I have a Remington 700 VS in .223 with a Simmons 6-18X scope on it. It is a great shooter - under an inch without much effort. Good bench and concentration have yielded groups of .3 inches. However, it's very heavy, and the 26 inch barrel is a bit unwieldy. Can I switch to a non-varmint rifle and maintain nearly the same accuracy. How about a Remington ADL, or a Ruger bolt action? Does the little .223 really heat up the barrels and make a difference in group size when shooting at a moderate pace? I have a great rifle, just want to know if I can get by with one that's lighter and a bit more handy. Thanks in advance for any insight.

Yes you need a heavy barrel for sustained accuracy. For a lighter 223 I would suggest taking a look at the CZ527 at www.cz-usa.com. I have both the Lux and synthetic Varminter. Both are capable of sub MOA however the lighter LUX widens it groups after three shots. These rifles are made on small actions designed around the 223 size ammunition. THey also have single set triggers that, in the set position, have a pull weight of less than a pound.

DO NOT GO ULTRA-LITE!!!
I have a Ruger Ultra-Lite that shoots 3 inch groups, with factory loads at 100 yards. I had to drop to loading from 27.5 gr to 21.5 Win. 748. I get the same size groupe my wife gets with her MK-II Stainless. You can cover it with a dime. Her's is a standard barrel.

Ferdinand,

You've hit on a big dilemma! One idea is to go with a medium taper barrel and make it shorter, say 20 inches. .223's don't really NEED 26" tubes (look at all the AR rifles...) But there's no getting around the benefits of a fatter barrel for keeping five shot (or more) groups small. If you're talking about a hunting rifle where first shot accuracy is what's important, you can let your rifle cool COMPLETELY between shots and see what happens. This is boring work. Bring other rifles to shoot while the rifle in question is cooling. You can go with an Encore single shot and a premium barrel from a firm like Virgin Valley Guns or Bullberry using a forearm "hanger" system. This gives you a very (potentially) accurate rig that is very compact--especially with a 20" tube.

Yes, you can have a light sporter that shoots well for 5 shots. I have a Sako AI Laminated in 223 with a light 22" barrel that shoots factory WW ammo into 3/4".Handloads go a bit less,sometimes under a half inch.

Sir: I have a Ruger 77 ultra light in .223. I bought it expressly for rebarreling to 17 mach IV. It shoots so well the project is off even though I bought dies, brass and pills. I put an aftermarket trigger on it and really enjoy using it. It shoots 40 Hornady V-Max's into .45" and Sierra 55 game kings into 7/8"at 100 yards. I shoot 5 shot groups in any weather when target shooting or working up a load off the bench and see no heat problems as long as I wait between groups. I do like that stock design and think its a classic. Break a new barrel in carefully, and make sure the barrel free floats and is sealed. Handload carefully and you will be well satisfied. ned

Sounds like a good option for you would be Remingtons LVSF.I have one in 22-250 and understand they are out in 223 also.Their the same as the VSSF only 2#s lighter with other neat features also. Check out Remingtons Web Site on these and youll see what I mean.And no they arent cheap but I felt was worth my money.

Good info - thanks guys. What about lopping 6-8 inches off and recrowning? After reading one of the posts, I looked up an article about barrel length vs. velocity and it indicated that the .223 is maxxed out at less than 20 inches in terms of velocity yielded. A shorter barrel would reduce the weight by a bit and make the gun a lot easier to handle. I'm nervous about messing with it, however. Perhaps I should just learn to be satisfied with my rifle, despite its shortcomings related to handling. Anybody else ever had a similar gun cut and recrowned? What were the results?

Savage makes a heavy barreled 223 I believe with a 20 inch barrel.

If you are concerned about a barrel heating up, and you are shooting at 200 yds to 250 yrds, I have found that using 12.5 grains of Blue Dot Powder will still give an honest 2600 fps. Zeroed 3 inches high at 100 yds, it will be dead on at 200 with bullets from 40 grains to 55 grains.

A nice side feature, is that it takes quite a while to heat up the barrel. Even on a light barrel. My walking prairie dog rifle is a Winchester Featherweight in 223, with a 3.5 x 10 Scope on it. It can get to see a lot of action in a short period of time, and the barrel does not heat up enough to make accuracy a problem.

Blue dot loads also have minimal standard deviation when chronographed and are pretty accurate. With a light weight rifle in 223, it makes a dandy combo.

good luck!

Ferdinand,

What article did you read? If you don't mind saying? I know the belief is that the .223/5.56 NATO gains nothing in the M16/AR15 with tubes over 20 inches, at least among military circles, But who wrote the article? And what kind of a rifle was written about in that article.

Thanks!

Gentlemen: ever wonder why the big name 223 spacegun shooters use loong barrels with sight tube extensions? One reason is sight radius, the other is to get more ..........., uh, you know, the v word. ned

Something to consider. While a shorter barrel is a stiffer and potentially more accurate one, a longer one holds more steadily, and may be easier to shoot well in field conditions. Just my .02.

Back to your original question, Ferdie, the answer is yes, if you are shooting at a moderate pace you can expect equal accuracy with a gun of equal quality with a sporter-weight barrel. If you want something like the 700 ADL for greater portability, you'll find that its accuracy POTENTIAL for five shots in about two minutes is equal to the heavy barrel model. If you insist on banging 20 or 30 shots off in five minutes, then the sporter barrel is more likely to start "walking" on you.

As to barrel length, it is certainly in the realm of myth that a .223 will achieve optimum velocity in a 20 inch barrel. Velocity achieved in a 20 inch barrel may be ACCEPTABLE for a particular application, but will certainly not be as high as with a 24 or 26 incher. Another consideration is that the muzzle blast created by a 20 inch as compared to a 24 or 26 inch barrel is quite (not quiet ) significant. You'll find the longer barrel much more pleasant to shoot.

My advice: If you want to try a sporter-weight gun, just go buy a 700 ADL or even the plastic-stock version. Try it out, and if you can't make it shoot to suit you, you can resell it for within $50 of what you paid for it. Fifty bucks isn't much to risk to see if it suits your needs.

Good point Stone Creek. Testing a new gun will give me something to do over the colder months.

As far as the article goes, I believe that it was in a fairly recent edition of Guns and Ammo. I don't have the article on hand and can't recall the author offhand.

The Remington Model 700 LS Mountain Rifle ,24 In. barrel,laminated stock, BDL type action. is a Med.weight rifle . One in the 221 Rem. Fireball will be a Christman present to me from the Mrs. Cabels sells them for $630 but gunsamerica.com and gunbroker.com had them for less last week.

Ferdinand: I own a CZ 527 Lux in .223 and the thing shoots like ballsafire. It will do half minute of angle at 100 yards with 55 grain Siera bullets and Winchester 748. If I had to do it over again I think I would have gone with the CZ 527 American, though. They are lightweight, accurate and that single-set trigger is an absolute marvel. My Lux has a 23.5 inch barrel. The fellow who posted first after your question put the web sight up. It would be well worth a look for you. I got my CZ 527 from CZ-Connection in Georgia and if memory serves me right, it cost $419 plus $18 shipping and handling to an FFL holder who charged me an additional $10. I think the prices have gone up to $439 now, but it is still, one heck of a deal. It is built on a mini-Mauser action and is just one sweet little package. Tom Purdom

Recent work with a Ruger 77RC in 223, 16.5" barrel, Leupold Compact 3x-9x......the whole rig weighs just over 7# loaded.

55 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips, 26.0 grains of WW-748, 2840 FPS mean velocity, low sd's. Groups at 200 meters ran 3/4" to just over 1", that's ten 5-shot groups, rounds fired about 1 minute apart in 60 degree weather.

I'll be keeping that rifle. 2850 FPS is a bit low-speed for a flat-shooting rat rifle, for the grouping is just fine.

How about useing the rem action and getting a carbon fiber barrel? You get the heavy bennefits and you get tight weight. The down side from what I have heard is that once a carbon fibre barrel gets hot, it will take longer than steel to cool down.

I've got a Remington 700 ADL in 223 that shoots great. Occasionally shoots 1/2 at 100, mostly shoots around 3/4 inch at 100. It is fairly light to carry and has a 24" barrel. The big plus is that it is a cheap rifle to buy. I think I paid $369 about 5 years ago and they are not much more now. I put mine in an H&S Precision stock, adjusted the trigger down and am fully satisfied with it for a carry around rifle. I use it for groundhogs, coyote, turkey, and targets. Take a look at one. They come in 22-250 also.

I'm with thomas, I've got a CZ Varmint .223 and boy does that mother shoot. Same-Same my CZ .17 HMR. I love single set triggers, mine breaks 8oz set for off the bench and 3lbs unset for cold fingers on coyotes. The American would also be my choice for a light rifle, I almost got one when I got the Varmint tell I thought about how much time I spend in the gopher fields and p-dog towns. Boo-Coo gun for the money.---Shoot Safe---montdoug

Some featherweights shoot extremely well...you need a good barrel and good bedding..I have a sako L-461 custom metal by Tony Barnes, stock by yours truly, built in 6x45 with extra light fwt. barrel of 18"
The whole gun weighs about 5.5 lbs with a compact varible Leupold 3x9...

I shot a 10 shot group that measured .550x490, one hole and many groups nearly as good..I will bet any one that for 10 shot groups I will shoot all day and any group over 1" I will pay $1000 and any group under 1" you pay me $500. but ya gotta come to Idaho in the summer...

I have a Savage M-99 that shoots little tiny groups and a 30-30 that will scare you to death with iron sights, its really accurate...It takes many years to put together guns like these but I trade a lot and keep the outstanding examples..I have won many dollars and turkeys with that 30-30, even been told I could not shoot anymore at turkey shoots.

I have seen a lot of fwts. that shoot good for many rounds, I think its in barrel harmonics, some will and some won't, agreed most won't it seems...