An old friend & hunting partner is getting close to passing. He is more than few years older than I am & I'm pushing 80. He has a couple rifles & a shotgun or 2 that we have discussed what will happen with them when he's gone....as he has had no children that he claims & his only brother has already passed.

I had put him on to the 1st Tikka closeout at Academy years ago when I was still repping for Stoeger and had sold the Tikka's to Academy to start with, and he found what he calls the prettiest 30'06 rifle he's ever owned, knowing the quality of the Tikka line, as he had repped for Ithaca for 12-15 years earlier, and has a 243 that was left over from the last previous marriage with no particular history except with the last previous wife. I think the too pretty to sell Tikka 30'06 will go to someone else in his family but he sez the 243 is open to be bought. So I'm wondering how useful a 243 is in these days of CM's, 7-08's and WSM's and so on.

So, What say ya'll about the every day usefullness of today's 243's can provide in today's new bullet designs & expanded caliber market? My hesitancy is the only WT's I've ever lost in 50+ years were ? capable bullet performance in a couple calibers ( 257 Rbt's for example ) & ? placement's with that 1st SAKO 243 & and later learning the max limitations of a 270 & 30'06, then moved on to the belted magnum calibers.These days I've begun to find other every day calibers more interesting, like the CM's etc.

My first real deer rifle was a SAKO 243 that my grandfather had acquired when the owner had borrowed $500 against the SAKO from my Grandfather, and couldn't pay even the 1st $250 became past due initial balance he left owing couple months past the mandatory 90 day loan terms or ? I picked up the unpaid $250 initial balance, and grandfather kicked the final $250 balance owed to me as a wedding present. All that occurred over 55 years ago....and I'm still married to wife #1 for 55 years....so far!

I got to hunt with grand pop a time or two more, but his already bad health caught up with him before we could make a habit of the annual trips to his deer lease in the Texas Hill Country. His trips to Alaska for guided Carabou hunts IMO kept him alive several years longer than anyone expected. These Days, with my own health issues I'm beginning to understand that drive to go hunting at least one last time as I am close to 80, and looking for something to take "with me" when my time comes.
Ron

Last edited by sakoron; 11/23/22. Reason: Clarity