New to the sport. Advice needed

[Irishdc]

A little background on me. I have been an avid hunter and fisherman since I was a young kid. My first firearm was my grandpas old Steven Savage .22/.410 that is what i learned to hunt with. As I got older various 22's 870 and rem 1100 3' mag gun found there way in to my collection. found my myself getting more in to shotgun pursuits. Then a strange thing happened this summer I competed in the Air Rifle contest at the Nationals at Camp Perry. That hooked me big time for precision shooting.

I have never had a center fire rifle since I live in NW Ohio we can only use slug guns. However we also have Cabin in Grayling Michigan where I can use center fire rifle. So the bug is hitting time to start buying just not sure what to buy. We have a 200 acre farm that we hunt, i have taken deer, rabbit ducks and geese and pheasant off the farm. But over the past few years coyotes have had an impact in the small game numbers.

Criteria:
use on coyotes and ground hogs for sure, possibly deer in upper Michigan
plinking for the challenge of long range shooting
something that can "grow" with me as i get better I love to tinker and modify.
I am leaning towards a stevens gun due to price and after market parts.
not sure what caliber would like to be able to shoot at a reasonable cost when it comes to ammo and barrel life.

i AM OPEN TO ALL SUGGESTIONS PLEASE FEEL FREE TO OFFER

 

[winmag]

Well,
Id recomend anything in the 243, 260rem, various 6.5's, 270wsm......... the list could go on for a looooooooooooooong way. Are you planning more for coyotes and target, or more of a deer gun that has good barrel life, and can double as a target/varmint rifle, kinda like a 308? Theres a hundred ways from Sunday you could go and none of them wrong. Im not much of a smallbore guy,-although its a riot-, but most of my hunting is for Deer, Elk, and Bear, varmints are targets of opportunity in my case, so most of my rifles "overlap" for intended use.
Ill bet a varmint hunter, or small bore guy will jump in any second and help get you squared away.
Good luck, theres alot of great choices out there........... man, I just realised I need more guns to be a more rounded shooter..........

By the way, Welcome to L/R/H!! Hpoe you like it here

 

[Irishdc]

i am looking for more varmint and long range target, but occasional deer. I was leaning to .223 if only going to varmint hunt. But not sure what to go from there since .223 isn't good enough for deer.

 

[Buffalobob]

Id recomend anything in the 243, 260rem, various 6.5's, 270wsm.........

I would agree with that.

Being as you got into this because of precision shooting you might look at the Savage F-class rifles which can do double duty. A little heavy for hunting but managable and very competitive on the range even against custom rifles.

 

[Irishdc]

of the above which one would be the most economical to shoot and good for learning to hand load?

 

[mkg]

of the above which one would be the most economical to shoot and good for learning to hand load?

If it were me I'd opt for a Savage model 16 or 12 ( 16 is lighter than the 12 ) Stainless and synthetic ( 16) or stainless and laminate (12) .

243 would be a great round . I shoot three different loads depending on the hunt . 70 gr. Nosler ballistic tips for coyotes and varmints . 95 grn. Bergers and 105 A-max for deer.
There is a lot of good brass available for 243 ( lapua etc.. ) and a great selction of 6mm bullets.
Varget for the lighter bullets and H-4350 for the heavier stuff.
Factory ammo is availble just about anywhere.

Mike

 

[Irishdc]

I am thinking more and more towards a 243 as a starting point. Now what am I gonna need when it comes to scopes and reloading?

 

[Irishdc]

I found this on GB. Seems like a deal I dont know much about the scope. What kind of questions or issues should i look for in buying a used gun like this?

Do you guys think this would be a good starting point?


Stevens Model 200 243 Bolt Action Rifle USED NR : Bolt Action at GunBroker.com

 

[Buffalobob]

Cheap scope and cheap rings. May have to replace either or both.

You want to know the year of manufacture and the round count. A 243 can handle a lot of rounds and I would guess from the scope and rings that it was not been shot too much.

Ask if it has been borescoped and if the barrel is OK

Ask if there is any exterior rust.

 

[Irishdc]

what about this one?

Stevens Mod; 200 camo Cal; 243 NO CA SALES : Bolt Action at GunBroker.com

 

[Buffalobob]

Brand new it is $437 so $385 is not a good deal for a used rilfe

Guns For Sale @ GunCanyon.com » Savage Rifles

The first rifle is the better deal if it is in good condition.

 

[BigBlue]

I've owned several Stevens Mod. 200 rifles in the past, including a .243, .270, 7mm-08 and 30-06 and still own one in .223. The original model 200s had a stagger feed blind magazine that was attached to the action, whereas the new ones now have an inline magazine that is attached to the stock. They are basically a Savage mod. 10 or 110 without the Accu-trigger. They can be very accurate and with handloads I've been able to get most to shoot sub-MOA groups. The scopes that come with them as a package are usually fairly cheap and in my opinion, not worth it. The stocks are plastic and the front end is flimsy. They are pillar bedded and as long as no pressure is put on the forend, they do the job. Replacement stocks are very available for the older stagger feed models, but still hard to find for the newer models. The barrels are very easily replaced. While the triggers are not Accu-triggers, they can be adjusted, but are not the best. I have bedded the actions on mine and in some cases replaced the trigger with an aftermarket model. One other nice feature for the woods is that they are very lightweight. I see new ones selling for $350 out the door, including tax, transfer and background check.
Don

 

[ROBSTER]

welcome to L/R/H the 243 would work for varmints as well here in Ohio we can use centerfire rifles for varmint hunting I use a 22-250 for woodchucks but have used up to the 500 s&w mag and the 450 marlin on them also. not my fault they walked on to the range while target practicing.
robster

 

[Irishdc]

Thanks for the advice and help. I am hoping to buy a new one in the next few weeks. any hints on what i should get when it comes to handloading supplies or kits to start out with. I have only reloaded shotgun shells in the past. So I will also be learning this new skill from scratch.