best starter rifle in 243

I reccomend the Ruger American or the Savage Axis II ( with the adjustable Accu-Trigger) in the XP Camo with the Scope Package of either a Weaver or Bushnell Scope?
 
Being on a budget, that will somewhat limit your choices. Tikka is out, as they are going to be higher than say a Ruger American. Last year, during a sale at Walmart, I bought 2 of their Remington 700 rifles. Both were ADL's in 243, one a youth model, and one 24 inch barrel version. Both of these rifles shoot extremely well, and as a matter of fact, the 24 inch barrel rifle is one of the most accurate rifles I've ever shot right out of the box. Both came with scopes, which I promptly took off, but they would probably work if needed. After a Remington rebate, I had about $275 in each one.
 
Today in the adds Dicks sporting goods have Savage Axis package rifles in 243 for $269.00, I have one from last year that I re-barreled in 17-204, it had a usable Bushnell 3-9X40 scope on it, hard to beat that price for a rifle you could hunt with tomorrow. Larry
 
#1 - Savage Axis
#2 - Ruger American

The money you save on the rifle can go toward better optics. The combo scope are ok for plinking for for hunting, a better scope is recommended, (by me, of course!).
 
I bought my wife a mossberg atr bantam which is basically the youth model, I was very surprised with the accuracy out of that rifle. 20 in fluted barrel youth stock that comes with a spacer to make it an adult sized stock and feels very natural when it's put in by the way, it also has what they call the lightning trigger same thing as accutrigger from savage and the marksman trigger from ruger I put together a group of under and inch at 100 with factory ammo, so impressed with it I bought one for myself in 308
 
There's a lot more to a rifle than just accuracy. Fit and finish and build components are equally important to me. Many of these 'starter' rifles simply leave much to be desired in these respects.
 
I would go with a Savage, not an Axis though. You can have a very cheap and accurate rifle that you can, down the road, buy the best of aftermarket add ons and end up with a precision rifle that will hold groups with the best of rifles. Axis rifles are great for the money but they don't have aftermarket support.

Tikkas and Howas are great rifles too but aftermarket parts are spendier and harder to find and many will need a gunsmith to do work on.
 
I work the gun counter at Cabela's and we sell the RAR compact, the youth Axis with and without the AccuTrigger and have special runs of ADL compacts made up. My favorite by a huge margin is the one we don't sell anymore, the Weatherby Vanguard S2 Youth, though they run around $450-$500. Better stock, better trigger and sub-moa guarantee. My daughter who will be 25 in December has had one since they first came out. It also has a spacer to make it a full length stock which I use when sighting it in for her(she can shoot her 20 gauge all day but doesn't like the recoil of a .243 when shooting sitting down-which is all in her head because a 20 gauge recoils more).

So many people say the Vanguard is a Howa. Same action but pretty much everything is different, and better. Most youth rifles have crappy triggers, excluding the Axis II. My thinking was to start my kids with a good trigger, they make the rifle easier too shoot accurately. My favorites in order of preference:

Vanguard
700 ADL with a Timney
RAR with a trigger job or a Timney
Axis with AccuTrigger
Axis with Timney
Don't have any experience with the T/C.

I also believe in using decent glass with a youth rifle and prefer a 2-7 over a 3-9 because the 2-7 doesn't overpower the youth rifle. My son's 7mm-08 had a Burris Fullfield II 2-7x35 and later a Viper 2-7. I thought the Burris was a better scope for less money. My daughter's Vanguard has a Bushnell Elite 2-7 on it. You can get the Burris for $160.00 and the difference in quality between it and a package rifle scope is off the charts.

All that being said I was 32 when my first child was born and 38 when the second came along. I was further along in my career and had more disposable income than I had when in my 20's. If I had my kids in my 20's they would have had less expensive package rifles and I would have been satisfied with that. Still would have figured out a way to come up with the coin to upgrade the triggers though.

My apology for the dissertation.
 
well said CDB, having a good trigger maybe most important , and decent glass right next to it.

We cant handicap a young shooter with triggers or glass that is going to hurt their accuracy.
 
I don't care how 'ugly' a rifle is if it shoots well. IMO every plastic stock I've seen regardless of the manufacture is equally ugly. Put a decent piece of glass on it and life is good. I've apparently downgraded substantially over the years, my current main rifle that sees the field 99% of the time is a savage edge wearing a redfield. It shoots too well to not use it.

Inexpensive doesn't have to mean cheap (unless it's a 770).
 
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