# opinions needed!! single shot rifle



## flying wasp (Aug 22, 2006)

H & R .223 OR .243 for coyotes. Good gun? Bad gun? what is different btwn the 2 calibers?..How bout Rossi??


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## Justin (Feb 21, 2005)

I have an H&R in 204. Love the rifle...it's a tack driver. Much better than I expected for that money.


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## kaler9969 (Feb 25, 2005)

My father also has one in .204. Very good shooting rifle (less than 1" groups at 100 yards) and a much better trigger than I would expect.


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## Masterblaster1 (Sep 28, 2004)

H&R makes great guns. Made in USA if that makes any difference to you. I have a H&R .280 and .25-06 and both will shoot under 1 inch groups at 100 yards if I do my part.


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## huntfishhurt (Jul 9, 2010)

I have a single shot Rossi in 12 gauge with the ported barrel and it shoots just as good as my H&R ultra slug,as for a round did you consider 22-250, that will get out there and touch them


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## thumbgoodfisherman (Dec 6, 2005)

I won a Rossi heavy barrel 243 last year at a Whitetails Unlimited banquet and was happy as heck. So I took it to the range and shot it, needless to say after the first shot trying to get it on paper at 50yds with no luck and I look down and it is broke open by itself:yikes:. So I am a little leary after it did the same thing after the second shot at 25yds off hand, I don't think I would have a 4x8 sheet of plywood!!!!! My buddy says to me your flinchin, I looked at him and said you would be too if your gun was broke open like this. So I brought it home tore it all apart and cleaned it throughly and was going to take it back to the gun dealer, just didn't have the time and put it back in the gun safe. 

Today my daughter and myself took her Henry 22 and the Rossi to the gun range. I was a little a-scared to shoot it but after the first shot it performed outstanding by not breaking open on 15 or so shots. My first shot was about 10 inches high with the windage perfect. I adjusted it down and clover leafed 3 shots at 50yds at about 11 o'clock to the bull at 2" from the center. After a couple more adjustments bingo its on the money, and this is where it gets good. My daughter just turned 12 and has shot 22's but no gun that kicks, so she shots it and lays 3 in the bull about 1 1/2 group and I was proud dad, looks like she has a deer rifle that she feels comfortable to shoot.

We ran out of time to shoot it at 100-200 yards but am looking forward to run some more ammo through this nice shooting gun. 

The H&R and the Rossi are both good shooting guns for the money and are reliable. Yeah there are alot of better single shots for alot more $. I was really disappointed last year when it was malfuctioning but after a good clean job and the shooting it did today I'm alot happier. Hope this helps ya in your purchase.


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## tstu2 (Apr 5, 2005)

.223 vs .243
I think if it is strickly a coyote gun...both will work. 
Price the ammo and think of how much you will shoot....


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## Crow Buster (Oct 18, 2005)

Why a single shot? Don't get me wrong, I've got an H&R Ultra Varmint in .223 that I love and has whacked more wood chucks than I can count. But, the list price has gone up about $125 since I bought it and they're priced well out of the niche they were in. For the same money you can get a Stevens bolt gun that weighs 6.5lbs and is just as accurate.











CB


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## mgarrett88 (Jan 17, 2007)

i used to have an H&R in 243 and loved that gun. I used 100gr core lock for deer and 75 gr for yotes. You get the best of both worlds. My cousin uses a .204 on his and he loves it. The only reason i got rid of it was to fund my new yote gun which is now a DPMS .223.


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## Eslocklier (Oct 21, 2010)

Get the H&R. In .223. Practice ammo is WAY cheaper and more available, and the H&R is a much better gun than the Rossi. I had the Rossi in .308 that was pretty much a farm/truck gun, and it had problems with everything from lockup to accuracy.


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## codybear (Jun 27, 2002)

I have the Rossi Trifeca single shot combo (.243, .22, 20ga) and the .243 wont even group on paper. I've tried at least 8 different factory loads on the .243 and none of them will group good enough to hold any type of a group at 50yards.. The .22 aint much better and I havent even tried the 20ga yet.. For the money I spent in ammo, I could of purchased 3 seperate rifles by now..

CB


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## flying wasp (Aug 22, 2006)

I stopped at g.mtn after work today. certainly the most available ammo in these smaller calibers were .223 and then 22-250 did not even see .243 on the shelf. Is the .223 so popular because of the AR?. They also had a couple H&R singles. Small ranch style gun with like a 21" barrel. Is this a capable 200yrd shooter?. Leaning toward the 22-250. any opinions?


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## GoNorthMore (Jul 17, 2009)

I've got the Rossi .243 heavy barrel with a good Bushnell 3x9, can drive tacks at 100 yards (from a good rest, I'm not that stable) BUT had the same problem thumbgoodfisherman had, when I first got it it would occasionally break open by itself when shot, not good! I hosed it heavy with wd-40 then soaked it in solvent, dried it, then added a little gun oil to the working parts, haven't had a problem with it breaking open again in 3 years. It would be one of my favorite guns if I wasn't still a little nervous with it...


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## Eslocklier (Oct 21, 2010)

I just like to be comfortable with my guns, and the Rossi never gave me that. From the lockup problems to just being inconsistent as far as accuracy, I was always uneasy about it. That's why it hit the trade block.


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## flying wasp (Aug 22, 2006)

I have not read a bad thing about the Stevens model 200 other than it's appearance. Accurate bolt action on a budget. I think for about $315 it will be in 22-250 with some good glass atop.


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## stickem (Oct 31, 2007)

i have a NEF 22-250...with an nice scope on it and its the cats *** love my 22-250 bullets are a little more but i can reach out there and touch things...also i have mine on folding by-pods ...very nice...


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## JMilwee80 (Oct 25, 2010)

The H&R's are pretty cool, I wouldn't mind having one in .243 or 7mm-08 for a truck gun.

I had a Ruger No. 1, I almost enjoyed that rifle until it broke it's pin and I got my money back for it.


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## thumbgoodfisherman (Dec 6, 2005)

GoNorthMore said:


> I've got the Rossi .243 heavy barrel with a good Bushnell 3x9, can drive tacks at 100 yards (from a good rest, I'm not that stable) BUT had the same problem thumbgoodfisherman had, when I first got it it would occasionally break open by itself when shot, not good! I hosed it heavy with wd-40 then soaked it in solvent, dried it, then added a little gun oil to the working parts, haven't had a problem with it breaking open again in 3 years. It would be one of my favorite guns *if I wasn't still a little nervous with it*...


gonorthmore, I know just how you feel with it breaking open.:lol: I still think it was the packing grease or thick oil they use that was making it break open. When it first happens to ya it scares the heck out of ya. I can't wait to go back out to the range and try it at 100-200 yards. The scope that came on it was a FM Optics, has any one else heard of this brand before and if so are they any good?


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## keweenaw Lung-buster (May 4, 2008)

H&R make a great rifle. Trigger pull is a little stiff for really accurate shooting at distances beyond 250 yards (in my opinion). I had the .243 and it was a great rifle. Rossi's are good, but don't seem to have the finish of the H&R's - especially the H&R Ultra line.

.223 v. .243...you'll get more distance and engergy (obviously) out of the .243 and it will be a more versatile round if you decide you want to hunt something bigger than yote's with it. 

Here is the BIG downfall of the single and I don't think anyone else addressed this. I sold my most recent H&R Ultra Varmint .223 that I was using for coyotes. It was a GREAT bench gun and I was pleased with the accuracy. However, H&R changed the ejector a few years ago. They used to EJECT the spent round...now they only dislodge it and you have to pull it out by hand. The significance of this became painfully obvious in the mid-winter when you are shooting with gloves and you need to fumble around as you are trying to get the shell out quickly in order to reload. (Ya, I know, make the first shot and it wouldn't be a problem) But the reality is that fast follow up shots were difficult without stripping down to bare hands - not always the best scenario in extreme winter conditions. Even then, it is not as quick as the ol' positive eject models of years gone by. Strongly condider the shooting conditions and functionality of the gun before buying - a lesson learned.

As for a budget bolt action...A great budget rifle is the new Marlin bolt actions. They have a similar trigger to the Savage Accu-triggers and you can get package deals if you're not to particular on your optics. I picked up an XL7 in .243 last year for a real nice price of $360 (scoped and all). I found it to be a fantastic shooting rifle, decent fit/finish for an inexpensive synthetic rifle, and the action seemed fine to me. Trigger pull was clean and broke at about 3 lbs. Don't like the built in box magazine, but whattaya want for $300 bucks. They come in multiple calibers and would be worth checking out.


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