Ruger 10/22 in 22LR OR Remington 700 Mountain Rifle 243 Win

Uncle Timbo

Uncle Timbo

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Nov 23, 2005
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5,290
Help me guys, I'm torn like a rag doll.

IF, you had to choose between one of these rifles for an all around rifle, which one would you choose? I own the 10/22 and could trade it, with boot, for the .243. This would be your only rifle for all possibilities. Squirrel, rabbit you name it. Please help me choose.

Thank you BF members.
 
.243 is more versatile rifle. Overkill for small game, perfect for med game, little under powered for larger game but works with proper shot placement.
 
I have a 243 and use it far more than my 270 for both coyotes and deer. It is dead accurate, light weight and light kicking.
 
My BIL has that same 243 and it is a great rifle for coyotes, feral hogs and whitetails in our part of the world. I don't know what trade value you are working with but I don't think I have seen a clean one at a gun show for under $600.
 
This one is new/unused and if I sold a pair of Pentax binoculars and a Fallkniven S1, I could buy her outright and keep the 10/22.
 
You can shoot 22LR all day for $15. Unless you get into handloading 243 is not going to be cheap. 243 is a necked-down 308/7.62. A local hunter and crackshot here gets his deer and n. Ontario moose almost every year with a 243. They aren't under-powered if they're carefully aimed. Highly unlikely you will be able to trade even a 10/22 for a model 700; sort of like offering a Chevette for a Camaro.
For 30 years I used to keep a 22 pump under the truck seat. Fueled with super quiet 22 CB longs that thing filled my freezer and dispatched pests with the best of them! If reliability, accuracy and learning shot placement is paramount a bolt gun is definitely the way to go; auto users can't seem to unlearn the philosophy of 'spray and pray'.
 
Unfortunately, there is no such thing as the all-around rifle. Trying to cover all hunting scenarios is a pursuit that will lead to a closet full of rifles. If you really want one weapon to harvest small game and birds to deer, you could buy a shotgun and an extra barrel or two. I, personally, have adopted the philosophy that the most important rifle is the next one :-) Unfortunately, my wife has caught on to this ploy and I think I'm through with my search for that "just one more and I'll have it all covered" perfect rifle.
 
.22 is irreplaceable IMO. Keep it and save up for a medium to large game rifle (.308) down the road.
 
If you only have 1 rifle it needs to be a 22 A hand loader could load a 243 to small game level but that is not legal in some places (no centerfire rifles for small game) there is more game to hunt with a 22 than with a 243
 
You certainly have the gun bug! It almost sounds like you're thinking of a SHTF rifle. If that is the case, the 243 win is a good choice. I very much like the caliber, but feel that a slightly larger caliber is a better choice for deer sized hunting targets. The 243 will do the job.

Settle down and consider the purpose of this particular rifle and your usage.... Is hunting a dominant interest of yours? Do you hunt more than one season such as varmints in the summer months and deer in the fall/winter? I think as mentioned above, the 243 is a good choice for everything other than small varmints (aka overkill unless you are shooting at significant range) or larger game (aka bear, elk etc. ). It is a poor choice for small game hunting and a terrible choice if you expect to "plink" with it.

In general, I think you should keep the Ruger 10/22 and save for the centerfire. There is always another one. But you need to really get a handle on the purpose of the rifle before you choose a caliber. It's hard to chooose a single caliber to do everthing well.
 
22-rimfire said:
But you need to really get a handle on the purpose of the rifle before you choose a caliber.
Click to expand...

This is critical. What kind of game will you be hunting and in what conditions? Or will you be punching holes in paper for the most part? Those are big difference makers. 243 Win is not my favorite round, but it works for moderate ranges on game up to deer size pretty well. For paper punching, the small, really fast (and flat) shooting bullets are great. For hunting, I tend to prefer bigger slower bullets and get in close to put the bullet where it needs to be.
 
I would keep what I had instead of sacrificing for a trade. Be patient and save for a center fire later. I used to get impatient and swap things off and I always ended up regretting it. 243's are great for bigger varmints and thin skinned big game, but vastly too expensive, loud and possibly unsafe to use on squirrels and rabbits. Hand loaders could use cast bullets and such with certain loadings to make a high velocity center fire usable for small game, unless living in a state that forbids center fires on them, like Alabama where I live does.
 
Thanks you all, I mean it.

Overall, I'm hearing keep the .22 LR and save for a 30.06 or ? How does a .270 fit in here?
 
buzp said:
Unfortunately, there is no such thing as the all-around rifle. Trying to cover all hunting scenarios is a pursuit that will lead to a closet full of rifles. If you really want one weapon to harvest small game and birds to deer, you could buy a shotgun and an extra barrel or two. I, personally, have adopted the philosophy that the most important rifle is the next one :-) Unfortunately, my wife has caught on to this ploy and I think I'm through with my search for that "just one more and I'll have it all covered" perfect rifle.
Click to expand...
I like this comment! You are not a young man either and have discovered that wives can smell something cooking every time a big paycheque comes in. You can do most anything if you have 'a' shotgun, 'a' 22 and 'a' centerfire rifle. It requires discretion when it comes to upgrades. Took me 30 years to graduate from a Cooey single 12 to a Remington 870 to a Remington 3200 but it got done and 'nobody' ever did notice.
 
A 22 rifle should be a staple in any collection. If you're saving for another rifle, the 30-06 will let you go after pretty much any medium to large game animal in North America with the right bullet. If you only had a 22 and a 30-06 you would be covered for just about anything. A shotgun helps too though, and maybe a carbine of some sort, and a lever action is fun too......just remember that once you have 3, it becomes an arsenal. Also keep an eye on what ammo is available. 22's are like unicorns by me. People talk about them but lately they are impossible to find. Shoot safe!
 
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