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243 win

I am in the market for a bolt action rifle in 243 winchester. What is your opinion (and experience) on which rifle is the most accurate for the money? Money? Less than $1200. Use? General target shooting.
 
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My Tikka T-3X, Lite, ( NOT the Super Lite model ) SS, shoots, Sub 1/2 MOA with, 87 gr. Berger VLD-H 's and VhitaVouri N-160 powder at, 3,100+ FPS. AFTER, Carefully, "Lapping" and Break-in of, the Barrel.
 
Rem Model 7 Predator is a good choice in 243 but the trigger of course will need to be swapped out. I put a Timney Calvin Elite in mine and it made a world of difference. I may have just hit a lucky streak but it shoots the 100 gr. Sierra SBT & the 90 gr. Nosler AB to the same POI @ 100 yds. (Handloads)
 
243 Win is one of my favorite cartridges. I currently have 4 of them in 4 different platforms CZ 550, Ruger RPR, Rem 700 VLS, and Savage Model 12.

If I truly wanted a 243 for mostly target shooting, I would definitely want it to be a Varmint model not some sort for the overall weight and the heavier barrel contour.

Unfortunately, Varmint models chambered in 243 are not very plentiful at this time. CZ dropped their whole 550 line and doesn’t chamber a .243 in the 557, good luck finding a Remington right now, I’m not sure if the Tikka T3 x Super Varmint is available in the US, and even the Savage model 12s are out of stock everywhere.
 
For the under $1200 varmint rifle, I just looked on GB. There is a Savage 12VLP, a Remington 783 and a few Axis and TC chassis style rifles. There are a few used Remington 700's and Ruger 77 varmint's in .243. If your getting a rifle for just shooting at targets, your going to want a heavy barrel for any kind of sustained shooting. Unless you have a ton of brass and powder for your target shooting, I would look at a 6BR.
 
I have a Savage 12 VLP in .243 that is plenty accurate for my use. It comes with a 1-9.5" twist and loves 75 and 87-grain Hornady VMax bullets. All I did to it was skim-bed the action and replace the trigger spring to get the pull lower.
But it is heavy! The laminate stock and fat, fluted barrel add weight fast. Great for sitting on a hillside with a bipod or shooting from the bench, but I wouldn't want to carry it all day. The good part is that weight makes long shooting sessions pleasant. Thankfully, the distance from my gun safe to my shooting bench is 15 feet.
 
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There’s a deal on Savage 12 LRP in .243 in the classified section now.

 

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