If you could have any caliber on a 223 bolt head...

thehunterman

thehunterman

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Starting a build on a Stevens 200 I have in 223, going 26" bull barrel in an unknown as yet cal.so what caliber would you choose if you were limited to 223 bolt head Dia.my rifles spend summers picking off crows in massive farmfields and winters chasing big eastern coyotes, most shots are between 200-450 yards although a few crows have been surprised even further, my criteria is looow recoil, I like to see bullet impact, thinking 20 cal of some kind, 17 make me nervous with coyotes that can go 60+lbs. What are your thoughts, btw reloading is fine. Thanks,
Hunter.
 
I have a couple 20 tacticals and really like them, one I use for gophers and one for Coyotes. With a steady rest and good bullet coyotes out to 400 yards are not out of the question, I use a 39g BK in mine and have had great results. The other one I use 32g bullets and on a good day gopher hit are possible at that distance as well. A friend of mine has a 223ai that I have seen do some amazing things as well, can't go wrong with it either.
 
Interesting option on the 20 tactical, I would like to stick with 20 cal or less as I like the low ricochet nature, any advantages over the 204? Seems more conservative on powder and that is definitely nice considering the shortage :-/
Thanks,
Hunter.
 
20 tac burns a little less powder but not enough to make much of a difference ( might get 20 rounds more to a pound). Brass is everywhere since it is the 223 case or you can get lapua brass with the 20 tac head stamp that they build for Dakota. Don't count out the 17's though. They kill way bigger than they should. Only downfall to the sub cals is the wind. They don't like wind at all. On an average coyote day in Sask I am putting the 17 away by 8:00 or 9:00 and pulling out the 22-250 because the wind is coming up.
 
My 23 cal based on the 204/222 RM case using 80 gn bullets and a 1-8 twist..............I haven't built one yet but yours could be the first. I have barrels and reamer all set to go.........with your criteria though why not just a good old 204 Ruger.........
 
I have to agree that 204 Ruger is the obvious choice. I have never had a 17, but they have a reputation for poor wind rifles and very finicky for accuracy if the barrel is in the least fouled.

Personally i would leave the 200 Stevens alone or sell it to help buy a already chambered rifle. That rifle is a economy/entry level. Just would not personally spend the money on a low end action, when the exact rifle you may be looking for is sitting on a dealers shelf. Why not buy a better rifle instead of spending big money rebarreling the stevens? But then we are gunnutz......
 
I'd go .17, but PEI has queer hunting regs that say you can shoot a coyotes with a .22cal CF but you can't go any bigger than .17cal CF for fox.

If I didn't know any better, I'd say the people making the rules have never hunted before :rolleyes:
 
c-fbmi said:
My 23 cal based on the 204/222 RM case using 80 gn bullets and a 1-8 twist..............I haven't built one yet but yours could be the first. I have barrels and reamer all set to go.........with your criteria though why not just a good old 204 Ruger.........
Click to expand...

I think I might have a donor for a build, how about a BSA in 222 or would the action be too small ?
 
Something wrong with .223?

Super accurate. Lots of F-Class guys love thia cal. Cheap to reload. Pick up a box of shells pretty much anywhere for peanuts if your in a pinch. What's not to love?
 
Loving all the recommended calibers especially that 23. However in nb we are limited to 23. Cal and under for most of the year except during big game seasons but once you fill the tag the 6mm and up have to be put away unfortunately, it's almost as if they don't want us to have fun or something..... Odd, i suppose 204 is the obvious choice but it's so damn fun to hear all the interesting suggestions.
Thanks,
Hunter.
 
For varmint shooting and for hunting game up to 200 pounds, the .223 or a .222 Magnum is hard to beat, and its the smallest bore size for which game bullets are commonly available. For a big game round, I'd choose the 6.5 TCU to take advantage of the broad range of bullet weights available in that caliber.
 
One think I like about the 20 tac over the .204 Ruger is there seems to be less brass stretching in the 20 Tac. I found after 2-3 firings with the .204 you need to trim brass. Plus if you are going to all the work of building a rifle why not go with something other than what anyone can buy At any gun shop, 20 tac has more wow factor��
 
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