What .223?

fathersymes

i'm shopping around for a .223, mainly to be used for vermin and a bit of range work. I'm leaning towards a Tikka lite stainless, so here is my shortlist:

Ruger
Remington
Tikka
Brno
Steyr

interested to hear opinions! I reckon the Tikka is probably the most accurate out of the box.

Clare gunner

What mod of Steyr are you looking at?

Rovi

Well, here's my Remington Model 700 LVSF (Light Varmint Stainless Fluted) in .223Rem-
More detail here- http://www.remington.com/products/fi..._700_LV_SF.asp

I like it a whooooole lot

Having said that, I've only had it a little over a week, and haven't had a chance to do much more than roughly sight it in yet.

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Rew

Iv a .223 Tikka Tactical, havn't manged to put much more then 20 rnds through it so far though...

scorphonic

Just out of curiosity,

What are you using the .223's for? Vermin was mentioned...how big are they:D

Keelan

I have a CZ (Brno) .223. Very accurate with all the different types of ammo i can get for it and so far have taken 29 foxes with it.:)
I am very happy with the rifle and caliber.
I also use it on the range for target shooting.

TomBeckett

Hi There
Of the four or five you mentioned there First Choice would have to be the remington 700 vssf. I have two one in .220swift and one in .308 and they are two crackers strong durable and very accurate. A mate of mine has one the same as Rovi's I fired it a few times when we were zeroing the scope shoots like a dream!!:D

Sputnik

What do you think of the tactical so far Rew? I've been considering getting one but it's pushing the buget a bit.

thelurcher

Keelan: fine healthy foxes - what weight was the nearest one?

Sputnik

fine healthy foxes

They didn't look to healthy to me!

Vegeta

I was also thinking of gettin this sort of calibre rifle so its nice to see all the positive replies about it

Rew

Sputnik wrote:

What do you think of the tactical so far Rew? I've been considering getting one but it's pushing the buget a bit.

Bit of a **** up on the suppliers (not dealers) end where they sent out standard tikka mounts not picatinny mounts. Its tapped for Tikka mounts but you have to remove the picatinny rail to put them on and thats well fixed to the reciver. I put 20 rnds through it without sights but couldn't hit a thing (shooting at 100m at dusk).

I love the weight and feel of it. Adjustable cheek piece comes up higher then you could ever want it. Mines a 20" barrel, but only because I didnt specify 20" or 24" and took what i got. Trigger is nice and crips, have to look at adjusting it next. Iv a vid of the shooting that ill post at some stage.

Vegeta

Rew if you don't mind me asking approx how much did you pay for it??? or how much would the 24" model cost

Rew

No price diff for barrel lengths AFAIK. My research was a bit lacking when I ordered and I thought barrel lenth was diff between calibers instead of an option on all calibers. By the time I realised it was a bit late to specify. After looking in to it (thread here some where) there seems to be very little differance in muzzle velocity between a 20" and 24" barrel with .223. There both approx 3000 fps. Im going to get it clocked anyway to see what the real figure is.

I got a deal from a friend on a package so I dont think the price is representive, but in saying that i do think you could get a similar deal by shopping around. From Irish dealers i was quoted 1500-1600 for the rifle alone. From the north or form a dealer who would be sourcing stock out side of the offical Irish wholesaler the were 1450-1500. Like I said worth shopping around.

Trojan911

I have a CZ Remington .223 and I am very impressed with it's accuracy. I am currently using Sako 55gr soft point rounds and find them perfect for taking out foxes at long range (200+ yards).

I have also recently fitted a scope mounted lamp for night shooting and find this very effective if I am out on my own. Jeffers of Bandon Cork stocks them.

Cheers TJ911...

Keelan

thelurcher wrote:

Keelan: fine healthy foxes - what weight was the nearest one?

Not sure Lurcher. But he was heavy alright. Their is plenty about thats for sure. Their mating now, so they are easy to come across.;)

I was using Federal 40 grain Nosler ballistic tip factory ammo, deadly accurate and great knock down power for foxes.

Keelan

I have also recently fitted a scope mounted lamp for night shooting and find this very effective if I am out on my own. Jeffers of Bandon Cork stocks them.

Cheers TJ911...[/QUOTE]

I agree with you TJ911. I have a light Force one, very usfull when on my own aswell. The foxes in the pic were taken last night on my own using this combo.;)

Rew

What are people paying for .223?

The Remmington 45 gr HP's i have are €13.90 for 20
I was quoted €20 for 20 Sako game heads
Local dealer has 55gr FMJ's (I forget the brand) for €9.50 for 20

Keelan

Rew wrote:

What are people paying for .223?

The Remmington 45 gr HP's i have are €13.90 for 20
I was quoted €20 for 20 Sako game heads
Local dealer has 55gr FMJ's (I forget the brand) for €9.50 for 20

Rew, i am paying as follows:

Remigton 62 grain HP match= 30euro for 20.
Remington 55 gr FMJ = 10 Euro for 20.
Sako 55 gr Sp Game Head = 22 Euro for 20.
Sako 50 gr SP = 20 euro for 20.
Federal Premium 40 grain Nosler ballistic Tip = 25 euro for 20
Federal V.shock 64 grain SP = 20 Euro for 20.

Its an amazing caliber, so much ammo and so cheap, i love it.:)

Rovi

Rew wrote:

What are people paying for .223?

Remington Premier Accutip-V Boat Tail (55 grain) - €29.95 for 20
Remington Premier Express Rifle Core-Lokt Pointed Soft Point (55 grain) - €24.95 for 20
Remington UMC Metal Case (55 grain) - €8.95 for 20

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Vegeta

What kind of effective ranges are you guys getting kills at. I don't want to hear of people saying that they have heard of guys shooting a field mouse at 2 miles or anything like that I just want to know what range you guys are shooting these foxes

tuxy

what price range would you get a good .223 for?
are they easy to find second hand?

Rew

Dont think you would find many going 2nd hand. AFAIK they start at about 800 or so.

tuxy

Rew wrote:

Dont think you would find many going 2nd hand. AFAIK they start at about 800 or so.

just spend a good bit buying a browning medalist over and under, will have to leave it for a while.

thanks

Rovi

Rew wrote:

Dont think you would find many going 2nd hand. AFAIK they start at about 800 or so.

Unfortunately so, the .223 is a pretty 'new' calibre here, so there isn't much in the way of secondhand guns yet.

.

Clare gunner

Could always go the steyr Scout or the Steyr scout tactical.If you can get over their freaky look.Handled one,never shot it,has some nice features,[intergral bipod]lightweight,very fast bolt action for follow up shots.

Keelan

Vegeta wrote:

What kind of effective ranges are you guys getting kills at. I don't want to hear of people saying that they have heard of guys shooting a field mouse at 2 miles or anything like that I just want to know what range you guys are shooting these foxes

Most of my foxes are shot on the lamp, so i dont tend to go beyond 200yds.
My longest shot at a fox with my .223 is 252yds in the daylight.

Keelan

tuxy wrote:

what price range would you get a good .223 for?
are they easy to find second hand?

Havent seen a second hand one yet.
My CZ .223 cost 800 euro brand new. Czs are one of the cheapest.
Sabatie are going for around 750 euro or cheaper.
Shop around to get the best deal.

Vegeta

800 brand new isn't bad, not great but definitely affordable, the Tikka on the other hand is not affordable as a second rifle!!! Hey CG how much are the steyr scout tactical going for in this country. I would try googling it but I would rather ask you guys and get some first hand knowledge on it!!

Rovi

Just for the record, I gave €1300 for the Remington.
That's the most I've ever spent on a gun, but it is a little jewel of a thing.

I try not to look at the MRRP (Manufacturer's Recommended Retail Price) in the States

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TomBeckett

To Rovi.
Yes i know it would make you cringe when you see the RRP in the us i think for A Remi 700 its something like $950:eek:
Just a question how do you get photos to come up on the therad i have some on my phone but i dont know how to get them on here??

Keelan

Some more CZ .223 results at dawn this morning, see attahcment.;)

Vegeta

Keelan wrote:

Some more CZ .223 results at dawn this morning, see attahcment.;)

Holy crap man where do you live, and also what type of scope are you using does it have an illuminated reticle?? How do you dispose of the bodies or do you have many Fox dinners???

TomBeckett

Two nice ones alright you must have been out early:D
Did you just stumble accross them or did you have some bait down and lie in and wait?

Rew

Lads to be fair to anyone that dosn't hunt please be clear when your posting photos like this what the content is.

Keelan

Vegeta wrote:

Holy crap man where do you live, and also what type of scope are you using does it have an illuminated reticle?? How do you dispose of the bodies or do you have many Fox dinners???

I live in the SE, the scope is a S&B 3-12x50, very good clarity, crystal clear, its not a illuminated reticle, but is deadly in low light conditions.:)
I sell the foxes, dont get much for them, but it pays for petrol and ammo.

Keelan

TomBeckett wrote:

Two nice ones alright you must have been out early:D
Did you just stumble accross them or did you have some bait down and lie in and wait?

Yes, i bait the area with permission and lie in wait.
The foxes in the picture were lamp shy and were taking lambs regularily, they had to go.

Keelan

Rew wrote:

Lads to be fair to anyone that dosn't hunt please be clear when your posting photos like this what the content is.

Fair enough Rew. As i have said, the foxes were taking lambs at a regular basis, pure vermin control.
If you want to remove the pic, feel free, i dont want to upset anyone.:)

Rovi

TomBeckett wrote:

Just a question how do you get photos to come up on the therad i have some on my phone but i dont know how to get them on here??

You'll have to figure out getting the pictures off your phone an unto your computer yourself, but once you've done that-

First-
Re-size your pictures to something suitable for general viewing on the forum.
ie. jpg format, no more than 600-700 pixels wide and 50-100KB file size.
There's loads of software out there to do this, you probably already have have something on your computer to do it.

Then, either-
Method 1
On the 'Post New Thread' or 'Reply to Thread' page, look below the text box where you're typing your stuff, and you'll see an 'Additional Options' section.
There's an 'Attach Files' section with a 'Manage Attachments' button. Click the button. Follow the instructions in the pop-up window to post your pictures to the Boards.ie servers.
They'll appear as links in an 'Attached Images' box, see Keelan's post above (#32).
These links won't appear when you preview your message, but they will when you post it to the forum.

Method 2
(this is the one I use, and how I get pictures to appear in-line)
You'll need to put your pictures on the Internet somewhere.
I use ImageShack (http://imageshack.us/).
ImageShack is free, your pictures are hosted forever, they will re-size images to suit different purposes, and they provide you with the code to copy'npaste into your message.
When you host a picture with ImageShack, they'll offer you a bunch of code options. I use 'Hotlink for forums (1)' as it matches the code conventions used by Boards.ie.
Copy'npaste your chosen code into your message, click the 'Preview Post' button, and your message should appear complete with picture.

Method 3
If you find an image on the Internet that you'd like to use in a post, you can right click on it and select 'Properties.' Copy the 'Location' bit and use the 'Insert Image' button on the message editor.
That's the little yellow square one with a couple of 'mountains' and the 'sun' on it :rolleyes:
Paste the 'Location' code for your image into the box, and the image will appear in your message.
Be aware though, this is 'hotlinking' or 'leeching' and may contravene the fair use policy of the original site.


Go to the Test forum (http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=361) to try it out.


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Vegeta

Keelan wrote:

Yes, i bait the area with permission and lie in wait.
The foxes in the picture were lamp shy and were taking lambs regularily, they had to go.

Excellent Job Keelan, I love when something is done right, I was thinking of getting into this type of shooting myself, nice to see you getting results like these. Keep up the good work

Keelan

Vegeta wrote:

Excellent Job Keelan, I love when something is done right, I was thinking of getting into this type of shooting myself, nice to see you getting results like these. Keep up the good work

Thanks Vegeta.;)

Rew

Keelan wrote:

Fair enough Rew. As i have said, the foxes were taking lambs at a regular basis, pure vermin control.
If you want to remove the pic, feel free, i dont want to upset anyone.:)

No need to remove just be clear in your posts what they are and people can make up their own minds if they want to click the link thats all.

TomBeckett

to keelan
You said your in the south east me too Foxs are very plentifull this year done the same thing myself a few weeks ago there were some dogs taking sheep on a local farmer so myself and a mate of mine were drafted in to deal with them:D you should see what a swift does to a sheepdog at 100yds:eek:
anyway got the dogs then persuaded the farmer to leave the dead sheep in the field for two days got four foxs aswell:D

Vegeta

Hey guys (Tom and Keelan) I was just wondering would you recommend a swift over the .223 or are there any major differences between them. Other than the obvious that is. They seem like a very close calibre so why would one purchase a swift over a .223 and vice vesa. Does it come down to bullet weights.

tuxy

Clare gunner wrote:

Could always go the steyr Scout or the Steyr scout tactical.If you can get over their freaky look.Handled one,never shot it,has some nice features,[intergral bipod]lightweight,very fast bolt action for follow up shots.

and how much would a scout set me back?
im guessing alot

Keelan

TomBeckett wrote:

to keelan
You said your in the south east me too Foxs are very plentifull this year done the same thing myself a few weeks ago there were some dogs taking sheep on a local farmer so myself and a mate of mine were drafted in to deal with them:D you should see what a swift does to a sheepdog at 100yds:eek:
anyway got the dogs then persuaded the farmer to leave the dead sheep in the field for two days got four foxs aswell:D

Yes, i have seen how powerfull a swift is, it has raw energy, a freind has one for fox shooting, it litrally cuts them in half, which is good, because its a quick and painless death.

Keelan

Vegeta wrote:

Hey guys (Tom and Keelan) I was just wondering would you recommend a swift over the .223 or are there any major differences between them. Other than the obvious that is. They seem like a very close calibre so why would one purchase a swift over a .223 and vice vesa. Does it come down to bullet weights.

It comes down to the availibilty of different types of ammo for me anyways.
The .223 has a wide range of factory ammo to choose from and is far more cheaper than the Swift.
The .223 also has much less barrel ware and is much quiter, something to consider whilst out lamping at night. Recoil is less too .
The swift however, has more of a range than the .223 and much more energy. Then again, how much energy do you need to cull a fox humanley.

Keelan

Rew wrote:

No need to remove just be clear in your posts what they are and people can make up their own minds if they want to click the link thats all.

Ok Rew, i will do this from now on.
Cheers.:)

TomBeckett

to Vegeta
To be honest there is a fair difference between .223 and 220swift. The swift packs a far greater punch than .223 there is also a matter of range .223 is good up to about 500-600yds 220swift 1000yd+ depending that its blowing a gale of course i do a fair bit of practice with the swift and dont have a prob hitting barrell lids @1000yds
of course then there is the price swift ammo averages at €40 per box thats €2 each:eek:
so it all depends really on what your going to be shooting at if its foxs or vermin at 100yds-500yds then .223 would be the one to go for.
you could of course go for a 22-250 not as powerfull as the swift but its more powerfull than .223 ammo is way cheaper too:)

Sparks

Keelan wrote:

Yes, i have seen how powerfull a swift is, it has raw energy, a freind has one for fox shooting, it litrally cuts them in half, which is good, because its a quick and painless deaf.

That's why ear defenders are so important in shooting.

Vegeta

TomBeckett wrote:

to Vegeta
To be honest there is a fair difference between .223 and 220swift. The swift packs a far greater punch than .223 there is also a matter of range .223 is good up to about 500-600yds 220swift 1000yd+ depending that its blowing a gale of course i do a fair bit of practice with the swift and dont have a prob hitting barrell lids @1000yds
of course then there is the price swift ammo averages at €40 per box thats €2 each:eek:
so it all depends really on what your going to be shooting at if its foxs or vermin at 100yds-500yds then .223 would be the one to go for.
you could of course go for a 22-250 not as powerfull as the swift but its more powerfull than .223 ammo is way cheaper too:)

So if the shooter is capable could he take a fox at 500 yards with a .223. I like the sound of cheaper ammo and less recoil. I am not a fan of heavy hitting rifles...people can call me a pansy but unfortunately I have a very bad jump reflex so loud noises combined with heavy recoil make me jump a mile. You should see me at the cinema when watching a thriller, my ass barely touches the seat.

Thanks for the info guys, now i suppose its back to the original posters question?? Which .223, I am liking the CZ Keelan has, I would love the Tikka but I'm not minted and the steyr scout tactical looks funky but if priced right might also be an option.