Cantaloupes are notoriously tough to bring down. Just make sure if you're using a .243, use a bonded bullet, and watch your shot placement. Last thing you want to do is have to go looking for a wounded cantaloupe in the bush. I once butched a shot on a Honeydew Melon. It darted into the trees and I had to look for it. No fun at all, I'll tell you that.

Those honeydews can come at you fast.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
You folks are making it sound way less complex

Targets, of cantalope size,
That's pretty much it.
No farther, no smaller

A ridiculously expensive and ridiculously accurate bolt action rifle isn't necessary for 6" targets at 175 yards. I suspect the majority of bolt rifles on the market will hit your melons without much fuss from a stable position, provided your skills behind the rifle are good.

Much of precision shooting comes down to the shooter. Without going into tedious details of what makes precision shooting, the shooter must (1) press the trigger straight back, so the sights remain on the target and (2) manage the recoil cycle, so that the sights remain on the target all through the recoil cycle. As a benefit to the shooter without a second person to spot shot impact locations, keeping sights on target allows the shooter to spot his own impacts. In general, the lower the recoil forces, the easier it is for the shooter to control point #2.

Here's a general guide for relative recoil forces, in foot pounds, for average weight rifles:
3-4 foot pounds -- 223 Remy
8-11 foot pounds -- 243 Win and 6mm Creedmoor
12-13 foot pounds -- 260 Remy, 6.5mm Creedmoor, 6x47
13-14 foot pounds -- 7mm-08
16-18 foot pounds -- 308 Win
All calibers produce less recoil energy with a muzzle brake, with a suppressor, or by adding weight to the rifle.

It is harder to manage recoil and spot your own shots with a 308 than a 243. Likewise, the same with 243 vs. 223.

Consider ammo availability in these challenging times. On Friday morning I pulled available 223 Remy ammo ammoseek.com. There were 57 items for sale, with prices from $.75 to $2.50 per round. Heavier match ammo of 69-77 grains produced 8 results, with prices from $1.10 to $2.00 per round.

A search on 243 Win produced 12 results, with prices of $2.00 to $4.00 per round. A search on 6mm Creedmoor produced 26 results, with prices of $1.75 to $2.80 per round.

Will 223 smack fruits and veggies and 175 yards? You bet. The following is 5 rounds from my 223 bolt action at 410 yards, using Federal 69 grain ammo. Vertical and horizontal dispersion of 1-1/4" each, total group size of 1-5/8". I aimed for the center of the 12" plate, but a breeze drifted the shots left.



Consider 223 as a caliber choice, for what appears to be relatively short distance target practice.

a Remington 788 in either .243win or .308win. Your choice with quality scope for under $700 complete and ready to bust them.

Great rifle's btw

I saw your ad in the classifieds , it got me curious ,so a checked out a half dozen articles and another half dozen youtube vids.

Then I went to check .243 Win. Ammo availability.

.243 win or .308 win is about as bread and butter center fire rifle ammunition as one can get. Especially once this ammo shortage is over.

All them cantelopes around here have cantered off, long ago, along with their antelope brethren...

quote:

Originally posted by mrapteam666:
I would get an older model Remington 700 Sendero chambered in 25-06.

I have always wanted one since I first saw one back in 1997 in Rawlins Wyoming.

I am not sure about the scope though
I have not kept up with scopes beyond ACOG and Red Dot.

I bought a Remington 700 BDL VS heavy barrel varmint special in .25-06 in 1969. It's got a Leupold 6-18 variable scope.

It worked great on ground squirrels at 200+ yards, so it would be good for cantaloupe.

quote:

Originally posted by ArtieS:
Winchester 70 Featherweight. Street price around $900. Pay a bit more for fancier wood, the birdseye maple is particularly nice if you can find it.

Then pick a scope in your range from Leupold, Zeiss or Vortex.

.243 is a particularly nice round to shoot.

I bought one of these FN guns in 243W back in 2010 and absolutely love it. I've killed a couple of hefty deer with 100gr Partition. I'm sure they'd be fine on melons, as well. Mine happens to be a "Deluxe."

^^^I find the Model 70 is indeed "the rifleman's rifle". Featherweights are the most distinctive imo.

As for the OP, whatever you decide just be sure to use something like this and you'll get bored at that distance soon enough:

I’ll be the odd man......T/C Encore. Can get it in about any caliber you want. My 30-06 shoots 1 1/4” at 100 yards. Was shooting cantaloupe sized plates at 300 @nd 400 yards this summer. Almost too easy.
Used my slightly customized 10/22 to shoot eggs at 200 yards the same day. Not every one hit, probably 50%, the wind is something you have to learn to read at that distance.

Either way.....it’s fun!

No one has mentioned Kimber rifles,

Kimber rifles are very nice, BUT... early ones had a reputation for variable accuracy and they are a distinct premium over the Winchester 70 classics, and I'm not sure that the additional coin is worth the squeeze.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
I've been trying to learn about rifle accuracy on the www.,
Both on Y.T. and more than a few web pages .

I thought for sure someone would respond back with,

Buy a $1000.00 gun
Spend more $
On barrel crowning,
Then cryo dip it
Then,
Get a $350.00 trigger set up.
Then have a guy re- bed it
Then
Get a $300.00 bi pod.

You folks are making it sound way less complex

Put the cantaloupe at 400 or 500 yards and you’re talking about a completely different set of requirements.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
No one has mentioned Kimber rifles,

Many years ago -- before I got into the precision rifle game -- I shot a few rounds from a friend's Kimber hunting rifle. It was a good looking deer rifle, maybe chambered in 243, and it shot quite accurately.

I own a Kimber sporter .22lr rifle, one of the last rimfires off their production line. It's a very well made rifle, and plenty accurate enough to repeatedly hit a 5-6" target at 175 yards. At least when the wind isn't blowing.

I fondled a Kimber centerfire rifle a few years ago. It seemed really well made -- tight action, good trigger. IMO the higher priced Kimbers firearms tend to be really well made. Some owners feel the lower priced Kimbers aren't up to the same standards. It's up to you to decide if the price-to-value ratio is right.

****
Ammoseek.com shows only 2 available options for .243 Winchester ammo this morning. Over 100 options for .223 Remington, although many of the options are FMJ. 6mm Creedmoor has 22 available ammo options.

I shot my 223 bolt action over the weekend again. Great accuracy at distance, fun to shoot, minimal recoil. I highly recommend a 223 rifle.

I would be confident in doing that with Sig SHR 970 in .270 with Nikon glass all day long.

Its not fancy but my $350 Zastava 7.62x39 bolt action(mini-Mauser) and $279 Walmart Leupold 4-12x40 Rifleman will pick off a 3"-5" target at 200yards until you run out of ammo.