223 Bolt Rifle

[Kanewpadle]

What do you like?

Saw a slightly used well taken care of Howa yesterday at my buddies pawn shop. Had a Houge stock and short bull barrel.

If I buy it, it will be used for general plinking and the occasional varmint.

Wish I could afford a new CZ. Maybe some day.

 

[Rule3]

It was a toss up between the CZ and the Savage. I love my CZ 452 American but on the 223 the Mag hung down too far for my liking.

I got the Savage M 12 VLP DBM, put a a big Weaver Super Slam on it.

Savage Arms > Firearms > Browse Models

 

[jkc]

If you can find one, and if it fits your intended use, the Remington Model Seven in the stainless steel/synthetic stock iteration is about the sleekest, lightest, shortest .223 carbine ever made. Now out of production, they're scarce (probably always were), so if you find one, grab it.

 

[Rule 303]

I have a Mini Mauser Mark X in .223. Nice gun.

Rule 303

 

[RonJ]

I've had two. A Rem 700 HB Varmint and my current Browning A-Bolt. The Remington was more accurate but the Browning isn't far behind and is much lighter to carry. This one will shoot plain old Win White Box into one inch or less at 100 yrds. I haven't tried reloads yet.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I have 2 friends shooting 1.5 MOA (16") steel plates at 1000 yards with Savage Model 12 Heavy barrel varmiter, 7" or 8" twist 80gr Burger handloads. For 500 yards or less I like my Cooper Model 21 heavy varmit. 12" twist 24" stainless barrel shoots blue box Black Hills Ammo 50gr V-max 3-shot 1-hole groups @200 yards; I shoot M & M's at that distance with it. A good scope will cost as much as a rifle. In this case not so much, around $1200-1400 for a new Cooper and about $600 for a new Leopould 6.5 x 20 power Vari-X Scope. It depends on how bad you want to hit small things. Weaver Grand Slam target scopes are much less $, and friends are having good results. If ordering a Cooper 21, Cooper says the 223 A.I. is their most accurate round. I think the one I have is hard to beat. Ivan

 

[5Wire]

I have a Savage 16FCSS with the Accutrigger and Accustock. After a bunch of different ammo trials and retorquing the stock, I've been getting sub MOA at 100 yards. The scope is a Weaver 800360 Tactical 4-20x50 front focal plane Mil-Dot Riflescope.

The rifle:

A couple groups:

 

[papajohn428]

The CZ's have been very competitively priced in my neck of the woods. This 527 called to me from the rack and BEGGED me to take it home, and we've been inseparable ever since. With the ammo it likes it will shoot .5MOA out to 200 yards, and it's a joy to look at, as well as hold and shoot. They do Turkish Walnut VERY well. That single-set trigger will spoil you instantly. I paid $550 OTD.

It's the perfect complement to my other bolt guns, in 257R and .308Win.

 

[Forester]

I bought a Howa this past summer. It appears to be a good shooter, though I have not been able to really put it through it's paces as I still need to buy a scope for it. If it's a good price, I would go for it.

 

[thndrchiken]

I have a 1500 Varminter Supreme, shoots the WW 45 gp hp into 1/2" at 100 yds and 1" at 200 yds. Haven't had to work up handloads yet seeing as how I really stocked up on the factory load for that gun. Buy it you won't be sorry.

 

[29aholic]

Well by another name it WAS the Smith & Wesson 1500 if that helps.

 

[wbraswell]

Mine is a Savage Model 12 Varmiter Low Profile with a Weaver 36T. I like it.

 

[keith44spl]

I'm a usin' a Remington 700 Classic in .223 today.


Su Amigo,
Dave

 

[ColbyBruce]

I currently own a Remington 700 Varmint in .223, a CZ 527 varmint and American in .223. I also have CZ 527's in .22 Hornet, .222, 7.62x39, and my son has a American in .223 that was made in 1992 and wears a synthetic stock, offered that year only. I have not fired the Remington yet, but my other Remington 700 rifles have always performed well. I owned a Howa 1500 sporter about six years ago that shot poorly. I threw away the synthetic stock and put it in a wood Weatherby stock and the poor accuracy problem went away.

If you are shopping on a budget, search for a Savage 340 or one of it's clones (Sears Ted Williams or Western Auto Revelation). These guns shoot very well for what they are, I have owned several.

 

[slumpy]

I also have a savage model 12, does the job everytime, I like it, a lot of gun for the money. I find myself grabbing it more often than my weatherby.

 

[mtgianni]

Figure out what loads you want to shoot. The 1 in 12" twist guns in general can shoot up to 55 gr bullets the 1 in 9 55-75 gr and the 1 in 7 are for 65 gr and up.

 

[Texas Star]

Weren't/aren't the Sako Vixen rifles made in .223? That'd be my first pick if I wanted a bolt-action .223.

 

[gunblade]

My choice in bolt action hunting rifles is the Ruger 77 MKII. I just like the fact that you get steel scope rings included with the rifle and the mounting system is about the sturdiest out there on a production rifle. My .223 has a standard sporter weight 22" barrel and a 2.5 X 10 scope. Some don't like the MKII's trigger, but I find them to be simple and easy to polish up a bit for a smoother pull. I guess Ruger's latest and greatest is the new Hawkeye, but I have no experience with those rifles.

 

[Abbynormal]

I've had a Savage 10FP in .223 and a Rem 700 PSS in .223. Both were great guns.

The Savage has a injected molded stock that was free floated when cold, but touched the barrel when hot and affected the zero more and more as it heated up. I didn't like the feel/fit of the stock either. Especially the thinness of the wrist and forearm.

The Remington has a HS Precision kevlar stock, which at feels great with its length and forearm. At first the wrist isn't as comfortable, as it is much thicker. But, it soon it begins to feel natural. The 700 PSS keeps it's free float when hot and so keeps it's zero better than the Savage. It required a bit more concentration at first, but after a few rounds it becomes routine!

My Savage, DID NOT have the Accutrigger, but I have shot other Savage 10FP's with it and feel it is about the same at the Remmy. However I would take the Remmy's trigger over the Savage, even with the "Accutrigger".

As has been said, twist makes a big difference. Both the Remmy and Savage were 1:9 twist and I could hold a >1" group shooting military ball M855 (SS109) ammo with both. With Fed Gold Medal 69 grain, gun show "custom loaded" Hornady 68 grain and Blackhills Blue Box (reloads), I could keep an honest 1/2" to 3/4" group with either. But, In 10 years, the best group has been a >.50" with Fed GMM 69 gr. at 100 yards, shooting the Remmy. That's when I was on top of my game and had shot the Remmy more than the Savage.

I've since sold the Savage and haven't regretted it. I feel that out of the box, the Remmy PSS versus the Savage FP10 with the HS Precision stock to be a toss up. That saying, I mean bone stock. The Remmy can be "tweeked" by moving the barrel back, reboring the chamber and have the trigger adjusted, but it doesn't seem that the Savage will retain the money/effort that the Remmy would.

Please note, that my Remmy is still box stock. No changes have been made, even to the trigger!

Overall, I would stick with the Remmy, as it keeps it's zero much more constant between cold and hot. Cost wise, the Savage is cheaper, but if you get the HS Precision stock option, the Remmy is about the same. It boils down to ones budget and expectations. If you can only afford a Savage and want to shoot .223/5.56 out to 5 or 600 yards, buy a Savage. If you can afford a Remmy, buy a Remmy and upgrade it over time with a 1:7 twist, match chambered barrel, a Luepold scope and a trigger/action job and shoot out to 1000 meters.

 

[cmort666]

Savage. I've got two heavy barreled Savages a .308 10FP and a .30-06 112BVSS. Both are great guns.

I haven't looked at the prices lately, but the .223 10FP snipers used to be an outrageous deal.