Deciding between possible options in .223 bolt-gun

[RVZoo]

Hello everybody. I've just registered to the forum but I've been an avid reader of this excellent site for some time.
I have decided to buy a Bolt-Action gun in .223 Remington for medium/short distance practice (100 to 300 yards) to burn out a stack of FMJ 55gr ammo. After the stock is gone I will reload for this rifle.
I have narrowed down the selection to the FN TSR USA, CZ 527 Varmint Kevlar or Browning A-Bolt TCT Varmint.
Of these I have only been able to take a look at the FN and I really like the "modified-M70" action with the 3-position safety, but the Hogue stock is not my favorite and I wonder if the 20", medium weight barrel would be the best option.
I have read nothing but praise on all the CZ 527 variants. The barrel is 4" longer and possibly heavier (?). The stock may be better and the overall look of the gun is nicer but I am more interested in function than form.
I've found almost no feedback at all on the A-Bolt's in general, let alone the TCT Varmint.
If anyone has direct experience with these guns I'd greatly appreciate any insight.

 

[Kenny474]

The CZ 527 Kevlar is an excellent rifle. Great action that is very reliable. The stock is nice and fit me very well. Accuracy was excellent in the rifle I used, being very good for a factory barrel, regularly grouping around .75" to 1.25" with factory bulk ammo (read: CRAP AMMO ) and around .5" with handloads, and this was from an improvised rest most of the time, not a high end pedestal.

The rifle is my brother-in-laws and he lives on a good size farm in North Dakota. He uses it as his walking/truck rifle as it has a nice heavy barrel yet it isn't so heavy it's hard to carry and is a bit more compact than most rifles with a similar length barrel. It also balances well and is easy to break an accurate off-hand shot if necessary. He usually has it with him when around the farm, though he does have a Savage .22WMR he uses as well.

I have used it on prairie dogs when visiting as well as around the farm just plinking or on the occasional pest, and I really liked it a lot. One of the nicer factory rifles I have ever shot. Just feels very solid and well built. It's also well used and not near "factory fresh" either. This is a rifle that has been used, and used a lot. It's still tight and accurate and probably has a few thousand rounds through it, as well as many days of sitting in the rack in the truck or on the ATV or on the horses as well. For a hard used rifle, it has held up exceptionally well. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one.

Kenny

 

[subsonic]

Welcome to the site, I have a 24" 1:8 twist 223 barrel mounted to a Savage [the wife has me on a tight budget] that serves me well from 100 out to 600 yards. It holds a .5 to .75 MOA out to 600 yards with reloaded ammo using 69 to 82gr bullets. An 8 twist will shoot the 55gr factory ammo with good results at short range and if you are going to reload I think you will achieve better results reloading heavier bullets depending on the conditions where you shoot. As far as a choice of rifle, I would look at its main purpose, cost and reliability. I have not heard any negative issues about those three guns. I hope my two cents has helped you get a little closer to your decision.

Happy Holidays
Ron

 

[SS427]

No opinion on those two rifles. They appear to be very different guns, other than similar twist rates. I'm curious how you narrowed your selection down to those two? Are you open to opinions on other rifles?

 

[HPMike800]

I would skip the A-bolt, I don't like press fit barrels.

IMHO look at the Savage 12 series rifles, esp the ones with button rifled barrels. They have a reputation for accuracy.

 

[Kenny474]

I would skip the A-bolt, I don't like press fit barrels.

IMHO look at the Savage 12 series rifles, esp the ones with button rifled barrels. They have a reputation for accuracy.

What A-Bolts do you speak of that have pressed in barrels? I am rather sure they are threaded into the action as are most all other centerfire actions. The new actions are threaded 1"X32 and the older 15/16"x20, at least they were last I knew. If they are press fit, then it is a very new development.

Also, what model Savage's do not have a button rifled barrel? I was also under the impression that Savage made all their centerfire barrels in house and all are button rifled. The Lightweight Varminter models (model 25's) are the only odd-ball I know of, and the only difference is they lack a barrel nut and are threaded and pinned into the receiver, but still button rifled.

Thank you for clearing up any misunderstanding I may have.

Kenny

To the OP: Savage does make a very accurate and high quality rifle as well. I would recommend looking at them as well, although you already have three very nice rifles to choose from. The A-Bolt TCT looks to be a very nice rifle, the CZ is an excellent rifle from a very reputable maker, and the FN TSR is also a very nice looking rifle from a very reputable maker. I don't think there is really a "bad" choice in the three, though I would opt for the CZ or FN myself. But that is just an opinion, and you know what they say about opinions.

 

[HPMike800]

I was told the A-Bolt's were pressed by somebody I belived. I'm glad to hear they are not.

On the Savage website they used show "Buttoned Rifled" on the data sheet for various models. I see they no longer do that.

To the OP, one of the new shooters at my club was looking for an "out of the box" F-T/R gun. A local guy was selling a CZ 308 varmint gun with a laminated wood stock that was very nice. The shooter opted rework his AR. To bad, I wanted to see how well it would hold a 500yd target.

 

[GaCop]

All my pecision rifles are built on Savage actions by me. I like being to change barrels/calibers w/o having to pay a gunsmith. My latest build is chambered in 223 Ackley. The barrel was bought from Sinarms in South Dakota. Devin does excellent chamber and threading work.

The barrel he made for me is a 28 inch stainless steel heavy varmint with 1 in 8 twist. To date I have fired 115 hand loads through the barrel. 100 yard five shot accuracy has been between the mid .2s to the mid .6s with bullet weights from the 69 grain SMK, 75 grain A-Max and 80 grain Berger VLD.

Tom

 

[RVZoo]

Merry X-Mas to everybody. Thanks for all the replies.
This is how I narrowed my selection to the 3 guns listed:
-I'm looking for a factory gun with a medium to heavy, fully floated, barrel with a twist of 1 in 9" or 1 in 8".
- Fully bedded action in a laminated-wood or synthetic stock.
- Preferably an ultra short action (shorter than the traditional "short actions" of the .308 family of cartridges).
Of the 3 listed guns I tend to lean more towards the FN and CZ that have controlled-feed operation.
Of the CZ I prefer the longer, heavier barrel, the HS Precision stock and the Mauser-style extractor. Not a big fan of it's drop magazine.
Of the FN I prefer the 3-position M70-style safety, the ability of working both as controlled AND push-feed and the internal magazine. Not crazy about the 20" barrel length and the feel of the Hogue stock.
The FN handles very nicely. The stock fits my frame and I already own some FN guns that have proved extremely tough, reliable and accurate.
So the FN fits the bill and I could just go for it, but I would like to actually handle at least the CZ before plunging down the cash for the FN. Especially after the great reviews on the CZ.
Anyone knows of a place in MI that stocks the CZ's and Browning's? I tried the usual suspects (Williams, Guns Galore, Bass Pro and Cabela's) without luck.
Thanks again for the great feedback. The members of this site are awesome.

 

[jonbearman]

If you shoot that fmj ammo you will be disappointed in your accuracy.They are designed to be a 1 1/2 to 2 inch accuracy at 100 yds. You would be better off shooting handloads from the get go and sell the fmj and turn it into component money instead to really see what your rifle is capable of to start with and not go nuts trying to figure it out using substandard ammo meant for combat.

 

[flashhole]

One thing no one has mentioned is the excellet Single Set Trigger on the CZ. To me that would be a significant factor in the decision process. I don't own a 527 but did own a 550 FS with the single set trigger and can tell you it was a huge benefit in accuracy. That being said, I own a Kimber Longmaster Classic 1:9 twist 24" barrel in 223 that is a very nice gun with an excellent factory trigger. A bit more expensive than the CZ but I can't say it shoots any better than a CZ.

 

[Travelor]

I know this was not one of your listed guns, but you should really take a look at the Savage 223's. They come with a 1:9 twist barrel which will allow you to shoot heavier bullets should you choose to after you shoot up app your FMJ stuff.

I have three Savage 10FP's (two in 308 and one in 223) and love them. My 223 monotonously shoots inside 1/2 MOA.

I routinely win our Club's 200 and 300 yard F-Class matches with my 223 using 69 gr Sierra MatchKings.

Here is a link to one currently on GunBroker to give you and example of the gun. http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=208867347

George

 

[15Tango]

I'd go with the CZ out of those choices. One time I was debating between the 527 in .223 (9 Twist) and the Tikka T3 Varmint in .223 (8 twist) and was pretty sure I was going to go with the Tikka.

After debating costs I ended up building another AR15 upper instead, ha. I couldn't be happier with the AR15 (24" DPMS 8 twist, $200), stupid thing's shooting around .3 and I'm hoping to get it tuned to the .2s in Spring. If I could do it over again I would have bought the 26" barrel from White Oak though, when this barrel's shot out I'll be getting one of those.

Again, of your choices I'd go with the CZ. Fully adjustable trigger (creep, weight, overtravel) and the adjustable set trigger; hammer forged and lapped barrel; the stock on the Kevlar model used to be a HS Precision but they changed the name on the website to Bell & Carlson I think (I think it's still an HS) but it has an aluminum bedding block. The only downsides to the CZ are the rings are funky but there are Weaver bases out there for them; the safety is only a two-position if I remember right (not many companies have a 3-position these days anyway); the magazine location can be a bit odd as it's a single stack and protrudes down far; and CZs can be addicting - you might end up with like 10 of their handguns in your locker before you know it.

Wayne

 

[rbertalotto]

Out of the choices you listed, I'd go CZ.........But the prices they are selling for now makes me pause. Just a year or two ago we were buying Cz-527 rifles for $400.....And be sure to have that horrible trigger guard modified.... ;D

http://www.rvbprecision.com/shooting/cz-527-rifle-magazine-conversion.html

But you really should look into the Savage rifles. Nothing currently comes close for out of the box accuracy anywhere near the price you will pay.

BTW, all Savage barrels are button rifled (to answer a question above)..........I've been there and seen it!