Big or Bust

What your gun prefers.....

Find a green stick and unclog that tube. The green stick will not hurt the barrel. Bullets in lands are easy to clear.

A wsm on a la will need some work. Find another donor.

Short action- .260 or 7-08. Long action- 6.5-06 or 280... Ackley them if wanted. Spend rest on time scouting and hunting.

Really really easy to distunguish a coues from a mule deer. That you have to bring that issue up while referencing the AGFD pictures means you are probably uncomfortable doing it yourself. Not all of us have issues with ID and really do not have to think about it. Great deer-

All I wear hunting....

Standard twist .243" tubes will not be able to shoot the 115 or even some of the 105 VLD type bullets. Standard .243 factory twists a 95 VLD is the best bet and still has a BC approaching .5. This bullet at 3,200 is a fantastic combo with light recoil.

Get a rifle your wife is comfortable shooting and practice. Dont ger her a rifle that recoils to much or make her shoot a mismatched stock with an improperly mounted scope. These things add up to not wanting to practice which adds up to posts like this. Every cartridge has its limitations and application. These things we should all follow.

No worries. Not trying to debate. A bad shot with anything is a bad shot and you will likely be chasing. Don't blame the headstamp. My wife has been running a .243 for 5 years now. With rl-17 I am pushing the 80 ttsx to nearly 3400 with great accuracy. This load has accounted for lots of deer, javelina, Texas hogs, and other random things with zero issues. Of course we practice though. The stock fits her. The scope fits her. I have set the rifle up for her success. We were shooting gongs yesterday and she made first shot hits from field positions to 500 yards. There are lots of things that can create blame for a cartridge being "underpowered".

If you do not reload, .243 all the way for your wife.

Do you really think .01" of bullet diameter with bullets with generally lower BC 's is a step up? A .243 with someone who can hit what they aim at with the proper bullet is a plenty good deer cartridge.

H4350 is good - RL-17 is also a top performer -

What I would do in order: 1) Ditch the led sled. You have a brake (I'd ditch the brake too but whatever). You going to drag the led sled to the field to shoot? 2) Get rid of plastic stock and upgrade. A front bipod and a sled with an unbedded cheap factory stock is disastrous. 3) Bed new stock. 4) Get reliable mounts/rings and a scope that accurately tracks. Have you checked the tracking of your scope? 5) Do not overtighten the mount screws for your scope. "Farmer tight" is usually too tight and can/will bind the erector causing erratic jumping during adjustments. Does your rife even like that load? You are drawing conclusions on reasons why your rifle is shooting to your standards when there are lots of standard stuff you have overlooked. Start over with your thought process is my advice. Good luck -

No small Allen screws holding it on?

SWFA sold -

For sale I have the following. I am located in Tucson and can work with you to do a FTF if necessary. If FTF, knock off $10 from the prices below. 1) Leupold VX-1 3-9x40 - duplex, matte, M1 elevation turret. Tracks well for me. Glass is nice, few small scuffs/tics in scope body. Overall, scope is in great shape. $250/shipped. 2) SWFA SS 12x42 - matte, mildot, mil. Great shape. Bought used and never mounted. $250/shipped. 3) Minox 6.5x32 IF binoculars - Hard to find nowadays. Really super scanners with incredibly clear glass. Used but not abused. Glass is in good shape, a few minor bumps on body. Two small white tics on focus knobs to mark the sweet viewing spot. Will come ready to attach to a bin strap. $250/shipped. First I'll take it via PM or on this thread via timestamp wins. MO or personal check okay.

Leupold sold -

Speed kills and BC matters is what you are saying. I agree. Placement comes first though.

Easily. Placing the shot is everything. Energy is a myth. 80 or 100 grain it matters not. Shoot the bullet that is the most accurate.

That's a big fat boy there.....

I hunt alone most of the time, especially if its my tag. Maybe with a buddy. I have a hard time finding folks who want hunt how I hunt -

Easiest place to build a fence to separate grazing pastures likely. There are fences all over the place.

For me in 6.5, something with 50-60 grains of capacity shooting a 140 at 3K is about perfect for a hunting cartridge - If I need more, I'll step up to a large capacity 7... I'll pass on the 26 Nosler -

Location?

Make sure you get a plain 1/4 MOA turret so you can use it for any load you ever want to shoot - Don't limit yourself to one load...