Bolt Action .223 Recommendations

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There is nothing wrong with an older Remington 700. I would not own one built in the last 5-10 years though.

All of the brands mentioned have good reputations. I stick with Savage since it is normally easier to find a left hand bolt action with all the features I want from them. Plus I have not owned an inaccurate Savage.
 
I have a great, inexpensive Savage Axis in .223 with Nikon scope. $300 or under without a scope, just buy one of you favorite brand & start hunting. Get the Axis 2 with adjustable trigger, I cut the spring on my regular Axis to improve it. I also painted it camo.
Go with Savage.
 
Anchorite said:
Why? Do you think the quality was lower/less? Can you cite specifically?
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I haven't owned one personally, but I do know the general consensus was that quality declined after Cerberus bought them (as did Marlin after Remington acquired them). Again, no personal experience, just the general feel I've picked up online over the years.
 
Try the Mossberg MVP Predator in 5.56. It will shoot 5.56, and .223, and it feeds through easy to find AR mags.

You could run a 20 or 30 rounder if you want, but the 10 rounder it comes with is all you will really need for what you're talking about. They don't come threaded, at least this one didn't, but any gunsmith can do it for minimal cost if you want.

This is mine. I had a Surefire muzzle device on this to mount my can, but I've got it up for sale on another site, so I swapped that out for the A2 birdcage. Unlike you, I use my ARs for everything... Never used this much. Anyway, look for something like this. They are surprisingly accurate.

IsBrtA4.jpg
 
12Bravo20 said:
As stated by others, Remington's quality went down hill after they were bought out by Cerberus. And the quality got worse as they went along until they shut down for good.
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I`ve bought and used Remington guns for years, from the 80`s all the way up to 2017 ( V3, my most recent purchase ). Have NEVER had a single issue with any of them, so they`ve never given me a reason not to be a fan. Nobody hopes more for the success of the " new " Remington. Having said all that, if I were in the market today for a new rifle or shotgun, I would look at other brands. Until the new company begins to get some unbiased positive product reviews, I`d just watch them. Truly wish that were not the case.
 
Turkeytider said:
I`ve bought and used Remington guns for years, from the 80`s all the way up to 2017 ( V3, my most recent purchase ). Have NEVER had a single issue with any of them, so they`ve never given me a reason not to be a fan. Nobody hopes more for the success of the " new " Remington. Having said all that, if I were in the market today for a new rifle or shotgun, I would look at other brands. Until the new company begins to get some unbiased positive product reviews, I`d just watch them. Truly wish that were not the case.
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I agree and want to see the new Remington succeed too. Unfortunately it isn't looking so goo for them so far. Plus don't bother contacting them about any Remington firearm made before the bankruptcy, they won't honor any warranty on them (not that I would expect them too either).

On the pre bankruptcy Remingtons having issues, the 870 owners had more complaints than the 700 owners. But there has been enough complaints about both to be noticed.
 
35 Whelen said:
I'm looking for input for a replacement for my old Remington 788 .223. This particular rifle resides in the laundry room gun rack and its sole purpose is for coyotes and stray dogs that get too close to the house in search of chicken dinners, (which happens fairly frequently) and for the occasional hog that raids that show up from time to time. The 788 works fine for this task, but its gentle 1-14" twist makes it very limited in regards to what handloads I can shoot through it. I looked into having it re-barreled, but at $700-$800, that costs more than many new rifles.

To that end, I'd like to find another similar bolt action rifle with a 1-7" to 1-9" twist so I can shoot heavier bullets (<75 grs.). Composite stock is fine, box magazine, sporter weight barrel, nothing fancy.

Before some of you touch the "A" on the keyboard to tell me to get and AR-15, I don't care for them for the tasks mentioned.

Thanks in advance!

35W
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My favorite is a boat paddle M77 in 223 that I skim bed and personally "adjusted" the trigger. Great rifle. For a heavier load it will stabilize 60 gr. Nosler partitions.
 
Another option is to just have your current rifle rebarreled. I know it is expensive and you pointed that out in the original post, but if you like everything else about your rifle then perhaps you will be happier in the long run with a premium barrel on it with the twist rate that you want?
 
tubeshooter said:
I always really liked the iron sights on my Savage Hog Hunter. I actually prefer irons for short range (<100 yards). Mine are dialed in just fine. Very few guns out there with factory irons as an option.


I have one of the older ones with a blind mag; looks like the newer ones are detachable mag. I don't blame Savage, they'll probably sell more of those. For a budget pest gun as is being described, I like the Hog Hunter in .223 for the role - detachable mag or not.
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I second the Hog hunter. I have the original version and it stacks them on top of each other at 100 yards. I don't shoot suppressed but it has a threaded barrel so i put a birdcage flash hider on it. Between that and the weight the crosshairs barely lift off the target when i shoot - 60 gr vmax for the win with it
 
Ruger american ranch with the new nodak spud iron sights that just came out is looking pretty tight. I wouldn't mind something like that
 
Another vote on the cz 527. Lightweight, accurate, an amazing trigger, well built, heirloom quality. Mags are a bit pricy compared to the ones that accept AR mags though.
 
I have a Savage model 12 BVSS. Too heavy for what your looking for, but the 1:9 twist shoots great with heavier bullets. Mine really likes 69g, but shoots the 62 and 64 grains quite well. I recently tried some 75g and they seemed good shooters as well.
 
So, thanks to this thread, I remembered that I was looking for a nice compact accurate bolt gun that would use AR mags and be chambered for 556/223. I had sold my M77 boat paddle 300 WinMag and had some store credit at the LGS. Walked in the other day and found this just sitting on the shelf with no home, no one to love it, feed it, or take it for walks.....so it followed me home. IMG_20211212_062516824~3.jpg
It's Ruger American Ranch, 16" threaded bbl, 556, adj. trigger, Vortex Crossfire 4-12, and Harris bipod I had laying around. And I had a hundred bucks left over.
 
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Anchorite said:
Why? Do you think the quality was lower/less? Can you cite specifically?
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While many state that they are terrible it is by internet rumor. I have always had great accuracy out of Remington rifles. A year or so ago I bought a 700 in 243 on a Walmart closeout. First trip to the range it shot sub MOA out of box. I posted pictures on here. I bought a Savage Axis in 30-06 also and the Remington had a better stock and outshot the Savage in that sample. Most rifles sold now are pretty good.
 
Jonny2guns said:
So, thanks to this thread, I remembered that I was looking for a nice compact accurate bolt gun that would use AR mags and be chambered for 556/223. I had sold my M77 boat paddle 300 WinMag and had some store credit at the LGS. Walked in the other day and found this just sitting on the shelf with no home, no one to love it, feed it, or take it for walks.....so it followed me home.View attachment 1043093
It's Ruger American Ranch, 16" threaded bbl, 556, adj. trigger, Vortex Crossfire 4-12, and Harris bipod I had laying around. And I had a hundred bucks left over.
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How do you like this rifle?? I really wanted one since nodak spud came out with iron sights for it. The only issue i have is the barrel length and twist rate. With that 1/8 twist shooting the heavier 60 something grains would be preferred but i am not sure what velocity would be out of a 16 in barrel

I figured i could throw an adjustable cheek riser on it so i can use qd mounts and still use a scope if needed that would clear the rear iron sight making it a handy kind of do all rifle

So many plans so little time...and money : )
 
Skeeter330 said:
How do you like this rifle?? I really wanted one since nodak spud came out with iron sights for it. The only issue i have is the barrel length and twist rate. With that 1/8 twist shooting the heavier 60 something grains would be preferred but i am not sure what velocity would be out of a 16 in barrel

I figured i could throw an adjustable cheek riser on it so i can use qd mounts and still use a scope if needed that would clear the rear iron sight making it a handy kind of do all rifle

So many plans so little time...and money : )
Click to expand...


I really like mine so far, the trigger is good out of the box, the action is smooth. It's a nice weight for the size.
 
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