.223 plinker... what to get?

Check to make sure LH versions are made. Stevens and Edge/Axis are RH only

The Savage Edge is another great buy. A stand alone design but all the great features I want from the Savage and nothing extra. I will confirm shortly if they use Savage thread barres and if they do, would be a wonderful hunting type platform.

I am very impressed with the one I have now. It smooths up superbly and the trigger is way nicer then the Stevens. Accutrigger is nicer then both of these.

This has become my new hunting rifle.

And I have a fleet of Savage rifles.

I think the Savage 12 FLV will be a great rifle for your needs. 75gr Amx put on quite a show when they hit a water filled jug. Just bed it properly and have lots of fun


Jerry
 
SPS Remington, then if you decide to invest in upgrades this is one of the most versatile platforms.Parts and knowledge available for the 700 action is everywhere, the other brands stated will work just fine also, basically boils down to personal preference and fit/feel.
 
Mystic Precision said:
Check to make sure LH versions are made. Stevens and Edge/Axis are RH only

The Savage Edge is another great buy. A stand alone design but all the great features I want from the Savage and nothing extra. I will confirm shortly if they use Savage thread barres and if they do, would be a wonderful hunting type platform.

I am very impressed with the one I have now. It smooths up superbly and the trigger is way nicer then the Stevens. Accutrigger is nicer then both of these.

This has become my new hunting rifle.

And I have a fleet of Savage rifles.

I think the Savage 12 FLV will be a great rifle for your needs. 75gr Amx put on quite a show when they hit a water filled jug. Just bed it properly and have lots of fun


Jerry
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Thanks for the info!!!
 
I am also in the market for a .223 as well. I have a Savage 11 in 30-06, and Savage 64F .22 and want something for in between, shooting coyotes, target shooting and any smaller game. I have been trying to decide what I should get, I have heard great things about the Stevens 200, and have priced them out NIB for 460 locally vs the Savage Edge/Axis series priced NIB at 389 with scope locally. I would like some advice and opinions on what people think about my next rifle purchase. Thank you in advance.
 
slugfest said:
I was going to get one, but then its just not entertaining enough.. its like a pellet gun. Haha i just cant get myself to buy something so weak... ya know? Even though ammo is dirt cheap. As for reloading... doesnt that get expensive unless you do LOTS of ammo?
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Expensive? Yes and no. Your cost per round is generally less than factory ammo assuming you are buying quality commercial. You will eventually make up the cost of the reloading kit in savings per round shot.

There are some up front costs but most are one time (press, dies, scale, loading blocks, trimmer, powder trickler - get an RCBS or LEE kit).

The only repeat costs are primers, bullets, powder and to a lesser extent brass. I really depends on what you want to do. If you get to a point where you want more consistency, accuracy and rounds per $ then reloading is the way to go.

Again, it all depends on what you like/want to do. Reloading takes some time and space where you can set stuff up. I really like loading my own, to see what works and what doesn't. It can be relaxing/rewarding and frustrating all at the same time. It as much part of my shooting hobby as my firearms and shooting them.
 
I bought a Savage edge chambered in .223 . Epoxy bedded the action, polished the trigger and put in a lighter spring. Off of a bipod and rear bag I'm getting .600" groups with 69gr SMK's at 100 yrds. Very happy with the $400 spent and a little work I did myself. With more trigger time the group size should shrink a bit more.

Randy
 
maliboy67 said:
I bought a Savage edge chambered in .223 . Epoxy bedded the action, polished the trigger and put in a lighter spring. Off of a bipod and rear bag I'm getting .600" groups with 69gr SMK's at 100 yrds. Very happy with the $400 spent and a little work I did myself. With more trigger time the group size should shrink a bit more.

Randy
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No, no, no. You must spend big $$$$ to get small groups. The size of your group is inversely proportional to the cost of the gun. Also the cost of the gun is directly proportional to the size of you d*ck. :D
 
Thanks bolivar, im just looking for an ok rifle that i can play with and learn to shoot with... i have only got to play with shotguns, though i have a hardon for rifles! I would like to get a remington 700 vtr one day in .308, however ammo is way too expensive to learn with! :( thanks for the info about reloading!
 
Slugfest

I was being really sarcastic about the big $$$ for good rifles thing. I am a big fan of Savage for out of the box accuracy (which is weird since I sold both of mine in the last year) and hey, left handed is not hard to find in Savage.

I totally agree with your first centre fire choice being the 223. If I had it to do over again I would have opted for a 1:7 twist 223 over my 308 bolt action, due to ammo costs. Bullets are cheaper and you use less powder. I can imagine that I will make the switch eventually.

Another plus is reduced recoil, which will make it easier to shoot. I don't consider a 308 heavy barrel to be a hard kicker but 223 is much less.

Don't worry about getting into reloading right away. You may be just happy shooting with factory. But if you want to get better accuracy and lower $ per round, think about it. It's not that expensive to start with a single stage press and it is not rocket science. Just READ a loading manual and don't do anything it tells you not to do.
 
BTW, when I first started I wanted a right handed rifle too. I got a Remington 700. Then I had to shoot a right handed rifle for a while and now I do not care anymore. If the rifle you want exists in LH go for it but do not automatically disqualify one only because it's RH. Aside from bullpup, you can adapt to all rifles as long as the stock is symmetrical.

Later Nic
 
Being a lefty I can say shooting a right handed surplus rifle feels not quite right. I can do it well, as well as shooting left handed but it has an unpleasant feel to it. I keep my left hand on the pistol grip and work the bolt with my right, taking it from the forestock each and every time. This is the reason I usually purchase semi-automatic rifles.
 
U
Bolivar said:
Slugfest

I was being really sarcastic about the big $$$ for good rifles thing. I am a big fan of Savage for out of the box accuracy (which is weird since I sold both of mine in the last year) and hey, left handed is not hard to find in Savage.

I totally agree with your first centre fire choice being the 223. If I had it to do over again I would have opted for a 1:7 twist 223 over my 308 bolt action, due to ammo costs. Bullets are cheaper and you use less powder. I can imagine that I will make the switch eventually.

Another plus is reduced recoil, which will make it easier to shoot. I don't consider a 308 heavy barrel to be a hard kicker but 223 is much less.

Don't worry about getting into reloading right away. You may be just happy shooting with factory. But if you want to get better accuracy and lower $ per round, think about it. It's not that expensive to start with a single stage press and it is not rocket science. Just READ a loading manual and don't do anything it tells you not to do.
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Dont worry, i knew you were being sarcastic! I was just saying what my plans were to see if there was anyone to say good or bad idea. For now i wont be reloading but maybe one day! Once again thanks for the information!

As for getting used to right handed, i sort of saw that coming.. oh well! Its not the end of the world by any means!:D

Oh and with the twist, the stevens 200 has a 1:9 i believe. How does it work with the rifling? Do you want lowest you can find? Such as 1:7? Or does it go hand in hand with bullet weight? I know its early to worry about that but i wouldnt mind learning as much as i can about this all in one shot! Thanks guys
 
rifle twist doel relate to bullet weight, a 1:12 .223 wont be able to stableize a bullet of say 70gn weight, its just to long. but a 1:7 will be able to stablize a nice heavy bullet.

it goes both ways tho, if you take alight bullet say 52gn, and blast it down a 1:7 barrel at to high a velocity you can actualyl thow the bullet off its rotational axis due to the miniscule weight imballance with in the bullet itself

a 1:9 should do you just fine for starters! only real reason for getting a quality 1:7 barrel is if you want to reach WAY out there, but by the time you want to shoot those kinds of distances you'll understand that a factory barrel isnt goin to cut it any way ;)
 
ultimate_monkey said:
rifle twist doel relate to bullet weight, a 1:12 .223 wont be able to stableize a bullet of say 70gn weight, its just to long. but a 1:7 will be able to stablize a nice heavy bullet.

it goes both ways tho, if you take alight bullet say 52gn, and blast it down a 1:7 barrel at to high a velocity you can actualyl thow the bullet off its rotational axis due to the miniscule weight imballance with in the bullet itself

a 1:9 should do you just fine for starters! only real reason for getting a quality 1:7 barrel is if you want to reach WAY out there, but by the time you want to shoot those kinds of distances you'll understand that a factory barrel isnt goin to cut it any way ;)
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I think i understand the basics of it... short, quick and to the point! Thanks! So with 1:9 i should be looking at around 60 gr? Im not sure what grains are available off top of head but give or take around there right?
 
Thanks for all the help too guys, I have been reading this thread diligently to try to soak up as much info as i can.
 
slugfest said:
I think i understand the basics of it... short, quick and to the point! Thanks! So with 1:9 i should be looking at around 60 gr? Im not sure what grains are available off top of head but give or take around there right?
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you could prob get up to around a 67gn stabliezed with the 1:9 and that should get you some pretty good factory accurate distance, my 1:12 shot the best with a 60gn and 26gn varget.. but i couldnt get the velocity to reach out ot it became unstable.. but by goin down to a 52gn i could get more velocity and stableize, but was more effected by wind


that being said, you will also have to take into account ammo quality from the facotry... a consistant load with a to heavy bullet may still shoot better then an iratic ammo with a "proper" bullet weight
 
Okay, i think i gotcha. Im hoping when i get the rifle and start trying different ammunition i will be able to experience the same stuff you just explained so i can really understand everything thats going on. Its interesting how many things you have to account for to get that perfect shot. Thanks
 
I believe that 1:9 should be good up to about 69-70 gns maybe even 75 Gn, depending on the actual barrel twist, length of bullet and velocity. Different barrel manufacturers have slightly different tolerances on the twist rate. Some might get 1:9.3 say while others at 1:8.7, just for instance. I have had decent luck stabilizing 68 GN HPBT with a 1:9 twist in an AR.

Also, the longer the bullet, the faster the twist is needed. Generally a heavy bullet in the same caliber will be longer than a lighter bullet but not always. Using 303 as an example a 174 Gn HPBT is a lot longer than a 174 Gn RN and thus requires a faster twist to stabilize. However I believe that bullets are more tolerant of being over spun than under spun, generally. If I were you, I would not worry about getting too fast a spin in a factory barrel. Most us 1:9 as a standard now. There are a few with 1:7 and even fewer with 1:12 I believe.

Also, as I understand it, the faster a bullet is driven down the barrel, the faster it will spin in a given twist. Thus if you drive it hard, it will stabilize better. I think. I am reaching a bit on that one.

Ultimately, in order to see what your rifle / barrel likes, you have to try different ammo/bullets/powders to see what works. If you are looking for premium performance in factory ammo, expect to pay more $$$. Budget packs of Winchester white box will not likely have have heavy, long range bullets. Frankly it's not something I keep up on. I always roll my own :)

The most important thing is to get out and shoot :D
 
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