Ideas for a 223 trainer.

[Guardian Mode]

Let's say I was a 6mm something something shooter with a 26" barrel, 700 Remington action in a nice chassis/stock, topped with a Vortex PST 6-24x.

What would be a good budget 223 trainer to build?
Ideally, you build the exact same thing, but in 223... but what are some other options that are easier on the wallet?
To what extent would one train for and what would the benefits you would get from it?
There's obviously less barrel wear and cheaper ammo,
This isn't my situation, but i just thought it would be fun to get ideas.
There's some cost/benefit analysis that can be done where this is actually a very smart idea.
But maybe to some, it's better to just burn thru 6mm barrels on a regular basis instead.

[bsumoba]

Most make .223 trainers for cheaper ammo AND to mimic their competition/match rifle. Otherwise, it wouldn't necessarily be a trainer if the ergonomics are not the same. Ideally, the gun would be made of a high enough quality that it will give you similar accuracy results. It would suck to train with a .223 that shot say double the group size as your competition/match rifle.

[langss]

I bought a 700SPS in .223 to do exactly what your talking about. I already have 4 700's in .308, two rather old and two really new, so taking advantage of the less expensive .223 seemed like a natural to learn ranging and wind reading, breathing, etc.

[Whiterabbit]

I bought a .22 rifle in exactly the same config to use as a trainer. Waste of money (as a trainer). There is no replacement for the real thing. And for centerfire especially, by the time you have paid for the rifle you could have bought a boatload of ammunition, or a ton of components and reloading gear if you didn't have it already. Add scope cost and you bought another barrel.

If you have an itch to just buy a new rifle, well, can't fault anyone for that.

[khw9mm]

I have a 6x45 I use as a trainer. Real fun gun to shoot, ballistics similar to 308 and a better impact signature compared to the 223.

[RNE228]

Find an older used Rem700V or Ruger 77V on the used racks. Add scope. Might even find one with a nice scope already on it.

Or, hard to admit, but build a bull-barrel AR...

[milotrain]

Depends on what you are training for. I like the idea of a 223 midrange trainer but I don't think the loss of BC over fancy 6mm make it worth actually shooting a 6mm at midrange. 223 longrange/fclass trainer would be interesting as it would really make you work the wind. Anything that gets you shooting more is good. I think as the caliber goes up the trainer becomes more important. I'd spend the majority of my time on a trainer if I shot a 300WM in competition.

I know guys who shoot smallbore prone (.22LR) to work on their position and trigger control, but it's likely won't help you much with wind. I have a .22LR trainer for working the Midrange/LR prone game. It is built in an Eliseo R1 chassis which is basically what I'm going to be using for Longrange.

On the flip side I know a few excellent prone shooters who learned how to shoot on the service rifle, in a way that is still their trainer, because shooting an AR at midrange and XTC is work and is cheap.

TLDR:
.223 Bolt trainer (good cheap but maybe good enough that you just field it in competition)
.22LR (now's the time when we suffer through learning all about trigger control and position mastery)
AR (cheapest of the bunch, takes lots of work at 600+ yards)
All good options, get one of each

[JMP]

Let's say I was a 6mm something something shooter with a 26" barrel, 700 Remington action in a nice chassis/stock, topped with a Vortex PST 6-24x.

R700, SPS Varmint. It's got a 26" barrel, and a nice 1:12" twist that is good for 50-55gr bullets that you will be using for less expensive ammunition. Contrary to popular believe, the 1:12" from a long barrel is a nice shooter with lighter bullets. If it's a trainer, you are not looking for the highest BC heavy bullet so the twist is actually desireable. I'd say that your 6-24x PST would be good for that setup. In fact, I ran the identical setup as a trainer until I burnt the barrel out. Like you say, it's lots and lots of cheap practice. If you cannot get out and shoot to 1km and beyond, the 50-55gr .223 force you to learn and compensate for wind at 500-600 yards, which are more common distances that you'll find that aren't too far away.

[Guardian Mode]

R700, SPS Varmint. It's got a 26" barrel, and a nice 1:12" twist that is good for 50-55gr bullets that you will be using for less expensive ammunition. Contrary to popular believe, the 1:12" from a long barrel is a nice shooter with lighter bullets. If it's a trainer, you are not looking for the highest BC heavy bullet so the twist is actually desireable. I'd say that your 6-24x PST would be good for that setup. In fact, I ran the identical setup as a trainer until I burnt the barrel out. Like you say, it's lots and lots of cheap practice. If you cannot get out and shoot to 1km and beyond, the 50-55gr .223 force you to learn and compensate for wind at 500-600 yards, which are more common distances that you'll find that aren't too far away.

This is what i was leaning towards I was thinking 55's would work well in that 1:12. The faster muzzle velocity mixed with lower BC would probably even out by the time you get out beyond 400yds and good to 600yds, and compare with 6mm 105's in that 3000-3100fps range.

Getting a matching trigger and bolt handle would probably be more beneficial, too, for more familiarity. more than trying to match the feel of a chassis with a dbm setup, probably isnt necessary to practice reloading your rifle at the range anyways.
Keep that at home with the dry fire practice.

[ar15barrels]

Let's say I was a 6mm something something shooter with a 26" barrel, 700 Remington action in a nice chassis/stock, topped with a Vortex PST 6-24x.

What would be a good budget 223 trainer to build?

A 6-223.
It's also known as a 6x45.

[Guardian Mode]

A 6-223.
It's also known as a 6x45.

By that, I meant any of the various 308 based 6mm barrel burning calibers. 243, 6xc, 6creedmoor, 6x47, etc. Sorry, I just realized 6mm something something was vague.
JMP knew exactly what I meant.
I previously ignored the Varmint with it's 1:12 barrel, but going along with the idea of cheap shooting to train as a 243 alternative, it's perfect.
Those 55 fmj's hustle at like 3430fps+.

On a side note, I bet they defeat level iii armor at 50-100yds, unlike many other calibers.

[ar15barrels]

By that, I meant any of the various 308 based 6mm barrel burning calibers. 243, 6xc, 6creedmoor, 6x47, etc. Sorry, I just realized 6mm something something was vague.

For a trainer, a 6x223 will have a longer barrel life than a regular 223.
You can shoot 95gr SMK's and they have the same BC as a 30 caliber 175 SMK.
This will be great for wind practice.

[Guardian Mode]

As a trainer for a primary rifle in 308, 6x45 would do well, but even in that case, 223 could work Midway has a box of 600 75gn amaxs for $99. Like $0.16 each, almost half a 95gn smk.
But 55fmj's would make for an even cheaper trainer for a primary that was chambered in 243. I understand shooting 55 fmj's can also be seen as a waste of time to some people, but maybe for those that just don't have easy access to anything past 100 or 200yds, a high velocity trainer could be the best way to get more trigger time in.

[MarkG35]

The Hornady 75 grainers work well .Of course you won't be able to use a 1:12 twist .

[ar15barrels]

I understand shooting 55 fmj's can also be seen as a waste of time to some people, but maybe for those that just don't have easy access to anything past 100 or 200yds, a high velocity trainer could be the best way to get more trigger time in.

The lack of precision you get with blasting grade bullets ruins any "training" you might think you are getting.
Might as well just shoot an AR-15 if you are not concerned with accuracy/precision...

If all you have is 100-200yds, a match grade 22LR is perfect.
It will be more accurate than shooting 55gr fmjbt bullets.