.223 bolt gun recommendations

I've had the Ruger M77MkII Target rifle (.223) for some time now.
Similar to this
http://www.ruger.com/products/m77MarkIITarget/models.html



Excellent gun. Composite stock, excellent finish, and nice trigger. It's a little heavy if you want to do any walking with it, but it's a fun gun to shoot. Recoil is non existent too. It shoots better than I do. I don't have anywhere to shoot out past 200yrds so I can't really comment on distances beyond that.
 
Took the plunge

...and came home today from my LGS with a brand new CZ 527 American. It has a beautiful walnut stock and I picked up a decent used Weaver K6 scope to throw on it.

Going to the range Friday!
 
Good choice, they are great little guns and a blast to shoot, for not much more money they are a heck of alot more gun than the savage everyone was ranting about
 
I picked up a used Howa 1500 bull barreled .223 but I haven't shot it yet. At $400, it was too good of a deal to pass up. Hopefully I can give a range report on it in a few days...

Tony
 
Second vote for the C-Z. Or, if you can spend more: Cooper M21 in Classic or custom configurations; guaranteed accuracy and great CS.
 
Savage) look like they were built out of spare plumbing parts by a high school committee. Although they shoot well (for a while, at least, until the sear fails), IMO they are not aesthetically pleasing in the least (that big old barrel nut hung on the barrel, and all the stamped sheet metal parts).
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I agree with this post except for the parts in red bold italics

In the scale of "truthiness" those bits fall below the standards of uninformed, mistaken hearsay, and base-less lies. Stamped metal parts? You sir, have no legitimate clue what you are typing about.
 
Savage

"Sorry, but Savage rifles (in this case, a Stevens rifle, the economy line of Savage) look like they were built out of spare plumbing parts by a high school committee."

From all the complaints about Remington rifles, it sounds like they should learn a lesson and hire Savage's high school committee!

T.
 
Standard 700SPS

Hello chaps, my first post here... love the forum.
I have to cast a vote for the standard 700 SPS for several reasons. I do like CZ and Savage a lot and I have another Howa-1500 in .223 but recently came by a brand new 700SPS in .223 and so far after about 50 rnds through, not one 3-shot group has been over MOA. I don't know why. It's in it's cheep plastic stock wearing a little 2-7x32 ProStaff. I love the 700 format just for it's durability, simplicity and safety. I turned the x-Mark trigger down to about 2.5 Lbs. This one has the standard 24 in barrel/plain un-vented stock.

I haven't even worked out a load for it, and my breaking-in procedure shows zero copper fouling (I'm not kidding). It's shooting 45gr BTs through to bulk 62gr FBHP (with canular) with equal aplomb. I'm stumped as to why this one shoots one-hole groups half the time, and just under an inch the other half. I'm not using fancy rests, just off good sandbags and a rear bunny.

Had I found this rifle a few years ago I would have saved an awful lot of time and money that I have wasted. When I bough it I fully intended to get a nice stock, but now I'm wondering- maybe not.
 
Best friend has a 700 SPS, standard weight barrel, Swift 3x9 scope. Ugly, but damned accurate. Shoots groups under 1/2". Reloads, 24 hrs. 4895 with Hornady 50 gr. V-Max bullets. Has the new trigger, which we set to less than 2 lbs. The CZ is a purdy rifle, the old 6x scope is fine. I know you'll like it.
 
I have a 700VLS in 223 Rem. that shoots sub 1/2" at 100 yds and sub 1" at 200 yds. but it has the slower twist and does not do well with any thing over 60 gr. bullet Its likes the 52 Gr Sierra HPBT the best.

Also have a Savage 12BVSS in 22-250 shoots good but not as good as the 223, I like the Remington best just seems to me to have a better feel.

The 223 has a 6.5 X 20 Sightron
22-250 has a 6 X 18 Leo

223 has 24" bbl
22-250 has a 26"

Both have laminated stocks, 223 is very smooth and 22-250 is a bit bulky

Both have Weaver style bases and rings

The Rem trigger is adjusted down to 22 ozs. the Savage with the accurtrigger is right at 20ozs. not much difference.
 
I own the CZ 527 American in .221 Fireball. The rifle shoots as good as it looks. One hole groups at a 100 yards all day long. Not to mention the beautiful walnut stock, and the blued metal.

I also own a Savage Model 12 LRV in .223 rem with the heavy bull barrel and 1 in 9 twist. I shoot ping pong balls off of golf tees at ranges of up to 300 yards so far.

If I were going for looks, and light weight to cary, and ease of moving it around I would grab the CZ. Especialy if I had to carry it a long way. Other than that the Savage is a fine rifle, it does the job, and does it with ease.
 
"I'd have to agree with Marco here. The guy who wrote that has no clue at all about rifles" 4runnerman, usually you have good replies but that guy you're talking about has more knowledge of rifles than most who post here.;) the name is Scorch by the way, check out his personal profile, and count his replies..........Sorry sometimes people get carried away.:) I will have to lean towards anything he writes.. that's just me..;) Ike616 I do belive I'd hunt down a "mini-mauser" in that chambering, Interarms makes a damn good one and Remington stamped their name on a few also,. ( Zastava, I belive) very nice action, very accurate, moderately priced........IF you can find one.:)
 
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Hooligan1--Thanks for the kind words. I should retract what i said it was harsh and word it another way-Sorry Scorch. I beg to differ with your opinion on Savage rifles.
There actions are some if not the best, ( That is a starting point in many comp rifles,,Savage action)Their Barrels are matched by no other company short of a comp barrel(which they out shoot half or more of them),
Sear falts???.Never heard of one yet. I have had 4 Savages in my life (50 years).Thousands and thousands of rounds down each,never an issue,never lost accuracy. Never a sear issue either.

Please explain what it is you mean.
 
In the scale of "truthiness" those bits fall below the standards of uninformed, mistaken hearsay, and base-less lies. Stamped metal parts? You sir, have no legitimate clue what you are typing about.
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Now that is funny! Not to blow my own horn, but I work as a gunsmith, one of the guys you bring your rifles to when they don't work. I build custom rifles. Accurate rifles. Long-range rifles. Think about that.

OK, let's assume for a minute that you have a Savage rifle on the bench in front of you. You remove the screws that hold the action in the cheesy injection-molded or stained birch stock stock it lives in. There it sits in all its glory, the much-vaunted Savage action.

* Note the barrel nut that aids in keeping the barrel attached to the action. It looks like a spare lugnut. The grooves around the OD are for attaching a spanner wrench (some of the newer rifles have a smooth nut). While I understand the how and the why, I cannot understand the execution of the concept in such a shoddy manner.

* Note the stamped sheet metal sear pinned to the action and actuated by a spring. The tip of the sear engages a groove cut into the cast trigger. When the trigger is pulled, the sear flips up and across the softer cast steel of the trigger sear. I typically see three or four Savage rifles a month with sear issues. Not a real big deal to recut the trigger sear, but still, a bit of thought would have dictated replacement of the trigger sear with a hardened piece, but that might have increased the cost of the rifle by $.25.

* At the rear of the bolt sits the wonderful, switchable bolt handle. You can choose from the standard bolt knob, or a checkered bolt knob, or a tactical bolt handle. I imagine there are even more options available. That beautiful casting is held in place by a screw. A nice big one, with a slotted head. Might as well have used a nail.

As I stated in my post, I cannot fault Savage rifles in the accuracy department, they shoot very well indeed. They just have a few issues.
 
What I found particularly Whack about Scorch's post was the "stamped sheet metal parts" bit. I think he may be confusing Savage with Norinco AK's? They look a lot alike, right?:D
 
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