Best out of box .223?

[mikeyb]

Some good options here. I'm not Savage Axis or Ruger American fan but they are both fine rifles (American Predator and Savage 110 are both definite steps up). Tikka T3X is just solid all-around as a rifle. So are Howa and Weatherby Vanguard rifles.

I also like the Winchester XPR, probably my new favorite <$1000 rifle out there. They decided on an 8-twist for the XPR barrels in .223 which should do great from 55-77 grains. Only gripe is the bottom "metal", which is just polymer. But if they keep selling, the aftermarket will likely fill in the gaps.

 

[Shooter_01]

Another vote for Tikka T3X.

 

[Jabol]

My vote goes to Remington 783 16.5 heavy barrel, twist is 1:9. Can be had for less than $500.

 

[sunmoong]

CZ527 in 223 caliber, get them if you can coz they are out of production from now on.

 

[MilitaryCollectorMark]

I got a CZ 527 in .223 real in gun with nice wood, just with they didn't have the bolt handle lift so high, makes putting a scope on it a pain.

 

[.22LRGUY]

I got a CZ 527 in .223 real in gun with nice wood, just with they didn't have the bolt handle lift so high, makes putting a scope on it a pain.

^yep. So much to love about 527s, the bolt throw (and dovetail receiver?) are not among them. lol Got to try a 527 carbine in 7.62x39-with iron sights, I have a new appreciation for this platform.

 

[Ebola]

Are all these .223 rifles actually 5.56 but just marked as .223? Im in the same boat as the OP. Im looking for a relatively cheap 223/5.56 bolt action rifle that can fire military primers consistently. The guns except the AR are gone but my ammuntion isn't.

 

[RifleDude]

Are all these .223 rifles actually 5.56 but just marked as .223? Im in the same boat as the OP. Im looking for a relatively cheap 223/5.56 bolt action rifle that can fire military primers consistently. The guns except the AR are gone but my ammuntion isn't.

All bolt action rifles will digest 5.56 ammo with no problems so, no worries.

 

[thegazelle]

Savage Axis (don't laugh) about this choice the one's I had were awesome shooters. Budget friendly easy barrel swaps

The Savage Axis II Precision .223 was pretty accurate out of the box, surprisingly so. Worked well with Nosler Match grade 77gr., S&B Precision OTM 69gr, Hornady Frontier 62gr and Hornady Black (forgot the grain, am too lazy to look, but was heavier). I have since had it mated with a Primary Arms SLX 3-18x 50mm

 

[Retriever]

The one I have is the one with the newer stock but no accu-trigger sporter barrel (macabo spring) has it just under 3lbs
1,500 rounds later and with hand loads I can cover 5 shots with a toonie at 200 yards with factory stuff it shoots consistently MOA or slightly better. Factory stock no bedding or anything just plain jane. No issues with the factory magazine but did replace the ejector bolt spring / plunger after 800 or so rounds. Overall very impressed with the accuracy

Seven years ago I was shooting with a friend of mine,who has years of reloading and bench experience with over a dozen higher end target rifles ( 40XB,Sako ),and he was getting 3 shot groups as small as one ragged hole about 3/8" size at 100 yds with a Savage Axis ( no Accutrigger and a sporter weight barrel ).He was working with Lapua brass,8208xbr and I believe Hornady 50 grain bullets.

I was very impressed.

From a price point,I think it would be hard to do better ( he paid $300 for it used and mounted a Tasco scope on top ).

 

[IvoB]

Seven years ago I was shooting with a friend of mine,who has years of reloading and bench experience with over a dozen higher end target rifles ( 40XB,Sako ),and he was getting 3 shot groups as small as one ragged hole about 3/8" size at 100 yds with a Savage Axis ( no Accutrigger and a sporter weight barrel ).He was working with Lapua brass,8208xbr and I believe Hornady 50 grain bullets.

I was very impressed.

From a price point,I think it would be hard to do better ( he paid $300 for it used and mounted a Tasco scope on top ).

I got my 5 shot group using Benchmark and 40 grain v-max's I could not get either one of my Tikka's to shoot as well so I sold them both - kept the Axis. I am going to look for the target and post it here since I can now post pictures.

 

[sk8snwmx]

All bolt action rifles will digest 5.56 ammo with no problems so, no worries.

5.56 can have hard primers that light strike in a lot of bolt guns... plus usually 5.56 is only 55/62gr cheap crap ammo, so accuracy is going to lack compared to any .223 match ammo or hand loads with 69gr SMKs that you would actually want to send through a decent bolt gun...

If I was the OP I'd just buy another NR semi auto in 5.56/223 like a WK180, Tavor, T97 etc etc

 

[beltfed]

IMHO, the hard primer thing is over-blown with 5.56, and in my testing of CCI #41 primers, I found no real difference of significance.
There is some decent quality military 5.56 that has proven to perform as well or possibly better than some civilian match ammo (IVI and RUAG GP90 are notable examples).
The reality is, you'd need to try it to find out whether your rifle prefers it, and that is true of any ammo.
It's worth noting that the GP90 is available again through CSC in 1000 round lots.

 

[Gatehouse]

I've seen plenty of hard primer problems in bolt actions when using 55 gr bulk ammo like Federal AE or PMC or some of the various steel case brands. It's not constant but it happens. Whereas the same ammo never has a problem in AR15/Ar180/Tavor/etc.

 

[snooker]

Found this chart to be an effective guide for twist rates.

 

[Buck1950]

Just seeing a lot of 'hard primer' issues, folks sayin' it's 'Bulk' or 'Bolt' causing this. I've got a 5-year-old Ruger American Standard that shoots 'Bulk' and 'Cheap' like Fed AE, PMC, PPU, MFS & Barnaul & Herters bulk - All with NO probs at all. Hundreds with NO "Light strike" issues.
YMMV - obviously. Maybe your bolts need internal cleaning ?
And the "Twist Chart" above is irrelevant for my rifle - MOA for all weights out to 180 yds.

 

[AdamRoby]

I am in a similar boat, trying to figure out if I go Tikka over something else.
I was also thinking about the Weatherby Vanguard, or go the cheaper route with a TC Compass.
I was reading a few places where they said the TC Compass was designed for the 5.56, but the Tikka was for 223 only... which confuses me a bit.
That may have all been blown out of proportion.

While the bulk ammo may be less accurate, I am thinking the Tikka will still outperform the more budget rifles... and when you go hunting just practice with a few boxes of the premium stuff and keep the bulk for the range. That is part of why I wanted a 223, to enjoy the 50 cent shots versus the $2.50 per shot.

 

[chadeech]

Savage Axis accurate out of the box and on a budget , not flashy but if hitting the target is the goal ,great bang for the buck

 

[Gatehouse]

Just seeing a lot of 'hard primer' issues, folks sayin' it's 'Bulk' or 'Bolt' causing this. I've got a 5-year-old Ruger American Standard that shoots 'Bulk' and 'Cheap' like Fed AE, PMC, PPU, MFS & Barnaul & Herters bulk - All with NO probs at all. Hundreds with NO "Light strike" issues.
YMMV - obviously. Maybe your bolts need internal cleaning ?
And the "Twist Chart" above is irrelevant for my rifle - MOA for all weights out to 180 yds.

"Hundreds" is one thing. I go through thousands of rounds and I see it happen. No problems with CCI or Federal primer handloads though. Federal seems to use a different, harder primer for their bulk box .223 ammo. They are gold rather than the silver ones Federal sells as component primer.

 

[Gatehouse]

I am in a similar boat, trying to figure out if I go Tikka over something else.
I was also thinking about the Weatherby Vanguard, or go the cheaper route with a TC Compass.
I was reading a few places where they said the TC Compass was designed for the 5.56, but the Tikka was for 223 only... which confuses me a bit.
That may have all been blown out of proportion.

While the bulk ammo may be less accurate, I am thinking the Tikka will still outperform the more budget rifles... and when you go hunting just practice with a few boxes of the premium stuff and keep the bulk for the range. That is part of why I wanted a 223, to enjoy the 50 cent shots versus the $2.50 per shot.

There is no better training aid for a hunter than a case of .223, IMHO. I wouldn't worry too much about the 5.56 vs 223 as .223 bulk ammo is no more expensive than comparable 5.56 for the most part.