building a yote/bobcat .243

I posted on predator masters and 5spd told me to vemture over here and maybe i can get some more specific info, 5spd already gave me a great start in the right direction, heres what im kinda lookin for:


I have a savage 110 .243, looking to build a fierce varmint rig, looking for any info on stocks and barrels amd anything else i could add to make it a beast.

I thought about rebarreling to a .308 or a bull barrel .243, pros and cons of the two?

A big thanks in advance on any tips or info

This is my starting point
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a81...w/IMAG0606.jpg

Kinda depends on how deep your pockets are! ;D

Since you have a long action, I'd take a serious look into the 6mm Rem. if you load your own ammo. Barrels can be had from a number of companies that make pre-fit barrels.

I really feel the stock is a personal choice. I like the factory tupperware.......give it some paint and properly bed it and you're good to go. I just can't bring myself to take a nice piece of wood/laminate into the brush!

There's a lot of set-ups that will work, it just depends on what you want.

Personally, I love the 243 with either 70gr BTs or 87 V-Maxs for 'yotes. If you want to save pelts, a 22-250 or 204 would work better most of the time. A 223 is great for bobcats; shoot them with a 243 and a 70gr BT and you'll basically just have blood and scattered fur unless you miss all major bones. Bigger calibers such as the 308 will work fine, but fast-expanding varmint bullets are limited and there's going to be more recoil.

After starting out with a heavy barrel for a while, I soon discovered I'd be better off with a sporter barrel. A yote rifle isn't a prairie dog rifle, you'll be carrying it a lot more than you'll be shooting it. A shorter heavy barrel will work too (around 18 inches), but that seriously degrades performance of rounds such as the 22-250 and 243, though lower intensity rounds such as the 223 and 308 don't really lose that much with the shorter barrel.

If you are just set on changing barrels, what I'd recommend also depends on whether you reload or not. If so, a 243 AI is an awesome round for yotes, and you can always use factory 243 ammo in a pinch. If you're sticking to factory ammo, I'd stay with something commonly used for pedators like the 22-250 or 243 due solely to ammo selection.

Stocks again are a weight issue to me, at least for predator rifles. A huge target stock doesn't really have a place on my predator rifles. My main yote rifle has the factory plastic stock on it. If you must change, just keep in mind that you'll need to be able to manuever it quickly and may shoot it from unconventional positions.

Thanks for the info, looks like i have more reasearch to do than i had originally planned. i cant wait to have a fierce rig

You will get many different opinions on what's best. "Best" can also depend on your locale and your type of hunting. In AZ, I was predominantly calling them in to a stand setup. My distances were usually very short due to vegetation and terrain, and an extreme long shot was 200 yards. Wind was usually not an issue, just occasionally during storm fronts.

I used a nearly box stock Stevens 200 in 223, 50 gr Vmax, and it worked perfectly. I also don't want a heavy barreled rifle for a predator rifle. I like the weight and balance of my factory stock and sporter weight barrel just fine. I have several heavy barrel target rifles, but those are bench guns, not walk around guns.

We just finished moving up to North Dakota. From the very little looking around I've done (mostly while driving in with the Uhaul), it looks like I may need to change up a bit now. The distances here seem that they will be longer, and the wind will likely be a constant issue. So I'm thinking heavier caliber, or at least heavier bullets. I have a 257 AI sporter that I may re rig out as a 'yote rifle for up here. I would not want to shoot a bobcat with that though.

If you're really talking 'yotes AND bobcats, you will need to stay small on your cartridge. Bobcats are very easy to blow up with too big a gun. I'm thinking that even a 243 will be too much for them, unless you know your ranges will be long, like 150 yards and farther. You shoot a bobcat with a 243 at close range and it won't matter what bullet you use, you will trash the hide. It would be a shame to waste a nice bobcat pelt by blowing a bay window through it.

Great advice thus far!

I own .25-06 (3), .243 (3), .22-250 (1), .223 (4) and .222 (2) ........... I have been blastin' otes for many years.

It all starts with the caliber you chose and then like any tool, you adapt with your loads.

But it's hard to give a Bob a proper send off with too much power. 'ote pelts are the same way.

Me, I just blow them into the next century.

Now, if .243 really spins your propellor and it is a FINE cartridge (6mm is a hair better, mine was stollen) then the only way to make it Bob friendly is to consider FMJ's and perhaps throttle them back on the FPS.

The ideal would be to have a rifle that's more fur friendly (even than a .223) for your Bob adventures and LET HER RIP for otes .......... the trouble is that ote pelts are just now begining to bring a few shickles.

I'll tell you ONE THING:

Predator Masters is a very fine forum but when it comes to just getting around Savages ... nothing compares to THIS FORUM!!

WELCOME to the forum and Best regards

Three 44s

Pretty much any centerfire can be tough on bobcats. If after fur, I'd stay with a 204 or smaller.

If you are just out for numbers and dead coyotes, then a 243 would really work well. 22-250 and 25-06 would stack them up too. I've been using a 6XC on coyotes this year with 58 and 65 gr VMax's, so far little to no fur damage. When after cats, I like my 17 FB or my Mach IV. Somehow I just can't picture the little 17 FB on that long action. :)

Good luck

As other have said, the 243 is TOOOO much for bobcats. I used a 243 on yotes, for a while. I used the 85gr Sierra BTHP Gameking. VERY accurate bullet, BUT it left huge holes when it finished it's work. That was on a large coyote at 200yds, a bobcat at anything less than 400yds is going to be patches of bloody fur.

I also would recommend a 17 cal, something like the mach 4 or 17 Fireball for bobcats. If you're not after fur, use one of the other 243's for the yotes. That long action might be tough to get a .378 head for, not sure. You would need that for the 223 on down, caliber wise.

Good luck, let us know how ya do, and what you do.

I have a CZ 22-250 and a Browning 223 bolt action that I use for varmints. I own a beautiful 243 Sako but I don't use it for varmints as its my deer rifle. I'm pretty much locked into the 22-250 caliber for my varmint hunting this year.

Personally, within 75yds maybe to 100yds, for bobcats, I would lean towards the rimfire 17 HMR or the 22 WMR with an explosive bullet like a Vmax, and go for broadside shots. With the 22 WMR and the 30gr Vmax you could even get away with a shoulder shot and still take out the vitals. With the HMR I'd use the Vmax for broadside and the 20gr Gamepoint if I thought I would be taking shoulder shots.

I have killed yotes (up close) with the Gamepoint load and they will do the trick.

But that doesn't help you with the options for that long action. ;)

my vote would be for a 6mm rem (or AI) if thats your flavor. I've a 6mm rem (eeek!!!) rem 700 VLS that is an absolute hammer, 75gr vmax at 3400 anchors them well. Pelt damage isn't really an issue as most of the yotes ive shot with it have been A. headshots or B. texas heart shots as they're running away. The few that have taken with the little 75 gr vmax in the boiler room haven't been any worse than the 22-250 with 75r amaxs.

I like the 75 Vmas over the 87gr. as the added speed that i can get with the 75gr. trumps the small advantage of BC that the the 87gr. vmas has.

Welcome CL, glad to see you over here. See tons of info/ideas that your head will almost burst!