Looking to get a good .243 for my daughter to deer hunt with and I am considering a Savage. I have heard great things about the new Weather Warrior that has the accu stock but would like some real world info on this rifle.

Others I am looking at are the Tikka, Winchester and Ruger. Please feel free to give your advice

My son's 243 is a Ruger.

1. I've always loved the Ruger ergonomics.
2. Twisted well enough that it does stabilize the 105 Amax here at 600 feet.
3. Mag box is long - I seat the amax kissing the lands and I have plenty of room in the box to chase yet.

A: the rifle needs to fit her. Many full length synthetic stocks are not as easy to shorten as a wood stock. You can shorten the stock now and add length to it later with spacers if needed.

B: it is best if she likes the rifle.

C: don't over think it. If she won't hunt in wet weather a stainless rifle really isn't needed.

A lot of wholesalers are closing out the Marlin XS7 youth models in 243 for under $300 and they are, for the most part, just a more attractive clone of the Savage 110 series.

Around here, the Wal-Marts that sell guns have a Remington 700 ADL youth package in 243 for $377.

Fit and weight are important considerations, since many young people don't have much upper body strength.

Might want to look at the Lady Hunter offered by Savage. The stock, which resembles one from Weatherby, is supposed to fit female shooters better.

Thanks for all of the advice so far. I do know how important fit of the rifle is for not only the young but all users. Fit will be one of the top items to consider when I make a purchase. Quality will be another top consideration. I just don't want to pass up a very nice rifle for her to own and use for a very long time based on price. I am not opposed to spending around $1k for a rifle that she will enjoy and be proud to own. I know from some of the rifles I have owned in the past that just because it cost a lot that doesn't make it a great or even good rifle and I have had cheap ones that were cheap for a reason.

When my daughter wanted to start hunting, I put together a nice rifle for her. She shot 1 deer and hasn't hunted with it or even shot it on the range since. If you are anywhere near Omaha, I'd be happy to let your daughter shoot the XS7 Youth in 243 that I have. PM me if you're intersted.

Savage $75 rebate on the M11 Lady Hunter till Dec 31st..

OR......just buy a Tikka.......

http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/11Lady

You may want to look at the TC Venture Compact as well. I found a really good deal on one I couldn't pass up, paid $299 les 20% plus a mail in $75 rebate. In the end I'll have $180 into this gun. I wish more manufacturers would start including spacers and pads on their youth guns like TC. It's like having 2 guns in one really.

Many women find the monte carlo stocks to be more comfortable than straight stocks. The ultimate would be a Kilimanjaro artemis, but who can afford that? The savage lady hunter is nice. The weatherby vanguard compact is a good choice as well as it has spacers for LOP and a stock design that fits women well.

Stock fit rules. 260 is right about the Mossberg X7s, however. I've worked up 7-08s in Rem 7, Sav 10 Accu and X7 Moss -- the Moss perked up the fastest, the Sav next, the Rems took the most chasing around.
But they all shot great in the end.

I have the savage rifle you are referring to in 30 06. It's very accurate and reliable. This rifle in 243 would be a good choice for your daughter.

MARLIN X7s, NOT MOSSBERG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would not touch a new remingtion trash in my eyes. Savage has surpassed remingtion also looking to get my son a savage inn243

Savages are currently, and ALWAYS have been; cheap rifles for a reason. What everyone online "knows" is: "they are great shooting". But know one passes on the rest of that story. They have absolutely ATROCIOUS QC. Despite Salvage currently asking much more for them, there is a very real reason why they have only been $300 rifles for a few decades.
For those of us who have built/traded/lived with them for many decades, what we originally said was:

For $300, you CAN get a great shooting barrel, that shoots with much higher priced rifles. The odds are, you'll get something else, that will require some amount of work.

I have lived with many dozens of savages of several decades, I wouldn't buy one, with your money.

My daughter has a 700 youth package. The scope sucks but that's about all that is really wrong with it. She got it at the height of the trigger recall so I swapped a Timney in it as I didn't want to send it out for months waiting on a replacement.

It has functioned flawlessly, shot the smallest group I have ever seen fired at 100 yards in my entire life, and instantly became the most accrate rifle in the safe. I had to go out and buy a Tikka I didn't need just to close the gap. In the future, she still has a Remington and can build upon it as much as her and my pocketbook can stand.

I own a bunch of old Remingtons. I used to think like hunterdan about new Remingtons. I had a few bad experiences. Recently, I picked a new SPS in 260 with the "new" 8 twist barrel. Just had to try it. So far the gun has been very reliable and I was able to get the trigger down to a crisp 2.5 lbs with some work. Shoots tiny little groups with 140 NABs. I just may try another Remington before long.

I have a Marlin XS7 (stainless) in 243 that I picked up for $299 (not a youth model). Stuck a Weaver on it and made it the truck gun/loaner. Darn little gun shoots 100 grn SGKs, 85 Noslers and 85 TSXs real well. The trigger isn't awful, either.

Why not a Savage? Very poor consistency/QC.

Buy what fits her and she likes best, as long as it's not a Remington. If it _is_ a Remmy, make sure you replace the unsafely-designed / -made trigger with something else.

No Remington for me. I do like them and have a full custom built by High Score in 7 mag but I would rather spend the money on a Kimber than a bottom end Remington and fix it up. Right now I am looking hard at the Tikka or the Winchester Ultimate Shadow

I've shot a Savage 110 in .243 since the early 1960's and will never give it up. Great gun. I own several other Savages in .260, .222, .17 HMR and 7 mm-08. All are great shooters right out of the box. No reason not to get the Savage in whatever model fits her best!

I've had probably a half a dozen over the years in various chamberings. All have functioned reliably and as a group shot as well as the various Remington's, winchesters and rugers. No reason not to get one at all. I personally like the lower cost ones such as the stevens 200 better than say the Ruger American.

The Savage Axis replaced the Stevens 200 as Savage's low price entry level CF bolt gun.

I bought a Stevens 200 in 243 off this sight for a couple hundred bucks spray painted and ugly as hell. One of the most accurate guns I've owned and shot groups at 200 yds most can't at 100. You never know. I'd buy another and I'm a M70 fan.

I too have put a rifle together for my daughter, several years ago now.

I chose a Ruger Hawkeye in 7mm-08; I found that a shorter length of pull was the easiest thing to address. Even more critical was getting the height of the scope low enough and the comb of the stock high enough to match the shape of her face so she could see through the scope properly.

I worked over a Boyds stock with a higher comb (prairie hunter I think) to fit. It's a nice rifle now, but was quite a bit of work.

I would look hard at a rifle (what ever brand you like) with an adjustable length of pull AND an adjustable cheek-piece. An alternative for comb height (I haven't used it); Rat Grips makes a synthetic product (rat pads) to raise comb height.

Lately I have seen many more rifles that look like they would fit with much less work.

Good luck, have fun shooting & hunting with your daughter.

Eric

This thread is timely...so what's everyone's opinion on the T/C Venture youth model? They've also got a rebate out. My BIL got one for his 1st year hunter and it seems pretty good.

I'm still likely to go with a savage as I like the flexibility of parts, barrel swaps, etc. as the gun is outgrown.

I have that rifle in 260 (model 16 FCSS). Its quite light, its all metal including the magazine, its got a decent stock with a good aluminum bedding system, I don't mind the trigger and it shoots little groups. Its not my fanciest rifle I shoot but for the price its a lot of rifle IMO definitely one that would stand the test of time and worth a look.

Why not a Savage? My brother has 3 of them and they are all very good shooters(11 in .308, 111 in .270 and Axis in .270). If the next(and last) kid comes out a boy next month, I'll be looking to put a Savage 14 in the safe...It will sit next to his brother's M70...

I currently own two Savages. One is a Precision Carbine in 223. It's shoots everything I feed it .5 MOA. Bad news is the Accutrigger sticks. The little tab on the trigger will lock up and I have to lift the and lower the bolt to reset it. Not something I would want on a hunting rifle but I use it for punching paper.


2nd, I bought about 2 months ago. It's a Stainless Lightweight. Weighs 5.5 lbs with a flimsy stock. Only one range session but managed to put 3 shots in one hole so it shows promise. I have noticed you really have to pull the bolts back hard or it's easy to short stroke. I think this will be OK with some more time with it.

By contrast, my 4 Ruger 77s feed like a piston and they are built like a tank. They are a little heavier but they scream tough hunting rifle. Sometimes the trigger or bedding needs tweaking but mine have all shot great with a little work.