223 rifle

[Beeron]

It occurs to me that I coudl aslo recommend a Howa mini.
Especially in stainless.
I don't have one in 223 but I do have one in 6.5 Grendel and it's pretty awesome.
Before I found the prairie, I was going to get the Howa in carbon barrel and swap it into the stock I have my Grendel in.
Great rifles in My experience and a good price point.

Admittedly, the magwells suck. Howa knows this. Not sure why they don't care. BBut something about every synthetic rifle on the market generally sucks, usually the stock. My local shop has a basement storage area half full of Tikka stocks they cant give away. The howa stock is actually pretty good and comes pillar bedded.

Anyway, something to think about. IF it's just bulk ammo, try the shorter, blued, heavy barrel option.

 

[Joel]

Not much love for the Ergo or Renegade? I figured with the ongoing AR replacement therapy the Renegade would have a few more boosters.
I was worried with the price of the American it's quality was going to be like an Axis. I have a 243 Axis that is nothing to be excited about.

Oh its nothing to be excited about but $1500 bolt actions that look like ARs dont excite me either. YMMV. Guess it depends on what you want.

It occurs to me that I coudl aslo recommend a Howa mini.
Especially in stainless.
I don't have one in 223 but I do have one in 6.5 Grendel and it's pretty awesome.
Before I found the prairie, I was going to get the Howa in carbon barrel and swap it into the stock I have my Grendel in.
Great rifles in My experience and a good price point.

Admittedly, the magwells suck. Howa knows this. Not sure why they don't care. BBut something about every synthetic rifle on the market generally sucks, usually the stock. My local shop has a basement storage area half full of Tikka stocks they cant give away. The howa stock is actually pretty good and comes pillar bedded.

Anyway, something to think about. IF it's just bulk ammo, try the shorter, blued, heavy barrel option.

Wish the Rugers came in stainless, not cerakote which does nothing for the inside of the bore lol. The Howa def has a leg up there.

To their credit the couple recent ones I've shot did a lot better than the older ones, new magazine latch arrangement and the magazines gave me no trouble, compared to nearly all of the 7.62x39 and 6.5 grendel rifles I've tried years back giving me failures to feed.

I'd almost not think about replacing them with a Jefferson or other bottom metal haha

 

[Duramax6.6]

Barrel twist rate is where I start. Will I be able to stabilize the hunting bullets I choose?

My Tikka 1:8” .223Rem rifles were trouble free Stainless/Synthetic, one Lite and one Varmint model. Both were boringly accurate with bullets from 40-75 grain and never had a feeding issue.
If I choose to use a .223Rem to hunt whitetails (legal in AB now) I will use my CZ527-LH Luxe with 69 grain bullets through its’ 1:9” twist long 23.7” barrel. Plenty of velocity, mini-Mauser action, set trigger and classic walnut.
BUT I must remember that the CZ safety is PULL back to FIRE lol.

 

[Joel]

Barrel twist rate is where I start. Will I be able to stabilize the hunting bullets I choose?

My Tikka 1:8” .223Rem rifles were trouble free Stainless/Synthetic, one Lite and one Varmint model. Both were boringly accurate with bullets from 40-75 grain and never had a feeding issue.
If I choose to use a .223Rem to hunt whitetails (legal in AB now) I will use my CZ527-LH Luxe with 69 grain bullets through its’ 1:9” twist long 23.7” barrel. Plenty of velocity, mini-Mauser action, set trigger and classic walnut.
BUT I must remember that the CZ safety is PULL back to FIRE lol.

Hahaha gonna take some getting used to?

From a 1:9 I was wondering about the 75gr Gold Dot even though speer loads it slow. Seems a strong contender.

 

[Deathrawt]

The renegades are cool but they are not as accurate as a tikka or a Ruger american
It depends on what you want really
If you want to scratch that AR itch then the renegade or a taipan x pump is the way to go. But if you want to blast varmints way out there then a Ruger American
Is what I would get
The 600 bucks you save over the tikka will get you a scope for it

 

[Beeron]

Oh its nothing to be excited about but $1500 bolt actions that look like ARs dont excite me either. YMMV. Guess it depends on what you want.



Wish the Rugers came in stainless, not cerakote which does nothing for the inside of the bore lol. The Howa def has a leg up there.

To their credit the couple recent ones I've shot did a lot better than the older ones, new magazine latch arrangement and the magazines gave me no trouble, compared to nearly all of the 7.62x39 and 6.5 grendel rifles I've tried years back giving me failures to feed.

I'd almost not think about replacing them with a Jefferson or other bottom metal haha

Oh ya?
I didnt know they had addressed this.
I never liked the old one and I still dont like how the bottom metal extends below the stock body. That's usually my carry point in the field as I never sling a rifle for a few reasons. I did order the Jefferson BM for mine and its in a B&C stock so it is very pretty now as well as being a <300yd hammer.

I might have to look again at that 350 legend I've been contemplating.

 

[hunter-4-life]

I have 0 complaints about my Tikka CTR 223, accurate with anything i've loaded for it from 55gr Sierra to 75gr ELD-M. Tikkas seem to hold their value little better than most other brands if down the road you decide its not for you.

That being said, I would also seriously look at a Weatherby Vanguard Obsidian. I grabbed one in 270 a couple weeks ago. It shoots 0.5-0.75 MOA with cheap Norma whitetail ammo. Threaded barrel and nice trigger, my only complaint is hinged floor plate no mag. But the action is nice (not tikka smooth, but about the same as a Ruger American Gen 2, maybe little better imo) and the price is right. Tenda has them on sale for $649 in certain cals.

Nothing against a Ruger American Gen 2 either, I know lots of guys that have them in various cals and they all shoot good. They're a step up from the Gen 1's. I personally have 0 use for the gen 1 Americans. The machine work on the bolt sucks, its "microgrooved" would be the best way to describe it. Sounds like a zipper when you cycle the bolt, not my cup of tea.

At the end of the day, you can't really go wrong with most brands these days. Buy what rifle fits you the best, and is in your price range and enjoy it. Dont cheap out on glass either....can't hit anything if you can't see it

 

[Beeron]

Barrel twist rate is where I start. Will I be able to stabilize the hunting bullets I choose?

My Tikka 1:8” .223Rem rifles were trouble free Stainless/Synthetic, one Lite and one Varmint model. Both were boringly accurate with bullets from 40-75 grain and never had a feeding issue.
If I choose to use a .223Rem to hunt whitetails (legal in AB now) I will use my CZ527-LH Luxe with 69 grain bullets through its’ 1:9” twist long 23.7” barrel. Plenty of velocity, mini-Mauser action, set trigger and classic walnut.
BUT I must remember that the CZ safety is PULL back to FIRE lol.

I like the 70gr TAC-TX as a 223 deer load.
Never shot anything with it yet but it makes sense.
Both My ranch and Prairie have no isses with stabilizing it.

 

[Joel]

Oh ya?
I didnt know they had addressed this.
I never liked the old one and I still dont like how the bottom metal extends below the stock body. That's usually my carry point in the field as I never sling a rifle for a few reasons. I did order the Jefferson BM for mine and its in a B&C stock so it is very pretty now as well as being a <300yd hammer.

I might have to look again at that 350 legend I've been contemplating.

I'm not sure how to describe it except that the magazine catch is more....horizontal and hidden than it used to be vertical?

As far as the big dorky magwell where your hand should be, that I totally get haha. It does kinda suck.

Are you using that B&C stock? Seemed quite solid. Slimmer than I thought it would be too

 

[jparent]

I have a ton of trigger time behind the Ruger American (Gen 1.5 AR Mag) 223/556 and a bunch behind the CTR in 223. With factory ammo... the CTR will likely edge out the Ruger in pure accuracy, however it is miniscule and likely not worth the extra money, especially at gravel pit ranges. Now if you want to shot tiny groups with handloads at maximum range, the CTR makes more sense.

 

[Beeron]

I'm not sure how to describe it except that the magazine catch is more....horizontal and hidden than it used to be vertical?

As far as the big dorky magwell where your hand should be, that I totally get haha. It does kinda suck.

Are you using that B&C stock? Seemed quite solid. Slimmer than I thought it would be too

Yep. And 1oz lighter than the factory stock, even with the bedding block.

Just wish B&C would move away from sling studs and do QD inserts.

 

[Duramax6.6]

I like the 70gr TAC-TX as a 223 deer load.
Never shot anything with it yet but it makes sense.
Both My ranch and Prairie have no isses with stabilizing it.

Example I discovered:
A 75 grain factory load which shot accurately out of 1:8” Tikka barrels ended up as nearly all keyholes at 100 yards through the 1:9” CZ!

What a difference an inch makes. Hmm where have I heard that before?

 

[Gatehouse]

Not much love for the Ergo or Renegade? I figured with the ongoing AR replacement therapy the Renegade would have a few more boosters.
I was worried with the price of the American it's quality was going to be like an Axis. I have a 243 Axis that is nothing to be excited about.

The American is far better than the Axis. I would say that it's comparable in overall function to the Tikka but lacks some of the nice features that you get to pay $600 extra for.

I have a straight pull 6.5 Grendel with a 12.5" barrel that i built on a Spectre receiver set and it's pretty good. I bought a MRA receiver set to swap the parts over to a few years ago as I thought the spring assist would make me more cool but I haven't got around to it yet. I actually don't even know where the MRA set is right now MRA is also releasing 20 round proprietary mags although maybe it's just for new models. I'm fine with the 10 round LAR mags in the American rifles.

Taipan pump is another option if you are looking for a more AR style rifle. They have a couple of quirks but they are solid rifles, function great, are quick to operate and also take stanag mags. In fact, if I wanted a manual operated range blaster to take the place of a standard mid range AR15 the Taipan is probably where I would go.

 

[fritzhanzel]

The American is far better than the Axis. I would say that it's comparable in overall function to the Tikka but lacks some of the nice features that you get to pay $600 extra for.

I have a straight pull 6.5 Grendel with a 12.5" barrel that i built on a Spectre receiver set and it's pretty good. I bought a MRA receiver set to swap the parts over to a few years ago as I thought the spring assist would make me more cool but I haven't got around to it yet. I actually don't even know where the MRA set is right now MRA is also releasing 20 round proprietary mags although maybe it's just for new models. I'm fine with the 10 round LAR mags in the American rifles.

Taipan pump is another option if you are looking for a more AR style rifle. They have a couple of quirks but they are solid rifles, function great, are quick to operate and also take stanag mags. In fact, if I wanted a manual operated range blaster to take the place of a standard mid range AR15 the Taipan is probably where I would go.

Personally I am not a big fan of the Ruger. Gen 2 looks cool for sure and accepts AR mags, that's about it.

 

[Gatehouse]

Personally I am not a big fan of the Ruger. Gen 2 looks cool for sure and accepts AR mags, that's about it.

Personally I am not a big fan of the Ruger. Gen 2 looks cool for sure and accepts AR mags, that's about it.

Everyone has their preferences. I’ve got 7 American Gen 1. The Rugers have a combined round count of about 100k with only minor problems (bolt release and extractor ) I think the V bedding system in the Rugers is a good choice for a inexpensive gun. I never experienced really rough bolt operation as some have. They were not as fine as many of my other rifles but certainly acceptable for a budget rifle. They are damn smooth and polished now though !

The ability to accept $35 10 round magazines that function perfectly and require no special care to insert or remove is an important consideration for some people, but not others.


I also like painting the Americans to easily tell them apart. Here are a few of them:

If you want 20 rounds, you got it!

 

[geologist]

What? No love for the STANAG Mossberg MVP with the little flap on its bolt?

 

[Gatehouse]

What? No love for the STANAG Mossberg MVP with the little flap on its bolt?

Had one of those too.

Love Mossberg shotguns, can’t say I’m that enthralled with their rifles.

 

[lone-wolf]

I'd just get an american gen1 and be done with it. Cheap rifle, cheap mags, and it all works - for wasting cheap ammo.
The ctr seems like a waste in that role.

 

[fritzhanzel]

I'd just get an american gen1 and be done with it. Cheap rifle, cheap mags, and it all works - for wasting cheap ammo.
The ctr seems like a waste in that role.

Considering the OP is asking how to shoot a lot of cheap 556 and 223, this is one of the correct answers. Or just a Savage Axis gen 2 or pro. The pro is actually pretty good considering it is a Savage.

But, as pointed out above, the Ruger gen 2 accepts AR magazines which could be a consideration. I had the AR magwell in my gen 1 and it never properly worked.

 

[beltfed]

Love my CTR, but if I was to recommend one cope gun to rule all the mag fed Autoloader substitutes it would be the Henry Supreme (LASR).
Check out the RDSC conversions and the SPD Predator.