Recommendations on what to upgrade first..

[SBranson23]

I've been out of shooting for about 15 years due to family commitments and just recently got back into it as I wanted to share this sport with my son.
I bought a couple fun things but decided to get back into precision style shooting. My favourite rifle back in the day was a Savage 12 BVSS in .223. I recently picked up a used package deal locally which consists of a Weatherby Vanguard S2 (223) in an Oryx chassis and vortex crossfire scope for a decent price. I thought it would be fun to see if my son would be into this style of shooting.
Well it reignited my passion for this. I'm sure it's a fine rifle but the hunting profile barrel heats quickly and though I'm using factory ammo, I can't tell if it's me, the ammo, the rifle the scope.. I was able to hit a 10" gong easily at 200, as I’d expect, and quite a few hits on the 4 1/2" at the same distance but in strings followed by a string of misses. Groupings on paper at 100 weren’t consistent. I'm under no illusion that I know what I'm doing but I remember shooting much more consistently with the BVSS back in the day.

With an initial budget of about $2000 Am I best served by:
1. new rifle
2. new scope
3. reloading

I want to stick to .223 as I prefer the low recoil, cheaper ammo and my range only goes to 250y. I've been scouring the EE and ####### and there's lots of options to get a rifle/scope package but I seem to keep gravitating to a Tikka T3X Varmint and then a new scope and then a new stock or chassis system.

I don't know anyone into the sport so I thought I'd throw this out there and see if someone could give me advice.

Somehow I suspect practice is the main thing and reloading will be key at some point but it sure is easier to hope that the T3X Varmint will make me a better shooter... Ha Ha

 

[Mystic Precision]

Consider borrowing another scope with known performance and ensure that is not an issue. I would certainly consider upgrading the scope my first choice.

2nd could be a prefit match barrel. Nothing wrong with the action and they can make superb shooting rifles. Same goes for the chassis. If you like the feel/fit, maybe consider a skim bed and it will serve you very well.

Both of these changes can easily fit under your budget... leaving some funds to look at reloading.

Welcome back.. pm or email if I can help with some gear.

Jerry

 

[SBranson23]

Thanks for the reply. I recognize your name from back when I was shooting..
I hadn’t thought of replacing the barrel.. I will look into that. I do think I would prefer a somewhat more traditional stock.
And I guess maybe the scope first as you suggest. I did wonder if that might be an issue. There was a guy there last weekend having similar strings of tight groups followed by strange flyers and discovered that his scope base had loosened.

 

[rugbydave]

First thing I'd do is make sure everything is torqued to spec (action screws, scope base screws, rings). I'd then ascertain what the barrel twist is and get a couple different boxes of ammo in a suitable weight for the twist rate. Then I'd zero and test precision by shooting 3 round groups making sure not to let the barrel get hot. If it shoots consistently decent/acceptable to you groups like that, I'd then try shooting some longer strings and see of the point of impact starts shifting as the barrel heats up. Thats a pretty common experience with lightweight, hunting profile factory barrels.If it won't shoot consistent groups with a cool-ish barrel, I'd suggest borrowing another scope, if possible, to eliminate that as a variable. If the issue turns out to be wandering point of impact as the barrel gets hot, your options are to replace the barrel with a heavier contour match barrel or just sell the rifle and get a more suitable (for target shooting) rifle like the T3X. That would be my suggestion as there is a lot more aftermarket support for Tikka than for Weatherby/Howa so you'd be able to upgrade the chassis/stock later on if needed. I'd also suggest upgrading the scope but I'd first want to ensure that the rifle you were putting it on was capable of handling the type of shooting you want to do (ie longer strings of fire).

 

[SBranson23]

Thanks.. I’m in the process of trying to pick a scope and I’m basically overwhelmed with the choices.
I am kinda leaning on one of the Arken models. I’d like to keep under $1k including rings.. Lots of choices these days.

 

[jimbo14]

When I shot my .223 Savage with a thin barrel, it was good for maybe 8 shots before it would open up a lot at 100m. A new barrel made it better, even using a basic Athlon Argos scope. The thin barrel gets hot way too fast.

 

[Mystic Precision]

Very happy with the Athlon Helos BTR Gen2 family of scopes. Great performance for the money and very well supported in Canada

Jerry

 

[SBranson23]

There’s a guy selling an Athlon Midas tac locally but it’s a little high for what I hope to spend at around $900.

 

[6.5 shooter]

A fixed power used Leupold gold ring or equivalent in 6x, 8x or 10X is all you really need for 250 yards. Most used models sell for less then $500. and if you shop around you can find them for less. If you enjoy "ringing the gong", reloading equipment would be my next step. Then consider a faster twist .223 barrel or a nice 6mm as a swap barrel option.. Honestly the stock would be last on my list.

 

[SBranson23]

Yeah, I think reloading will be the next step after the rifle and scope. I am going to be up island where there’s better choice for ammo so I’ll get a couple kinds and get a better baseline for the current rifle.

 

[waynewjw]

Perhaps talk to the members at your range and see what they say about the platform they are shooting. You will get a variety of opinions, suggestions and recommendations. May help with your decision process.