I've wanted to branch out into (ground) varmint hunting for a couple of years, focusing on groundhogs during the off months here in MI (APR-JUL; possibly during winter) and the occasional yote.' I now have the opportunity (& $$) to pick up a Ruger #1 (circa. 1976 - you know how I like old/older guns) in .243 Win. I already have the scope, a Bushnell Elite 8-32X40 in the closet that I've saved for such a gun. Anybody out there use this caliber for "whistle pigs?"
If I purchase it, I will be loading my own, as I understand this is said to be a versatile cartridge. Our farm lands around here are fairly compartmentalized resulting in few shots beyond 250 yards. The other rifle/caliber I've been weighing it against is the CZ 527 Varmint in .17 Hornet. About the same cost to me for either gun.
I would go with the 17 HH. Last fall I picked up a cz 527 in the .223 and really impressed with the czs quality. They say the 17 is a little light for coyotes but inside of 200yds you should be ok? I've shot my share of chucks an yokes around mid michigan with a remington 22-250 with great results, just a bit to much! Just have to make sure beyond your target is clear of houses or roads. I'm not a big fan of ruger, always been iffy on the accurate side for me. That's been experience with ruger.
OA---I actually have that same Ruger #1 in 243 but I'd venture a guess that its about a 1978-1979 version. And I have a 527 in 17 Hornet that's about 2 years old. Both good guns and rounds.
243 is rather versatile so depending on what you want it to do it might be a good choice-----especially if you like to play at long range in the wind or will be doing more shooting on larger bodied critters like coyotes or if you ever have the desire to hunt deer or antelope with it. Couple of downsides come to mind---First, its really an awful lot of cartridge for your neck of the woods. Its makes a good bang, sorta a step up the noise ladder compared to the common 223 and you start to get a little of that concussion effect. That may or may not be a concern for you. Also not a caliber you'd shot in volume due to a touch of recoil compared to a smaller varmint round but your shooting ground hogs not prarie dogs so this may also be moot. 243 isnt the kindest round out there for long barrel life so I'd want to take a REAL hard look at the throat of the gun before I plunked the money down on it and make sure you still have something to work with. Lastly, Ruger #1 can be fickle sob's. When they come together they are wonderful and have a classic blue/walnut beauty. But they can drive you insane in the search for accuracy, often related to bedding of the forearm. Mine will shoot in the .3's when its happy with one particular load. Anything else, 1 moa is normal; that may or may not make you happy.
The 17 is a blast overall. It has some noise but not much. Zero recoil. Uses so little powder to reload. It'll remind you more of a rimfire than a centerfire in some regards and i find myself running out of ammo because its so easy to shoot. That 527 is a fairly light weight gun, easy to carry but no bench gun by any means. Mine routinely hovers around .5's out to 200 yds. Inside of 200 it's quite explosive but so little mass it normally won't even exit a broad side fox and the same holds for ground hogs. As such folks that are looking for a fine mist of spray in the scope tend to be disappointed with it compared to bigger 22 centerfires. Inside of 200 yards on ground hogs, fox, crows I love it. Now beyond 200 yards I find it to be lacking; it drifts a fair amount but simply doesnt have the punch left so I reserve it for close range work and switch to 222, 223, 220 swift or 20 tactical when the distance increases. Personally i don't think its a great coyote gun. But if you are a very patient coyote hunter and can wait for a perfect broad side shot it is kind on fur. But I hunt coyotes across 3-4 states for a 45-60 day stretch and take whatever shots come at whatever distances. In those cases its truly not upto the job but then again I don't think the 222 or 223 are either. If you were after coyotes in volume the 243 is a better option but if you are only after the occasional coyote I wouldnt necessarily shy away from the 17. Given your rimfire background I have a feeling you might like it
I havent used it on groundhogs but i have used it on coyote. I think its a seriously under rated round. It will do the same thing as a 22-250 to groundhogs though ( flat out derail them). I have switched to the 22-250 now though since i use a 270 for deer and 22-250 for everything coyote and under. Inside of 250 yards i would go with the 22-250 since its a flatter shooter. Mine is zeroed at 200 and anything inside of 250 i just put the cross hairs on and let it eat. 243 will be better if it tends to be windier where you are though. Im sure you already know this. Still i am a really big fan of the 243. Never seen a Ruger #1 though.
It'll be worth the wait Have you purchased the reloading stuff yet? I had trouble finding brass for it at first so I just bought 10 boxes of factory ammo and went from there.
It'll be worth the wait Have you purchased the reloading stuff yet? I had trouble finding brass for it at first so I just bought 10 boxes of factory ammo and went from there.
The rifle is in. But due to "other stuff" going on, I must wait till next week to do the transfer, etc. Yes, I bought 100 rounds, and a couple of extra mags. No dies yet. I'm still collecting all of my loading gear. I'm going to spring for the stainless steel media rig to start off right. That is, unless someone else on the Site has had some horror story using the stuff.
http://www.stainlesstumblingmedia.com/
I've been impressed with this since first seeing it a couple of years ago. The needed "case dryer" (a plain old food dehydrator) can be had on Craig's List around here for $10-15. Comments on the SS media cleaning system, anyone?
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"Arms are the only true badges of liberty. The possession of arms is the distinction of a free man from a slave." -- Andrew Fletcher 1698
Not a big fan of the .243, or Ruger rifles. The CZ 527 however is a well made rifle and quite accurate in .223. I own 5 CZs in various calibers and models and all do their job nicely and looking good while doing it.
OK. Finally made it to the proper point to complete this part of the story. Picked up the CZ527 Varmint about 5 weeks ago and proceeded to take it to the range. Got it on paper at 50, then 100, then 200, but had feeding problems and none of the three magazines would seat properly. Went out a few days later and the problem repeated itself so bad, that I quit after 10 rounds. I went to the Internet to learn that others had had the same/similar problem with some of these guys doing some home inletting and fitting to solve their problem. I opted to not use home remedies and sent it to Kansas City (on warranty), after speaking to one of CZ-USA’s gunsmiths. He said he had “heard of this problem and would know how to fix it.” That afternoon, I received a FedEx shipping label and it was on its way the next day. Two weeks later it reappeared and it took me another two weeks to get out; this morning. So, CZ’s US Customer Service gets an “A” for this job, but the factory gets an “F” for initial quality because it would not shoot properly, even though it is a handsome rifle—so are many other wall-hangers.
So, this morning, couple of shots at 50 and 100 yards then to 200 to zero it at this recommended distance for the .17 Hornet. There was almost no wind at our swampy range, but plenty of skeeters. I had to switch to the final hand-drawn target because I was having trouble seeing those tiny holes even with my 66X,100mm Celestron spotting scope. I encountered some lateral dispersion at 200 yards that I will blame on the Blackhawk bipod with the pivoting head (have to have some excuse). Not really. I am confident that the groups will tighten up with some more practice. However, a group of 1 13/16” is sub-moa, pretty good for starts, and certainly within “one minute of fat groundhog” accuracy. After 200 yards, I brought the target back to 100 yards and fired at the same aiming point to see if it would go high, as advertised; it did. Like all of you say out there, “. . . the one flyer on was all me,” but again, another sub-moa cluster of holes says it’s good enough for the farmer’s groundhog problem. Will have to try again in some wind.
Summary: CZ 527 accuracy is excellent. The single set trigger is very good, with just the tiniest, microscopic bit of creep (I’ve been spoiled by my Anschutz match rifle triggers). The non-set trigger function has creep, but I won’t be using it so no problem. CZ Customer Service is A+ but the factory back in the Czech Republic needs to correct a few problems with their quality control. So, overall, it’s time to do some further groundhog scouting on the way home from killing bandits.
I got it, finally.
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