Where to begin... I've been doing a bit of reading but I thought I'd use this excellent source of knowledge to my advantage as well. I'm looking for a rifle in .223 or .22-250 that will be mostly limited by the shooter at about 500m. From what I can tell .22-250 would be a better choice but cost is certainly a factor here, so I believe .223 is the choice caliber for me. I'm undecided on how much I want to spend on the rifle, I'm stuck between a Stevens 200 or a Savage Model 12FV, the Stevens being $400ish and the Savage being $600ish. Thats a significant difference in price but I think the extra $200 for the heavy barrel, additional weight and accutrigger is worth it eh? I'll reserve my optics questions for the time being as I won't be able to put anything decent on it until september, but any advice is welcome. Thanks!!!
New to Precision Shooting
- Thread starter IXLR8
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Mystic Precision
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- Summerland, BC
NO brainer. Savage 12FV in 223. I hope you plan on reloading. Lee collet delux die set. Some Win brass (one bag of 100 will last a very long time). Varget for shooting 69gr and heavier, Benchmark if shooting 40gr to 60gr bullets. CCI BR4 primers (they make a difference the further you want to shoot). For bullets, I love the hornady Vmax and Amax line. Would suggest starting with say a 50 to 55gr to start inside 200yds.
These are dirt cheap available anywhere and zippo for recoil. When you are ready to shoot further, go up in weight with the 75gr amax/ 77gr Nosler comp being my top choices.
For the rifle, bed that action. That is a must do. Otherwise, just lighten the accutrigger as light as it will go (approx 2lbs).
For an awesome scope for not much money, the Elite 3200 10x with mildots will do all you want for a very very long time. If you want a variable, the new Nikon Buckmaster 4X14 SF w/mildots gets my nod. If you have a few extra dollars and want to go with more mag, the Elite 4200 6X24 mildot or 4X16 are the scopes to choose from.
For bases, good old Weavers are just fine. For rings, Burris Sig rings w/inserts. With the insert kit, you can adapt to any distance you are likely to face this side of 1000m.
You have a rig for well under $1000 that you can shoot approx 4000rds before needing to worry about anything else. Clean as needed and learn about condition doping and shooting form.
You are well on your way to enjoying LR shooting.
Jerry
These are dirt cheap available anywhere and zippo for recoil. When you are ready to shoot further, go up in weight with the 75gr amax/ 77gr Nosler comp being my top choices.
For the rifle, bed that action. That is a must do. Otherwise, just lighten the accutrigger as light as it will go (approx 2lbs).
For an awesome scope for not much money, the Elite 3200 10x with mildots will do all you want for a very very long time. If you want a variable, the new Nikon Buckmaster 4X14 SF w/mildots gets my nod. If you have a few extra dollars and want to go with more mag, the Elite 4200 6X24 mildot or 4X16 are the scopes to choose from.
For bases, good old Weavers are just fine. For rings, Burris Sig rings w/inserts. With the insert kit, you can adapt to any distance you are likely to face this side of 1000m.
You have a rig for well under $1000 that you can shoot approx 4000rds before needing to worry about anything else. Clean as needed and learn about condition doping and shooting form.
You are well on your way to enjoying LR shooting.
Jerry
Thanks so much guys, you've been a great help! I just e-mailed SIR about their 12FV's and I've already started reloading for my .303 so why not the .223 eh? The elite 3200 is just barely within my price range so I think I'll be going with that, just need to find the best price on it. Then its bases and rings and I'll be out there shooting! Thanks again, any additional advice is welcome of course.
I can second what Mysticplayer says....I have a Savage 12FVSS .223 with 1 in 9 twist, pre-accutrigger, harris bipod, Elite 3200 10X mildot, burris signature rings with inserts.
I am loading once fired (my gun) winchester brass, CCI BR4 primers, 24.1 gr of BLC2 (finally got some varget to try) under a 75 gr Hornady A-Max - using lee collet dies.
And, been getting V Bulls at 800m, not shot it beyond that yet, however......
Great package for price as cost can be an issue - wait until you get hooked and go a little crazy before moving up.
I am loading once fired (my gun) winchester brass, CCI BR4 primers, 24.1 gr of BLC2 (finally got some varget to try) under a 75 gr Hornady A-Max - using lee collet dies.
And, been getting V Bulls at 800m, not shot it beyond that yet, however......
Great package for price as cost can be an issue - wait until you get hooked and go a little crazy before moving up.
