What is the AR15 of 223 bolt guns?

[GrandPooba]

Looking for the "AR15" of .223cal bolt guns. So obviously, the key traits would be reliability, ergonomics, availability of parts, accuracy, etc.

Thanks

[Seagunner]

There's about a thousand choices. Remington 700, Savage,Weatherby, CZ. Thats like asking whats the AR15 of Ar15's. Everybody drinks their own flavor of koolaid.

[Freelance]

+1 to the Remi 700, I think it meets all of the requirements that you listed and has more aftermarket stuff between actions and stocks than any of its competition for tailoring to your specifics.

[GrandPooba]

sorry should've been more specific. I'm more interested if there is a Colt/BCM/DD/LMT/etc equivalent for .223 bolt guns.

I do see that the Rem 700 is very popular, are there large quality differences between the various models?

[juliomorris]

Mossberg has a great idea with their MVP, the design isn't bad but Remington or Howa or even Savage needs to steal their design or at least the idea and run with it. It allows you to use AR mags and it is a smaller action because it designed around the 556.

I picked one up for my daughters to use varmit hunting and I use it frequently. Its not a bad rifle but it does have a few weak areas like the feeding mech, it could be beefier plus the bottom metal isn't metal its plastic. The trigger isn't bad but could be improved, it is crisp. Time will tell how it holds up, I do alot of varmit hunting so we will see.

I know both Remington and Savage have smaller framed rifle for 223 but they aren't made by them I think both are made in Turkey. But I do like the idea of a action designed around 556 and ar mags.

[Gem1950]

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

I'm going out on a limb here with the answer or AI, as its the only factory produced equivalent in service with a great number of nations in which you can readily buy a direct copy, to my knowledge.

[jwfuhrman]

I picked up one of the Mossberg MVP Predator 223 bolt actions, they take AR15 magazines. My 69gr handload shoots AMAZING thru this. I've only had it out to 300 but a 4in AR500 plate was not a problem for this gun with my Vortex 4.5-14 PST.

I'm curious to see how well it shoots with a 75gr load at 600. Once the North Pole shifts back to the north farther(its 15 below here today and 30mph winds), and since I work for a gun store/range that has out to 1000 I'm gonna take it out to 600. I'll never shoot it to 1000 as I know thats not a reality, but 600 shouldn't be a problem.

Alot of folks are gonna rag on the Mossberg bolt gun but by God it shoots.

[caporider]

The Savage bolt guns are easy to work on if you have a few simple tools and a good bench vise. The barrel nut design means barrel swaps are quite easy (provided you have the proper headspace gauges, which can be rented for just a few dollars), bolt disassembly is straightforward, etc. In contrast, barrel swaps on a Remington Model 700 are more involved and can require machining. There are also lots of aftermarket Savage parts available now, including prefit premium barrels from Shilen, Criterion, and others.

On a Colt/BCM to Bushmaster/DPMS scale, IMHO the Savages fall into Rock River Arms territory: great for range use and hunting, probably not the best choice for extended use in extreme conditions. Just looking at the way the extractor is set up, for example, confirms this for me.

As mentioned by others, the AI bolt guns (even the AE MkIII) offer switch-barrel capability and extreme reliability, but their initial cost is high (starting right around $4k).

[okie john]

Looking for the "AR15" of .223cal bolt guns. So obviously, the key traits would be reliability, ergonomics, availability of parts, accuracy, etc.

Thanks

It depends on what you want to do with it. Bolt actions are nowhere near as complex as gas-operated semi-autos, and people figured out how to make them reliable, ergonomically friendly, accurate, etc. a long time ago.

For a rifle that you'll shoot a lot and not carry much (and/or use to test stuff), get a Remington 700. If you're going to set it up once and not change the configuration much, then carry it around hunting and such, I'd go light: Tikka T3 series, Remington Model 7, Kimber, etc.

Lots of good choices out there, but just like building an AR, the starting platform depends on your intended use.


Okie John