New .223 Rifle

[hammAR]

But can they hit a gnats ass at 100 paces.......

Depends on what she is wearing and how big it makes her ass appear.....................

So we have gone from attempting to make a point for the OP on selecting a new/first rifle with "out of the box" accuracy that he could grow into...........
to a world class (at least two participants Eric and Mark) shoot-off with a blind old man. It would be a fun shoot, but since it has opened up to all comers and it has usurped the original intent - all bets are off. I would gladly shoot with you two world class shooters for fun, and regardless of outcome you can have bragging rights.

[Erud]

But can they hit a gnats ass at 100 paces.......

Depends on what she is wearing and how big it makes her ass appear.....................

So we have gone from attempting to make a point for the OP on selecting a new/first rifle with "out of the box" accuracy that he could grow into...........
to a world class (at least two participants Eric and Mark) shoot-off with a blind old man. It would be a fun shoot, but since it has opened up to all comers and it has usurped the original intent - all bets are off. I would gladly shoot with you two world class shooters for fun, and regardless of outcome you can have bragging rights.

Thats fine, I thought that escalated kind of quickly anyways. And I don't know about world-class, I just like to shoot. Gotta earn bragging rights though, can't just give them away.


Mark,
It'd be nice to see you at a Long Range match again sometime. Dust off Nadine, Maddie Ross, Emma Krumbee or whoever and come on out! LR regional is only a month away, you know...

[farmerj]

Primary Purpose: Target and Varmint Hunting

My first rifle, everything else I own are shotguns, pistols or rimfire.

What I’m looking for:
-Bolt Action
-Thinking of mounting a 4-12, 4-14 or 4-16 scope on it. Nikon P223 or Vortex, would prefer to have turrets
(Vortex Diamondback HP 4-16X42mm w/ SF for $330)
-Able to mount a Bipod to it
-I don’t have any stock preference
-I plan on reloading my own rounds for this rifle

I have access to a rifle range close to work, with benches at 100, 200 and 300. I plan on using it as a training tool to learn and get better at shooting. My goal would be a prairie dog hunting trip. I love target shooting, but I want to shot further then a .22lr and shooting 12ga sabot slugs is no fun and expensive $4-5 per shot.

What is a good budget to have on this rifle? The gun alone can range from $350 to endless. I mean I could buy a Ruger American ($350-400), Remington 700 (SPS for $650-750, VLS for $800-900 or Cooper or Howa (a lot). What kind of expectations should I have with a .223 rifle, as in accuracy? If I’m going to spend a lot of money on a rifle, I would rather have it on a nice .308 or .280/7mm.

So I’m just looking for help and ideas on bang for your buck on gun i'll be happy shooting and learning with!! Thanks!

getting into terminal ballistics, most bullets in a high power rifle just are starting to reach the envelope for performance at about 150-200 yards. Much closer than that, they are too close.

Past experience has taught me that for a beginner, any factory rifle is pretty decent. Especially anything in the last 15-20 years. Manufacturing tolerances from custom gunsmithing have made it out of the gunsmiths and into the production. Has more to do with quality of the machines and CAD/CAM than anything.

That is NOT without saying, there are significant changes and improvements that can be done to make a rifle better. Remington leads that pack like a chevy Camaro back in the muscle car era in terms of options and availability. Followed closely by Savage. Price points going to Savage due to initial purchase.

decent rounds to start would be .223/7mm-08/.308/.30-06. Only because the ballistics are so well known and there is a ton of data on them that is readily shared/available. The venerable .30-06 tending to have just a slight variance off the other 3. Basically, if you understand what is happening, you can shoot and practice with the .223 and the hold overs are REALLY close for the 7mm-08 and .308 if you are shooting close to or matching mil-spec loads.


I leave you now to another dozen shooters who will tear everything I have said apart and tell you I am full of ****. And welcome to the internet.

[crbutler]

the only real thing I have against Savages as a starter rifle is they use too much plastic.

If you want to start customizing later that can be an issue.

I agree that most any out of the box rifle (with a few alterations) is likely to be more accurate than the shooter. I personally can hold maybe 2-3 MOA offhand on a good day at out to 200. I am not a competition rifleman. (more because I have enough on my plate already...) 3 gun is about my limit for competition rifle shooting for now.

I would agree with HammAR that most shooters are not capable of shooting up to their guns, especially from a non rested position. This from seeing what most folks at a shooting match shoot like- better from the bench, sure.

[Hyperlight66]

Thanks for the help everyone, right now it's a toss up between the Remington sps and savage 12fv. I would maybe lean towards the savage for the 1:9 rate of twist.

I would also probably get the Nikon m-233 4-16x42 or the vortex diamondback hd 4-16x42

I can upgrade the stock and/or trigger in the future if I feel it nessisary.

Ps you guys need to start a thread to figure out who is a better shooter!!!

[shooter115]

the only real thing I have against Savages as a starter rifle is they use too much plastic.

If you want to start customizing later that can be an issue.

Other than the safety button and possibly the stock, what parts on the Savage 10/12 rifles are plastic? Possible there are more, but I can't think of any.

[MaryB]

Savage Axis series use a plastic stock. I have no issues with mine, makes for a very lightweight rifle to carry.

[Eric Marleau]

I shoot 1/2" or better groups with my Ruger American at 100 yards using factory ammo. I expext better when I reload for it.


Eric

[45Badger]

Did you ever establish a budget? I have a Remington 700P in .223 cut down to 20", mounted in a Remington 700LTR stock. Has a Leupold MK4 4.5-14x40 scope on it with Leupy MK4 rings and bases. Just about perfect condition. Not cheap, but a very nice rig that will out-shoot most of us. Send a PM if interested.

[Hyperlight66]

My budget is a quality gun i'll be happy with for many years. The gun will more in likely be a Remington 700 SPS Varmint or Savage 12FV. I also haven't looked at them in awhile because its probably not going to happen in the short term.

When the time comes, I'm going to want to talk scopes!