Affordable 223 shooter under a 1000 bucks

I’d just get a Tikka. The sky is the limit for customizations and you get a great rifle right from factory.

AR mags are the most affordable mag option but they really limit you for COAL. Might not be an issue for factory ammo but planning ahead is always good
 
coleman1495 said:
I’d just get a Tikka. The sky is the limit for customizations and you get a great rifle right from factory.

AR mags are the most affordable mag option but they really limit you for COAL. Might not be an issue for factory ammo but planning ahead is always good
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If anyone ever wants to load a 75gr or 88gr ELD-M its gonna be an issue for sure. Even for the Tikka mag, but thankfully there's options. The Mag3D ones worked great. Course the rifle has to be twisted for those in the first place.

Suther said:
But the OP has a budget. He said $1000. You won't get a Tikka, a scope, and some ammo for $1000 these days. Meanwhile, you can drop $500 on an Axis, another $300 on a scope, and still have ammo money.


I'm sure your Corvette is fun to drive, but it wouldn't be much fun if you blew your budget on the car and couldn't afford insurance or gas.
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Whats really funny is when the cheap stuff outperforms it anyway :)

I'm sold on "start with a tikka" but with the $1k budget constraint...yeah. It ain't an empty playing field.
 
coleman1495 said:
....

AR mags are the most affordable mag option but they really limit you for COAL. Might not be an issue for factory ammo but planning ahead is always good
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And this is the nub of the decision, shoot ready made or handloads? There is so much 55-gr and 62-gr 5.56 in this country, that even a consistent 2" group is acceptable vs all the effort to handload something with 69s or 75s. If you are absolutely set on rolling your own, you are probably not the kind of guy who will load 5 (or 10) in an AR mag for a range session.

On a higher plane, if the original poster is a skill marksman already, a Ruger will not be much of a challenge. If the OP is learning centerfire load, hold, aim and squeeze, then dropping the hammer (err, striker) on a 55-gr mass produced round is an .80-cent learning experience.

And just to keep stirring the pot, the Mk.2 stock has all the adjustments that the Mk.1 missed.
 
jparent said:
Mine has been the exact opposite. I've owned mine since 2018, and it has been pretty much flawless. It's been run hard, hunted with hard and has put 6 whitetails in the freezer. It's gone bang every time from +40 to -40 and will still put 5 rounds in 1/2" all day as long as i do my part. Maybe i just got lucky, or you really unlucky.

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@ 100 yards!? Gawd damn!? Sign me up!
 
If you can find a nice mildly used CZ 527 under $1000, grab it! Super nice rifles. Otherwise, you could do alot worse than a new CZ 600 Alpha in 223.
 
Savage varmint in 223, 26" barrel and a 1:9 twist. I am super impressed with mine and it loves 70gr Nosler rdf and 24gr of varget. I take this combo out to 500 yards regularly.
 
As mentioned above, if you can find a .223 CZ 527 around the $1k mark, buy it.

Otherwise, maybe look at the Weatherby S2 or Howa 1500 mini actions in .223.
 
My el-cheapo 223 is a Savage Model 11. Cheap, very accurate and a nice step up from the Axis. I have well under $1K into it with the scope.
 
I bought a cheap rem 783 heavy barrel in 223 with thoughts of rebarreling it to try out the various 20 cal cartridges. I made the mistake of shooting it and the first 3 shots cloverleafed at 100 yards. I've shot my very best groups with it so it remains as a 223 and I've actually come to like it. I added a fake suppressor to help get the muzzle blast a bit more forward from my face while coyote hunting. 16.5" barrels are loud. It's #### everything well except 69gr tipped match kings. That could be a bad batch of bullets as their weights vary from 68.3 to 69.8 if I remember correctly. Could be my hand loading as well but I use 55gr game king hollow points and I can routinely shoot very respectful groups.
As your budget allows you can upgrade to a MDT lss chassis as I have on both my 783 rifles.
 
Is there room enough in a Corvette for a couple rifles and range gear?

I've never looked at one long enough to find that out for myself.
 
Butcherbill said:
The axis generally shoot well but the bolt lift sucks, the quality of the stock is about as cheap as it gets. The Ruger American would be a better choice, a Howa mini even better while keeping you out of the price of a Tikka. If I had to buy a savage it would be the 110 hunter but savage is pretty lack lustre in general for me, handle as many as you can and you’ll know right away which is the nicest in your hand or shouldered.
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Agree completely. I have an Axis II. Not a fan of the bolt lift, particularly since I have other similar guns and they have a significantly better bolt throw. BUT recognizing that, based on the OP's requirement of affordable and under $1000 (which I can appreciate since those are my criteria too), I think an Axis II would be a decent starting bolt rifle. Ruger American in the exact same boat. Perhaps consider Ruger for their (unspoken) lifetime warranty.

If you are looking at $1000 and under for the gun alone, perhaps consider the Franchi Momentum / Momentum Elite. Well made rifle, superb bolt movement, very accurate.
 
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