Caliber Opinions Please?
- Thread starter sk8r
- Start date
I never liked the 7.62x39 myself, but in a decent rifle it can be very accurate out to 300 or more. But in an SKS, forget it, so yes, it is the platform in this case.
7.62x39 is the parent cartridge for a few very serious bench rest cartridges the PPC series from .22 caliber on up, so the case doesn't lack accuracy potential. No one will argue that the 7.62x39 is a long range cartridge but it is a fantastic plinking round. In a rifle like the CZ 527 and some other European and Russian bolt actions it can shoot as well as any cartridge out to 100 meters. The short case and lack of powder capacity especially with high bc bullets may make shooting bug hole groups at longer ranges a challenge but with cheap ammo and little recoil it is a fun cartridge to shoot.
If I were looking for a cheap to feed fun rifle a nice bolt action like the CZ 527 manlicher or lux would be on the top of my list.
To the OP's specific question .222 rem, .223 rem or 7.62x39 in whatever rifle you like best a 7.62x39 in a Baikal IZH 18 single shot would be pretty fuddly and the one I played with shot the lights out with S&B 123 grain soft points.
If I were looking for a cheap to feed fun rifle a nice bolt action like the CZ 527 manlicher or lux would be on the top of my list.
To the OP's specific question .222 rem, .223 rem or 7.62x39 in whatever rifle you like best a 7.62x39 in a Baikal IZH 18 single shot would be pretty fuddly and the one I played with shot the lights out with S&B 123 grain soft points.
For what you're looking at, go with the 223. Pick up surplus ammo for plinking. It's a flat enough shooter over that distance. 22-250 is flatter, bigger bang, and more fun but you pay for it. Anything larger than the 223 will be more expensive to shoot.
- Location
- Winnipeg,Man.
I have had both a Savage 112 .223 in stainless 26inch and steel in 26inch barrels. really nice to shoot but fell in love with my old BSA .222 that i found in EEs.. I found it a lot more accurate at varying distances than the .223s with factory ammo.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
The nice thing about the .223 is that it can be had in the mini-Mauser bolt guns from CZ and SAKO. Particularly if you are looking for a walking varmint rifle, these little rigs are pretty sweet. The .22-250 has the advantage of speed over the .223, but its larger cartridge body, requires a larger action, the larger powder volume means you must use more powder to achieve equal performance, and the difference in trajectory within 300 yards between the two cartridges doesn't mean much. Frankly, the .243, not the .22-250 would be my first choice beyond the .223 (or the .222 or the .222 magnum) as the .243 can drive a 55 gr bullet out to 4000 fps, its suitable for the smaller varieties of big game with 90-100 gr bullets, and makes an impressive long range target cartridge when loaded with 115 gr VLDs.
