Got a Great Deal on an Icon 243 Rifle ...

**dreadpirate** · 05-04-2011, 09:05 PM

Snagged a Thompson Center Icon new for $549 at Bass Pro, normally $749. It's a discontinued model with a houge synthetic stock and a blue barrel (all of the current Icons w/ synthetic has stainless barrels). The stock is GREAT! Other synthetic stocks feel like slippery plastic. This one is nice and grippy.

The trigger is awesome. The bolt has three lugs. Can't wait to shoot it. It supposedly is sub MOA (something like 1/2" group at 100 yards).

**Mako72** · 05-04-2011, 11:41 PM

Nice Score!

Next time I'd put your post in the Great Outdoors forum

Jay

PS-WooHoo I figured out how to link in the word!!!

**damooshki** · 05-05-2011, 08:25 AM

Those are sweet guns. If the MOA 1/2" deal is for real, that's pretty darn impressive. Congrats on such a great deal!

I personally feel the barber shop is a perfectly fine place to post this thread, But you'd probably get a better response from all the gun fanatics

in the Great Outdoors forum

.

**stobes21** · 05-05-2011, 08:33 AM

Nice score! You going to use it for deer, varmints, targets, etc? And what kind of glass are you going to put on there?

**dreadpirate** · 05-05-2011, 07:55 PM

Originally Posted by stobes21

Nice score! You going to use it for deer, varmints, targets, etc? And what kind of glass are you going to put on there?

Sigh. Well - I ended up getting a Bushnell XLT DOA 600 3-9x40.

It seems like a decent scope, but it's on the low end. I wanted to go cheap until I really decide what I want to do. Also - some guys at the office think the DOA 600 is good for the money.

**dreadpirate** · 05-05-2011, 07:59 PM

My previous claim for accuracy is not correct. Just to be clear on Thompson's statement for accuracy on the Icon:

"3 shot group in less than 1" at 100 yards, Target with certified accuracy is in the box."

It did in fact come with said target. The actual group size on the target is 0.56"

There is an Icon Precision hunter which is sub-MOA.

But I'm still happy

**DavyRay** · 05-05-2011, 08:12 PM

Originally Posted by dreadpirate

My previous claim for accuracy is not correct. Just to be clear on Thompson's statement for accuracy on the Icon:

"3 shot group in less than 1" at 100 yards, Target with certified accuracy is in the box."

It did in fact come with said target. The actual group size on the target is 0.56"

There is an Icon Precision hunter which is sub-MOA.

But I'm still happy

I think "less than 1" does mean sub-MOA.

**SB1831** · 05-06-2011, 12:23 AM

A bit off topic but not really, but it irritates me the way some of the modern rifles are marketed as though they were precision rifles that will consistently shoot within 1MOA. They'll shoot 10 groups to get you that 1MOA 3shot group for your box. Not every rifle is going to be capable with the proper ammo and proper person behind the rig to put out those groups.

Not everything will shot like a TRG, 700PSS,Tango-51, etc. Too many rifles are put out these days giving shooters' hopes of achieving groups they're not capable of. Seen a lot of people get disenchanted with shooting and it's a shame because of the marketing these companies chose to use. Even if the rifle is capable most of the time the man behind it is not.

**auk1124** · 05-06-2011, 04:49 AM

Originally Posted by SB1831

Too many rifles are put out these days giving shooters' hopes of achieving groups they're not capable of. Seen a lot of people get disenchanted with shooting and it's a shame because of the marketing these companies chose to use. Even if the rifle is capable most of the time the man behind it is not.

While a MOA deer rifle is unnecessary and pointless and all, I'm guessing most hunters these days probably spend as much time at the rifle range as they do in the field. I think the arms companies are recognizing this and are building very accurate rifles that look good at deer camp and also look good on paper targets. Maybe not consistently sub-MOA, but compared to what previous generations took to the field, modern hunting rifles are laser beams.

We are in a golden age of sporting arms. Scopes and rifles are better than they've ever been. That Thompson the OP bought is just about guaranteed to be a finer rifle than anything his ancestors ever dreamed of owning. Congrats on the purchase and enjoy!