Is there much of a market for Ruger No. 1's in .243 Winchester among hunters who will actually take them into the field?

My guess, as a non-hunter, is that if a hunter was taking a No. 1 into the field, especially in a relatively short barreled version like the RSI, he or she would rather something with a bit more oomph.

What say the Forum?

My question is motivated because my rifle habit consists of buying rifles, keeping and shooting them for a while, and then selling them to make room for the next toy. As such, I like to get rifles that hunters actually use. That way I have a better chance of being able to sell them for close to what I paid.

A Ruger No. 1 in .243 would be fun to shoot because of the low recoil and relatively low price of the ammo, but I think a No. 1 in 7 mm, .270 or .30-06 would be more mainstream.

If I had a Ruger 1A in 243. I would hunt the hell out of it. If purchasing new though I would probably buy a larger caliber.

There was a time that the 243 1B was fairly available on the resale market and at very good prices as they were not much sought after. I used several as donors for bigger bore projects. I kept my 6mm Rem 1B intact as I prefer it over the 243.

243s in 1A or RSI cofiguation woud make a good kid's or small framed woman's deer/varmint rifles. And it is legal for deer in states that ban the 22 calibers.

1B

I've used a stock 1-A in .243 for years, big game (deer and hogs) and varmints, mainly ground squirrels, coyotes, and jackrabbits. It'll kill any deer dead, dead within reasonable ranges, meaning the distance YOU can make a clean high shoulder, neck, or head shot. For me that's about 150 yards, although I killed a nice muley in the Snake River breaks years ago at more like 200 (hard to "pace" distance when it's almost vertical!). And I DON'T shoot at animals that are running; don't do that with a .358, either. I use 95-100 grain bullets, mainly Nosler. Heavier caliber 1-As kick some. A .243 doesn't, so you can shoot it a lot and get VERY friendly with it shooting paper, squirrels and other varmints before big game hunting season.

My 1-A fits me perfectly without modification. I'm 5' 10" 200#, and have, as my gunsmith puts it, "ape hanger arms." He means "long."

1-Bs shoot fine, but I never saw the advantage of the long barrel and extra weight in a .243, especially one that's gonna be carried a lot. On a long day's "glass and stalk," a 1-A is just right. Put a compact 2x7 on it and you're set.

I'd love a No. 1 in 243

I hunt primarily in South Texas and The Florida Panhandle so...A 243 is plenty of gun for what I need.

I had one that I had bought for my daughter but the stock was too long for her. I hunted with it for deer.

I can't believe that this is even a thread here! How many hunters do you figure head out into the field each year with a .243? If it didn't work well, do you think they'd be toting one?

I have No. 1's in a variety of calibers, but tend to use the lesser calibers MORE. 243's, 6.5x55, 250 Savage are always my go tos. I've never had a deer complain from the receiving end of any of them. Bigger than deer sized critters though, and I probably would drop the 243 or the Savage. I'd have no qualms tackling a Moose (and they do regularly in Scandanavia) with my 6.5x55.

I hunt my .243 RSI regularly for another reason as well. It shoots like a dream, is short so I don't dump snow down my back walking in thick stuff, and fits in the tree stand beautifully. Some of the larger rifles can be awkward up there. I also have a .243 Blaser Stutzen, but that one only comes out on the nice days due to nice wood.

If you're talking deer the 243 is a mighty fine cartridge if you ask me.

DEAD...via 243 (on the spot too):

I just remembered that an African PH who frequented our Safari Club banquets told me that he and his family regularly use .243s for culling animals -- plains game -- on their huge property in SA.

That is not to say that if you showed up in his camp with a .243 for a trohopy hunt he wouldn't be highly unhappy with your choice. The difference is that he and his brood can shoot and the cull animals, while no dinks, are not as beefy as the trophy critters.

1B

Yep. One is on my short list, coyotes through antelope and whitetail.

I had a No. 1 in .243. A 200th year model. It weighed 9.25# with a 6x scope. The stock dimensions are the same as any other No. 1 of the same model. I would think that any small framed person or a young hunter would have the same issues(good and bad)with it as he would with any larger caliber.

I agree that the .270's, 7mm's, .308's and .30/06's are "more mainstream" for hunters, but as a RSI owner (in 7x57), I didn't choose a RSI and it's caliber especially for hunting, but rather for the RSI's "looks" and handiness in the woods.

Of course, I chose the 7x57mm because that caliber "screams" to be chambered in a Mannlicher-style stock... regardless of barrel length.

A RSI in .243 would make a nice antelope & deer rifle, but it's a bit short on power for elk or the larger types (caribou & moose).

The RSI's short, 20-inch barrel isn't THAT much of a velocity-loser as one might think. My hunting load for my little RSI in 7x57 is 50.0 grains of Hodgdon's H4350 behind a 140 grain Sierra, flat-based Pro-Hunter bullet sparked by a standard Winchester large rifle primer in Remington cartridge cases... and it gives me right around 2800 fps (chronographed) outta that short little barrel... more than "adequate" for antelope and even the largest mule deer under 300 yards which is further than I prefer to take a shot.

My "hunting range limit" is 250 yards so that I can insure humane kills... and I prefer even shorter ranges if I can get 'em.

I think there's a whole bunch of deer hunters out there who would 'most likely love to have a Ruger #1 International (aka "RSI") in .243, a cartridge which will kill deer like the Hammer-of-Thor with reasonable bullet placement.


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

I would say no. Deer, particularly white tail are the most commonly hunted game animal in NA. A 243 can handle that task with aplomb. My buddy runs a Rem M700ADL 30-06 and I run a Ruger No.1 RSI. Same load out of each gun across the chrony and my RSI runs about 50-75 fps faster with a 2" shorter barrel. Might have to do with how I broke in the barrel or maybe I just got lucky. I happen to like the RSI as to me it carries like a nice upland game double. It carries,swings and points nicer than any other rifle I've owned. Too petite or not adequate? far from it.

I have one and do hunt it hard. In fact it's my favorite rifle. Petite is down right offensive in this case...

I love mine as well. Not a .243 but it is such a nice packing/still hunting rifle it about as perfect as one could find. Mine's a 30-06 and I run a reduced (2600 fps) 150 gr RN load out of it. It's about ideal for stalking white tails. I tried like hell to get it in 7X57 but couldn't find one so I settled for the 30-06

Go sit at the range for a few hours...most folks would be better off with a 243... Cuz they sure cant shoot much larger.....mild recoil, hits 1000 ft lbs out to 400... Fine round..

I took the plunge:

The cartridge works fine and has mild recoil, but I think I'd rather have a 6mm Rem, if I wanted a 6mm in a #1

No, but most hunters aren't comfortable with single shots.

translation: most hunters cannot shoot well or know how to hunt.

A well trained single shot operator can get off repeat accurate shots better than most Nimrods with a bolt action, as the former has 2 rounds "palmed" and can reload quickly, whereas the latter has probably never tried a rapid fire drill with his bolt gun.

I stupidly sold a 1A 243.

I would not call it petite, but a pretty sweet carbine with a 22" barrel

"Hunters" is a large and diverse group. I live in alaska and I'm not interesterd in a 243 until well after all the bruins are sleeping under snow. Now for wolves... Sounds like your in deer country so it should be marketable. As said somewhere else here, most hunters are not into a single shot.

I have a Ruger #1 RSI in 243 Win. I bought it new a couple years ago (or more) when they discontinued the RSI model in that caliber.

Since then, I have been offered more for it on trade-in than what I originally paid for it. Several times I agreed, but changed my mind when I took it out of the box and beheld its beauty.

It is still NIB (I got other rifles to shoot.) To me, it's a treasure and I just can't bear to part with it.
I Also have some 10/22's with full-length stocks - (also NIB.)

I can't imagine any pristeen Ruger #1 in any caliber being difficult to re-sell.

Here's my 243 RSI I used to take this Coues deer at 218 yds. 95 gr Combined Tech. Ballistic Silvertips. I didn't get around to asking the buck if he thought the round was too petite.........

I saw a Ruger #1 in 6MM REM today, first one I had seen in a long
time.

Most hunters don't realize the 6mm Remington is ballisticly superior to the .243 Winchester.

While the .243 uses a modified .308 Winchester case, the 6mm Remington uses the slightly larger (powder capacity-wise) 7x57mm Mauser case which yields an extra 100 fps of muzzle velocity over the .243 Winchester using the same bullet.

Jus' my 2�...


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

that is one heck of a nice coues deer

+1 on a fine coues deer

Yes it is.

My twin brother used a .243 to take the first 6 deer he saw when he moved to Arkansas right out of college. They all dropped like they were hit by the hammer of Thor.

I wouldn't hesitate to use a .243 on any medium sized game in any configuration. Considering the quality bullets available today it could do for elk in the right hands.

As long as the 'length of pull' fits, don't matter much on what's running out front.

I would use and hunt one without reservation if I had one, would also load up some 85 gr TSX's to around 3400 fps with RL-17 and lay pure smoke on deer and hogs.

Gunner

Shot a bunch of ground hogs with my 1B. Never a deer just because never ran across one while carrying it but I'm sure it would have done the job. I know a bunch of folks rag on #1s about accuracy but that one would put 3 shots in your thumbnail at 100yds.

While I was attending college in Missouri my favorite, and most accurate, whitetail and groundhog rifle was an early No 1 .243.
It always did it's part as long as I did mine. Plus was fun to shoot

I have a Ruger No 1A that started out life as a 270. That was a great deer rifle especially out of a stand or tight woods. In its next life it was a 6.5x55 and spent most of it's time sitting in a gun rack with a few trips to help me rid an area of some tree eating beavers. I thought a longer barrel would be fun. It wasn't. It is now a 243 and the only reason is I wanted to go back to the 1A configuration and a 243 takeoff barrel is the first one that showed up. It screwed right on, came up dead center and shoots like a dream. The deer don't know it isn't a 270, but most of my shots are under 150 yds. I'm not changing a thing.