Bolt aciton 223

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Bezoar

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Im curious and looking at a bolt action 223 rifle. i want to make it a 70-80 yard really accurate from the box "head shoot the woodchuck" rig.

ideally the heavy , 24 inch barrelled remingtons look good but is there something better on teh market? i DO NOT want any of the short uncer 20 inch barrelled family.
 
CZ 527, Savage, or Ruger M77 Predator would all stand you in good stead. With the QC problems Remington is having, I'd pass on their products.
 
The older Remington 700 VSSF in 223 was a good tack driver. Regardless of manufacturer you need to consider the bullet weights you plan to shoot. My barrel is a 1:12 twist and while the rifle is very accurate with bullets up to 55 grain that is as good as it gets.

Some of the newer 223 barrel offerings have the faster twist to stabilize the heavier bullets. So know what you plan to shoot before you get a barrel twist that won't stabilize what you plan to shoot as to bullets.

Ron
 
well ilove my 770.

id like to stay under 500 as much as possible right now. and im seeing a lot of websites say caliber .223 (5.56 x 45 nato) now is that right or not?
 
Bezoar said:
well ilove my 770.

id like to stay under 500 as much as possible right now. and im seeing a lot of websites say caliber .223 (5.56 x 45 nato) now is that right or not?
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Yeah, it's right. Without triggering an endless discussion of the 5.56 versus 223 debate any rifle chambered for 5.56 will shoot 223. See my post regarding what bullet weights you plan to shoot.

With a $500 budget I would look for a good used Rem 700 VSSF and you may be hard pressed to find one for $500 or less. For any really good and accurate 223 as in a decent target rifle you are cutting it close at $500.

Ron
 
I have a .223 caliber Savage Model 12 in stainless with a heavy barrel. It will shoot better than my abilities and I love the accu-trigger. I have used it on prairie dogs out to 400 yards with a 3 x 9 scope with very good results. Check out Savage if you want a good piece of hardware at a reasonable price.
 
I have two Remington 700s (221 Remington and 17 Remington) and one Remington XR-100 (223 Remington), all purchased between 2001 and 2006.

They shot OK before I did anything to them. All three required some stock work and I replaced the triggers. Now they shoot great.

So, I'd be wary of current manufacture Remingtons, at least based on my data point of 3.

I also have a heavy barrel Savage Model 12 (204 Ruger) and it shot great right out of the box.

CZ, Ruger and others have good reputations but I do not have experience with them.

To get lower than $500, i suspect you will need to look at the used market.
 
my issue is ive seen great reviews for low cost bolt guns in 223 that turned into a small paragraph at the bottom as "only shoots x grain bullet, everything else wont group."
 
Bezoar said:
my issue is ive seen great reviews for low cost bolt guns in 223 that turned into a small paragraph at the bottom as "only shoots x grain bullet, everything else wont group."
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I mentioned to look at bullet weight versus rifle barrel twist. My 1:12 twist is great with 55 grain and below bullets. Tiny sub MOA dime size groups at 100 yards. Load 75 grain bullets and no way will the 1:12 twist stabilize them. That is the nature of the beast.

Thus the small paragraph you are reading.

Ron
 
My growing-older Ruger 77 Mk II, from around 1997, has always been a half-MOA shooter, even when it had the tort-liability trigger. Never messed with the bedding at all. Installing a Timney merely made it easier. :)

No difficulty with clean kills on prairie dogs to 300 yards.

1:10 twist; I load mostly Sierra bullets in the 50-55 weights.
 
CZ!! 527........will do it!!
the set trigger will spoil you!
mine is the 527FS...will shoot BOTH....223 & 5.56...into very small clover leafs all day long!!!
mine is the 1-12 twist...but I do not shoot anything over 55grns anyway...and reload the same.
however...CZ now offers the 527 in the 1-9 twist for those wanting to shoot the heavier(LOLOL) bullets.
but how many varmits can survive a 55grn head shot????
 
It's not an out of the box rifle but, you might consider looking for one of the old Remington 700's chambered in the 70's era .17 Remington . Reason is
1. If you find one, it's in very good shape on the outside, barrel will be pitted and useless.
2. IT HAS THE SAME BOLT FACE AS A .223.
I bought one, put a 9 twist Kreiger barrel on it, glass bedded .sporter contour.
Costs less than factory new and much more accurate.
 
I find it hard to believe that any modern 223 bolt action rifle can't make that shot at 70-80 yards. I would pick whichever one fits you the best in feel and looks.
 
I find it hard to believe that any modern 223 bolt action rifle can't make that shot at 70-80 yards.
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly. 70-80 yards is spitting distance to a .223. Surely bullet weight will factor in, but I think any .223 that has trouble doing that has a lot wrong with it. I'd probably be looking at Ruger American or Savage given your search criteria and price.
 
im seeing really beautiful reviews and recommendations for the savage axis rifle packages in any caliber. the thing is im trying to figure out the rifling in them because some retailers say 1 in 9, others say 1 in 10.

id like to be able to grab a box of generic, say federal american eagle 55 grain fmj and make tiny little groups at 100 yards, but still have the ability to put heavier 65 + grain slugs into tiny little groups and have penetration for a deer skull out to 75-80 yards.

I love my other guns, but i kinda am at the age of " im tired of the neighbor 3/4 a mile away knowing i took a shot". and cost.
 
savage website is working for some of us i seee. so does it give the ultimatum on bullet weights to use?
 
A 1:9 .223 will shoot anything under 75 grs. or so.

But your neighbor is still going to hear you :)

Laphroaig
 
I go along with the fact that nearly all modern .223 bolt rifles will do minute of woodchuck head at a lot farther than 80 yards. I have one that will do it at 500 yards on a good day. It will do it at 300 yards every day. But there are differences in rifles of course. What you want in a rifle means a lot. If you just want a shooter you might look for a good used model with a heavy barrel. Older Remingtons are great but I have heard a lot of complaints about newer models. Savage makes great rifles. A lot of companies do. I wanted to get a Tikka until a few days ago when I heard a horror story or two about their CS. I think I'll pass on one now but people for the most part rave about them. I've came close to buying a Savage 111 which was under $500. I found this one for under $500 and it comes with a Nikon scope. It's hard to argue with a deal like that. Nikon makes decent scopes.
 
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