Uses for a 223 Bolt Action rifle

C

CDR_Glock

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I acquired a Remington 700 on a trade. I cannibalized the rifle, taking off the sling, bipod and scope off for other purposes. Now I'm wondering what practical use I have for a 223 Bolt Action rifle. It can't be used for deer hunting. It's underpowered for boar I'd guess, too.

What game can it be used for? Can I change out the barrel for a larger caliber?



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well.........

The .223 cartridge is available in great quantity and is relatively affordable. A .223 bolt rifle can provide useful high power practice to real highpower distances, something you cannot do with a .22lr. The trajectory is close enough to bigger centerfire cartridges, that shooting at distance could develop better range estimating skills.

AS noted, with modern slick .22 bullets like the Ballistic Tips and the SST's, the .223 is a flat and affordable shooter and can make a good mid range varminter. There's an article in "Rifle" magazine this month regards the upgrading of the .223 as a varminter.

There has been a world of text, and more to come, regards the .223 as a deer/ hog cartridge. Premium controlled expansion bullets have allowed the .223 to take those very critter more effectively than many thought possible.

Rebarreling a Rem 700 is frequently done by those with the tools and savy, but fitting a new barrel is not as simple a task as on some other models (older Savages 110 for example). Also, you likely will have to deal with the bolt face dimensions and quite posssible the feed rail configurations as well.
 
The last count I had shows 223 not legal for big game in only 4 states where rifles are legal. There are a few others that are shotgun only. People who actually use it for deer and deer size game find it to work quite well. AR's chambered in 223 are popular for hog and coyote hunting where shots are fast.

The round is pretty commonly used in parts of Alaska and Canada for moose hunting and even bear protection. That is pushing things a bit, but I'd not hesitate for a second to hunt deer.

It is near perfect for varmints or target shooting, ammo is cheap and everywhere. Rounds like 22-250 shoot lighter 35-50 gr bullets flatter and are somewhat better at longer ranges on small varmints. But most modern 223's are better able to handle the heavier 60-77 gr bullets which are so effective on large game and hold up better for longer range target shooting.

The biggest negative to many bolt guns is not the caliber, but barrel twist. Most AR's have a 1:7 or 1:8 barrel twist designed for longer/heavier bullets. Most newer bolt guns are twisted the same, but some older guns had slower 1:12 twists which were meant to shoot shorter/lighter bullets 55 gr or lighter.

There aren't many options for easily changing the barrel to other calibers. But depending on the twist of the barrel on the one you have, re-barreling in 223 to a faster twist might make the round much more versatile. Possibly even 223 AI for some more speed.

The only option that comes to mind is 300 Blackout. But it's only advantage is shooting suppressed. As a hunting round I'd take 223 loaded with heavier bullets for any game animal.
 
I suggest you try shooting the .223 for awhile though, it might change your opinion of it. It is very capable of taking deer sized game and boar with the right bullets if it's legal in your state. It does have its limitations, but used within those limits it can be very effective.

If you don't want to try the .223 your next best option is to sell the rifle and buy the one you want chambered in a larger cartridge. This will be the most cost effective way to a bigger cartridge, especially with the budget line of rifles being offered curently. You can change out the barrel very easily to another cartridge that's a larger caliber, depending on what you go to it might require a new magazine and bolt/bolt face. All it takes is time and money, sometimes a lot of time and money.
 
The Army Marksmanship Unit saw a need for sniper training post Vietnam and ran a sniper school until the start of the Infantry Schools Sniper School in 1987 and the National Guards Sniper School at Camp Robinson Arkansas about the same time period.

The AMU program was intended to provide a cadre of instructors for the Army, NG, Marine and Civilian LE including the SS, FBI and local Police Departments.

They put out a sniper guide for Law Enforcement which contained a recommendation for a LE Sniper Rifle. It was their believe that LE Sniping/Counter Sniping would be limited to no more the 300 yards. The average LE engagements were a lot closer then that.

Since most need for LE counter-sniper operations would be in an Urban environment, they believed that the 223 size bullet would be the better option, since it would lessen the change of over penetration, and limited range. They chose this round because, when properly sighted in at 250 yards., one could make head shots up to 300 yards without hold over/under.

The Counter Sniper Guide had a list of recommended rifles and scopes.

At the top of the list for rifles was the Remington BDL Varmint w/a fixed 6 to 8 power scope.

After providing Intent to Start a Sniper Program from both the Anchorage Police Department and the Alaska National Guard I got a slot in their Sniper School.

When I got back home, I set up a rifle as recommended, A Remington 700 BDL heavy barreled Varmint w/ a Redfield 6X Widefield Scope, sighted it in a 250 yards, using M193 55 Gr. Military Ball. It work as intended. It was easy with this rifle to set get head shots to 300 Yards.

I carried this rifle throughout the remainder of my Career with the Anchorage Police Dept. Later we did get a SWAT team, in which I did the Rifle and Sniper Training. Though I wasn't on the SWAT team (I was EOD, couldn't do both), I still carried the rifle because my shift commander said if he needed a shooter, he wanted a shooter not a call out.

Anyway both that rifle and I are long since retired. It has gone to the Prairie Dog Shooting Game.

Remington%20223%20Sniper.jpg


Just recently a guy bought a 30k acer ranch south of me a bit, that is over run with prairie dogs that he wants removed before he can put is cows on it.

So I've been using the retired sniper rifle to help with that task, and being about 40 years old its still up to the task. I'm limited to =/< 55 gr. bullet, but it still makes "red mist".

This rifle is limited to Varmint size critters now, but in this state, 223s are legal for deer and antelope using 60 gr or heavier bullets. They are more the capable of handling that size animal and are quite accurate to 1000 yards using the 80-90 gr. pills.

Don't underestimate the 223 bolt gun.
 
Legal for Deer and Pronghorn in several states. Fine for the piggies too. Just use a good hunting bullet. Also good for predators, practice and putting holes in paper. My .223 bolt gun gets 2 times the rounds through it as all my match and hunting rifles combined.
 
You have an opportunity to go the wildcat path too if you wanted more bullet in a 223 case. 6mm/223, 6.5 PCC or 257/223.

Or, you could go smaller with a barrel chambered in 204 Ruger.

Or, you could go to a 221 or 17 Fireball.
 
I've had a couple and liked them very well. I would not hunt any game much bigger than a coyote though unless it was all I had. Problem is bullet's. I think Nosler makes a partition and the they get heavier. Some might handle 60+ gr bullet's but generally with faster twist's barrel's. As a hunting rifle, even for deer, there are a lot better choice's! Mine were used for varmint's, predator and just plain plinking. Lots of once fired brass around and 22 cal bullet's are pretty inexpensive. Fun to shoot though!
 
Bullet makers' R&D since the late 1990s has provided bullets useful for Bambi and feral hogs. Sure, certain caveats regarding range and point-of-impact selection, but many people are having success on critters larger than coyotes.
 
Even the under rated M193 55 gr FMJ Ball ammo was effective for those who know how to shoot.

I was the company commander of an Alaska Native (Eskimo) National Guard company. These guys didn't have many jobs, and little money. They fed their family and village with sea mammals and caribou. They used what they could get, and afford.

I was encouraged to be a little lax on ammo with it came to qualification and training so I'd order a bit more then we needed. I'd clear the brass by writing a memo saying it was shot on the ice and un-recoverable.

So these guys used a lot of 223 ball ammo. I've seen seals, walrus, caribou and even polar bears killed cleanly with that ammo. Shot placement being critical. They had to head shoot seals and walrus or they would dive and become lost. Caribou and polar bears were normally shot in the neck for instant kills and to preserve meat, They ate everything.

A seal or walrus, even caribou are a bit bigger then white tails, but again its shot placement and marksmanship.

The ammo policy was tightened up after I retired. They had to go with another source of cheap rifles and ammo, but that was about the time the Mosin and its cheap surplus ammo came on the scene and they were quite popular. I don't know what they are using now that those prices have increased. I'm assuming they might have went back to the 223s, which is about as cheap of rifle ammo you can find.
 
"...pretty commonly used in parts of Alaska and Canada for moose hunting..." Whoever told you that is very confused. Nobody uses a .223 for hunting Bullwinkle here. Absolutely illegal for large game in some Provinces. Absolutely unethical everywhere else.
"...change out the barrel for a larger caliber..." More to it than just the barrel(bolt face is tiny for one.), but you can use any cartridge suitable for a short M700 action. As mentioned any of the .223 Rem based cartridges would work just fine though.
 
Alaska had different rules then Canada, esp, for the Alaska Natives. They wouldn't hesitate to use a 223 on moose. But again, most of their shooting at that type of game was neck shots. The FMJ was pretty good getting thought the neck on those critters which is pretty tuff. Its have to be to pack around some of the horns I've seen, plus bashing other bulls, also with horns.

Heck I've put down a lot of moose with a 158 gr LSWC out of a 4 inch 357 revolver.

No way I'm condoning the use of the 223 on moose, elk and such, but these natives are a different lot, and have different rules. Me, I'll stick to my 270 for such critters.
 
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