Recommend a .223 BOLT Action?

[scchokedaddy]

Thompson Venture

 

[greyling22]

280shooter, you can't buy it again and again. They're all oos. I've been looking for days......

cz527 is a nice gun, but nobody has mentioned that they're kind of tricky to scope, not something a new rifle shooter should be forced to deal with.

But back to the op's original goal of wanting a complete scoped rifle from the get go: in 223 right now, I'd just go with whatever you can find. Far as I can tell all the bullets and all the guns have been snapped up. Marlin xl7, ruger american and savage axis, all make a $300ish plastic stocked rifle that will shoot with guns costing lots and lots more. More money generally gets you things like nicer stocks, better triggers, pretty finishes, etc.

Same with scopes, the cheap one that comes on the gun will be just fine for .223 shooting paper at the range. Nicer scopes are more durable, stand up to the recoil of large calibers better, are a little clearer, adjust more accurately and smoothly, and can be seen through much more clearly when it starts to get dark (good for hunting, not so important on a sunny afternoon)

 

[Cee Zee]

More money generally gets you things like nicer stocks, better triggers, pretty finishes, etc.

Same with scopes, the cheap one that comes on the gun will be just fine for .223 shooting paper at the range. Nicer scopes are more durable, stand up to the recoil of large calibers better, are a little clearer, adjust more accurately and smoothly, and can be seen through much more clearly when it starts to get dark (good for hunting, not so important on a sunny afternoon)

It depends on what kind of rifle you're buying as to whether you get more for your money or not. Trust me you certainly get a lot more rifle if you're buying a varmint rifle. That may not be what you happen to want but for example my 12 LRPV comes with a very heavy barrel, a far better action and trigger and a heavy duty bolt. All of those things make a big difference if you're trying to shoot small groups at targets a long way off. As well as the average sporter shoots these days (and they shoot very well) they can't compare to a heavy barrel and action designed for long range accuracy. I suppose it's possible. It just isn't likely.

And then there are the scopes. You certainly get far more for your money with a really good scope. It's the difference between being able to see individual bullet holes at 100 yards and not seeing them. If you see them you can make adjustments to your scope, learn how to pull a trigger better, and you can make out what you're shooting at when you need to. I've actually seen some cheap scopes that were good at gathering light. But I haven't seen any cheap scopes that can help me identify exactly where my bullets are hitting on a paper target at 100 yards. Maybe someone with better eyesight than me could. But for that person the same problem will occur at some point whether it's 200 yards or 500 yards. I can make out things that really stand out from the background from 500 yards easily with a cheap scope. Something like a piece of a clay pigeon or a chalk target or just a pop can. But the same scope that will do that won't show me individual bullet holes at 100 yards. To me there's a big difference right there. I can shoot a brightly colored piece of a clay pigeon at 500 yards pretty easily as long as the orange side is pointed my way. But even at just 100 yards I have a hard time picking out a 1" target on a sheet of paper. That makes for a big difference IMO.