223 Bolt Action for Precision Training?
- Thread starter DES0LAT0R
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Canada tail
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
What ? Ctr has 223 now?
Isn't 8" too slow to work with the 88gr?
I might need a whole cheering section. I will be loading up some 80.5 gr Bergers with 24.7 of N550 in a Lapua Case with CCI BR primers.
Nice rifle but unfortunately incapable of performing well at long range in 223 when feeding from a mag.
Tikka makes 223 actions shorter than the short action Remington. Since the short action Rem 700 can feed from AI mags which are long enough for a 308, it allows a hand loader to seat the 223 bullets extra long and increase the case capacity with heavy bullets. That in turn allows for maximum possible velocity.
Since the Tikka action is short and the mags it feeds from are also short, you are confined to Sammi spec length or maybe a touch more but certainly not what you can run if you can feed from an AI pattern mag.
Comments by Manitou and Maynard above are centered around single shot rifles and they have the luxury of throating the rifles to suit their preferred bullet without consideration to magazine length.
They've had out for a couple years. I don't see it on Tikka's site anymore though
Have you measured in mag box length on a CTR 223?
Mystic Precision
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Summerland, BC
nothing wrong with a 223 Rem for a trainer and can be very competitive in PRL type matches at moderate distances. My trainer did so well, I just took it to the match last year. Seemed to work
Whatever rifle you choose, try and get the same/similar ergonomics, features as your primary rifle. The point is to train as you compete but use a less expensive option.
My rimfire is set up the same way as my 223 and Creedmoor.
Good luck...
Jerry
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Once upon a time, yes, but I don't recall the exact length off the top of my head. I have a Sako 223 which I assume is about the same and its around 2.3" max OAL to fit in the mag. It is however throated to run rounds of 2.600" OAL with 80 grain SMKs. (Single shot hand feeding rounds - not mag fed)
As much as Tikka and Sako make nice rifles, and they offer about 5 action lengths that are ideally suited to the SAMMI spec loads, they are limited when it comes to long range rounds using heavy VLDs and non standard OAL dimensions.
Rem 700 only come in short action and long action. The dimensions of the short action work well with 223 from an AI mag and the long action is actually better even for a 308 where heavy long range loads can be too long to feed or eject from the short action.
An AI pattern 223 mag will allow rounds as long as 2.5" to 2.6" depending on the manufacturer, and you can modify the mag to run them even longer.
That leaves an extra 0.2 to 0.3" of case capacity, so you can safely run a larger powder charge.
You wont be able to do that with a Tikka in 223, or my Sako 223 for that matter.
A Ruger RPR in 223 (Which I have) is throated (out of the box) to run 2.5" OAL with Hornady 75 grain ELDs, and they feed from the magazine. The throat will wear and move forward as rounds are fired and that will extend the jam length over time.
I'm currently building a new 223 on a Defiance Deviant Tactical action so it can feed from an AI pattern mag. The action arrived about a month ago and the Bartlien 1:7 barrel is probably a week or 2 away.
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I just measured the mag I got for my XLR chassis and it measured 2.665, so if you need some more room over 2.5. This has some.
EDIT: I dont know for other manufactures, but for a Savage you have to get the shorter bolt face that you can order from XLR to run your rounds from the mag.
EDIT: I dont know for other manufactures, but for a Savage you have to get the shorter bolt face that you can order from XLR to run your rounds from the mag.
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I've got a 26" Bartlein MTU 1:7 that Insite did for me on a Nucleus. Thing is crazy accurate even with just the 75Gr BTHP. I've taken it out to 830 yards with good results. Gotta be on your wind game though. Might try the 75gr ELDs
Sweet build! I almost wish I had gone 1-7 twist but I wanted to be able to run 53 grain v max as well. Doesn’t a 1-7 twist wear out quicker than a 1-14 twist? I thought somebody wrote about that somewhere. I may just remove the new mtu barrel and sell it and put a lighter prefit onto it
I'm not sure whether it wears out faster or not. I wanted to run 75gr BTHPs as they are a good balance between cost and bc/performance for high volume training but still have the ability to try out some of the heavies if the urge struck me. I might try the 75 ELDMs to use for local BCPRL matches as the bc is much better than the BTHPs.
