I donno what ta tell ya. I have no experience with the older ones, but my new Illion made Superlight shoots 2.5 inches at 300 yards. I would say it's a keeper. There were some accuracy issues with the older .243s. That kept me from buying one for years. Finally, I gave up and took the dunk and got mine. I couldn't have made a better choice. It would probably be a good idea to go to the FAQs, look up the manufactured year from the serial prefix and perhaps some of the more experienced guys here can help you from there.
When I have a fox or coyote around the house, barn, or surrounding fields, the .243 and the .22-250 Handis are what I grab. They're both good for my setup out to 400 plus yards. The .243 is my Wolf Rifle.....it works. I get to hunt in my area when a control permit is issued. Both you and the wolf would have to be asleep at the wheel to get a shot inside 2 - 400 yards. A friend and neighbor hunting on the same control permit shot two on two consecutive evenings with a .243. Both were between 3 and 400 yards.
Good luck and keep us posted on how it all turns out.
Pete