Most accurate new 223 bolt under $1,000 out of the box?

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AZAK

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Looking to add a new bolt gun to the mix. I generally tend to "accurize"/fine tune firearms; or have the work done in many cases.

Maybe this one time I just want to clean it, scope it, shoot it, and that's it; OK, maybe add a bipod and a sling.

Looking chambered for .223 remington, and up to $1,000; don't need to spend that much, just want the most accurate, best trigger, out of the box up to that limit.

Primary purpose is making little tiny groups at greater distances without me having to "fine tune" it.

So, what do you have out there that you shoot and recommend and why?

Thanks!
 
Probably luck of the draw about NIB and seriously good groups.

As a for instance, my Ruger 77 Mk II light sporter, bought like-NIB, has been half-MOA from the git-go, even with the original horrible tort-liability trigger that I replaced. Now? Half-MOA is a piece of cake.

From several years of reading posts here, I'd figure it's pretty much a consensus that a Savage is about as good a deal for the money as there is. Others work equally well, but cost more.

I dunno. As an old hot-rodder, I figure that tweaking with stuff just to make it work better is half the reason to mess with it to begin with. :)
 
Best bet Thompson Center Icon Precision Hunter,second Savage 12 BVSS. Either will be under 1 moa with commerical IMO and with hand loads .600 or under, of the two the T/C has the best fit and finish plus a more polished bore out of the box.
 
All Savages. Model 10 Predator Hunter, Model 10 Precision Carbine, Model 10-FCP-K, Model 10 FP-SR, Model 12 BVSS. Savage makes lots of rifles that should meet your criteria. All well under $1K.
 
Savage Long Range series of rifles. I have the model 12 with the 5 round internal mag, and standard AcuTrigger. Shoots .15 MOA with my handloads if I do my part correctly. The Model 10 Percision With slighly heavier barrel, single shot with Percison Accutrigger is more acurate, and will run just under the thousand dollars without base, or glass. I went in favor of the model 12 for price differance though I do not regret it. The rifle is capable of way better accuracy then I can milk it for.
 
IMHO Besides Sako, Tikka are about the most accurate factory production rifle and come with the best (by far) accuracy guarantee. 3 shot 1" (Sub MOA) groups with "ANY" factory ammo (other rifle makers accuracy guarantee's are always with match grade ammo) and if you use match grade or handloaded ammo you will at least cut those groups in half. The Sako (who also make Tikka) have the same guarantee but with 5 shots. Also the Tikka and Sako have the best factory trigger from any factory production rifle on the market (IMO as good or better then most performance after market triggers). The Tikka has the same barrel on it as the Sako so it should should shoot as good (I just think they gave the Sako a better guarantee because if they didn't why would you by a Sako when the Tikka has the same guarantee but is around half the price). I know alot of people with Tikka's and Sako's and I have never ever seen one that wasn't a real shooter or picky with ammo like some other rifles and will shoot any ammo accurately. My mate has a Bore Scope so we have looked down alot of rifle barrels and the Sako's and Tikka's have the least machine marks in them compared to other rifles and I think that is what makes them so accurate and the fit and finish is second to none.

(Can you tell I like Sako's and Tikka's LOL)?
 
Savage Long Range series of rifles. I have the model 12 with the 5 round internal mag, and standard AcuTrigger. Shoots .15 MOA with my handloads if I do my part correctly. The Model 10 Percision With slighly heavier barrel, single shot with Percison Accutrigger is more acurate, and will run just under the thousand dollars without base, or glass. I went in favor of the model 12 for price differance though I do not regret it. The rifle is capable of way better accuracy then I can milk it for.
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How many .15 MOA groups have you shot from that rifle? I ask because a consistent .15 MOA shooter is one that has a fighting chance at most dedicated BR matches, especially as distance grows. Also, how many shots make up those groups? I like Savage enough, but one .15 MOA three shot group does not make the rifle a .15 MOA rifle.

Savage makes decent rifles, but they aren't the only game in town. They aren't the only rifle that shoots well, and anymore, they aren't an overly amazing value. There is also no guarantee that they will shoot. You get one that won't shoot better than 2" and there is no option to send it in for warranty work.
 
All Savages. Model 10 Predator Hunter, Model 10 Precision Carbine, Model 10-FCP-K, Model 10 FP-SR, Model 12 BVSS. Savage makes lots of rifles that should meet your criteria. All well under $1K.
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+1. All Savages should shoot great. The only one I'd avoid is the Edge or Axis or whatever it's called nowadays.
 
For a heavy barrel,I like the Savage across the board. Bought a Tikka T3 lite with 1 in 8 twist for a sporter, personally I'm extreeeemly impressed by both outa the box.
 
I have nothing but good to say about the Ruger hawkeye, mine is the all weather and shoots great. Never had to do a thing to it, scoped it and was good to go.
 
benzy2 said:
Savage makes decent rifles, but they aren't the only game in town. They aren't the only rifle that shoots well, and anymore, they aren't an overly amazing value. There is also no guarantee that they will shoot. You get one that won't shoot better than 2" and there is no option to send it in for warranty work.
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All that's true, and as big a fan as I am, I realize that Savage price points have risen some over the past several years. While there is no guarantee that they will shoot, the last two I've bought came with a test target in the box. There was no guarantee that I could shoot the rifle that well, but there was certainly evidence that the rifle would shoot, it was just up to me to point it in the right direction.

The most accurate rifle I've ever shot was built by the Army Marksmanship Unit out of Fort Benning, GA. Five of the guys on my team could shoot it extremely well, the other two guys could shoot it fairly well. Accuracy doesn't have a guarantee.
 
The Savage 10 FCP-K is great and the accutrigger is superb. The box magazine is mounted just about flush with the stock. The action is smooth and the bolt works well and ejects easily.

The CZ 527 Varmint with Kevlar HP precision stock and the set trigger will give it all it can handle for accuracy and then some. Of course it costs $ 125 more than the old 10 FCP Savage without the accustock but is actually a bit cheaper than the new FCP-K with the accustock. The CZ magazine juts out pretty far from the stock and many people won't like that look. The Mauser type bolt has to be pulled back pretty smartly and all the way back to eject a spent cartridge. It works fine but it takes some getting used to.

I shoot them both right out of the box without modifications. I did adjust the accutrigger to 2 lbs 1 oz. I didn't have to touch the CZ since the set trigger is 2 lbs even.

Both are 1:9 twist barrels but they like different favorite loads. They don't like the same factory ammos and have different hand load sweet spots. So far, the CZ shoots a wider range of bullet weights really well. It shoots 45 grain all the way to 65 grain bullets under 0.5 inches on average when you find the right powder and velocity for each bullet.

I think that the difference will be the particular rifle and stock/barrel combination that you happen to get and whether you are into hand loading your ammo and are willing to take the time and effort to experiment with different loads.
(I'll be the first to admit that I am an accuracy nut and probably go overboard. I am willing to load hundreds of groups in search of a rifle's sweet spots. I realize most people find a load that shoots pretty well and declare it a favorite load. That works great for hunting but it doesn't tell you what the rifle really likes to shoot. I like to understand the barrel / stock sweet spots so I can pick loads that are in the middle of the broadest node for a particular bullet and powder.)

I can see why there are so many votes for Savage and CZ.
They are both great rifles and I think anyone will be happy with either.
When you have one of each, you have to split hairs to find the difference between them.
 
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You get one that won't shoot better than 2" and there is no option to send it in for warranty work.
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Actually my experience is different, I purchased a Savage 93-17 BTV about 18 months ago after firing about 400 rounds changing scopes, bedding, etc best I could achieve was 1.50-1.75 @100 yards called Savage who paid for shipping and returned it in 4 weeks all paperwork said was repaired, also enclosed target with a .750 group. Went to range next day and shot several groups under .750 all under 1.00. Called Savage but never received a real answer as to problem, but did not care since it shot so good.:D
 
I'll add another vote for CZ.

We picked up a new CZ 527 Varmint in .223 yesterday and took it out for break in and scope sighting today. It's a shooter - I had a couple of groups under 1/2 inch at 100yds with Lapua 55gr FMJ ammunition. It will be interesting to see what I can do with handloads.

Rimfire5 brings up a couple of good points. The bolt is a little balky, but I expect that it will smooth out with use. Also I can see where some people might not like the looks of the magazine, although I think it looks just fine.

James Calhoon in Montana makes a single shot follower that replaces the magazine and sits flush with the bottom of the stock. I have one on order since our local range only allows one cartridge to be loaded at a time anyway.
 
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