so as the title suggest, i have supported our gun rights since i was a kid. pellet guns and what not, but now that i actually have a hunting buddy, i need some advice from the more experienced.
now, i am a college student. so a winchester legend or a s&w masterpiece is totally out of the question.
but it seems "budget rifles" are gaining some ground. ive looked at a few and asked on other places specifically for just rifles, about the mossberg 100 ATR, the savage axis, remington 700, the marlin x7y, and the ruger american.
and i have narrowed down my options to the

ruger american

and the mossberg 100 ATR

im leaning more towards the ruger american, seeing as ruger seems to be a little more trust worthy than mossberg rifles. i know mossberg shotguns are great, but some of the things ive read about mossberg rifles...makes me doubt it. the ruger american on the other hand, my buddy got it in .308 and i loved it! granted its only been a few weeks since he's had it but i feel like ruger would be the best choice! anybody own these? it will be my designated hunting rifle. but it will go to the range more just so that i can get comfortable with it. and practice my accuracy. so what do you guys think between the 2? good hunting rifle for a beginner? would it be worth the hassle in the long run?
now for caliber. im down to either:

22-250

or

.243

i plan on hunting coyote mostly, but lets face it, when a man wants some deer jerky, you just cant calm it down with beef jerky! so i would like something that with good shot placement will down a deer quickly. i hate to see deer suffer, coyotes i dont care, but deer are not only tasty, but beautiful!
so i want something that will give a coyote the business and down me a white tail or an axis whenever i get the craving for deer jerky.
im not really concerned about leaving the coyote pelt intact, i mean i would like some coyote mittens and a coyote blanket and a coyote coat. but im not to worried about it. but it would be nice. any thoughts on which caliber to get?
thanks in advance!

As a college student, are you saying no reloading and no other guns bought for a while? Given this, I would go for the .243 as you can walk into pretty much any gun shop and find a commercial over the counter load for any animal you would want to shoot.

Do both rifles have the same barrel length? I think the .243 would do what you want just fine in the short barrel of the ruger american.

in a nut shell yes haha i might have a weekend or two to do whatever, but for the most part it will sit on my bed. and yes, both have 22" barrel. there is a compact version of the american with an 18" barrel. but what difference does the barrel length make? just the twist difference? and i like the longer barrel look, but if the compact will do a better job i may just get it.

Of those two, I would go with the Ruger. I believe it comes with a Redfield scope, which is a much better than average "kit gun" scope. The .243, while one of my least favorite rounds, would be my choice for your needs.. That combo should serve you very well.

Welcome aboard...of those 2 choices and not having owned or shot either, I'd favor the Ruger. But in the Low End category price range of $400+/- I'd have a lot more interest in the Thompson Center Venture than either of the brands you've mentioned based on features and warranty.

Use the Ole Yellow Pad approach, and A. list what's important to you as you understand your needs today...and list the attributes of the compared products side by side. Then B. on a 2nd page list the attributes of the chosen products side by side feature to feature & avg advertised price to price and see how they stack up. Warranty aka "factory support" is a big thing with me. Use the products Home Page Spec Sheets for data.

Caliber choices are a personal thing with most people based on input from respected peer pressures for a given job. FWIW over time you'll find that hunting rifles are more like golf clubs than you could imagine...later on you'll be wanting other rifles for more specific job's...or ...settle for the Great Average Do All rifle & caliber based on your usage patterns and desires yet to be identified.

Above all Have Fun and don't sweat the small stuff.
Ron

OBTW
It is more important that the gun FIT you well when you shoulder & sight it at the an imaginary critter than the name plate on the barrel... all other things being equal or close.

Ruger 243.. hands down top with with some quality glass

Ron gives good advice. I would heed his words if I were you.

With the options you listed the Ruger in 243. But I have to add my take a look at the Savage Axis II, it now has the accutrigger.

I've never cared for Mossberg shotguns and I have been interested in a Ruger American Predator. The Predator comes with the scope rail and a threaded barrel for a suppressor.
A 243 should work great for both coyotes and deer. And like mentioned, it's a very common round you can purchase most anywhere.

looks like .243 has majority vote! im actually going to shoot my buddies .243 this coming weekend, so i'll see if i like it or not. i imagine it kicks alot less than the .308? the .308 felt more like a light thud. but the recoil threw my second shot off. still loved it! and ron thank you for that bit of advice, i will be doing that first thing in the morning. and i saw the axis II but i still wasnt sold on it, granted it looks good. but some reviews made me doubt savage. granted the ruger has some issues here and there. but not as bad as the remi 700 or the axis.
i saw one guy with a remington 700 straight out the box with the bolt really loose and wobbly. and the axis. i held one it just didnt feel right in my hands, felt to back heavy to me. didn't shoot it tho. it was a 30-06, maybe that had something to do with it, but i love the feeling of the ruger. felt pretty balanced. the mossberg was an option because i had no idea mossberg made rifles! i thought they were all shotgun. so i thought it would be nice. but .243 it is! i imagine shooting a lighter grain to leave more pelt in tact?

I'd like to see pictures of this coyote coat and mittens

as soon as i pick some off and have the hides ready. i will try to find someone to make coyote mittens and a coyote coat! i cant be the only one with this idea!

A 243 isn't going to hurt the pelt at all. I looked into having a real coon skin hat made, prices were between $400-$700, I decided I didn't need one that bad.

Ruger hands down.

I'd do the ruger in 243 because 22-250 is hard to find a lot of times and no where near as cheap

Another vote for the 243 Ruger

I'd go with the Ruger .243 as well. But as a college student, frugality is next to godliness, so a generic scope would be best. Then, promise yourself that when you get your diploma, a job, and some positive cash flow....only then will you upgrade your optics.

Keeping a dangling carrot in front of you is always a great motivator to stay on track. And for the average Joe looking at the long haul, a college diploma will trump a Nightforce or Swaro every time.

agree with going with the Ruger 243 over the mossberg
good luck!

awesome! thanks guys! i know this is a noobish question to ask, but what difference does the barrel length make? besides affecting the twist. there is a 22" barrel and a "compact" 18" barrel would it affect distance of the bullet? or the grain best used?

Both barrel lengths are the same twist rate, but the longer barrel will give you some additional velocity.

I'm not a .243 guy, so I'm not sure what optimal barrel length is. However, I borrowed a buddies Rem model 7 .243 that he'd cut down to 18". I had no issue shooting an 1.5" group at 200 yds with this rifle. Took several deer from 130yds-220yds also. Very handy little gun.

Listen to Dawaba's prescient knowledgeable words...

One more log on the fire IMO to consider...cost of the "Care & Feeding" of said Shooter at a cheap enough overhead to allow you to learn to shoot the dang thing accurately.

There are a couple of calibers in the world that are cheaper to shoot than most others, and a couple of price tiers in the "Others" ammo costs at your State of Income to be aware of. The very cheapest ammo is all Military based & usually in Full Metal Jacket boolitz not conducieve to hunting anything with...except Johnny Jihaddi under the Geneva Convention Rules of Engagement for Warring Countries. As much as most of us hate Hogs and the damage they do to the environment I would not shoot one with a FMJ bullet and expect to find and take home the critter.

The other concern that I thought I'd never see, was the impact of Hoarding when for whatever reason ammo & reloading supplies got tight and finally disappeared in the recent past. So my take on the Caliber Selection would more likely fall toward the 223 as the very cheapest ammo to find and shoot...but with being aware of the Asterik of the Hoarding Issue. 308 will fall into this same category as the Black Gun guys seem to believe that a single well placed shot is not sufficient when you have 29 more left in the magazine. 243 ammo falls into the 1st tier of 5 calibers Always Sold at the cheapest possible commercial Hunting ammo prices, along with sometimes the 308 at about a $1 US per round, or about 3+ times more money than the MilSurp styled 223. You wanna pull the triger 20 times for $Twenny Bux of better ammo or 60+ times of really CheepChit Roossian junk is the question.

The 243, when I was growing up, was touted from the rooftops ad infinitum ad nauseum by a well known and wedelyread Gun Writer aka Gun Mfg'er Shill Mouthpiece named Warren Page in the 1950's & '60's as the One Gun Hunters Be All & End All caliber...and it was for the Eastern Pasture Poodle & WTail shooter and sold a heck out of the guns establishing the caliber for all times....but mebbe not so much elsewhere....but on 'yotes & WTails in Texas you'll be fine. Todays factory ammo is light years better than it was just 10-20 years ago much less 40-50 years ago.

My first purchased Hunting Rifle was a cheap reworked WW I Springfield that was common at that time in 1966, and used really cheap 5-10 rnds for a $1 MilSurp FMJ ammo for practice...until my Grand Pop sold me at his horse trader of a thief cost a really nice high end SAKO 243 as my wedding present...actually made me buy my own wedding present from him in 1967!!! ....& where I get legimately get my infamous Scott's-Hebrew Cheap Arsed Attitude from, that I learned to shoot on for many years...and won some $'s occasionally writing my intials on a Bidnizz card at 100 yards. It served me well until I got tired of tracking well hit bigger critters and moved up the caliber line...the Golf Clubs syndrome is talking here....LOLOLOL

Just some other thoughts to think about...and the 243 is easier to learn how to reload your own ammo for & can be done out of 1/2 cigar box sized set of Lee hand tools in a 1 bedroom apt closet BTDT too....but I would not attempt it living in a college dorm room.
Cheers
Ron

I was in your shoes not too long ago, I am 24 now and I bought a remington 700 in .243 win. I love the .243 win. but if I were to turn back the clock I would have bought a Savage 11 in .243 win.

Why? Because you can shoot the barrel out and then rebarrel it in .243 or 6.5 CM or .308, any short action you want. No need to pay a gun smith, you can rebarrel it yourself, and the stock trigger is great too.

.243 is one of my favorite deer/coyote/all around calibers and I will always have one in my collection. For mostly coyotes the Savage .243 is perfect because it has a 1 in 10 twist barrel, great for light bullets.

I would recommend staying away from the mossberg atr, a buddy of mine had one and it was junk. Never fired a ruger american but I have shot a savage 11 in .243 combo with the nikon scope, very nice rifle. Check the trading post and look for used rifles. You can get a much nicer used rifle in your price range than if you get a brand new one.

I bought a ruger american couple of weeks ago for a extra gun to leave at camo.
LH 7-08.

I really like the gun for the price.

Ruger American + Redfield Revelution would make a great entry level rig that is easy on the wallet

Nothing wrong with the ruger or axis.

This pretty well sums it up for a case towards the Savage, which is what I would recommend. Spend a little extra and get a model 10/11 .243 scope combo and it will serve you well for many years to come. Good all-around and light recoiling round.