Looking for a .223...i think? New to this.

M

myersbuck

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Hello all and thank you all in advance for help. I am a compound bow guy that is looking to get a rifle so I dont know much at all. The rifle will be for coyote hunting and target shooting. I would like a semi auto, black, able to add scope and tripod (maybe other things). I would also like to shoot a distance of 200 yards or more (22" barrel?). I just came back from gander mt and I don't know any more than when I went in there (not that helpful). I would love to buy a used one and save some money if possible. Right now I have $400-$500 to spend...is that enough or should I save more?

I know this is going to get alot of Fords or Chevys are better type of discussion but any help is great. I am looking to make an informed purchase at a good price point. And for all I know a 223. isnt the best choice.

I was also thinking about hitting up a gun show to try to find a booth that I could build a gun per say from parts available.

I am from northern MI too if that help at all. Once again thanks.
 
You might want to start with something like a Ruger Mini-14, you can sometimes find police trade-ins for a decent price. I think Saiga also sells an entry level .223.
 
I would never buy a used gun. Get about a couple hundred more dollars and get a nice Savage .223 They are known to be very accurate. Get a good scope,dial in the scope good and you will have lots of fun target shooting and hunting.

Welcome to the forum by the way!
 
It is perfectly fine to buy a used rifle, just look it over and make sure its a good gun. Guns are generally made to last, so i have no problem buying a used gun the is in perfect working condition.
 
I am curious, bullethole, why would you never do that? Have you had a bad experience with a used firearm?

For some firearms, it's a necessity to buy used- they are no longer in production, like my Colt Model 1903

It is true that you can buy somebody else's problem, and it is true that with certain firearms that you may even buy a dangerous one, because of age

But that's why you arm yourself with knowledge before you go shopping. In the internet age, learning about what you need to look at on a used firearm is not only easy, but a prerequisite to inspection if you are unfamiliar with the type :)

Up until this January, I'd never purchased a new firearm. I tend to buy used guns that look brand new, however. ;)
 
Too bad it has to be a semi-auto.

With the money you have to spend, you could by a Savage-Stevens model 200 in .223 and put a nice scope on it. Only problem is that it is a bolt action gun; incredibly accurate, but still bolt action.
 
Depends on how accurate you want it to be.
Most "target" shooters require sub-moa, and you're not going to find it in semi-auto in that price range.

You could pick up a new Savage bolt action that'll be far more accurate than a semi- auto for the $$ spent.

Perhaps used AR in that price range, check Gunbroker and your local pawn shops...

Accuracy is going to be proportionate to $$ (to some extent, anyway...)

A newer 580 series Mini-14 is also an option- again, look for used...

Don't forget, you'll need to budget $$ for an optic, as well.
 
I bought a Savage 12bvss in .223 last year, and have been very impressed with the accuracy. My standard target is a stick on 3/4" dot. At 100 yd the rifle will put 5 rounds inside the dot with ease. It has a 26" barrel with a muzzle brake, a Harris bipod on a Choate ultimate sniper stock. Weighs 14 pounds. Admittedly too heavy and long for stalking game but absolute murder in a Prairie Dog Town.
I am impressed with the inherent accuracy of all the savage rifle I have shot. I love the accutrigger.
 
Bunches of both new and good-used bolt-action .223s out there at reasonable prices. And in today's world, $400 is pretty much reasonable. I suggest doing a lot of browsing in gun shops, gun shows and pawn shops. Feel and fondle. Money goes out faster than it comes in.

Accurate semi-autos for paper-punching are going to cost a good bit more.

A 16" to 20" barrel will work just fine for coyotes. No problem to 200 yards, anyhow. Nothing wrong with 22", but it's nowhere near a necessity.

The main thing is that the rifle fits your body dimensions. If it does, "shootability" is a lot better. Mount the rifle firmly and comfortably to your shoulder as though you were going to shoot. Do this with your eyes shut. When you open your eyes, you should be looking right through the sights, or along the axis of the barrel if no sights.
 
I have a saiga .223 I bought for $400 and a Stag Arms AR for $800. Both great rifles. Both scoped and the saiga has a bipod I got from combathunting.com.
 
you can build a decent AR15 for about $600 after shipping and everything. they'll fit your bill perfectly, black, semi auto, 223 is enough for deer so it'll definitely work for coyotes, and my AR with a 16" barrel is a tack driver at 300 yards so you definitely dont need to blow large amounts of money on a 22 inch bull barrel.
 
U said "black." AR. Buy new if able unless from a good, honest, friend. There's that whole "lemon" thing, not that it is likely... U don't need a special AR for what you want -- a 20" heavy barrel is just fine.

Art's suggestion is a great one though if you are backing into the gun/cartridge for your intended use. .223 is good for this and a bolt is probably better and a safer investment used.

The suggestion of a Mini-14 for anything requiring accuracy is misguided.
 
The suggestion of a Mini-14 for anything requiring accuracy is misguided.
Click to expand...

It is not likely that an AR in the under $500 price range is going to be any better, if we put fantasy aside.

The vast majority of AR-15's ("stock") shoot the same as the Mini-14- 2"-4" groups with military ammo and cut that in half with handloads.

MOA or better accuracy with any inexpensive semi-auto is usually internet BS.

Don't turn this into yet another Mini-bashing thread- the last one was just locked.
 
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Anyone have links to some guns that fit what I am looking for...new or used? Thank you all for the comments and help. I cant wait to get out and find something.
 
I recommend a 20 inch Remington SPS tactical Bolt gun in .223. Inexpensive to shoot, tack driver accuracy (probably 1 MOA or less) for under $600. I'm sure Savage makes a similar competing product.

You will not find a 1 MOA semi-auto for anywhere near that price. Even inexpensive AR rifles usually manage only 2 MOA. They don't have freefloat handguards for less than $900. I doubt most used Ruger min-14 are capable of less than 2 MOA. The newest generation of mini-14 supposably has better accuracy and better barrels then the previous generations.

I recommend staying with .223 since it is the only inexpensive centerfire rifle cartridge available.

Steel case ammo is available in bulk for 20 cents. Brass usually runs 35-40 cent for target grade FMJ ammo. Unfortunately match ammo/hunting ammo is usually near a buck a round...but you don't need match ammo to practice shooting.

No other centerfire cartridge runs close to .223.
 
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Used guns: I did the gunshow table thing for about thirty years. I took in bunches of trades, and shot a high percentage of them. I vaguely recall having one problem with a shotgun, but never with a rifle. I tweaked around with a few, mostly just for the fun of it, and generally got them down around MOA or a bit better. If the crown of the muzzle's okay and it's not all beat up, 99% odds of it being a good gun.
 
I agree with Art Eatman on used guns. I don't buy guns as investments, but I do buy and trade a fair number just to try them out. Some of them become part of my permanent collection that I can never foresee parting with. Others get traded when I see something else I want to try. So far, I have only been disappointed with 1 rifle. It shot fairly well, I just didn't like the feel as much as I thought I would. And I had 1 Ruger Blackhawk revolver in .45 Colt that I could never make shoot worth a darn. Now I understand a few more things about those particular models and I think I could fix it pretty easy.

But all the rest of the used guns I bought have been great performers. Sure, I have passed by quite a few that had obvious problems. But it's really amazing how many rifles get purchased brand new with high aspirations and then get shot 20-100 times and then sit in a closet for a few years. Either the cost of ammo is too high, the guy didn't like hunting that much, who knows, sometimes life just changes things for them.

I have several nice rifles that were purchased by Joe the Plumber when he decided he would become Mr. Hunter, or Mr. Moneybags bought a deluxe target rifle for his idiot teenager in hopes of getting him interested in something besides video games. Their rifles are just fine. Their loss is my gain.
 
you can slay a soda can at 100 yds easily with the mini 14.
I can group around 2" with russian ammo sitting on a wobbly five gallon bucket and using the corner of a tailgate as a bench.

I bought mine because it wasnt an AR.

It gets bashed around alot because it is not an AR. It shoots a Cartridge very similiar to the AR, The magazines Kinda-sorta look like AR Magazines, its semi auto....thats really all that they have in common.

They are good varmint and plinking rifles.

If you want something to hang all of the doo-dads on get an AR.
There's some options for dressing up a Mini but not alot, its purdy enough without make-up..LOL
AR's are reportedly more accurate.

There's a target model Mini14 (.223 only) but I have never heard of any reports of its accuracy.

I started using the Mini 14 on hogs because I was getting pass-thru wounds with 30 caliber rifles. The hogs that I deal with like to hang out with the livestock.....

I was hesitant to use .223 on the hogs beause I had always heard that the .223 was too small, underpowered and ect.

I have been very pleased with the results and I do not use anything else now.

I must point out that I am hunting from 50-100yds (closer to 50) and less occasionally. Out to 200 and beyond, the results may be alot different, Check with the other guys here.
 
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