I would roll with the 16" over the 18" gun. Like others have stated, you will not see much velocity difference between the two. I find the 16" to be handier as well. A 16" will get you to 600 yards no problem, I regularly shoot a 12" plate at 600 yards with a 13.7" Noveske.

My gun loves the factory Hornady .223 75gr Match loads. They also have a 0.39 ballistic coefficient which helps with wind at that range. In my experience it is a sub-MOA load. I've shot this load out to 750 yards.

I'd also use the Vortex 2-8 until you can afford something better. I'm sure it will be fine to use to evaluate accuracy and testing of various loads for your rifle.



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