my 85 year old father in law told me yesterday he wants a semi auto rifle. he said he wanted one in 25 cal as when he was in the pacific the japs killed a lot of his buddies with a 25 cal and he didn't want anything that recoiled like a 30 cal. so, i have to find him a good, used semi that shoots 25 cal or smaller. the only thing i can think of is the old 742 rem semi auto. in a 243 win. are there other semi's out there?
thanks

Winchester M100 and Browning BAR come to mind.

Any AR10 variant can be in 243, the AR15 variant can be in 243wssm. Don't discount the AR platform, they are VERY accurate generally, and I hunt with a 6mm wildcat often with no hesitation as it drives 85 tsx around .6 inch at 100...

Browning BAR and Short Trac, I don't know but I'd guess the Winchester semi-auto is chambered in .243 and maybe the Benelli also. The BAR is the way to go IMHO and I'd absolutely steer well clear of the Remington.

Browning BAR, Winchester, and Remington. I have the Browning BAR Safari in .243, light recoil, well made, very accurate and not ammo picky for accuracy.

FWIW, the Japanese used 6.5mm and 7.7mm cartridges during WW2. The cartridge that has been called a Japanese 25 is really a 6.5x50. You might be able to have a Remington 742/7400 or Winchster 100 in 243 rebore from .243" to .264" and make it a 260 (6.5-308ish).

You might check with the guys at www.cutrifle.com to see if it could be done.

Jeff

If he still remembers his buddies getting killed in the war, you might want to reconsider getting him a rifle made in Japan. Just a thought. You might want to talk to him and see how strongly he feels about that.

Springfield Armory offered the M1A in .243 Win a few years back.

Maybe still do?

The Springfield M1A in .308 has recoil about the same as a .243

They shoot very well with 150 gr ammo.

Here is an interesting option - http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=113518620
FN looks a lot like a saiga....

He may not want a 'Made in Japan' BAR if he fought in the Pacific. Most WWII guys drive GM & Ford vehicles.

Ditto that. Here's one option: http://www.dpmsinc.com/firearms/category.aspx?id=7

These guys are top-notch: they take care of their customers, & their products are rock-solid.

Now, if your father prefers rifles that look like hunting rifles, then this might not be for him. Then again, if he likes the idea of shooting an "American" cartridge in an "American"-looking gun, this might be just the ticket.

FC

How about a Ruger Mini in 6.8spc.
http://ruger.com/Firearms/FAProdView?model=5814&return=Y

Ruger minis can have only mini accuracy fwiw.

thanks for the input thus far. i'll let him know what you have told me.

regarding my f-i-l, he spent almost 3 years in the pacific and was involved in numerous battles on several different islands. i see him 2-3 times a week and rarely does a visit conclude without a story about his experiences. he is getting frail now and is concerned about thieves and thugs and particularly about the government taking our guns away. of course he lives in a safe neighborhood and his neighbors look in on he and his wife, but he still wants a somewhat light rifle in a smaller caliber. my wife told me i shouldn't get him another gun as he has several shotguns and pistols already. but what the heck - he is an old man who has served his country well, always pays his taxes, and never missed an opportunity to vote. so i'm gonna get him whatever he wants. thanks again men.....

Remington and Winchester make rifles in .243.

You could geta an AR-10 I think.

At 85 a BAR jap or Belgium made would be way to heavy for him I believe, If he wants a self defense rifle take a look at the Kel-tech I traded some plumbing work for one a while back and it is very light and lethal, more accurate with the right ammo than a Mini-14, but more importantly light enough for him to hold steady, watch the weight factor, Good for you in taking care of his wishes and your respect for him, dont see enough of that anymore, Good Luck in your search and please keep us posted what you decide to get him.

Seems to me that H&R made one, about 30 years back...

Dober

I know you said he didn't want a 30 caliber, but it sounds like an M1 carbine would be perfect for his situation.

Get him a steel recievered BAR that is of Belgium origin either completely made there(early models) or parted out to Portugal for assembly. That rifle in 243 will be just about recoilless and would be a blast to shoot.

I have owned three different Browning BARs and both were fine guns. I only experienced one jam over the course of several years and I hardly ever cleaned those guns. I had one Browing BAR in .243 and it was a pure pleasure to shoot. Recoil is a soft push - anybody could handle it.

By the way, Browning may still make the Carbine model of the BAR that had a 20 inch barrel in .243. That would make a pretty handy woods rifle. If they don't still make them, you could probably find one on gunbroker.com or elsewhere. I don't think the called it a carbine, but rather, a lightweight.

thanks men. i'll check out gunbroker and gunsamerica.