Lightweight 243 options for wife

Suther said:
Lighter gun means more recoil. Dropping 2-3lb is quite a bit. Is she up for that? Has she ever shot a rifle that light? Not everyone can shoot them well either, especially from field positions.

Something like a Tikka or Browning Xbolt could get you like 1lb lighter, without increasing recoil to the degree that a Kimber or Howa Superlite will.
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It’s a 243 not a 338
 
Similar as in nearly half? You don’t give women enough credit. If they can survive child birth they can handle 11 ft lbs of recoil.
 
Old270win said:
She currently shooting Savage accustock model, just looking for a rifle and scope setup to shed two or three pounds.
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3.1kg is where ya wanna be-
Any more than 3.3 kg an it's getting heavy.

Savage accustock, try a 2-7x33 scope. Lightens them up alot.

Scopes in general weigh guns down big time...
Mix and match a few , check out the specs of the scopes an you might find something comfy.

I agree. The ultralight Guns ain't for Women.. fyi my missus out shoots me with my Kimber Montana 708.....
She shoots a Frnachi horizon loaded minimum in 308 150gr and it's about 3.3 kg ...
It has a Burris 3-9x,40red which was heavier than Burris prevail ....
But it was best weighted with the Leupold vari x 2-7x28 I have , but it's back on something else now.

Leupold 260gram.
Burris ment to be 360..
Zeiss terra about 400+

Fair variable in the add ons on-top of the rifle
 
Slimbo said:
Similar as in nearly half? You don’t give women enough credit. If they can survive child birth they can handle 11 ft lbs of recoil.
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No. A 5lb 243win shooting a 100gr bullet at 3000fps recoils just as much as a 8lb 308win shooting a 150gr bullet at 2820.

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I have a wife. Shes been through childbirth multiple times. She still doesn't like recoil. It's not about what they can survive, it's about what they are comfortable with.
 
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Have you considered a lightweight chassis? With a budget of 3000 you should be able to grab an off the shelf rifle (or use your wife's current barreled action) and plunk it into a lightweight MDT option with plenty of adjustability.
 
Suther said:
No. A 5lb 243win shooting a 100gr bullet at 3000fps recoils just as much as a 8lb 308win shooting a 150gr bullet at 2820.

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I have a wife. Shes been through childbirth multiple times. She still doesn't like recoil. It's not about what they can survive, it's about what they are comfortable with.
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Yes if you cherry pick bullet weights and velocity’s and then use an unrealistically light 243 rifle weight you can make them similar. That’s where Temu Ron Spomer and reality diverge.
 
Slimbo said:
Yes if you cherry pick bullet weights and velocity’s and then use an unrealistically light 243 rifle weight you can make them similar. That’s where Temu Ron Spomer and reality diverge.
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Suther can handle his own arguing here, but I'm not sure exactly what part of what he posted you don't understand?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.243_Winchester

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.308_Winchester

https://www.gotenda.com/product/howa-m1500-super-lite-walnut-hunter-243-win-16-25-bolt-action-rifle/


Looks like totally legit velocities for both cartridges, and WOW, look at that weight of the rifle in the link, 4.3 lbs, the same one mentioned in the very first post of this thread.
 
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Slimbo said:
Yes if you cherry pick bullet weights and velocity’s and then use an unrealistically light 243 rifle weight you can make them similar. That’s where Temu Ron Spomer and reality diverge.
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3K fps with a 100gr bullet is pretty much the golden standard for 243win handloads. Factory ammo can be within 50fps of that, and changing the velocity in the calculation by 50fps has very little impact on the end result.

2820fps is the velocity of 150gr federal Fusion 308win.

And the Howa the OP mentioned is under 5lb.

But hey if you name call that makes you correct, right?
 
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The only way to be proficient with a gun is to shoot it. So the “Only have to fire it once” makes no sense. The owner needs to sight it in and become familiar with it. Despite what many think, recoil sensitivity causes flinching which is a hard thing to break! No one can tell another what is their recoil threshold. Some shooters can take a pounding and some can’t and size isn’t always the determining factor! Lighter bullets can help, 85gr Nosler Partion or Accubond would be slightly better than 100 grains. Would be great if Old270Wins wife could try shooting some lighter rifle to get a feel on what it’ll be like!! Let her make the decision on what works for her!!
 
Old270win said:
Since my wife's taken great interest hunting whitetail and black bear with me, I'm looking to get her into a lighter weight hunting package/backup/stalking rifle.
Her current rifle is 243winchester so keeping same cartridge as she shoots with confidence and can kick my butt most days at the gun range.
So far my limited search has turned up a Howa M1500 Superlite gen2 243 that appears much lighter than her current setup. I do have a few questions for the fine folks of the forum.
-Are the replacement magazines the same for gen1 and gen2 models.
-Does the gen2 come standard with a picatinny base, or are picatinny base available in Canada for purchase?

I appreciate opinions on above rifle be good or bad. Or are there other recommendations/options for a lightweight bolt action 243 with picatinny base I should consider?
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If you already have a Savage rifle in .243 Win and have a budget of $3000 I would suggest upgrading the current rifle with a MDT CRBN stock and an IBI steel prefit barrel (light contour). This will be pretty close to what you have budgeted for. Personally I would spend the extra money and get a carbon fiber barrel instead.

I think the carbon fiber barrel and stock will save the weight you are seeking.
 
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