.223 Rifle What To Buy

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Paper_Puncher

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Guys need some opinions here. I am wanting a .223 bolt action rifle with a wood stock. I like the classic looking rifles not so much into the synthetic rifles. I am not going to use it to hunt. Just going to use it to shoot off bags and shoot paper at 100 yards. Just boasting rights between friends and family. So I am wanting something to shoot for fun and maybe hand down to a family member or sell eventually. I was looking at Sakos but seems like opinions are pretty mixed on them. Not sure how much truth there is in people complaints on them. I would like to stay below $2000 if I can and willing to go less if's going to be a quality rifle. Basically, I am wanting something just as pretty as it is accurate. You guys have any ideas of what I should look at?
 
Savage Lightweight Varminter with a Laminated stock. They make one that costs more with a fluted stock and barrel. It's under 1,000. Detachable magazine and accutrigger etc. Don't need to spend a fortune on a rifle just for the sake of spending money.
 
Savage, for sure. They do make 'em with wood stocks. Two grand will buy the rifle, a good scope and a bunch of ammo.
Sako's are great, but not inexpensive.
 
Get the Weatherby Vangard (aka Howa) for a little more than $500 and put the rest of your money in optics and ammo. They shoot great.
 
I concur with Beentown.....CZ all the way......mine is a 527 FS in 223.....but is safe to use 5.56.....as per CZ.......CZ has put some absolutely beautiful turkish walnut on thier 527s.....mine is one of them.....it is a joy just to look at.....and wait till you get to using that single set trigger....it will spoil you!!.....mine does have a scope.....but for xmas....will be putting a peep sight on the reciever....just looks more streamlined.....and I really like peep sights....
 
With $2000 to spend I'd look at the Kimber 84M series of rifles. Much better quality rifle than the Savage, but don't expect it to be any more accurate. It simply has better wood, plus better fit and finish overall when comparing it to any Savage rifle. You should be able to put it together with some high quality optics for under your budget. If you were willing to spend a bit more take a look at Cooper Rifles.
 
Cz 527 varmint, would be worth a look if a 1:9 twist will work for you..

Savage has some offerings as well 12 vlp offered in 1:7,1:9,
12 bvss offered in 1:9,
25 lightweight varminter offered in 1:9,
12 f/tr offered in 1:7
 
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wow you guys are giving me a lot to look at! I see very few bad things about the Savages and the CZ. Are all the Savages laminate stocks? Do the Kimbers shoot very nice? I saw a thread awhile ago from a few years ago there seemed like there were a lot of complaints. Aren't the Cooper rifles a lot more than $2000?
 
I don't like the wood on some of the CZ's and Zastava's I've seen, checker in looked bad and the wood looked badly finished. The Model 25 Savage Varminter comes in Laminate only for wood. The fit and finish of the Savage is excellent. A very deep blue and the wood mates nicely with the barreled action. The bolt is also very good.
 
savage 11 predator snow camo

First shots. Out of the box. Just cleaned, checked to make sure everything was tight and bore 223 savage 11 predator.JPGsighted. 1/9, 22inch.
 
I have a savage f/tr, and a cz 527 varmint..
The savage is a dedicated target rifle geared for shooting f class in the f/tr classification.
30" barrel, single shot, target trigger.. mine is set around 10 ounces. It is a heavy rifle, with the scope it is 15-16 lbs.. you won't be shooting it offhand much. I'm still working on geting into the game, but shot a 193-13x at 300 yds..

The cz is a nice rifle, it has a detachable mag, shorter barrel, lighter, and a single set trigger, meaning that my standsrd trigger is about a 2 pounds , but when I push the trigger forward and set it, the pull goes to about 12 ounces.
The only negative thing I can say about the cz, is the same thing on my old sako. The ring mounts are tapered diffrent, and are semi propritary..
On my cz, I got a 1 pc base from dip products that converted it to a standard weaver, then I had lots better selections of rings and placements.
I like the rifle, it is a good shooter. The twist limits the weight of the bullet to less than 70 gr, but I'm fine with that.

Both rifles have laminated stocks that are not checkered.

I haven't shot a kimber or cooper so while they may be fine rifles I have no firsthand knowledge.

I do have a L461 sako that I like, a deluxe model that I need to find out what it likes to shoot..
 
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Cooper Rifles can be more than $2000 but not always and you can hit the used market to find one. There are Cooper dealers out there that might just have the rifle you want. I haven't really heard of any real bad shooting Kimber rifles (not Kimber of Oregon), now some people have a hard time shooting the Montana and Mountain Ascent rifles because they are so light.
 
Do the scopes set kind of high on CZs? Some of the pictures I've seen for some reason look higher than most.
Click to expand...

Scope height is determined by how tall the rings are. The ring height is determined by the size of the objective bell. I.E., the larger the objective bell diameter the taller you've got to mount the scope so that the bell doesn't touch the barrel.
 
if you're into classic looking rifles and not into wonky or plastic looking, why look farther than the Ruger M77? they have a very mauser-esque shape to them and they are very well built rifles. I used to be a remington snob... now I'm a ruger enthusiast. they usually run in the $700 range so well below your budget... or you could slap on a nightforce SHV and have it come out right about perfect with your budget.
 
I think Tahuna has a very good point. I have a few Rugers of various vintage, and they all shoot great. Ruger has a heavy barrel model that should please you. And I say that even though I am presently hunting with a Tikka, with a Sako as backup. I'm guessing at prices, but a Thou for the rifle and a Thou for a scope should work fine for you.
 
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