[kershner13]

i am planning on purchasing my dad a new rifle for christmas. it will be the first new rifle he has owned in about 20 years. I am thinking of a 243 win becuase i have enought reloading supplies for it to last for years...

Also i intend for this rifle to cover anything from groundhogs to whitetail deer.

as for guns i am between the following and would like pros and cons of each, and your recomendations:

Remington 700.. basic config with a synthetic stock and standard barrel

tikka t3 stainless synthetic.

thompson centers new bolt gun.

winchester m70

 

[Joseph Lungblood]

Tikka can't go wrong.

 

[patonyk]

remington 700 there was a thread not to long ago about a special dicks was having. $445 was the price. So last week here they were still on sale and picked a 243 up. Whats nice is if you really want to make it a show stopper you can get the high gloss black laminate stock for it for a really cheap price......that combo should bring a tear to his eye....

 

[410-er]

I'm just not a fan of the new guns but to each his own.I'd take an older(non sleaved barrel)Remington 700 or 600 any day.Yes,I have both in 243.The 600 is nice and short.

 

[great white hunter]

Rem 700!

 

[Trailcamologist]

Tikka T-3!! you will not find a lighter, more accurate out of the box rifle today. a detachable box mag and a super smooth bolt all add up to a winner in my book!!!

 

[kershner13]

yeah i looked at the sps on special at dicks but they only had 223 and 308, i think 308 is a little over kill for groundhogs...lol

 

[devonb]

Check out the Marlin XL7C.

 

[RIZ]

you may want to look at the 25-06 also. a little more power if he ever want to do bear or longer shots at mulies out west. but if just for PA, deer biggest animal, 243 is great. i have an older 700 in 3006 and a new tikka in 243, both are great guns and the new tikka is a great shooter. i would not hesitate to buy another.

 

[6-DASHER]

YOU'D better hurry on this one, but the gun shoppe in Clearfield has a major special on the T/C ICON not the Venture..in stainless/synthetic and the black version for $599,00 and they give you a $150.00 rebate but it's only to til' the 30th of Nov..this is a top of the line rifle, buy it and you got one for life..this is hard to beat for $449.00..If you reload the 30T/C would be great for just about anything you'd care to shoot with it..gotta pick one up myself this week..beem savin' up for a month now and I'm finally there..

 

[Sinn Fein]

Look at the CZ rifles. made like a tank and accurate as He!!

 

[Davy Crockett]

I won't confuse the issue by too many other suggestions. Of the ones you mentioned I'd lean toward the tikka first and because I have no experience with them the thompson second.
Consider a browning A-bolt or the newer X-bolt, there are some deals on A-bolts due to clearing for the X.

 

[Davy Crockett]

P.S. If your dad hasn't had a new gun in 20 yrs I'm sure he'll be quite thrilled with whatever you pick.

 

[Big Elk Hunter]

None of the above.

I too like the TC Venture - but as with most people who spends time around guns - would recommended a good Savage or a Browning.

They tend to have less problems with the Savage 110 series or the Browning A Bolt and you know that Savage or Browning is not going to go out of business anytime soon.

 

[Scorpion]

I'm not sure if Dick's Sporting Goods still has the sale going on, but they did have Remington 700 SS ADL's on sale for like $450. I picked up a 243, 7mm-08, and a 270.

I'd not hesitate to pick one up in a heartbeat as a gift, you simply cannot beat the price.

 

[kershner13]

well i went on a gun adventure today and it came down to a tikka synthetic ss and a remington 700 adl.

I opted for the remington becuase there was about $200 in price difference and ifigured i could use that cash to put a decent scope on. the gun will be wearing a nikon buckmasters 4.5-14x40 scope. thank you all for the recomendations, and opinions. Had the tikka have been only about a hundred or less dollar difference it would have been a different choice as they feel like the best gun i have ever held.

 

[Harrysigafoo]

I probably am closer to your fathers age than to your age. So a thought from an older guy.

243 is a good choice, so would a 250-3000 or a 260 rem.

But, as poeple age they have some other ideas on rifles. LIGHTWEIGHT.

If money isn't a problem, I'd get the Kimber 84 in 243 or 260. A little cheaper is the Remington model7, also a light weight. Third choice would be a Ruger light weight. All will have barrels short and slim.

A lot of suggestions on rifles above, but they are all heavy cannons for an older gentleman ( of which I like to think I am!). Leupold makes some super light weight 2-7x scopes also.

 

[Scorpion]

well i went on a gun adventure today and it came down to a tikka synthetic ss and a remington 700 adl.

I opted for the remington becuase there was about $200 in price difference and ifigured i could use that cash to put a decent scope on. the gun will be wearing a nikon buckmasters 4.5-14x40 scope. thank you all for the recomendations, and opinions. Had the tikka have been only about a hundred or less dollar difference it would have been a different choice as they feel like the best gun i have ever held.

Stainless steel or blued? Walnut or synthetic? What is it chambered in?

My $0.02: I would probably go with a 3-9 power scope or something thereabouts on a hunting rifle, personally. 4.5-14 is a bit of overkill, unless you only hunt open fields.

 

[kershner13]

it is a blued synthetic in 243 win.
i opted for the scope i mentioned because i happened to have it so i wouldnt have topurchase one, but i think that is a great scope considering it will mainly be a varmint gun. where we hunt groundhogs it is mostly open and the higher zoom is nice.

 

[SnoBull43]

Well, you didn't mention Savage....so I can't help you!