looking to buy a rifle>>>>

[Jes]

what you think about the 7 mm mag??

That 7mm rem mag treads on the heels of the 300 Win mag if you use well constructed bullets.
Should shoot like a laser and kick hard if your rifle+scope is under 7-8lbs.
You can use it all the way up to grizzly bears credibly.

Have you priced 7mm mag ammo lately? You may want to start reloading.

[randyg27]

That 7mm rem mag treads on the heels of the 300 Win mag if you use well constructed bullets.
Should shoot like a laser and kick hard if your rifle+scope is under 7-8lbs.
You can use it all the way up to grizzly bears credibly.

Have you priced 7mm mag ammo lately? You may want to start reloading.

yes 25 per box

[wolfhunter]

yes 25 per box

and up. I started reloading because of my 7mm. Reusing my own brass keeps my costs down to about 50-60%

[handgonnetoter]

Any decent rifle should be accurate at 100 yards...now the shooter may be a different problem. My old Model 70 .30-06 (1949 manufacture) will shoot 5 shot groups at 100 yards that all 5 shots touch (one ragged hole) all day long. This is off the shelf factory ammo.

I can get the same results from my Model 722 Remington (1952 manufacturer), .257 Roberts with factory ammo.

The .243 is a pretty light load and can take white tails. But you need to be a good shot and take your time to place them well to prevent injuring game. I have never really cared for the .243 cartridge.

For a good all around gun for North America, I'd still pick the 30-06 or 270. Lots of amo choice and it is readily available pretty much any where.

Ken

I was looking at the .243 for shooting varmints here in Indiana. We can't use rifles for hunting deer here unless it is chambered in a revolver cartridge like a .44 mag. I agree with what you are saying about the .243 being on the light side for larger game though. Lots of guys around here use the .22-250 or .223 for varmints, but I was going to try to split the difference and buy a center fire that was not too big for ground hogs out to 400 yards and would work in a pinch on a deer in the case of survival. You are a lucky man for owning that pre-64 Model 70!