Bolt action .223 anyone?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Y

yrone

Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2003
Messages
9
I was wondering the opinion of the highroad crowd as to what they think the best .223 caliber bolt rifle would be? I hear the Remington 700 and Winchester 70 recommended in .30 caliber all the time but does the same action work as well with the smaller .223 rounds?

Are the bolt Rugers good?

Also do you prefer box magazine or the built in ones with these type of rifle.

If I get one this will most likely be for just having ammo consistancy with my other rifles.

Thanks everybody! :cool:
 
The little Ruger 77 is nice.

The CZ is probably the best value. Very accurate and reliable out of the box and a very handy little package. The CZ has a detachable box magazine. It also comes standard with a single set trigger.

CDNN (www.cdnninvestments.com) has the Weatherby TRR on sale now for about $900, which is a good price for this rifle.

But, for $900 you could get the CZ and most of a really good scope.

Depends on the application.

I'd lean toward the CZ for general use, the TRR if you're playing tactical ninja.
 
I own a Rem 700 VLS - varmint style .223. With the right load it has given me very good accuracy as shown in the attachment. I was originally going to buy the Ruger Target Rifle in .223 but the shop owner talked me into the Remington. I suppose if I was looking for a .223 today I would also consider the Savage models with the new Accu-Trigger - would be nice to own an out of the box rifle with a decent trigger. On my 700 I replaced the stock trigger with an aftermarket. The barrel channel was not free floated so I took care of that - it is now a fairly good shooting rifle.
 

Attachments

  • rem 700 .223 groups.jpg
    rem 700 .223 groups.jpg
    119.3 KB · Views: 68
I have a LH Remington synthetic stock varminer in .223. I wouldn't object to having a 700 LTR in 223 either.
 
rem 700 vls is a great rifle, and represents arguably the best value in heavy barrelled rifles.

have also had good luck w/ rugers.

only have 1 winchester, and it is in 300 wsm, so can't make a comparison there...no experience w/ tikka or cz.

as far as magazines go, i like detachable floorplates and blind magazines. i do not like 'clips'... they seem to have way too many feeding problems.
 
Remington 700 VS. Box stock it shoots like an expensive target rifle.

223x18.jpg

(100 rounds total, five and ten shot groups @ 100 yds, no cleaning)
 
That's some great shooting, Larry. What kind of load are you using?

A .223 bolt gun is at the top of my list for next purchase.

Thanks for starting this thread, yrone.
 
No problem starting a thread. I live to learn :D
I was checking out the Remington 700 LTR on gunbroker and it looks friggin sweet with that 20" barrel. I was wondering if it would be possible to "make" an LTR out of a VLS rifle or something. Do you guys see any disadvantage besides velocity loss?
 
Thanks Dave, but I can only attribute the groups to the gun because the loads are nothing special, churned out at the rate of 300/hr from my Dillon 550.

One load is 26.2gr of N133 behind a Hornady 40gr V-Max (red doggie mist ;) ). Other load (lower POI) is 25.0gr of N133 behind a 50gr V-Max. Nothing special done to brass (Win) or COL (feeding from mag). I have two loads that shoot better, but the 4198 powder doesn't meter well in my press.
 
The .223 is my choice for walk around varmint work at my farm. Having owned four .223 bolt actions, the one I kept is a Sako 75. I prefer a detachable magazine for certain reasons and the Sako system is the best of the bunch. Unlike some other rifles the detachable magazine can be top loaded if needed. The rifle will shoot .75" at 100 yards with just about anything and .5" with my handloads. The trigger is adjustable and it's a light, handy rifle. It is more expensive but you get what you pay for.

Second choice was a Tikka Whitetail Hunter in .223. Not as accurate as the Sako but certainly good enough. It was a little heavier than the Sako and not as nicely finished. The detachable magazines were limited to three rounds (although 6 rounders are available) and they couldn't be top loaded

I've also owned a CZ 527. It was accurate and light but had some drawbacks. The first was the magazine lips were razor sharp as they came from the factory and severely gouged the brass. Despite much fiddlilng with it, I couldn't get the single set trigger adjusted properly. Either the standard pull was too heavy or the set pull was scarily light.

Another interesting rifle was a used Remington Model 7 that I bought at a gun show. Very light and shot well. It was an older model with an 18" barrel and even though I wasn't expecting great groups with a thin, short barrel, it shot suprisingly well.

Paul
 
I have both a Ruger 77 and a Rem 700 VS in .223. The Ruger is reasonably accurate for it's barrel length and fairly stiff factory trigger (just bought a Timney to put in it). The Remington is very accurate out of the box in spite of having the most horrible trigger I've ever experienced on a rifle except for one of my Chinese SKS's! :) I have downloaded the instructions on adjusting its trigger and hope to get to that this week. After that, it will probably be my favorite long gun!
 
you'll find that the remington triggers are very easy to adjust to a crisp, light break. after you do one, you'll wonder why you ever paid a 'smith to adjust your rem triggers...
 
Check out the Savages. About the best rifle for the money in my book.
The gun can be had for well under $500, and I haven't seen a nicer trigger than the Accu-Trigger on a production gun.
 
My 77 Mk II sporter got happier when I put the Timney in. It has always given me 1/2-MOA three-shot groups with any old ammo I've used, from Remington factory 55-grainers to some of my uncle's 30-year-old 70-grain handloads. It just ain't picky at all.

:), Art
 
Good shooting larryw! I thought of buying a VS stock for my VLS .223. May try the pillar bedding route first. I owned a VS in .308 that was accurate with nearly anything I shot through it.
 
Top 3 for me price wise would be:

CZ
Savage
Remington

You cant go wrong with any of them. I like the CZ because it has the option of "setting" the trigger. Great for all shots in one hole. :)
 
The difference between the Rem 700 VS and the LTR is the twist rate of the barrels. VS = 1 in 12 and LTR = 1 in 9. For the 68s 69s and 75s, must have the LTR....
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

N
  • Locked
5.56 / .223 bolt action?
Replies
8
Views
730
andyjason
A
F
  • Locked
.223 Bolt Action Rifle Good For ???
2
Replies
33
Views
6K
wrs840
W
CommanderCrusty
  • Locked
Recommend a .223 BOLT Action?
2 3
Replies
52
Views
3K
Cee Zee
C
J
  • Locked
Bolt Action .223
2 3
Replies
55
Views
3K
Geno
G
G
  • Locked
Looking for input on 223's
Replies
11
Views
556
Rob1035
R
Back
Top