.223 Recommendation For All Around Use

Ghostwolf

Ghostwolf

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Hey Guys,

I am looking to get a .223 bolt action once i get my PAL (Processing at this time.) That wont be for awhile but i am still planning and saving to get a rifle in the meantime. I am looking for a good, lightweight .223 that will please most uses whether for hunting, or practice at the range. Since .223 is common and cheap and i am a student on a budget, i felt it was best to choose this caliber. However, i have been told it would not be as good for deer unless the shot placement was spot on. Anyway, i have been looking at a couple rifles. So far Savage seems to be the best choice. Anyone have any suggestions on models? Or anyone have any other choices?

All i want is a basic setup that is light weight to carry around with a scope in the 4-12x magnification range.

Thank you :)
 
If you are putting "deer hunting" into the mix, step up to a .243. If you are going to pass on deer hunting, then .223 is a good choice... look at the Ruger Hawkeye MKII.
 
Ghostwolf said:
...a good, lightweight .223 that will please most uses whether for hunting, or practice at the range. ... am a student on a budget, i felt it was best to choose this caliber. ...
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If you can afford the Ruger that hoytcannon suggests I am sure you will like it better, but as a student on a budget I suspect the Savage Axis is the first thing you should look at. They are making them now with the Accu-Trigger and even without they are very accurate "out-of-the-box". The look and feel will not inspire pride of ownership but the performance at the price will inspire pride of frugal common sense. And a little smugness when you shoot as well as or better than the fellow who paid two or ten times as much to look down his nose at you. And if you buy the best and most beautiful rifle first time out, you are missing out on years of fun shopping for nice and nicer guns.

The .223Remington is indeed a good choice for cheap plinking and target shooting and a top varmint hunting calibre but much less than ideal for hunting deer size game because of the limited choice of suitable bullets. In some jurisdictions it isn't even allowed for deer hunting, though if I recall correctly it is allowed in Ontario. (Don't rely on my memory for that or what anyone says on the interweb about hunting regulations, go to the official websites and publications. "Somebody online said it was o.k." is less effective on Conservation Officers than .223 is on deer.)
 
Thank you!

Yes i have been told to go with .243 for the sake of deer hunting. I just need to find out the cost of ammo for it and if it is something i can also shoot at the range to practice with.

I will look into the Ruger.

I havent exactly made a budget yet on what i can/ cant afford.
 
Please also look at a Thompson Centre Venture. Have a .223 I shoot occasionally and my son has a .270 and it is a very accurate gun, especially when you consider how reasonably priced it is.
 
Savage axis is a decent, accurate gun. I own 2 and have not had any issues at the range or in the bush. Great value at the price.

I agree with The Tooner. Some guys like to flash their pricey 223s but yours will do the same thing. Upgrade when you graduate.

Have fun and enjoy the cheap ammo
 
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The Ruger American in either a 22" barrel or the compact with a 18" barrel are worth considering and are reasonably priced. I think Prophet River (A CGN sponsor) has both in stock. One thing to consider with 223 bolt action rifles is that a lot of them only come with a 1 in 12 twist and so are only good for up to 62 grain bullets and if you want the option to use heavier bullets you need to go for a tighter twist like 1 in 8. The Ruger American in 223 comes with a 1 in 8 twist.
 
Ghostwolf said:
Thank you!

Yes i have been told to go with .243 for the sake of deer hunting. I just need to find out the cost of ammo for it and if it is something i can also shoot at the range to practice with.

I will look into the Ruger.

I havent exactly made a budget yet on what i can/ cant afford.
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243 will cost about $1 per shot and up.
 
jasgud - sorry but i am afraid i am not left handed... at shooting anyway. Natural left hander but i began shooting right and its just come natural to me now. Sort of ambidextrous for most things these days.

I am continuing to definitely look at Ruger and Savage as they two of my favorite manufacturers.

Looking at a Savage 11/111. They have package ones that feature a 3-9x40mm Nikon Scope. Gets me out shooting quicker. Cant beat the price. Anyone own any 11/111 models to back this up?
 
For your purposes the Savage 11 will do fine... I would sooner see someone go with the 11 than the Axis. I would be inclined to watch for a good used gun to come up, if you are not in a rush... by the time you factor in taxes you can probably find a much higher quality gun on the used market at your price point.
 
Mossberg MVP Patrol is what I've been eyeing for the same sort of use.
Adjustable trigger, shoots 5.56 ammo, flash suppressor...on the negative it has a bit of a short barrel at 16.5 inch (non-restricted still though).

It also takes standard AR mags so you can hunt with the smaller mags that come with it and take it to the range with the 10 round LAR15 mags if you want.
 
go check out your local gun shop, They usually have a plethora of used or consignment firearms. you never know, you might just run into an awesome deal that you can't pass up.
Personally I'm a big fan of the browning X-bolt I have one in 308 I use for both hunting and target. I have the 20" model its very lightweight and portable I can hike around all day cradling it like a baby and I forget it's there sometimes.
For a .223 i have also had my eye on a mossberg mvp, the fact that it takes AR mags just seems really cool to me. Although If you do plan on hunting larger game animals I would not recommend a 223. its more for coyotes and people.... It COULD work I guess, but chances are you're gonna hit the animal and it's just gonna run away, sending you on a wild bambi chase and you probably will never see it again. When I'm hunting I prefer to use a bigger bullet like a 7mm, 30-06, 300Win mag. You can't go wrong with a bigger bullet, it's a more ethical way to hunt, the powerful bullets tend to just knock them dead on the spot but I have shot a few deer with a 300win mag and they sent me on a bit of a chase but not far.

SO for me the 308 was a good compromise in a rifle, I have no problem hunting with 180grain bullets, and for target shooting the surplus 308 is cheap and works just fine.
 
If you want cheap I suggest going with a .308, because then you can also use 7.62x51 military surplus ammo.

That'll hunt just about anything, if you are more interested in deer and bigger, rather than coyote and smaller.
 
I'd say start with an axis in 223 for target and small game/ varmit hunting. Then buy a cheap used rifle (maybe a savage 340 or something similar) in 30-30 for you deer hunting. If you look around a bit you can find factory 30-30 for around $14 a box and as long as you do you part it will bring down a deer. just my two sense
 
The 223 Rem is a great caliber and I think you are doing the right thing going down that path. I started with a 308 as my first centerfire but then when I got my 223 I wondered what took me so long to get one. Perfect centerfire caliber for the range.

Worth bearing in mind that the rifles that you are looking at have thin barrels and will heat up quickly. On the range this translates to a few shots (like 3-4) before you have to let them cool down or accuracy goes out the window. This isn't fun for range time.

You may want to consider something heavier barreled as your first rifle if you plan to shoot at the range. Savage has a very nice benchrest rifle (model 12 I think). I have a Ruger 77 Mark 2 Target in 308 Winchester which is also SUPERB and was a great deal used. May be worth waiting for one of these two to come up used as they are more expensive than your entry level Axis / 111 type of package. They are hard to beat.

There is no such thing as the right rifle for both range and carrying around. Think about where you will be doing most of your shooting. If it is the range, you might have more fun with a barrel that does not heat up so fast. I happened to luck out on the Ruger Target a friend was selling as my first center-fire and in hindsight I would not have been happy with a light barreled rifle as I've enjoyed this so much at the range.
 
canoetrpr said:
The 223 Rem is a great caliber and I think you are doing the right thing going down that path. I started with a 308 as my first centerfire but then when I got my 223 I wondered what took me so long to get one. Perfect centerfire caliber for the range.

Worth bearing in mind that the rifles that you are looking at have thin barrels and will heat up quickly. On the range this translates to a few shots (like 3-4) before you have to let them cool down or accuracy goes out the window. This isn't fun for range time.

You may want to consider something heavier barreled as your first rifle if you plan to shoot at the range. Savage has a very nice benchrest rifle (model 12 I think). I have a Ruger 77 Mark 2 Target in 308 Winchester which is also SUPERB and was a great deal used. May be worth waiting for one of these two to come up used as they are more expensive than your entry level Axis / 111 type of package. They are hard to beat.

There is no such thing as the right rifle for both range and carrying around. Think about where you will be doing most of your shooting. If it is the range, you might have more fun with a barrel that does not heat up so fast. I happened to luck out on the Ruger Target a friend was selling as my first center-fire and in hindsight I would not have been happy with a light barreled rifle as I've enjoyed this so much at the range.
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12BTCSS is a really nice benchrest gun with a heavy barrel
 
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Yeah as soon as i get accepted (hoping to anyway lol) on the EE i will check out some rifles and see if anyone's selling something worth looking into.

I don't have my hunting license yet but i am hoping to get it maybe before the new year. So my need to hunt deer is less important.

I have contemplated for .308 many many times, but i am only seeing it as more expensive through ammo and need for upgrades.

Looked at the Savage 11/111 Hog Hunter.. really like that as well. It only has a 20" barrel but it is a bull barrel and threaded. Has accutrigger and comes with iron sights. Seems to me like a good bush gun. Comes in .223 and .308 also :) im told it is heavy however, i checked the weight and its only 7.25lbs which is average to the other 11/111 models. Hmm

so many choices.
 
As others said, the thin barrel of hunting rifles will make shooting groups sloooww at the range, waiting for it to cool off. Ask me how I know ;)
If you have the money, a decent .308 varmint barreled bolt gun can be had for around $500-700.
The Rem 700 SPS Varmint (or SPS tactical if you want shorter barrel)
The Savage 10TR from EE (many were bought by LE/Mil for $600 and then flipped for $700 or so).
A .223 is going to give you a cost-effective shooter, followed by .308. A .243 will shoot great, but reloading is your only low cost ammo option there.
The 7.62x39 is a deer-capable round (with proper projectile) and has many low cost and surplus ammo options. Low cost bolt guns in this caliber are less common, not made by most NA manufacturers.

Good luck with your shopping.
 
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