what would the lightest weight rifle in 223 be?I'm thinking of something the next step up from a 22 for a kid to practice on before moving on to regular deer rifles-something with little recoil so as to develop good accuracy without acquiring a flinch
lightweight 223
- Thread starter ratherbefishin
- Start date
Stevens 200?
Not sure if it's the "lightest" but the Stevens 200 in .223 has to be among them. Plus it won't break the bank if you are picking up an intermediary rifle for your yongster. Also, if & when you are ready to sell it you won't have trouble finding a buyer.
If I didn't already have a Rem Model 7 in .223 I'd probably have a Stevens 200 in it myself....
Not sure if it's the "lightest" but the Stevens 200 in .223 has to be among them. Plus it won't break the bank if you are picking up an intermediary rifle for your yongster. Also, if & when you are ready to sell it you won't have trouble finding a buyer.
If I didn't already have a Rem Model 7 in .223 I'd probably have a Stevens 200 in it myself....
Have you looked at the CZ527 Carbine? Might be what you are looking for. Offered in 223 or 762x39.
Your son might even be fine with a Standard 527, they are quite compact, slim and light. IMO.
Your son might even be fine with a Standard 527, they are quite compact, slim and light. IMO.
Norinco JW 105 could be an option as well.
Or go semi auto with a Mini 14, or the new Remington 7615 for a pump action that will hold AR magazines.
These are all relatively light, short rifles in .223 that would work IMO.
Or go semi auto with a Mini 14, or the new Remington 7615 for a pump action that will hold AR magazines.
These are all relatively light, short rifles in .223 that would work IMO.
Light weight .223
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I have to agree with NAA about the Stevens 200. Mine will do 3/4 inch groups at 100 yards quite easily. While a light weight rifle is a good choice for someone who has a bit of experience, a medium weight rifle like the Stevens 200 might be better for a youngster. A little bit more weight will not generate as much recoil, and is a bit steadier to hold on target. Also, the price of approximately $350 (less on sale) will not hurt your pocketbook.
If you reload, you can load it down a bit to almost .22LR velocities, or upwards for small game and varmints.
While a semi-automatic could be considered, they tend to be more expensive and not quite as accurate. Besides, the teaching of one shot on target with a bolt action is a lot better than having him think that he can have lots of ammunition available in case he misses.
You propose this as an intermediate rifle, in practice for deer hunting. What type of deer hunting rifle is he going to use.....semi...bolt....lever, etc.? You should keep with the same type of action if possible.
I would not be surprised that he will want to keep it for general shooting, but if the intention is to resell it, and it is only going to be used for a short while, it does not make too much sense to buy a more expensive model.
I would go with the Stevens 200. It is the real "sleeper" of the rifles available today. The other aspect is that the Stevens 200 is also available in larger calibres such as .243 and 7mm-08, so transition to a deer hunting rifle would be easy.
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I have to agree with NAA about the Stevens 200. Mine will do 3/4 inch groups at 100 yards quite easily. While a light weight rifle is a good choice for someone who has a bit of experience, a medium weight rifle like the Stevens 200 might be better for a youngster. A little bit more weight will not generate as much recoil, and is a bit steadier to hold on target. Also, the price of approximately $350 (less on sale) will not hurt your pocketbook.
If you reload, you can load it down a bit to almost .22LR velocities, or upwards for small game and varmints.
While a semi-automatic could be considered, they tend to be more expensive and not quite as accurate. Besides, the teaching of one shot on target with a bolt action is a lot better than having him think that he can have lots of ammunition available in case he misses.
You propose this as an intermediate rifle, in practice for deer hunting. What type of deer hunting rifle is he going to use.....semi...bolt....lever, etc.? You should keep with the same type of action if possible.
I would not be surprised that he will want to keep it for general shooting, but if the intention is to resell it, and it is only going to be used for a short while, it does not make too much sense to buy a more expensive model.
I would go with the Stevens 200. It is the real "sleeper" of the rifles available today. The other aspect is that the Stevens 200 is also available in larger calibres such as .243 and 7mm-08, so transition to a deer hunting rifle would be easy.
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I think Ruger made a compact model-not sure if it came in 223 though.I like single shot rifles or bolt actions-I agree that teaching a kid to take their time and make the first shot count is invaluable as far as hunting is concerned-semi's are fine for plinking.Of course for our little coastal blacktails- a 6.5x55 swede is tough to beat...but what I'm looking for is a rifle with little or no recoil so he can concentrate on accuracy
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Well, I have been thinking about small and light rifles lately too. My little boy will need to have something in the next few years, and I can't think of a better reason to dream up a fine rifle for him.
This is what I had been thinking about:
Mini mauser action with a slim and trim wood stock. CZ and Remington 799 both make these models. The Zastava has a 2.37" magazine, and is available in the .473 bolt face (22-250). I am thinking a rebore/chamber or rebarrel to one of the following: 6mm BR, 6.5mm BR or 7mm BR.
Consider the 6mm. With 23-25gr of powder under a Speer 85gr BT spitzer, you would get around 2800-2900 fps. This is about 10gr of powder less than what a .243 would need to achieve the same velocity.
Recoil in a 6lb rifle would be 5.9lbs in the 6mm BR, compared to 4.1 in an equal weight .223. In a 6lb .243 with full power 100gr loads the recoil is about 11.5lbs.
The performance seems pretty good too. At 2800fps with the noted bullet the point blank range of the 6mmBR would be 274 yards! This is, of course a pretty long shot. At 200 yards you still have +2300fps and 1058 ft-lbs of energy, plenty for poking a hole through the lungs of a Blacktail, or Whitetail for that matter. And with the construction of the speer bullet, you should get good mushrooming at that velocity.
The other neat thing is loading the 6mm BR down with 55gr bullets. You would burn about 2 grains more powder (in some cases equal or less powder) to achieve the same velocity as the .223 with 55 grain bullets. This means the recoil and report should be very similar to a .223!
How about max performance on the 6mm BR? Well, try a 95grain Partition or Ballistic tip at 2900 fps burning 29-30grains of powder. This is only 100 to 200fps behind a .243, but it uses about 10-15 grains less powder. You have a point blank range of 279 yards - at 300 yrds 2190fps and 1011ft-lbs. I am certain that load would be enough for deer, sheep, black bear and the like at any reasonable range a youngster might shoot.
Just my 0.02!
This is what I had been thinking about:
Mini mauser action with a slim and trim wood stock. CZ and Remington 799 both make these models. The Zastava has a 2.37" magazine, and is available in the .473 bolt face (22-250). I am thinking a rebore/chamber or rebarrel to one of the following: 6mm BR, 6.5mm BR or 7mm BR.
Consider the 6mm. With 23-25gr of powder under a Speer 85gr BT spitzer, you would get around 2800-2900 fps. This is about 10gr of powder less than what a .243 would need to achieve the same velocity.
Recoil in a 6lb rifle would be 5.9lbs in the 6mm BR, compared to 4.1 in an equal weight .223. In a 6lb .243 with full power 100gr loads the recoil is about 11.5lbs.
The performance seems pretty good too. At 2800fps with the noted bullet the point blank range of the 6mmBR would be 274 yards! This is, of course a pretty long shot. At 200 yards you still have +2300fps and 1058 ft-lbs of energy, plenty for poking a hole through the lungs of a Blacktail, or Whitetail for that matter. And with the construction of the speer bullet, you should get good mushrooming at that velocity.
The other neat thing is loading the 6mm BR down with 55gr bullets. You would burn about 2 grains more powder (in some cases equal or less powder) to achieve the same velocity as the .223 with 55 grain bullets. This means the recoil and report should be very similar to a .223!
How about max performance on the 6mm BR? Well, try a 95grain Partition or Ballistic tip at 2900 fps burning 29-30grains of powder. This is only 100 to 200fps behind a .243, but it uses about 10-15 grains less powder. You have a point blank range of 279 yards - at 300 yrds 2190fps and 1011ft-lbs. I am certain that load would be enough for deer, sheep, black bear and the like at any reasonable range a youngster might shoot.
Just my 0.02!
The Superlight version of the Handi-Rifle in .223 is 5.5 pounds, 20" barrel, 14.25" length of pull, 35.25" overall length. The Superlight Compact version is 5.3 pounds, same barrel length, 11.75" length of pull, 33" overall length.
Some people are very pleased with these, some don't like them at all. I'm in the former group - my Superlight in .223 is light and handy, reliable and accurate, excellent value for money overall.
Some people are very pleased with these, some don't like them at all. I'm in the former group - my Superlight in .223 is light and handy, reliable and accurate, excellent value for money overall.
The handi-rifle I had came with paperwork specifying not reccommending use of military surplus 5.56 ammo. The cases stuck in the chamber, as did any cases of handloadsanywhere near warm loads. The extracter is pretty whimpy.
The trigger could be made OK.
The trigger could be made OK.
I'm entirely content with the trigger as is, but I learned to shoot in the military so the heavier triggers that military rifles tend to have are normal to me and I hunt with a No.4 Enfield with no trigger modification. Many people send their Handi-Rifles back to the factory for accessory barrels to be fitted (really too bad for us that this is only available to U.S. customers) and lightening of the trigger so the latter modification is very common. Any ordinary gunsmith should be able to do it.
