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> Remington SPS Varmint .243
Remington SPS Varmint .243
@ 07:11 am (GMT) |
Robert McLeanI know you are going through hell there with the shooting and gun law craziness but maybe it is time to talk shop again.I have run into a new Remington SPS Varmint .243 for a pretty good price. Haven't looked down the barrel yet but here is my justification and I am totally open to hearing any opinions. First I have a grandson to think about. I would like a first rifle set up for him. That is a few years but in the mean time I can work out the kinks and have alot of fun. Low recoil, probably a pretty good caliber to get results quick for a boy at the range and maybe a 150 yard deer or 2. Second, I am sitting on 2 of Nathans stabilizing and bedding kits. They are already a year old and I am itching to try one on something. Third, I love the range. I like my vanguard .270 but I can't seem to put more than about 12 rounds through it without accuracy dropping off. I am blaming it on the barrel heating up and the wood stock which is floated and bedded, by someone else. Its a nice wood stock and good sub MOA gun for 12 rounds. It comes back without anything but a cleaning each trip. Good hunting gun for 400 yrds and that is what I need around here. Not sure why it does it, but it does. I want a new range gun. The Rem .243 bull barrel seems like a gun that I could try my hand at bedding/stabilizing. Throw a nice trigger on it. Maybe a home for my 6-24 mil/mil SIII. May not suffer from heating as much so I can throw a few more round through it a session. Something new to load for. Maybe something to get under the sub MOA hump I seem to be stuck on. Alternative is tear the .270 down, put a new stock on it maybe a barrel and a trigger. If I did this I would need a new bottom metal because it came with the plastic one with a magazine. Broke one already tightening it down... Stupid idea using plastic parts that are integral to holding the action to the stock in my humble opinion... Right down to the action... Certainly more money to build up than buying the Rem .243... Other alternative is to keep the money till I save enough to start my 7mm Practical build. The boy can start with the CZ .22 and then move on to the .270 like I did. I can keep pounding away with the 2 of them until I hit a 1" bull at 200 yards 5 for 5 with each. That could take alot of shooting and .270 reloading... Probably long enough to save up for the Practical build at least... I read once that it takes 10,000 attempts to truly become proficient at something. |
Replies
@ 09:44 am (GMT) |
Nathan FosterRe: Remington SPS Varmint .243Yes, maybe so Robert.The .243 can be quite useful. In a light weight, the combination of noise and fast recoil is a bit too much for the younger ones but a long heavy barrel can be nice for them to use. The rifle will need a bit of work but it will produce clean kills. A key factor to understand, is that the stock will most likely be ill fitting. Kids also grow fast so its hard to keep on top of this. Therefore, we cannot rely on the child having good technique as the stock may simply be too long at any given time. To this end, we have to make sure that recoil is very low and not expect them to try to 'handle' recoil. In the field, kids end up in some awkward positions when trying to get a shot away. In most cases, the .223 really is the best transition from the .22. But if you load the .243 carefully, you will get away with this. 28gr of H4895 will get you to about 2650fps with the 87gr V-Max, duplicating the noise and recoil of the .223. Don't go too slow (for hunting) as the small bullets are reliant on some velocity in order to generate a relatively wide wound. A good combo would be the 87gr V-MAX at say 2850fps (32gr) for a first deer hunt (light bodied). A young fella can soon fall in love with the .243. The 110gr V-Max at reduced speeds is the way to go if using a .270. Start with 36gr H4895 / 2600fps for practice. Just keep in mind that this is a bit noisy for a young one. Better for 13 year olds. As you lift the bullet weight up, you can afford to drop the velocity down but you will need soft bullet options. Just keep in mind that kids vary a great deal in sensitivity. When I was 13, I was shooting .303 Brit loads with a steel butt, wearing a singlet. I just wanted to shoot all day, nothing could stop me. When I see other kids shy away from noise and recoil, I don't feel any judgement. To the contrary, I find myself empathizing with them and have come to learn that with children, you must be prepared to take it slowly over a period of years, not weeks or months. |
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@ 05:44 am (GMT) |
Robert McLeanRe: Remington SPS Varmint .243Thanks Nathan. If I find a good .243 that will be great info. Trouble is that when I looked at the gun, there were issues. Very sloppy bolt, a big pock mark on the crown, and inside of the muzzle was very marked and had streaks of what looked like rust to me. It may have been packing lube but I just didn't like the looks of it. The 308 was similar. Too many sketchy things about the inside of the barrel when I look down with my new magnifier.Then out came the sendero's. Rejected First one on the muzzle. Bought the second one. Now own a Sendero 7mm rem mag. Cleaned her up and gave her some lube when I got home. Buying a timiney and maybe a 20 moa pic rail before she goes out. Putting the SIII 6-24 on with some nice rings I got with the scope. Funny how personally the salesman took it with me looking at the guns that close. Even the gun smith piped up to defend the 308. I'd just like to say thanks Steph and Nathan. It's hard to express the confidence you have given me through all your work. |
@ 08:55 am (GMT) |
Paul LevermanRe: Remington SPS Varmint .243I would be curious to know how many "good deals" for "real shooters" have been passed on by the forum members here. I know I've done it too many times to count now. And it's all because of Steph and Nathan's willingness to share with us. Thanks Fosters.Have also had the sellers give me the same attitude, Robert. It's like we shouldn't be allowed to actually inspect the rifle, just take their word for it. After all, it's a perfectly good rifle with only 20 rounds through it. |
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