Any opinions on .223 bolt action?

S

sleeping dog

New member
I saw a couple of .223 bolt action rifles
at a gunshow: Savage model 111FXP3 w/scope,
a Remington 700 ADL w/synthetic stock, and
a Remington Model 7 lightweight w/18" tapered
barrel. Any experience with these rifles
and this caliber for accurate target shooting
and for small game?

Regards
 
They do very good but in that cal. you need a 30 rd mag. Something about 30 rounds in a selfloader that will shoot under a inch at 100 yards and keep the target in the crosshairs on recoil. And the short barreled guns have a sharp nasty bark unless you have a brake on them. Its like packing around a heavy bolt .22 when you have a good 10/22 in the gun safe at home. :)
 
I owned an 18" Model 7 in .223 for several years. It was my walking around varmint rifle. Accuracy was acceptable, 3 shots into less than 1" with a handloads but more importantly I liked the way the rifle handled. I traded it off at one point and regret my error.

Currently, I have a Tikka .223 that is my varmint/pest control rifle. Despite the greater use of plastic parts, I find these rifles generally more accurate than Remingtons and I like the detachable magazines better.
 
The Remington 700 seems to have the best action for tuning and tweaking into tack-driving accuracy, based on the majority of all posts I've read here.

I have a Ruger 77 Mk II in .223; I replaced the lousy factory trigger with a Timney, and am now very happy with it.

Many people have spoken highly of the Savage and its "out of the box" tight-group capability.

I guess I'll stay with my "advice" to go with what pleases your eye and feels best to you in the handling of the rifle. They'll all do well in the field.

Art
 
Almost any .223 bolt action will be accurate. I wouldn't buy the Savage or the Ruger because of the lousy triggers. It just bugs me that after buying a new gun I have shell out more money for an after market trigger. The Winchester and Remington are easy to adjust.
 
M16, I agree with you, but I found a good, like-new gun at $400 with some kind of variable Tasco, sling, and elastic ammo-dealie that fits on the stock. At the time, I didn't know about the trigger problem. I traded the scope off for something--don't remember--equal to the cost of a Timney, so I'm all set up at a good price.

And that's why I rarely have much interest in brand new stuff...Costs too much.

:), Art
 
Like Mr. Eatman, I have a Ruger M77 Mk II in .223. I must be the luckiest son-of-a-gun around because mine came out-of-the-box with a great trigger. Is extremely accurate and reliable. Not as pretty as my friend's Remington but as good a shooter!
 
You may want to look into a Howa 1500 as well. I opted for the Remington 700, but the Howa was a strong contender in my list of choices. Very smooth action and they come standard with the Timney trigger.
 
My problem with the .223 in a bolt action is that most of the rifles off the shelf come with a rifling of 1/12. This twist is fine if you are only going to shoot the smaller bullets (40-55 grains), but it will not do for the 69 grain rounds in the caliber. For this purpose, you must have a new barrel installed with a 1/7 rifling (along with the new trigger that many such rifles need).

Better yet, buy that rifle in a .243. You get a better performing caliber that shoots 100 grain bullets. It will serve you well in the field. Unless you are only shooting the smallest varmints, a .243 works better on a wider range of targets.

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We have never been modern.

[This message has been edited by Trevor (edited July 30, 2000).]
 
I own a savage 110 in 223 and it is a very accurate rifle, good trigger, and reliable. It shoots 55-62 gr bullets very well and makes short work of the fox and coyote I use it on. Great buy for the money!
 
Sleeping Dog: I'd pick up a Remington Police model 700 in 223. They have a heavy barrel, synthetic stock, cost around 6-700 bucks. An outfit called Hoplite Inc. has them. They advertise in Gun List. Talk to your dealer. They should shoot sub MOA.

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NRA Life Member
 
I bought my .223 Sako 23 years ago. I love it. It's a great rifle. Fantastic accuracy.
They cost a bit more than Remington, etc, but I think they are well worth the money.
 
I have a Savage 110 (old long action, unfortunately) in .223 with a heavy barrel and synthetic stock. It shoots cloverleafs with any good load. The trigger is easy to adjust...there is a piano wire that fits into the screw slot to "lock" it in...just make sure that the safety still works and that you don't adjust it so light that the firing pin will fall when you close the bolt, jar the gun, etc.
 
Love my Model 7, but it's a .308.

If you want a light, walk-around .223, consider the CZ 527 American. Can be very accurate out of the box, has an adjustable trigger, detachable magazine, and can be under seven pounds with scope.

If you want a heavy varmint barrel, the Remington 700 VLS is hard to beat. Depends on what you want. Unfortunately, as I can only afford one .223 bolt action right now, my 700 VLS is on the block. Check the following link if interested.
http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?item=413641
 
The Savage 110 series and the Remington PSS and LTR in .223 use 1-9" rifling.

I bought an LTR to get lighter weight and the faster twist without going the rebarrel route. I wanted a lighter, but portable varmint gun that would not heat up too much and change point of impact.

A full sized Savage or PSS with a 26" tube is pretty heavy (something about little holes not removing enough steel). :D

I have been satisfied with the LTR. It carries nicely and shoots clover leafs with 52gr. 1/2 inch with 55gr. 1/2 inch with 62gr. 3.5 inch with 68gr. A competitive shooter I know said 68gr. handloads seated further out cured his PSS in .223 to shoot well under sub-MOA.

However, for .308, give me a PSS.
 
I've got a Savage model 12FV .223, short action, heavy 26" barrel. I love it. I don't know why folks complain about the trigger because the adjustment is so simple and it's very crisp once it's adjusted. As Calif Hunter mentioned, it's so easy, you need to avoid making it TOO light. The 1:9 twist will handle bullets up to 69 Gr. without any problems.

I mostly use it for targets and plinking, but it'll drop anything up to a coyote REAL easy. I put it on a Choates/Plaster Ultimate Sniper stock with a Simmons Mag 44 scope and Harris bipod and it's a real conversation piece. Maybe too heavy for your purposes, but great for targets.

Bottom line - it's fun to shoot, not terribly expensive, and it'll shoot whatever you're good enough to hit.
 
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