Recommendations for a .223 rifle

[kkilo]

Hello, I am looking at purchasing my first rifle, I have been doing a fair bit of shooting with rented or borrowed rifles, and have decided on going for a .223 bolt action rifle. It is going to be used for punching holes in targets and hopefully moving up to long range target shooting . I have been looking at the savage axis and have heard good things about it for the price. I am looking to spend less then 750 dollars on the rifle not including glass or any accessories. Thanks for any recommendations or comments

[Chevy57fan]

I'm sure that there will be other suggestions but I just put a Weatherby Vanguard Series 2 Sporter in jail. I chose the series 2 sporter because Weatherby has a sub-moa guarantee, has great reviews and because the sporter version has a wooden stock. I'll find out how it shoots in another week or so.

[3006mv]

Howa

http://www.legacysports.com/mini-action-package

[robcoe]

I would go for the Weatherby Vanguard series 2. The savage also is pretty good as well as the Howa. Others like the Ruger American are decent rifles for their price point but I see them more as beater/utility rifles than target shooters.

[ElvenSoul]

Get the Howa but with out the scope. There scopes suck you will just end up having to replace it.

Now the Savage 11 comes with a Nikon Pro Staff with BDC reticle and is a fairly nice scope. However it is not a mini action like the Howa.

Check out the Mossberg MVP the Predator or new Long Range should do what you want.

[TMB 1]

Savage 25 http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/p...minter+223+DBM or Mossberg MVP http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/p...+24+TB+223+LAM

[Loopwell]

My remington 700 sps shoots just fine, probably more accurate than me. They are a little more expensivr though than most previous recommendations.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

[ar15barrels]

700 SPS tactical and then upgrade the stock to a B&C medalist will come in right around $750.

[CptDan]

Savage 12 Varmint

[3006mv]

Big 5 has a Howa with niko stirling scope and Harris bipod for $619

[Capybara]

If you want to trick it out, I agree with Randall, the Rem 700 is the '55 Chevy of bolt actions, everyone has one, wants one or tricks one out. If you just want to buy and shoot it, and not have to aftermarket or trick it out, the CZ-527 Varmint is a sweet gun, mini-Mauser bolt action design, great trigger, rock solid workmanship (unlike post Freedom Group Remingtons that are a crap shoot). Mine is wearing a cheap Mueller 8x32 optic. All in, with rings too, probably in your price range, maybe a bit more?

[ElvenSoul]

If you want to trick it out, I agree with Randall, the Rem 700 is the '55 Chevy of bolt actions, everyone has one, wants one or tricks one out. If you just want to buy and shoot it, and not have to aftermarket or trick it out, the CZ-527 Varmint is a sweet gun, mini-Mauser bolt action design, great trigger, rock solid workmanship (unlike post Freedom Group Remingtons that are a crap shoot). Mine is wearing a cheap Mueller 8x32 optic. All in, with rings too, probably in your price range, maybe a bit more?

Like 900 bucks! A person could build a hell of a Rem or Savage for that!

[RNE228]

It's not a bolt... Used to have a friend that had a Browning BLR in 223. That was a fun shooting rifle.

Just thinking a little out of the box

[Divernhunter]

The Vanguard is good and the barreled action is a Howa. The Ruger American is a better rifle than the price would make you think. Savage makes good rifles.
The niko sterling scope is junk as are most scopes on package rifles. Face it: The factory cannot include a scope, bases and rings for almost the same price as the rifle alone and make money. Thus a crap/cheap scope.

Buy the rifle you choose and then pay for a decent scope. You may not want to pay for a Nightforce or Leupold or such. The American made model of the Redfield scope is made buy Leupold and is real good and not expensive. Bushnell, Nikon, Burris and other QUALITY manufactures build an cheaper line (even Leupold) of scopes that are much better than the niko sterling, BSA(back slowly away), Tasco(Trashco) and other cheap scopes which are poor quality.

Do yourself a big favor and buy the rifle that FITS YOU and you like. Then buy the best scope you can afford for it. You will not regret it.

[JMP]

I'd for sure go with an R700 SPS Varmint in .223. In fact, I did, and I would do it again. I have two R700s, and I got each one in .223 as those can generally be found at the cheapest price--I believe this is because the bolt is not compatible with most other short action cartridges. However, for a good rifle, you will need to replace the bolt anyways.

I like the SPS Varmint because the 26" 1:12" barrel is a very good shooter for those using 50-55gr ammo. That is what most factory ammo is, and that is what you will buy if you want to reload .223 economically. If you are looking to shoot 77gr BTHP, then the 1:12" isn't a good pick, but if you are going to spend $0.30 on just the projectile for a .223, you are kind of crapping your money away with any factory barrel, IMO.

The SPS Varmint shoots less expensive factory ammo and is a great way to learn very economically. When you are ready to move up, just get a new bolt, barrel, stock, trigger, and other accessories that you may want or if you haven't gotten along the way.

If you are just starting out, you'll find that some of the en vogue performance upgrades do not make as significant a difference with .223. You do not need an ultra rigid $1,000 stock for .223. In fact, if you just sand away the cheap Remington whiffle bat stock so the barrel is free floating, that will be fine for a .223 starters gun.

The folks that tell you that you NEED a 1:9" twist in a .223 are guys that are probably using the wrong cartridge for the job. If 50-55gr isn't working for you, then it is a no-brainer, just step up to 6mm where you will find an endless amount of good projectiles that span a very wide class of shapes, weights, materials, quality, etc.

In summary, get the R700 SPS Varmint in .223, and shoot the barrel out with 50-55gr projectiles. Once you have done this, you will be ready for a real shooter.