found one of these in .243-looking at it as a loaner/truck gun. Guy is asking $275-is it worth it?

Dave

Terrible triggers. Good accuracy in the 308 I have. Most smiths won't work on the triggers. IMHO, that price is at top end. For the same money, you are into the Marlin Xs / Stevens 200 range.

There is a little known safety issue with some Mossberg 800 and 810 series rifles that worrys me. The trigger housing is plastic and can warp if it gets too hot, such as if the rifle was left in the window rack of a pickup on a hot day or series of hot days. I know this because it happened to me with an 800C in 22-250. The trigger housing melted, just a little, but enough such that it became distorted and the rifle fired when I closed the bolt on a live round.

For $275, I'd buy a new Marlin XS-7 and never look back. My XS-7 in 243 is a lot of rifle for the $$.

Jeff

My first centerfire big game rifle was a Mossy 800B in .243. I put a lot of bullets downrange with it. It is a crappy trigger, but they shoot decent enough. I keep mine around for sentimental value more than anything. I wouldn't pay more than $275 for one.

I owned three Model 800s, because one was stolen from my truck back in the 1970s, two in .308, one in .243. I never paid more than $99 for one, and all shot extremely well, crappy triggers or not. I also bought one for my brother, which he has been using for 38 years, outshooting all of his friends with high dollar rifles. He lives in Michigan and isn't big on gun maintenance, so one summer when he complained the 800 had begun shooting less accurately I cleaned a quarter pound of pine needles and other dirt out from under the barrel and filed down and refinished a warped place on the barrel channel. Groups tightened right back up.
A Speer 90 grain bullet and 45.5 grains of IMR 4831 was/is extremely accurate in the two Mossberg .243s for which I handloaded, although that load is now above maximum in the Hodgdon reloading manual and the powder isn't even listed for the .243 with the 90 grain bullet in the current Speer or Lyman manuals.

There's one in the pawn store in Jackson for $100 comes with an old Japanese scope and a leather sling. It's in about 50% condition but the bore is still shiny.