Need a new Bolt rifle in 223

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Beach Bum

Beach Bum

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Been looking at bolt rifles lately , kind of like the tikka 3x , but kinda of like the ruger predator with the detachable magazine too . I bought a leupold scope a couple of years ago never put it on my AR ..so I thought I would use it here on the new rifle its a mark ar mod matte mil dot 3-9x40 ...I chose 223 for the economy , want too see how far out I can smack clay's with it .....was hoping for some of you rifle guys for input on the right rifle .....appreciate the input......and Happy Holidays and best of times too everyone ...
 
I have a Tikka. Good rifle. The down side, the rifling is way out there. You have to load long to really get the accuracy out of it. Much longer than the (expensive) mag will handle. Even without the handloaded ammo, much more accurate than I am.....

If you go custom mags, much more expensive....
 
I have several Tikka's in 22LR, 308, and 6.5 CM. They are all exceptionally accurate. My brother has a Tikka in 223, I have the Ruger Predator in 223 that takes AR magazines. They make both styles and I'd strongly advise buying the version that takes AR magazines. The rifles are good enough, but the standard magazines are the weak link.

My brothers Tikka is a TINY bit more accurate than my Ruger, but I paid under $400 for my Ruger, but I understand they have gone up in price. A Tikka will run about $600 for blue and about $750 in SS.

I like the ability to use cheap 10 or 20 round AR magazines in my Ruger, but Tikka sells 6+1 round magazines for their 223.

For pure accuracy I'd give a slight nod to Tikka, but the Ruger is probably more accurate than most shooters. If AR magazines are important the Ruger is the best option. As is price. If you can get a Ruger closer to $400 vs $600-$750 for the Tikka then the Ruger is a lot of gun for the money. I'm just not sure about current street prices on the Ruger at the moment. If you're looking at $100 or less difference I'd go Tikka. If $200+ I'd buy the Ruger.
 
Any of those sounds good to me. I have a couple Tikkas in .270 and .308, great shooters, very smooth action.

I have a Ruger M77 Hawkeye Compact in .223 that is fun gun to shoot and I love the way the wood and bluing looks on the short rifle, but it wouldn’t be my go-to for distance.

I have a Savage 10 PC in .223 that has been shortened to 16” and has a brake added by the previous owner. That is a really fun gun to shoot as long as no one is beside you. Even with the short barrel is SMACKS steel at 500 with nothing but a Nikon Prostaff on it. With the brake (unnecessary, yes, but that’s half the fun) you can spot your own shots even with a cheap scope, there is almost zero recoil.

Honestly, the rifles you mentioned would be great. Find one that feels good and make it run.
 
Had a chance to shoot my buddy's .223 T3x a few weeks ago. What's not to like. It's a bit utilitarian but fit and finish are first class and yes, it does shoot. Cloverleaf groups at 165yd with factory Hornady 69gr BTHP. I'd have liked to see what it can do at longer ranges but unfortunately didn't have a chance.

It made me want one, even though I don't need a .223 bolt rifle right now.
 
I owned a Tikka, great rifle. Only reason I got rid of it was it was chambered for 338 Federal. Bought it stupid cheap and sold it for even more stupid high dollar. Smooth action, decent trigger, and accurate. If you go witha Tikka, you won't have regrets.
 
Varminterror said:
If I were buying a factory rifle in 223rem to shoot clays at as long of range as possible, it would be (and mine is) a Savage 12 BVSS, shooting 77SMK’s or 73ELD’s, and I’d put more scope than a 3-9x on top.
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Varminterror you have me curious as to the scope you have , and at what distance your reaching out too , and thanks for the reply....
 
I have a thunder ranch MVP in 223 that is an excellent rifle. I would also endorse a RAR- I have one in 300 BLK and another on 6.5 CM. Also great rifles.,
 
@Beach Bum - with the intention of breaking clays as far out as practical with a 223, I’d put a rack at 600-700, as connecting on ~1/2-2/3moa won’t be random chance, but it also won’t be 100% reliable. It’ll be sporting. Personally, I’d want a scope somewhere in the neighborhood of 4-16x, 6-24x, 4.5-30x, 5-25x 4.5-27x, etc. as 4.3” targets at 600-700 yards won’t be easy to spy with lower magnification scopes (crosshairs will cover 1/3-1/2 of the target dimension) - even with a 4-16x44mm, a 110mm clay will only make up ~1% of the FoV at 700yrds. It’s sporty. A 20x+ scope would be a distinct advantage, and really let you push out there where a clay is seriously challenging, even in calm conditions. Otherwise you’re just breaking clays with every shot, shooting barely past MPBR for the round.

If you wanna spend more time driving back and forth to refill a rack of clays than you spend shooting, then rack them up at 250-400 yards and break a clay with every shot. Personally, I don’t shoot clays as rifle targets any more except a few times per year with my young son, or younger nephew - it simply takes too much work resetting/refilling. I prefer steel targets - same satisfying physical reaction, but no wasted time resetting targets.
 
Paul7 said:
Probably a dumb question, but does the Tikka .223 shoot 5.56 as well?
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Not a dumb question at all, and pretty sharp to make sure first. I don't have a Tikka, just their 2020 catalog, and of all the T3x rifles listed therein that are chambered for .223 Rem, not one of those listings also specifies 5.56 NATO, so I'm pretty sure it does not, as manufacturers will normally list both. That can be kind of a PITA as I recently bought a Howa 1500 chambered in .223 Rem but NOT 5.56 NATO only to get it home and discover that most of my ammo was 5.56 NATO. I've got some .223 Rem, but mostly 55 grain and that rifle LOVES heavier bullets.
 
Beach Bum said:
Been looking at bolt rifles lately , kind of like the tikka 3x , but kinda of like the ruger predator with the detachable magazine too . I bought a leupold scope a couple of years ago never put it on my AR ..so I thought I would use it here on the new rifle its a mark ar mod matte mil dot 3-9x40 ...I chose 223 for the economy , want too see how far out I can smack clay's with it .....was hoping for some of you rifle guys for input on the right rifle .....appreciate the input......and Happy Holidays and best of times too everyone ...
Click to expand...
If I were going to get one in .223, it would be a Howa Mini and I'd add the aftermarket blind magazine. Every Howa Mini I've owned (3x) has been absurdly accurate. If I wanted to hand it down someday, I'd go for the CZ 527.
 
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