Hey Guys,

I am looking for a new varmint rifle and have settled on a 223 for ease of reloading.

My question is I am looking for a semi custom rifle. I would have bought a Cooper but as we all know, things have changed.

What 223 would you buy?

Thanks for the help,

ddj

I've owned six .223 rifles....all of them excellent shooters.....

If you can find a Sako L-461 that's a winner!!!!! They can be hard to find however.....

Remington also makes the M-7 in the custom shop...nice....if it fit's your likes.

The Rem M-799 is also a sweetie and you could have it custom stocked.... There's several in the laminate wood sitting around and not moving

Howaby is something to look at too.....and custom stocking is an option.....

Seems they are all pretty good.

You should consider Sako Varmint 75 or 85...its not custom made but very likable rifle and the accuracy is fantastic. Here is a group from my Sako Varmint 75 cal. .223 at 100 and 200 metres !

Take a look at the CZ. You won't be dissapointed.
Pete

I have CZ rimfires but just get over the clip on the 223's. Thats just me.

ddj

The Ruger M77 MK2 VT is a nice tough rifle pretty much all set up , Clean ,put on a scope and fire ......

From my experience in the not too distant past, The Savage and Ruger mod 77 varmint rifles in .233 are just fine out of the box. I think however I'm the only one in the whole world who has bad trouble with the Accutrigger.

The Ruger #1 Varmint in .223 is good but marginally less repeatable than the previous two.

A real surprise was the performance of the Stevens .223 in the mod 200 with a light weight barrel. roger

Savage or Tikka has one for you.......

If you are willing to spend the money for a cooper, I would at least look at the remington 40x custom shop rifle. around 3 grand. Or if you are willing to go a bit furthar check out Kenny jarret.

If you want wood then the Savage 12 BVSS is very nice. IF you want synthetic then the Savage Long Range Precission Varminter wearing a HS stock is extremely nice. The LRPV will be very difficult to beat in accuracy.

http://www.savagearms.com/12bvss.htm

http://www.savagearms.com/12PrecVarm.htm

quote:

Originally posted by zdrive:
If you are willing to spend the money for a cooper, I would at least look at the remington 40x custom shop rifle. around 3 grand.

I'd say the same thing. It's hard to beat the time-tested accuracy of a 40X. Plus, you've got TONS of aftermarket support if you ever want to modify it.

I like the Remington XR-100 or Savage Long Range Precision Varmint(Fast twist factory available).

I was looking at the new Rem 700 XCR Compact Tactical yesterday in 223.

One of the nicest rifles I've held in a while.

CC

I've bought two rifles in 223 recently, a Remington Model 7 and a Weatherby combo rifle; it comes with two stocks, one for an adult and one for a kid.
With the right loads, each will deliver 3 shots into 3/8" groups at 100 yards using a 20x scope for load developing.
I read a posting not long ago about Weatherby accuracy being the best of the factory rifles, so I bought one in 223. It only has a 20" barrel, with a 1-14 twist, but the accuracy is amazing. Only use bullets 50 grains or less in it. I get more consistent accuracy with it than with the Model 7, although the Model 7 delivers with the one load that shoots in it. The Model 7 has a Walnut stock too, and that's a big plus for me. The Weatherby's stock is black synthetic, which is nice for hunting in the rain. I do LOVE the barrel contour of the Weatherby better than the Model 7.
I did trigger jobs on both, and lapped the bores.
The Weatherby came from the factory glass bedded at the recoil lug, something you don't find in many factory rifles, and I appreciate that a lot. It's barrel was free floating too. I had to sand the hump out of the Model 7 forend to get its barrel floating.
Both are fine rifles.

Don

A Rock River Predator Pursuit would be my choice. Sub-moa accuracy and a 1:8 tube, it'll out-pace faster cartridges at range with heavy bullets.

I've got the Remington 700VLS in 6mm. They do have them in .223. That is if you're looking for the heavy barrel type. This gun with scope is near 11 pounds.

Needless to say, no recoil to speak of.

Lets refine things alittle more. I'm looking for a fifle that I can carry if I want to. I tend to take a rifle for a "walk". So I'm not looking for a heavyweight benchrest type.

Thanks

ddj

I doubt if any of the high dollar rifles shoots better than my $300 Stevens. In a similar vein I don't see a whole lot of savings or improved accuracy with reloads either.

quote:

Originally posted by trouthunterdj:
Hey Guys,

I am looking for a new varmint rifle and have settled on a 223 for ease of reloading.

My question is I am looking for a semi custom rifle. I would have bought a Cooper but as we all know, things have changed.

What 223 would you buy?

Thanks for the help,

ddj

I think we need to be reminded what the original post was....he wants an "upscale" .223 varmint rifle and also wants a walking gun and not a bench gun...

I appreciate everyones information and opinions!

Thanks Vapodog for getting us back on track. I am looking for something a "little different".

ddj

trouthunterdj---I'd buy the Cooper. Mr Cooper as the rest of us has the right to support whichever candidate he chooses. If you boycott everybody that did not vote as you did,you have a tough row. Your dentist,minister,plumber(gotta include Joe)members of your family and who knows who all else( over 50%) may have voted differently. Why did Mr Cooper support who he did? Thats his business---could be the war,he could be struggling to stay in the US and not bail out to overseas as so many other companies? His right for whatever reason.

Carpetman,

I understand your point. I just fall in the 50% that don't want my money to end up in Obama's pockets.

I don't want this to turn into another anti Copper or Obama thread.

I just want some rifle opinions.

ddj

I too don't want this to be an anti cooper or obama thread. Certainly you have the same right as he as to where you spend your money. A boycott of all will be a tough deal. You'll be stepping down in quality--but I'd get a CZ.

quote:

Originally posted by trouthunterdj:
I appreciate everyones information and opinions!

Thanks Vapodog for getting us back on track. I am looking for something a "little different".
ddj

The 70s circa Ruger tang safty Mod 77 Varmint was the rifle you are discribing. It did not have the exagerated heavy varmint stock of today nor did it have a cumbersome barrel. I owned such a rifle in .257 that my cousin now enjoys. I did get the first 30 years out of it and I did use to carry it deer hunting in the mountains of Colorado.

I now have a .222 CZ and a Stevens mod 200 in .223 that are great walk about rifles. roger

trouthunterdj
one of us

Posted 14 November 2008 00:33
Hey Guys,

I am looking for a new varmint rifle and have settled on a 223 for ease of reloading.

My question is I am looking for a semi custom rifle. I would have bought a Cooper but as we all know, things have changed.

What 223 would you buy?

Thanks for the help,

ddj


Want wood or synthetic stock ?. Accuracy or fancy action ?. When you say different what are you referring too ?.

A semi custom can mean A-Z , How about purchasing a known accurate Rifle out of the box have a custom
fit stock made and the action bedded work for you ?.

Purchase a Nice used Rifle with a real good action , have it re barreled and a custom stock or a nice purchased stock fit and bedded , does that work for you ?.

I like accurate Rifles myself and My Bushmasters are JUST THAT , only other one I own in .223's even
comes close is My Tikka .

Yea go figure that Tikka isn't much on looks with a Synthetic stock an dull SS finish But it hits what

you aim at real real well . Hey it's also light to carry and I'm going to do that too my grave .

Take a look at an AR15 based rifle. The accuracy is on par with bolt guns and they can be made fairly lightweight relative to a heavy barreled bolt gun.

Hill Country, Empire, Seringetti, McMillon, HS Precision and whole bunch more great rifle builders out there. Cooper is just one of many.

I am looking for a wood stocked gun. I may have to build from the ground up.

I am trying to get some ideas and opinions.

I haven't looked at Empire but I think they might be out of my price range. HS just does synthetic I believe.

Thanks for the help,

ddj

quote:

I may have to build from the ground up.

If you wind up doing this then I highly recommend you start with a Sako L-461 action.....tiny little cadillacs all!

Have ITD build you one from one of their daly mini mark X actions they have and then put a stock on it. That's what I'm going to do as soon as I can sell a couple other rifles to make $$ for it.

Have you thought of simply talking to a gunsmith? If you purchase a starter rifle and have one built from there you could save lots of cash and still have a shooter that would rivle cooper for less cash. If you don't mind the savage action, you could easily start from there and have a beutiful stock made with the conture of choice for about 450 or less. Joel Russo makes a beutifull stock for one.

CZ is now making the 527 model with a flush magazine.....

If you've got the bucks and patience, get a M7 from the Remington Custom shop with a full length (Mannlicher), laminated stock.
I was gonna get one in 7-08 when the price was @$1400 but screwed around and it doubled on me so.........

I've owned a number of .223s and still have a couple. I sold my Sako Vixen...found the trigger on mine to be undependable. Others apparently love the triggers on theirs, but mine was unsafe and after 20-30 shots would start discharging the rifle all by its lonesome. I'm sure I could have gotten another trigger from Sako, but it wasn't important enough to me to bother. After having it professionally "treated" several times with no success, I sold the rifle to a fellow as "parts" for $300.

Anyway, the .223 which I enjoyed the most (and still use for most of my prairie dog shooting) is a Browning Micro-Medallion with a B.O.S.S. I really like the BOSS on mine, despite what others think of them. Why? I like the being able to dial the rifle in for my loads, and I most of all like being able to spot my own shots. In the .223 with a BOSS, the gun doesn't move enough to keep you from seeing exactly where your bullet lands, through the scope as you fire, which makes it easy to "walk" a shot onto a pairie dog at over 500 yards. Plus mine will shoot 5 shot groups around 1/2 MOA (often even smaller) with Speer TNTs at 100 yards and is still doing very well at longer ranges.

The one which I enjoyed the least was a Bushmaster Super Varminter, with fluted barrel and the whole 9 yards. I disliked it enough it is now converted to 7.62x39 and doing duty as a Mattel home defense system. As a varmint rifle mine was noisy, heavy, cheap feeling, clumsy, relatively less accurate than I wanted, and in my opinion worth about $3.49 as a varmint rifle. As a home defense gun it is worth considerably more, though probably not worth the $1,200 or so it cost 5 years ago, plus the conversion kit to 7.62x39 it got this year.

Another one which I found very handy as a walking varminter was a TCR '83, which I also still have. It also will shoot 5-shot groups down close to 1/2 MOA, and weighs very little. The double-set triggers are sometimes quite useful, and the ability to switch to half a dozen other chamberings just by switching barrels is also nice. Mine also has .22 Hornet, .225 Winchester, .22-250, 243 Win., 7 m/m-08, .30-06, and .32-40 barrels. They are no longer made, but they are still available from time-to-time and are very nicely finished guns...much higher quality appearance than the TCR 85's. (Doesn't mean they are higher quality, they may just appear that way.)

Anyway, those are some of the ones I've tried. Any one of them would likely do for me if I had no other choices, except the Mattel gun which would not do for me. I've too many steel and wood rifles which will really shoot dependably and well to go that plastic & sheet metal route again. (Such as my Sako L-46 .222 Remington, and Riedl .220 Swift.) Just my quirk, but as you get old you're allowed those idiosycrasies.

How much do you want to spend?

quote:

Originally posted by trouthunterdj:
I am looking for a wood stocked gun. I may have to build from the ground up.

I am trying to get some ideas and opinions.

I haven't looked at Empire but I think they might be out of my price range. HS just does synthetic I believe.

Thanks for the help,

ddj

I also have a CZ 527 in 223, the Prestige Model with excellent Walnut on it. I have a load worked up for it that will deliver 3 shots into a 3/8" group at 100 yards. It's light weight, easy on the eyes, and has a fine single set trigger too. I bought the rifle a couple of years ago.

I have a Howa 1500 that is very accurate. I have the heavy barreled version, but they make a regular barreled version as well. 50gr Sierra SP and 25.5 gr H335 puts 5 shots into less than .75", but it would have been .25" if I hadn't pulled a shot.

John

If you haven't played with a black rifle, you might want to check out WOA. You can get a nice upper built with a match barrel for $700-800 and a lower with a match trigger for under $400.

Not everyone has one of These .

Specifications
Halfstock Half stock Magnum-calibers Full stock Mountain
Calibers .222 Rem.
.223 Rem.
.243 Win.
6,5x55 SE
6,5x57
.270 Win.
7x64
25-06 Rem.
7mm-08 Rem.
.308 Win.
.30-06 Spr.
8x57 JS
9,3 x 62 6.5x68
7mm Rem. Mag.
.300 Win. Mag.
.270 WSM*
.300 WSM*
7mm WSM*
8x68 S .222 Rem.
.223 Rem.
.243 Win.
6,5x55 SE
.270 Win.
7x64
25-06 Rem.
7mm-08 Rem.
.308 Win.
30-06 Spr.
8x57 JS
9,3 x 62 .222 Rem.
.223 Rem.
.243 Win.
6,5x55 SE
6,5x57
.270 Win.
7x64
25-06 Rem.
7mm-08 Rem.
.308 Win.
30-06 Spr.
8x57 JS
9,3 x 62
Barrel length 600 mm (23,6") 650 mm (25,6")
600 mm (23,6")* 508 mm (20") 508 mm (20")
Magazine 4 cartridges 3 cartridges 4 cartridges 4 cartridges
Trigger Set trigger or Direct trigger Set trigger or Direct trigger Set trigger or Direct trigger Set trigger or Direct trigger
Stock European walnut European walnut European walnut European walnut
Type sights as an extra sights as an extra sights included sights included
Overall length 1.150 mm (45,3") 1.200 mm (47,2") 1.060 mm (41,7") 1.060 mm (41,7")
Weight approx. 3,3 kg
(7,3 pounds) approx. 3,6 kg
(7,9 pounds) approx. 3,3 kg
(7,3 pounds) approx. 3,3 kg
(7,3 pounds)
Remember!



Styer or a Merkel KR-1

What about building a single shot falling block or drop block rifle in .223?