Need Advice on Best Factory .223 Bolt Rifle for $1,000 or Less

[Indiana6547]

I'm looking for the best factory .223 bolt rifle for around $1,000 for rifle only. Rifle will be used for distances up to 800 yards and would like to have at least 1:8" twist to run 75 grain projectiles. I have not found the obvious choice...yet.

 

[Nightraider]

Tikka

 

[STOMP442]

Tikka X2

 

[Texas10]

For an off the shelf rifle with 8 twist barrel: https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/tikka-t3-varmint-223-remington-bolt-action-rifle#:~:text=The Tikka T3 Varmint .,with a 6+1 capacity

Or buy a Savage 12FV on sale, usually about $369, add a boyds or EABCO thumbhole stock for $250
https://www.boydsgunstocks.com/
https://www.eabco.net/Savage-Thumbhole-Varmint-Stock_p_14233.html

and a Criterion barrel for $300
http://northlandshooterssupply.com/barrels/criterion-savage/

Totals $919 without tax and shipping.

 

[misfire]

If you're patient and have the time another good place to look is the marketplace here you'd be amazed what can be had for $1,000 with most of the work already done for you

Jim

 

[rkittine]

Might want to see what Bob White has at The Shooter's Corner.

 

[Dgd6mm]

The best factory .223 rifle..... I'm going to think about this one.....

 

[Indiana6547]

The Ruger Precision in .223 is discontinued. Would new, old stock be worth looking for?

 

[Doug30racer]

CZ 572 varmint MTR

 

[K22]

There may be others but in my opinion the Tikka T3X is hard to beat especially in the heavy varmint model.

Pluses: Smooth action, excellent extractor system, excellent factory trigger, stock is stiff enough for precision shooting, out of the box accuracy with tailored reloads sub 1/2 moa (at least mine is).

Negatives: None

Improvements: Not crazy about the polymer magazine - had one on a Browning X Bolt wear out after one season of heavy field use but maybe Tikka's are better made - time will tell. Would like a three position safety to unload on safe. Would like if they offered the 12" twist 223 Rem in the US since I like to shoot 50 and 55 grain bullets for varmint and predator hunting.

 

[TheOtherZilla]

My son has a cheapie Savage 12, in 223 with factory bull type barrel and factory stock. It is a tack driver.

As far as TIKKA? I have a T3 light in 22-250 that just won't shoot consistently. Which surprises me after all the good I read about em..

 

[JB10]

I have a savage 12fv in a stocky stocks laminate stock. It has a 1:9 twist but have shot 75 eld in it. I did not shoot many of them cuz i stuck with the 73 eld since i have a lot of them.

 

[xswanted]

Tikka T3x Varmint

pretty darn good setup if you want to shoot long range and not spend a ton.

 

[rkittine]

Are any of the Remington 700s in .223 the faster twist?

 

[Bangs OH]

Are any of the Remington 700s in .223 the faster twist?

Can’t think of any offhand; maybe the 5R?
Could always buy one of the 783 Varmints and put on a faster-twist barrel for the ballpark figure.

 

[Bangs OH]

Unless their prices have gone up in the last couple years, Shaw Barrels/Custom Rifles could probably put something together, using their modified Savage action.
Also, a Ruger American Predator comes with a (22”), 1:8” twist barrel. Good price; could always upgrade stock later.

 

[Fast14riot]

https://raggedholebarrels.net/collections/garage-sale/products/223-remington

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Hey, I was looking,thinking about it!

 

[dryhumor]

You might come across a Winchester Coyote, Stealth, or Heavy Varmint. All 9 twist, IIRC. FN made very few 223s, also 9 twist. The Winchester Sporter Varmints were 12 twist.

 

[flatlander]

I hate to badmouth Winchester, but the first M70 heavy varmint I bought in '90 had - right out of the box - a pretty bad ding on the edge of the muzzle. Looked like someone had placed a 1/8" pin punch half on the muzzle/half hanging out over the bore, and given it a good whack with a light hammer. It left plenty of displaced metal hanging out over the bore. Instead of sending it back, I took it to a local smith and had him cut a fresh 11* crown, only to find that the chamber was grossly oversized. We sent it back after that, and when Winchester returned it with a different bbl, that one had an off-center chamber. It was bad enough that you could roll a fired case across the countertop and see how eccentric it was. That soured me on buying Winchesters for several years, but after I'd gotten my 1st lathe and started doing custom bbl work, I ordered in a M70 Stealth when Zanders was running a special on them. It didn't shoot that bad - was actually capable of shooting sub-moa groups at 100yds very regularly. But it seemed to copper foul at the muzzle rather quickly, and an inspection with a Hawkeye borescope revealed some really funky, almost crossed-up lands & grooves. Odd that it shot as well as it did the way the last 5" or so of the bore looked. It was advertised as a 1-9tw bbl, but measured as actually 1-8.3tw, and shot S80MKs fairly well out to 600yds. Reminds me of Forrest Gump - "Life is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're going to get" - only substitute "Win M70" for "Life"....

I'd go with a Tikka T3x varmint.