20 Vartarg Advice

[Mark M.]

Hey guys think About putting together a 20 Vartarg for varmint, With out spending a fortune , what would you guys recommend as the best bang for the buck, thanks for your time.

 

[tonyb]

I would highly recommend finding a Remington 700 Fireball action.

Tony.

 

[6xcshooter]

I would highly recommend finding a Remington 700 Fireball action.

Tony.

That's what I did . But good luck finding one. most likely you will buy the whole rifle for $700 to $1000.
Cz actions will work and also sako A1 work. The Remington fireball has a different location for the extractor in the bolt face to facilitate better ejection.

 

[HillbillyLongRifle]

Find yourself a Rem 700 223 boltface Action with a Sako Extractor. Work super well with the 20 Vartarg.

 

[NorCalMikie]

OR, get what you can find and use it as a "single shot". If you can't hit your target with the first shot, you probably can do much better by throwing lead at it anyway.

 

[Bill K]

OR, get what you can find and use it as a "single shot". If you can't hit your target with the first shot, you probably can do much better by throwing lead at it anyway.

 

[varmintshooter]

Cheap way out would be a Savage action and an aftermarket Barrel from Northland Shooter Supply. That's how I did one, set it up for single shot works very well. Did another one with an e r Shaw Barrel used it last summer to kill over 300 groundhogs out to 450 yards. The Savage will extract the short cartridges but not eject them

 

[Bill K]

For a repeater find a 221 FB action and rebarrel it to the 20 VT/20SCC. Other wise obtain a good savage action and re-barrel it, and shoot single shot.
A good stock, Boyd's/stocky lami and a decent trigger. Either option will get you a good rifle for less money/investment. Bill K

 

[th82457]

Two options, Rem. model 7 or a CZ 527 that started as .221. Both will work well. The CZ will feed and extract excellent if you start with a .221 gun.

 

[steve123]

Two options, Rem. model 7 or a CZ 527 that started as .221. Both will work well. The CZ will feed and extract excellent if you start with a .221 gun.

^^^^^ yep

 

[Prose]

I have a couple fireballs (17, 20) on fireball rem actions and they suck compared to the 527 when it comes to proper function.

All you need with a 527 is a barrel. Start with a .204 ruger and switch to a 221 magazine, set the chamber back and that's probably the cheapest way to go.

 

[22BRGUY]

I would highly recommend finding a Remington 700 Fireball action.

Tony.

Did you mean a Remington model 700 or a Remington XP 100?

 

[tonyb]

Did you mean a Remington model 700 or a Remington XP 100?

Model 700. I have build several .20 Vartargs on them, and have had excellent luck.

Tony.

 

[22BRGUY]

Model 700. I have build several .20 Vartargs on them, and have had excellent luck.

Tony.

Thanks much Tony and I don't doubt that you have built some awesome rifles.
Showing my ignorance here but does the XP-100 pistol have that 700 action or is the XP-100 a different Remington action from the 700. Also can I ask why you prefer your vartag over say a 20 PPC?
thanks again

 

[chuckshooter]

the xr 100 / xp 100 actions are about 1/2" shorter than a std. 700 . I believe they are the same size as a model 7. any std. diameter action that has a std. ejector has a difficult time ejecting the vartarg. the smaller coopers and vz's seem to do better. on my rem 40x, I took out the ejector and single shot feed. no big deal

 

[Prose]

To make the past couple points clearer, the Fireball actions, regardless of if they are on an XP, XR, Mdl 7, or 700 action have different ejector geometry than all other remington 700 style actions. This difference allows the case to not fall off the extractor due to riding in the lug recess.

If you are going to use a remington action to build a fireball (17FB, 20VT/20SCC, 221 FB etc), you would be wise to have the correct action in hand if you desire to have a repeater.

Having said that, I think the CZ is the smartest and most economical way to go. The varmint synthetic model being the holy grail of CZs.

 

[HillbillyLongRifle]

Cz 527 does not have to be a 221 fireball. I have several 204 and 223 magazine CZ 527s that feed the fireball case like no other!! My current CZ 527 20 Vartarg was a 204 American from the factory. Feeds like a repeater should Flawless!!

 

[Gabe22BR]

I have a Stiller Tac 30 single shot. Feeds, & ejects the Fireball case fine.

I have a true 221 Fireball Remington, and I perfer the Stiller over the remmy ..

 

[pmg]

I think another reasonable option, although I've not tried yet, would be the Howa mini. The price is right, pretty smooth action, m16 style extractor, and decent trigger. What do you guys think?

 

[Prose]

I think another reasonable option, although I've not tried yet, would be the Howa mini. The price is right, pretty smooth action, m16 style extractor, and decent trigger. What do you guys think?

I’ve been trying to find that out for awhile. It’s been done but no one I’ve pmed responds with specifics. I also have a Stiller 20vt repeater and it works about 75% of the time. The m16 extractor is only half the solution. The angle of ejection is the other half. Mechanical ejector is a 100% solution.