I like my Tikka T3 Lite in .223 a lot. I got one this spring and the first time I lined it up I got a 3 shot group at 100 yards with all the bullets touching. And that was with 45 Gr. JHP Winchester factory ammo of all things! 
Which .223... CZ, Remington...
- Thread starter pazzo
- Start date
604shooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Neither here nor there.
pazzo said:
That explains everything. I remember reading an article on his site singing Tikkas praises.
I would take what he says with a grain of salt. Go to Reliable on Fraser and ask to handle one. They are one of the most accurate out of the box rifles out there.
BC Bigbore
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- BC's Peace Country
The .223 is an inheretly accurate cartridge and damn near any bolt rifle I've tried shoots the cheapo Winney white box accurately
For the record, the only Tikka I'd own is the older, finely crafted blued & walnut Whitetail Hunter. My pick for a beater, around predator rifle was a M700 ADL SA with the plastic stock and black oxide finish. Wearing a Leupold VariXII 3x9, this little .223 shoots anything I stuff in it accurately. Who cares if it has a blind mag as you just set up, stuff it full of ammo and crank up the FX3 
And besides, with the all black stock, finish, scope, sling and bipod, it qualifies as Tacticool As far as all of the above comments go, you can tell that each of the different brands has a following. Mostly because newly manufactured rifles are now, thanks to modern machineing methods and excellent bullets, very accurate, if the shooter does his or her part.
You have the money, now go to your local sporting goods shop and put as many rifles as they have in the calibre you are looking for up onto your shoulder and see how quickly you can get onto the sights or scope and be on target.
From what you stated you are looking for a 223 Rem, you don't say what you're useing it for and wether or not it will be for coyotes or gophers or shooting from a bench at targets. Each one of these activities has an ideal profile that isn't really suitable for the others.
Do you want a varmint bbl or regular profile hunter bbl?
I have owned and used several different 223 rem rifles. I finally settled on a CZ with laminated stock and heavy bbl because it filled all of my requirements for the cartridge adequately. The small action keeps the weight down and makes the rifle extremely compact and well balanced for either carrying to a coyote stand or shooting from the bench or shooting gophers off a shooting stick or offhand.
This was my personal preference for an all purpose 223 rem.
You need to actually handle the rifles and if possible shoot some of them first to see what you really like, they all have their good and bad points, other than Savages which have very few good points other than they can be very accurate. I haven't been able to find one that is well balanced or that will fit me properly to get a decent sight picture. Again my personal preference and just makeing a jab at Savage owners.
Just keep in mind that if you're going to use the rifle for multiple activities, you need it to be comfortable to carry, shoot and get a quickly attainable sight picture or you won't be happy with your new aquisition, nor will you be able to hit your targets with repeatability if you're always searching for a comfortable hold.
Another thing to be careful for if you're buying a used rifle, is get the throat checked out by a decent gunsmith. I've seen several 223 rems that have had 7500 - 10,000 rounds put through them over the course of one or two summers of gopher hunting that are completely shot out, but still as new. I learned that lesson the hard way when I bought my first 223 rem at a gunshow in Calgary, about 20 years back. Live and learn.
Whatever you buy, if you reload, find a good recipe, for your rifle, shoot it a lot from different positions and have fun. bearhunter
You have the money, now go to your local sporting goods shop and put as many rifles as they have in the calibre you are looking for up onto your shoulder and see how quickly you can get onto the sights or scope and be on target.
From what you stated you are looking for a 223 Rem, you don't say what you're useing it for and wether or not it will be for coyotes or gophers or shooting from a bench at targets. Each one of these activities has an ideal profile that isn't really suitable for the others.
Do you want a varmint bbl or regular profile hunter bbl?
I have owned and used several different 223 rem rifles. I finally settled on a CZ with laminated stock and heavy bbl because it filled all of my requirements for the cartridge adequately. The small action keeps the weight down and makes the rifle extremely compact and well balanced for either carrying to a coyote stand or shooting from the bench or shooting gophers off a shooting stick or offhand.
This was my personal preference for an all purpose 223 rem.
You need to actually handle the rifles and if possible shoot some of them first to see what you really like, they all have their good and bad points, other than Savages which have very few good points other than they can be very accurate. I haven't been able to find one that is well balanced or that will fit me properly to get a decent sight picture. Again my personal preference and just makeing a jab at Savage owners
.Just keep in mind that if you're going to use the rifle for multiple activities, you need it to be comfortable to carry, shoot and get a quickly attainable sight picture or you won't be happy with your new aquisition, nor will you be able to hit your targets with repeatability if you're always searching for a comfortable hold.
Another thing to be careful for if you're buying a used rifle, is get the throat checked out by a decent gunsmith. I've seen several 223 rems that have had 7500 - 10,000 rounds put through them over the course of one or two summers of gopher hunting that are completely shot out, but still as new. I learned that lesson the hard way when I bought my first 223 rem at a gunshow in Calgary, about 20 years back. Live and learn.
Whatever you buy, if you reload, find a good recipe, for your rifle, shoot it a lot from different positions and have fun. bearhunter
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^ Why would you want a Weatherby?
MODEL 12BVSS & 112BVSS · 12BVSS - Short Action
Caliber / Cal. - .223 Rem.
Mfr. # 1269 · 188547
$769.95
I think dollar-for-dollar the Savage is probably the best. BUT these rifles are primarily meant for bench shooting. They'd be great on a good prairie dog field or at the range, not so sure about packing them.
MODEL 12VLP · 12VLP - SA Right Hand
Caliber / Cal. - .223 Rem.
Mfr. # 17684 · 203039
$799.95
This rifle would be great to carry and would also be excellent for a days shooting gophers.
Like I said, I have a CZ-527 and it's a very good rifle but it's $200 more and I doubt it has any advantage regarding accuracy, therefore I cannot recommend it.
By all reports the Tikka's are excellent but I have no personal experience with them. I admit a dislike of the plastic feel/look etc... of the Tikka.
MODEL 12BVSS & 112BVSS · 12BVSS - Short Action
Caliber / Cal. - .223 Rem.
Mfr. # 1269 · 188547
$769.95
I think dollar-for-dollar the Savage is probably the best. BUT these rifles are primarily meant for bench shooting. They'd be great on a good prairie dog field or at the range, not so sure about packing them.
MODEL 12VLP · 12VLP - SA Right Hand
Caliber / Cal. - .223 Rem.
Mfr. # 17684 · 203039
$799.95
This rifle would be great to carry and would also be excellent for a days shooting gophers.
Like I said, I have a CZ-527 and it's a very good rifle but it's $200 more and I doubt it has any advantage regarding accuracy, therefore I cannot recommend it.
By all reports the Tikka's are excellent but I have no personal experience with them. I admit a dislike of the plastic feel/look etc... of the Tikka.
I would go with CZ. They are more rare in North America but world wide one of the best Firearms manufacturers ever. My next purchase (wife permitting) is gonna be a CZ 550 FS in 6.5 swede. And yes Tikka had a bad run of barrels a couple of years back, resulting in some "failures", my friend had to exchange his on a recall or warranty of some kind.
