Need a new Bolt rifle in 223

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I just bought a CZ-Model 527 Carbine in .223. It also will shoot 5.56 as clearly stated by the manufacturer. It is light weight, comes up fast, handles really well, and has a regular and set trigger. The wood is beautiful. Mine has a Leupold 3.5x10 (40mm) on it. Used medium Warne rings with no problem. The carbines come with iron sights. It is my understanding that the non-sighted guns come with CZ rings included. The dovetail for mounting is built on to the gun. It use a metal 5 round magazine. The safe, while operated in a manner opposite American made guns, is easy to see and use. You can't screw it up. I paid $699.00. Maybe you can do better.

I picked it over the Ruger American, my second choice, in a contest between pure looks. Tupperware vs. wood and blue. I am sure that either one is a good choice but I went with the CZ. There are many other choice as well but I am not familiar with them.

I am as happy as a clam (whatever that means) with my decision.
 
I've shot 5 different .223s and will list them in order of most to least accurate:

tie for first: Remington 700 VSF and Remington 700LS, both with 26" barrels
tie for second: TC Venture and Sako Vixen V
very close 3rd: My custom AR 15 with Wylde barrel that will shoot both .223 and 5.56 Nato

I load ammo for all of these and all shoot very small groups at 100 and I've killed numerous prairie dogs out to 300yds.
 
The 223 is made in most every bolt gun out there.I have two bolt guns.One is a Weatherby Vanguard VGL.It has a light 20 inch barrel,and is a delight to carry on a walking hunt for various varmints.The other is a M700 with a 26 inch Shilen Varmint contour barrel,and it's one of those rifles that will tell me if I'm shooting well.It's super consistent,and when I built the rifle,I wanted half MOA or better all the time,and it does that.I shot 5 consecutive 5 shot groups with it after I got it dialed in and it averaged .457.It's a little better than that now.I have a 6.5X20 Leupold on top,and it's just plain fun to shoot.I have one group that I shot at 1,000 yards with it on a dead calm morning this past summer,and it's 7 inches.One breath of wind and it's all over the place that far out though.
 
I’ll second a Savage.
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Ten shots, 100 yards, stock barrel. (And one 30 caliber hole.)

The rifle is handsome too!
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IMHO everyone should have at least 1 bolt action .223!

They're just so cost effective to practice with and there's no issues shooting them all day. I've got 2, one set up as a "classic" heavy barreled varmint rifle and the 2nd is my "walking" varmint rifle and big game practice rifle. Both will hold sub MOA with handloads:

Rem 700 XTR "Compact Tactical" with Leupold 6.5-20X MK4 and 40X trigger:

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Rem M7 in HS Precision stock with Timney elite trigger and Leupold VX3i 3.5-10 with CDS:

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I shoot the crap out of the little M7, it's a great rifle just to practice shooting from field positions with. Odds are if I've got a few minutes, it's the one I'll head out back to ring steel with.
 
Picher said:
Buy the rifle you WANT. Don't cheap out because, over the years, you'll wish you had a different one. Waiting an extra month or so means you'll be glad you waited for the one you really wanted. Been there!
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That's excellent advice. Buy something you'll be proud of and won't be tempted to upgrade later. If you can't afford what you REALLY want, then wait until you can. You won't be sorry. In my experience, shooting a high quality gun is more fun than shooting something you'll find at a big box store.
My first choice would be a Sako Vixen but you can't go wrong with Tikka either. I prefer the slimmer cut of the Sako stock but they are equally accurate.
It has been my experience that good quality firearms appreciate more than low priced firearms so if you take decent care of one, you can generally at least get your money out of it and you're more likely to profit.
 
I got to try the CZ with the set trigger. It scared the crap out of me. Nice rifle, but that set trigger would take some getting used to. For reference, my usual 223 trigger is a mil-spec AR trigger. That CZ trigger could have been 5 pounds, but it still would have surprised me.
 
I have 3 .223s, a .17 HMR and a couple of .243s. The .243s came after the .22s because there were lots of coyotes around our newer residence. The byword here is "were". I've taken 10 or so with various cartridges from .17 HMR to .243 Win, latest running hard...dead-away, offhand at 130 yards with the .17 HMR. Lucky shot? Some, I suppose, but if he wasn't in the crosshairs, I wouldn't have shot.
 
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Agree... CZ 527. 3 days ago I shot a group that measured a bit under one inch at 200 yards, with a Sierra 69 grain MatchKing, loaded to the book-recommended length, since it fits in the magazine just fine. The bullet measured .048" off the lands, and it still shot that group! Granted, all the stars aligned for that group, but it was five shots and it wasn't an accident. I get under 1 MOA with a 55 grain Berger Varmint bullet over AR-Comp powder. I also have a Winchester Model 70 in .223 and accuracy-wise, it's a toss up. The CZ is very under-rated I think. Beautiful workmanship on the action, nicely finished. I have the Varmint model with the 26" heavy barrel. Totally recommended... and nicely priced usually. The CZ also has a stunning, adjustable SET trigger. You press the trigger forward until it "clicks" and then you've got a set trigger. The trigger also functions normally if you don't push it forward first.
 
Savage 12 BVSS with match barrel (pick your favorites- I like criterion or shilen)
or
T/C Compass (I got the Gen 1 which was 1:7 Twist 5.56 Barrel) in an Oryx Chassis- 200 Dollar rifle in a 400 dollar chassis- AICS mags from Area 419
.510 MOA Rifle with 80 Grain SMK over 21.5 Grains of H322
 
Some of you already know that I just became a rifle shooter this past summer after spending many hours as a RO on a 200/300 yard outdoor rifle range.

This has brought me to the purchase of this lil Savage Axis 223 that came with a KonusPro 275 3-9X40 and a nice soft rifle case. For what I thought was a good price of $300.00... I now bears the topping of a Burris Fullfield II 4.5-14x42 scope that many of you here helped me out with the selection. I am enjoying this gun so much that I am already searching for a second, maybe a model 10 or 12 with a heavy barrel.

Here is my pride and joy;

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And with it's little brother MKII 22LR ;

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I have a Tikka T3 in .223 that I like, and it shoots great...3/10" at 100 yards! I like a removable magazine for varmint hunting and it feeds very well. The scope shown is a little high, but what I had available at the time of the photo.
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I have the BVSS in 22-250 and its damn accurate. Im sure the 223 will be a tackdriver as well. As Im looking to do a walking Varminter Im leaning to a TC Venture in 223 , TC 7mm-08.jpg thumbnail_IMG_1380.jpg my 7mm-08 is very impressive.
Top target is Venture in 7mm-08 150 yds 3in high lower target BVSS is self explanatory.
 
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