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Best .223/5.56 Bolt Action

DJBrad

DJBrad

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I am shopping around for a dedicated bolt gun for .223/5.56 that I will not necessarily be hunting with. This will have to be somewhat lightweight, having a minimum 20” barrel, and preferably a high quality wood stock.

So far not having found my unicorn choice of a CZ527 LUX or Ebony except for one right now on my watchlist which will most like go for well over $1k (not an issue) I’m now looking at other options such as:

1. CZ600 American
2. Weatherby Vanguard Sporter
3. Savage VLP
4. Ruger Hawkeye or M77? (Laminate stocks are gay)

I’m not completely opposed to the Howa, Tikka, and Bergara options but I don’t really want a composite stock. The CZ600 lux is a big letdown on quality as compared to the CZ527 while considering the roughness of CZ Mauser actions after having done extensive reviews.

Browning A bolts, Christensen Arms, and Steyr are a bit too much for my tastes and utility. Any carbine options are off the table as I’d like to do target shooting with it. The CZ600 trail is a very intriguing AR based platform which may fill an alternate need.

What do the sages of NES say?
 
I bought a Mossberg MVP with the intention of using it for coyote hunting. Still haven't hunted with it and probably will never hunt coyote, but I take it to the range on occasion and have fun with it on steel plates at 200 yards. I like that it takes AR mags. It's the only scoped centerfire rifle I own actually.
 
Depends on how soon you need it and what you need it for. If you have the time I’d say go with a 527 Lux. My father setup a 527 lux in 223 as his coyote field gun. Be aware of the barrel twist when you handle it. His came with the 1:12 twist and ended up liking 45-50gr pills, something to be aware of if you want to run heavies. I think they also came with 1:9. That thing is awesome though as a field gun.
 
Why not but whatever action floats your boat and put it in a Boyd’s stock? I have a Savage Model 12 that is a tack driver. Came in a crappy plastic stock, now it’s in a chassis. If I wanted to chase yotes with it, I’d put it back in the plastic.

If you don’t want to go that route, a classic Rem 700 should be on the list. Some of those came from the factory in pretty wood, and the accuracy is certainly there.
 
jamison55 said:
Why not but whatever action floats your boat and put it in a Boyd’s stock? I have a Savage Model 12 that is a tack driver. Came in a crappy plastic stock, now it’s in a chassis. If I wanted to chase yotes with it, I’d put it back in the plastic.

If you don’t want to go that route, a classic Rem 700 should be on the list. Some of those came from the factory in pretty wood, and the accuracy is certainly there.
Click to expand...
I did forget to mention the 700. That is another good option.
 
Woodsloafer said:
@DJBrad I have a CZ 527 American with a nice walnut stock and a spare synthetic stock that I am going to sell, just haven't gotten around to listing it on GB, if it is anything you are interested in (I can get you pictures/details/price later today/tonight).
Click to expand...
Shoot me some pics and prices!
 
I own Bergara, Savage, and Remington bolt guns.

Savage - this is a 100% custom shop gun that was built for me on a friend of a friend's instruction who is a VP there. It was a "VIP build" that was done to reconcile a warranty issue I had. The gun is a legitimate .6 MOA shooter using the AVERAGE of multiple FIVE shot groups. I'm not talking cherry picked 3 shot groups. It's a tack driver. But it still provides no satisfaction when it comes to actually running the gun. The fit of the bolt in the receiver is sloppy. Everything looks like it's off of a $400 gun. So while Savage makes great guns. Reliable and accurate. They aren't pretty or "slick". I'm old. I want my nice guns to look and feel nice and I;'m willing to pay for it.

This is unfortunate because savage is one of the only companies that makes a LEFT HAND bolt .223 with a heavy barrel to use as a PRS trainer.

Remington - everything is fine. Nothing is exceptional. With the same 308 reloads that the savage shoots to .6 MOA, the Remington shoots to a bit over 1.2 moa. The savage is in an Element chassis, the Rem is in the flexy rubber covered plastic stock that it came with. Maybe that is it.

Bergara B14R - The Bergara is a Rem700 pattern gun. It seems to be better made than the Remington in almost every measure. This is a .22LR gun so I can't compare apples to apples as far as accuracy goes. If the weather is warm, with the right ammo it's an honest 1 moa gun at 100 yards and a 1.5 MOA gun at 200 yards.

My 14 year old daughter has no trouble consistently ringing a 3" spinner at 165 yards with the gun once I dial in the DOPE.

This is the Bergara the first time I put it together. Yes, the rings are too high. That's all I had at the time.

1709735423308.jpeg
 
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dcmdon said:
I own Bergara, Savage, and Remington bolt guns.

Savage - this is a 100% custom shop gun that was built for me on a friend of a friend's instruction who is a VP there. It was a "VIP build" that was done to reconcile a warranty issue I had. The gun is a legitimate .6 MOA shooter using the AVERAGE of multiple FIVE shot groups. I'm not talking cherry picked 3 shot groups. It's a tack driver. But it still provides no satisfaction when it comes to actually running the gun. The fit of the bolt in the receiver is sloppy. Everything looks like it's off of a $400 gun. So while Savage makes great guns. Reliable and accurate. They aren't pretty or "slick". I'm old. I want my nice guns to look and feel nice and I;'m willing to pay for it.

This is unfortunate because savage is one of the only companies that makes a LEFT HAND bolt .223 with a heavy barrel to use as a PRS trainer.

Remington - everything is fine. Nothing is exceptional. With the same 308 reloads that the savage shoots to .6 MOA, the Remington shoots to a bit over 1.2 moa. The savage is in an Element chassis, the Rem is in the flexy rubber covered plastic stock that it came with. Maybe that is it.

Bergara B14R - The Bergara is a Rem700 pattern gun. It seems to be better made than the Remington in almost every measure. This is a .22LR gun so I can't compare apples to apples as far as accuracy goes. If the weather is warm, with the right ammo it's an honest 1 moa gun at 100 yards and a 1.5 MOA gun at 200 yards.

My 14 year old daughter has no trouble consistently ringing a 3" spinner at 165 yards with the gun once I dial in the DOPE.

This is the Bergara the first time I put it together. Yes, the rings are too high. That's all I had at the time.

View attachment 858051
Click to expand...
Thanks for the feedback. I do want the gun to be enjoyable to shoot. I would be more than happy for sub moa at 100 yds benched. I’m not sure I want to change chassis since I’m partial to walnut stocks. Bedded stocks with bull barrels is a bit more precise than fun to me for now.

I have a Savage 111 in 6.5 and a CZ527 in x39 so far. Love them both for what they offer. There may come a time when I will spend considerable hours reloading and target bench shooting but I’m just not there yet.
 
If the bolt feel doesn't bother you on a Savage, it's an excellent choice.

Just don't go to a gun shop and run the bolt on a Tikka or even a Ruger RPR

I'm not a big fan of bench shooting. About the only time I do it is if I'm actually trying to measure a gun's accuracy. But I do love target shooting.

CZ has a great reputation for good accuracy and beautiful wood for reasonable money. I don't know a lot about them, since the only CZ rifle I own is a 457 in .22 LR.
 
CZ all day long if all you have is the list you gave. The only one I would consider to be comparable to CZ is Howa. Get Oryx chassis, add Howa barreled action and you have one sweet setup…
 
40 Creedmoor fan said:
CZ all day long if all you have is the list you gave. The only one I would consider to be comparable to CZ is Howa. Get Oryx chassis, add Howa barreled action and you have one sweet setup…
Click to expand...
Firmly agree. What I didn’t mention because I’m looking at new in box is the aura of the CZ 500s and even Brno 600s. If I could find a nib 550 or 555 I would jump on it.
 
DJBrad said:
I did forget to mention the 700. That is another good option.
Click to expand...

The Remington 700 has too many variations... (If people thought that Glocks nomenclature was stupid.... dont get me started on those rifles... oh yeah I have a "rem 700 VZDBLWX2" And the triggers are not nearly as nice as a lot of CZs out of the box.

A Rem 700 is like a literal project gun, undone. [laugh]
 
DJBrad said:
Thoughts on the Ruger Gen 2 American?
Click to expand...

I have a Gen 1 Predator that I picked up last year as a cheap plinker to test loads as I was learning the reloading process. I've since put just under 2k rounds through it, and it's proven to be well worth the money! When I got it I immediately updated the trigger spring, and when I realized it was a good shooter I added a Magpul Hunter stock and longer bolt handle. This rifle has really surprised me with the accuracy I get out of it, even when it's running on the pretty warm side. It comes with me every time I go go the long range at my club, and out to the max of 500 yards it never disappoints.

As for drawbacks, the action wasn't exactly smooth when I first got it, and feeding from the AR mags requires rapid bolt movements or else the rounds can pop up jam the action. Now that I've worked the bolt 2k times, the zipper sound has gone away.

Predator At Range.jpg

The Gen 2 has good reviews if you take a look on Youtube. WhoTeeWho and Backfire both have reviews and accuracy tests on 5.56/.223 versions and the results look good. The action also seems to work better on the Gen 2, and the feeding has been improved. When I finally shoot the barrel out of my Gen 1, I'd definitely be up to buy a Gen 2.
 
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Gerbs54 said:
What scope are you running?
Click to expand...
I’ve got Arken SH4 6-24s on the three centerfires I usually bring to the long range. I also use a 10/22 there with a 4-16 SH4. I tend to have at least three of these riffles with me each time I go, and I find it easier to rotate through rifles when they have the same exact reticle.
 

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