

That stated, going back to the OP wanting an autoloader, that's a whole game changer right there, especially at the proposed budget. It just isn't realistic.

Geno
 
Geno said:
Reloadron:

Here's my thoughts: a nice condition, LNIB, Ruger Hawkeye Standard, Left hand model, in .243 Win. It has a 1-9 twist, which would work dandy for 80 to 105 grain projectiles. The 80 grain would be fast and flat; the 105 grains would have good section density. Both have excellent ballistic coefficients.

Link: http://ruger.com/products/m77HawkeyeStandardLeftHanded/models.html

While I do like my Winchester M70 Ultimate Shadow, it has a 1-10 twist, and I don't know how well it works for projectiles over 80 grains. It handles 58 to 80 extremely well. But hogs. Hmmm. I'd want more sectional density, or partitions, or GMXs.

That stated, going back to the OP wanting an autoloader, that's a whole game changer right there, especially at the proposed budget. It just isn't realistic.

Geno
Click to expand...
I agree, a good choice. Especially when weighing in the budget factor. :)

Ron
 
If you're set on a semi auto, try shooting one before you buy. I shoot lefty, and don't have a problem. Pumps and levers are also viable ambi friendly choices.

I do prefer to have the bolt on the left side on a bolt action, though. Fortunately, Tikka, Savage, Remington, Ruger and Browning all make at least some of their models in a left hand action.

As for caliber, .243 Winchester is the obvious choice, but .25-06, .260 Remington, .270 Winchester, 7MM-08, and .308 Winchester would all work too. Read up on some of them, and see if one trips your trigger. Then go fondle some rifles. Probably you'll like some better than others. Order one of them in one of the calibers you like.

Sent from my C771 using Tapatalk 2
 
I think those suggesting 7.62x39 for a choice including varmint hunting and target shooting should be embarassed if not ashamed of themselves.
 
leaning towards....................

the more I read, the more I am leaning to a .243 bolt. Sounds like the Ruger is on the top of the list. I may go right handed as speed reloading is not critical, then resale and/or passing down to the son will be OK. The Nuns in grade school made me partially ambidextrous, (they just could not beat the full lefty out of me :)).

I appreciate the comments and advice. Nice to get the opinion from someone other than a "salesperson" looking for a commission.
 
$500-$600 to spend? Get a Savage or Tikka or Weatherby bolt action, or a used Remington or Winchester. Get it in .243 or .308.
 
While growing up, we used several 243s with the 1:10 twist and the bullet we shot the most was the Sierra 100 gr SPBT and never had any trouble with accuracy. Never tried any 105 gr bullets because back in them days, they were round nosed. The 1:10 twist was standard
 
I think those suggesting 7.62x39 for a choice including varmint hunting and target shooting should be embarassed if not ashamed of themselves.
Click to expand...

Nope.

There is no perfect "do-all" rifle if you consider how much it's going to cost to shoot.

We are just throwing out suggestions. I can purchase 7.62x39 for $5.29/box. What's 243 going for?
 
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