Bolt action 5.56

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What bolt action rifles are being chambered for 5.56 these days? I know about the Ruger Scout and Ranch Rifle. Are there any others? Any reviews or first hand experience to share?

Thanks
 
My ruger ranch says .556 Nato on the barrel.

It is certainly a budget rifle and seems heavier than it should be, probably the barrel profile. But it shoot well and comes with a rail.

I'm not a fan of the magazine and would probably prefer the ar mag version, the stock is pretty meh and the bolt makes a fun zipper sound. A cheek riser will likely be necessary as the stock has a very low comb.

If you put it in a new stock it would probably come awfully close to the price of the 527, but don't quote me on that one.

I much prefer my 527, I think my last several posts have all been singing its praises, I'm pretty enamored with it.

An issue that you may encounter with it is the magazine protruding where you may wish to carry it in hand while hunting.

There are open elk and moose here over the counter during deer season so I have been carrying larger rifles so I can't say if this would actually be a problem afield.

It is very handy and light, and seems to have a much better weight distribution than the ruger which is front heavy. For me, it comes to shoulder very naturally.

It is a nice looking well made rifle, I get a big kick out of the miniature mauser action. The magazine feeds well and there is not a bit of plastic on it.

Mine is not scoped, but I have heard the bolt can cause difficulties with scopes and lower rings, it also has a comb that is made for iron sights.

I believe a version without iron sights is made but I'm not sure if the stock is different.

I'd like to try out one of the little howas and see how it holds up to the CZ and the Ruger. I think they come in stainless too, one in 6.5 grendel would round out the mini rifle collection nicely.
 
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I shot a Mossberg MPV. Was not overly impressed. I would go with the Ruger Ranch first.

I'll second this sentiment and I have both. My Mossberg MVP is fine now that I replaced the plastic magwell and trigger guard with the milled components from Tromix, but the added cost of importing the bits to properly lock down the action make it not worth it. Also the MVP bolt is very sloppy and the bolt design looks fragile as it has a small spring loaded tab to assist feeding the rounds from the mag. I haven't had a problem with mine but it looks kind of awkward. I have a Ruger American Predator in 6.5 Grendel, and if the 5.56 version is anything like mine it's a winner. My only suggestion is to make sure to buy the one that uses the AR mags.
 
Ruger American Ranch. 5.56 AR mags. Sub MOA groups. 6lbs.

For anyone with the older version, the bolt design on the AR mag version is different. It's fast and runs like lightning. No "zipper"

 
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I didn’t realize the CZ, Howa Mini and Tikka were chambered 5.56 - are they actually stamped that way?
 
I couldn't tell you about the CZ, mine is not in that caliber, my bad.

For what it's worth CZ says on their website:

"Our .223s will happily eat 5.56, since CIP doesn’t differentiate between the two cartridges and just has the higher pressure as its standard. So our .223s will shoot everything from the cheapest Russian steel to match .223 brass ammo"
 
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I didn’t realize the CZ, Howa Mini and Tikka were chambered 5.56 - are they actually stamped that way?

They are stamped .223. CIP considers .223 and 5.56 the same cartridge. Anything made outside of North America generally adheres to CIP standards (such as Japanese made rifles), and anything made in Europe must adhere to those aforementioned standards.
 
Thanks folks! It’s between the CZ and Howa then. I have 1000 rounds of 62gr PMC X-Tac sitting here- deal was too good to pass up. Wouldn’t want the stuff to go sour on me. Next is to find a rifle before Black Friday sales are over.
 
One advantage of the ruger for that ammo may be the 1:8 twist rate. I'm not a .223 expert, faster twist rates may stabilize them smaller bullets fine than the 1:9.

It pales in comparison to the CZ, but I'd take it over an axis etc. Not that that's high praise. I bought it for the short barrel.

I usually have a round in the chamber safety on while hunting, so the zipper bolt doesn't really bug me. I can work mine quickly it just makes a weird noise.

I actually kind of like the molded in trigger guard and tang safety but I'm a weird guy.
 
My ruger ranch says .556 Nato on the barrel.

It is certainly a budget rifle and seems heavier than it should be, probably the barrel profile. But it shoot well and comes with a rail.

I'm not a fan of the magazine and would probably prefer the ar mag version, the stock is pretty meh and the bolt makes a fun zipper sound. A cheek riser will likely be necessary as the stock has a very low comb.

If you put it in a new stock it would probably come awfully close to the price of the 527, but don't quote me on that one.

I much prefer my 527, I think my last several posts have all been singing its praises, I'm pretty enamored with it.

An issue that you may encounter with it is the magazine protruding where you may wish to carry it in hand while hunting.

There are open elk and moose here over the counter during deer season so I have been carrying larger rifles so I can't say if this would actually be a problem afield.

It is very handy and light, and seems to have a much better weight distribution than the ruger which is front heavy. For me, it comes to shoulder very naturally.

It is a nice looking well made rifle, I get a big kick out of the miniature mauser action. The magazine feeds well and there is not a bit of plastic on it.

Mine is not scoped, but I have heard the bolt can cause difficulties with scopes and lower rings, it also has a comb that is made for iron sights.

I believe a version without iron sights is made but I'm not sure if the stock is different.

I'd like to try out one of the little howas and see how it holds up to the CZ and the Ruger. I think they come in stainless too, one in 6.5 grendel would round out the mini rifle collection nicely.

I own one, with the CZ medium rings, the scope will not be a problem
 
B003C6AA-7CCE-4981-9D6C-B3A06B0439A3.jpg

I wouldn’t rule out the T/C Compass if you can find one. Haven’t had a chance to get out and shoot it yet but I am sure impressed with it over the Ruger American and Rem SPS. $516.97 delivered to the door.
 

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I didn’t realize the CZ, Howa Mini and Tikka were chambered 5.56 - are they actually stamped that way?

I couldn't tell you about the CZ, mine is not in that caliber, my bad.

For what it's worth CZ says on their website:

"Our .223s will happily eat 5.56, since CIP doesn’t differentiate between the two cartridges and just has the higher pressure as its standard. So our .223s will shoot everything from the cheapest Russian steel to match .223 brass ammo"

Basically this. SAAMI differentiates between 5.56 and .223, CIP does not. Only guns made in North America are going to differentiate between the rounds. The rest of the world, does not.
 
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