Lighweight 223

[wiiawiwb]

I'm looking for 223 that weights 6 1/2lbs or less. I live in a communist state so it must be bolt action. A few I've seen online are:

1) Kimber Montana, 5lb 6oz
2) Browning X-Bolt Composite Stalker, 6lb 3oz
3) Mossberg MVP Flex, 6lbs 8oz
4) CZ 527, 6lbs 6oz
5) Tikka T3 6lbs 5oz

Which of these would you prefer and can you recommend any others?

 

[onelastshot]

The CZ 527 is a wonderful rifle. It's one of the few 223 I know of where the manufacturer actually approves the use of 5.56 as well. My 223 is extremely accurate, shoulders easily and is well balanced. All in all they are a great value.

 

[sappyg]

I think the Kimber would be my 1st choice. Nice rifle... But pricey? 2nd choice would be the CZ. Especially if I could get one with a 1/9 barrel. Unfortunately the nearest dealer to me is over 100 miles away so sightings in the wild are few.

Look at the Ruger American compact in 223 for a lightweight option also. Smooth low bolt lift and adjustable trigger are excellent. The detachable 5 round magazine is nice to have but can be finicky at times. This is a very basic gun with a 1/8 barrel. To date mine really shines with 65 gr SGK bullets.

Another option could be the short action Zastava m85. Exceptional non finished wood. Stock fit is not perfect but blueing is very nice. Trigger is adjustable for weight, slack and over travel. The bolt is not smooth at all but does come with a set of good iron sights. Barrels are 1/9. Another nice rifle for not a lot of money.

 

[Lord Teapot]

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/...uger+6928+American+All-Weather+5+1+223REM+22"

if i was going to buy a bolt action .223, it would be the above.

 

[CB900F]

wiia;

I've got several Tikka rifles, but not one in .223. They're good guns & no regrets. Well, except that they're now owned by Beretta, so customer service & warranty suck IMHO.

I also have a CZ527 in .223, & it too is a good gun. Accurate, dependable, good looking, again just my opinion, and mine's in 1:12 twist. I want the 1:12 twist because it want it to shoot 50 & 55 grain bullets into little itty-bitty holes on paper, and know it'll hit the varmint out there a ways. It's quite good at doing so.

Heavier bullets get issued from a gun with a larger bore.

So, to directly answer your question if I were in your shoes, it'd be either the CZ or the Tikka with the nod going to the CZ. Unless, of course, my LGS could come up with a killer price on the Tikka. It'd be that close for me. But I do like the mini-Mauser action and the nice wood on the CZ.

900F

 

[Stephen1956]

I'll with onelastshot CZ.

 

[jmr40]

It is hard to get a feel on your budget. You have $300 guns listed and $1,300 guns listed.

If you want something nice, the Kimber is an excellent choice. They are pricy, but very nice guns. Not really a CZ fan, but it would fill the same niche.

If you just want the most accuracy for the $$$$, buy the Ruger American. I have one of the Ruger American Compacts that shoots .5-.75 MOA pretty consistently with good ammo. They are not something that gives a lot of pride of ownership, but are cheap beaters that just plain shoot very well. The Predator comes with a slightly heavier barrel, but still makes your weight limit and street price is right at $400. I also have one of those in 308. Even more accurate than the standard models.

http://ruger.com/products/americanRiflePredator/models.html

The Tikka sorta splits the difference. It'll cost more than the Ruger. It might, or might not be a hair more accurate, but does feel and look like a slightly better quality gun.

 

[Gordon]

This
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/36_59_110/products_id/94940
with a good 3-9 scope like this :
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0HT161J8ZP733YMKYQ9F

 

[chris in va]

I've put about 500 through my 1:9" 527.

The bolt was quite balky and stiff to work for the first 300 rounds but it's slickened up a fair amount. I have no trouble picking off 4" targets at 300 yards with a $50 4x scope and reloads
BTW the trigger not only has a set feature, but is fully adjustable for creep, pull weight and overtravel.

I like the irons too.

 

[wiiawiwb]

Great suggestions from all of you. I mean it.

From the list I presented, the one that had me most interested was the Mossberg MVP Flex. It is the pistol grip and AR-15 feeling it portrays. I once shot a Rock River Arms AR-15 and it was amazing.

The difference in price between the Kimber Montana and the Ruger is enormous. Could the Kimber bestow that much more enjoyment to account for the vast difference in price? Moreover, I would guess the Ruger has far more aftermarket items available as well.

 

[GJgo]

Don't forget the Savage Lightweight Hunter. I have a model 16 stainless / synthetic & they also make a model 11 blued / wood version. IIRC it's about 5.5 lbs in the wood.

http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/11LH

 

[wiiawiwb]

Which rifle mentioned above, including the Ruger and Savage, would have the most aftermarket items for it? The Ruger, I assume.

I have a 22LR rifle by CZ (CZ 455 Thumbhole) which is extraordinarily accurate but I could never customize it as easily as one could customize a Ruger 10/22.

 

[Tophernj]

I have and love Ruger's. It won't be much of an issue with a .223 however something to keep in mind: The Ruger has an angled screw in the forward part of the action to attach it to the stock. It makes bedding it more complicated and finding aftermarket stocks a bit of a PITA. Additionally the rings on a Ruger are mounted in a proprietary fashion. If you find you need an MOA rail to give you some additional elevation for distance, getting one that mounts to that system is difficult and pricey.

That said, I have a 223 Tactical and 308 Varmint/Tactical that I adore. Great guns.

Savage will give you a ton of easy options to modify or upgrade down the road if you so choose.

Good luck.

C

 

[entropy]

Savage Axis: Mine did this-



The group low on the right-
That's .25" at 25 yards. I also shot this group, though it's hard to see. It is actually 3 rounds, however.




It's that single ragged hole just into the black above the bottom group. It miked out at .14"

These were just sighting in with some round I developed to approximate M193 ball.

For the money, I find the Savage hard to beat!

 

[chicharrones]

I have and love Ruger's. It won't be much of an issue with a .223 however something to keep in mind: The Ruger has an angled screw in the forward part of the action to attach it to the stock. It makes bedding it more complicated and finding aftermarket stocks a bit of a PITA. Additionally the rings on a Ruger are mounted in a proprietary fashion. If you find you need an MOA rail to give you some additional elevation for distance, getting one that mounts to that system is difficult and pricey.

C

That is for the Hawkeye type Rugers. The Ruger Americans are very different in stock mounting and scope mounting.

 

[loose noose]

I've got a Howa, Mountaineer 1500 made by Weatherby, back in the 70's that has the 1/12 that will put 52 grain slugs in a one hole group at 100 yards with the right reload. In fact I've shot P-dogs out to 400 yards out in Seligman several years ago using that rifle, and a Leopold Range Finder.

 

[Sunray]

Like jmr40 says, what's your budget? Then look at a Savage Axis or a Walking Varminter M25. The weight is the issue.

 

[wiiawiwb]

My budget....$1,200ish. I'd obviously prefer to spend less than that but if that particular rifle tickles my fancy, then I'd go that high.

 

[Manny]

A friend had a wood stocked CZ 527 for sale that is an absolute delight to handle. I'm more a AR tactical/ plastic & laminated stock fan, but that little CZ is appealing as hell. If it weren't for the 1/12 twist barrel that rifle would've been mine. I understand the newer versions have a quicker 1/9 twist that appeals to me far more.

 

[Gtscotty]

I have an X-Bolt and two Tikkas (albeit in different calibers), and I'd say that if you're looking for lightweight and accurate both of those rifles deserve a serious look. My '06 X-Bolt is one of the most consistently accurate sporter weight rifles I have over a wide range of loads. I can usually find a tailored load that will work well in any given rifle, but it's rare for me to find a rifle that does well with so many different loads.

I've also had uniformly good luck with all 4 Tikkas I've owned. They have a nice stiff stock, good trigger, are lightweight, reasonably priced and I've never had one that wasn't a shooter. As you mentioned in your first post, the regular Tikka is 6lbs 5oz, but there is also a Tikka Superlite that is sold at sportsman's warehouse for $699 that has a fluted barrel, and should weigh in right around, or just under 6lbs in .223. I just got one in .270, and I was afraid the light fluted barrel would make it finicky, but I was wrong, it is shooting way better than it has any right to, even when the barrel gets hot.

 

[Clint M]

I had a Tikka T3 stainless in 223, I have no complaints others than the long action. Is the Tikka T3 in 223 still being built on the 30-06/300 win mag length actions ?

As far as a nice cheap lightweight 223, walmart has 700 adl type black synthetic stock for $279, I can't see going wrong with a remington 700 for a walking varminter at that price, and if you ever wanted to upgrade stocks or to a magazine type parts are easy to find for remington 700's