Whatever happened to the Bolt Action .223 Remington?

[M118LR]

I guess it's best to start with safety. A match chambered .223 Remington can NOT safely use 5.56 NATO ammo. So along time ago......Bolt Action rifles in .223 REM used to have 1:12 twists for the 53 grain SMK that was popular at the time. Even though I found that the Hornady flat based 55 grain spire point # 2265 with 21.5 grains of IMR 4198 was a better 100 yard round. (real tiny groups) Then along came the 69 grain SMK and barrel twists of 1:9 became the norm in .223 REM Bolt Actions. Which made 55 grain projectiles seem to under perform. (so I'm also guilty of switching to the 1:9 twist) Then along came the 77 grain SMK and twists of 1:7. My current Sierra Loading Manual has separate sections for bolt actions and gas feed (AR), but if you shut off the gas and load each round by hand an AR can be the equivalent of a bolt action. Yet few AR's come with .223 REM Match Chambers what with the popularity of 5.56 ammo. It seems that there has been a resurgence in bolt action mag feed rifles like the MVP etc. but they fit a different niche than the Bolt Action's of Old. So what ever happened to the .223 Rem Bolt Action? Anyone still got/use one? For what purpose and how is it configured. Here is mine. 700 Milspec 5R 1:9 twist .223 Rem Match Chamber 24 inch Heavy Barrel. Target/P-Dog.

 

[Anangrypasta]

It's hard to warrant buying a dedicated 223 bolt gun when ARs are so much cheaper and just as accurate. At least in my opinion that's how it is. I reckon manufacturers see it that way too.

 

[M118LR]

It's hard to warrant buying a dedicated 223 bolt gun when ARs are so much cheaper and just as accurate. At least in my opinion that's how it is. I reckon manufacturers see it that way too.

I guess there are economy AR's that are less expensive. There probably are a few Top End AR's that are nearly as precise. But I do think your dead on when it comes to what folks warrant when purchasing a firearm. While you can fireform, only neck size, and not crimp if you're loading each round by hand. Just how many folks actually take the time to squeeze that tiny bit of extra precision out of their AR? Still see more bolt actions out west on the P-Dog trail.

 

[RHINOWSO]

Capitalism.

 

[oneshot]

Still have a Rem. 222 rem in a 722 Model and 5- 223 bolt 3 Rem 2-HB 1 win. -- one seiko And I wish every one would not talk about the bolt guns cant shoot 556. ammo My bolt guns then don't want to not shoot any thing they go on a set down strike. Need to check the pressure rating on a bolt gun. Now the rifling on most bolt guns are (was) 1/12 don't shoot the 55-and up the best want turn it enough Just for starters So I will stop here. Just my 50 cents (infection) has made things go up

 

[DixieReb]

I’ve got a bolt 223 and a bolt 222 Rem, the 222 is my favorite , can’t think of the Remington model of my 222 at the moment, it’s not a 700, it’s got the dog leg bolt on it, old gun with beautiful checkered wood stock

 

[SUPERLITE69]

Pasta pretty much nails it. AR-15’s can be every bit as accurate as a bolt gun with a high quality barrel, and the point of entry is a fraction of the price typically, because you can get away with mounting it to a PSA recover set, because they don’t have any bearing on the accuracy.

As an aside, always been curious to be that ammo manufacturers list drastically different pressures for .223 and 5.56, whereas the military determined that 5.56 has a max pressure of 55,114 using the SAAMI methodology, which gave .223 a rating of 55k flat.

Also, yeah, I don’t think hand loading is an especially popular hobby, and that it’s even less popular in common cartridges. I’m not reloading 5.56 and 9MM because it isn’t worth my time to me.

 

[Baddog 0302]

For the same reason "wheel gun" use are pretty well limited to specialized activities , Cowboy action and IHMSA, bolt guns have,hunting, PRS, and F / F-TR.
Movies / TV show the spray and pray AR's and a person watching his buddy with either a 10 or 16 in AR killing zombies aka beer containers going through a 30 Rd . mag in 10 Sec. is a big selling point.
Me, I've got a switch barrel set up with a few barrels including a 1-9 223 barrel. Since it's a single shot , I'm not limited to Mag. length reloads.
As weather permits I might see just how far I can stretch it's legs

 

[Baddog 0302]

Checking Western powders manual, they list 55K as SAAMI pressures and NATO limits at 62,350 for the 223. Checking a few manuals their MAX loads are in the < that 55 K limits.

 

[M118LR]

I have found that even the precision of Factory Federal Gold Medal Match (FGMM) .223 REM can easily be improved upon at the 600 yard KD with handloads tailored to the specific rifle. Almost as precise usually doesn't translate to the winning score during most competition. Fire formed cases, projectiles seated with uniform tension, (ie no crimp) and loaded softly into the chamber individually, along with powder charges & projectiles tailored to the rifles specific precision abilities, make for the tiniest of group sizes in my experience. Most AR's don't sport barrels over 20 inches, and the current M4 ramp angle isn't conducive to increasing precision. So I guess the almost as accurate is in the eye of the shooter?

 

[Jester896]

I’ve got a bolt 223 and a bolt 222 Rem, the 222 is my favorite , can’t think of the Remington model of my 222 at the moment, it’s not a 700, it’s got the dog leg bolt on it, old gun with beautiful checkered wood stock

if it was like this it was a Mohawk 600

 

[DixieReb]

Just saw your reply. Pulled it out of the safe. My 222 Remington is a model 660

 

[SUPERLITE69]

Checking Western powders manual, they list 55K as SAAMI pressures and NATO limits at 62,350 for the 223. Checking a few manuals their MAX loads are in the < that 55 K limits.

This aligns with what I said. Commercial manufacturers list drastic pressure differences, yet the military pressure testing on 5.56 aligns with the SAAMI pressure testing (which uses the same methodology) on .223

Just a curious discrepancy, also curious that they didn’t adjust chamber dimensions when officially swapping from .223 to 5.56 for the AR platform in the mid 60s.

 

[Jhunter]

I shoot more 223 rounds out of a bolt gun annually than anything else. I have a 21” hawk hill barrel and a 26” bartlein both 1-8” Both have produced groups in the mid teens.
I have printed some sub 3/4” groups with my AR but nothing like the bolt actions.
I really like cost and performance of the Hornady 75 BTHP out to 700 yards. My best groups were printed with the Berger 75 VLD and shot many sub 1/4” groups with their 80 VLD. The Sierra 77’s and 80’s are 1/4” bullets and are a great option to load at 2.250” for AR mags or jumping out of the bolt gun by 0.100”.
These are my go to Florida whitetail hunting rifles. The 77 SMK Cannelure has proven to be deadly out to 400 yards. These are starting at 3000 FPS with the 26” barrel. Probably not the best choice for a 16” barrel.
The 223 cartridge is easy to shoot for kids or others that might be recoil shy. I can’t think of a more affordable option to enjoy the long range game while getting hits. Everyone should own a 223 bolt action.

 

[M118LR]

I shoot more 223 rounds out of a bolt gun annually than anything else. I have a 21” hawk hill barrel and a 26” bartlein both 1-8” Both have produced groups in the mid teens.
I have printed some sub 3/4” groups with my AR but nothing like the bolt actions.
I really like cost and performance of the Hornady 75 BTHP out to 700 yards. My best groups were printed with the Berger 75 VLD and shot many sub 1/4” groups with their 80 VLD. The Sierra 77’s and 80’s are 1/4” bullets and are a great option to load at 2.250” for AR mags or jumping out of the bolt gun by 0.100”.
These are my go to Florida whitetail hunting rifles. The 77 SMK Cannelure has proven to be deadly out to 400 yards. These are starting at 3000 FPS with the 26” barrel. Probably not the best choice for a 16” barrel.
The 223 cartridge is easy to shoot for kids or others that might be recoil shy. I can’t think of a more affordable option to enjoy the long range game while getting hits. Everyone should own a 223 bolt action.

Are you really taking shots at deer sized game animals 400 yards away with the .223/5.56?

 

[Jhunter]

Very fuddish of you to ask. Yes I’m taking that shot here on these beach deer. A big doe might weigh 70 pounds. I guess I could carry my 308 and really seal the deal but I’m more of a meat hunter.

Just last week I set this youth hunter up with the 60 grain Nosler Partitions at 3175 fps. She took the lungs out on this nice buck at 130 yds. He made it about 10 steps.

 

[Jester896]

What I found more surprising was that SIerra made 77gr Match Kings with a cannalure

 

[SUPERLITE69]

Very fuddish of you to ask. Yes I’m taking that shot here on these beach deer. A big doe might weigh 70 pounds. I guess I could carry my 308 and really seal the deal but I’m more of a meat hunter.

Just last week I set this youth hunter up with the 60 grain Nosler Partitions at 3175 fps. She took the lungs out on this nice buck at 130 yds. He made it about 10 steps.

What is a “meat hunter”?

 

[Captain Dave]

I have whacked literally thousands of Prairie Dogs out to about 525 yards with my bolt action .223. It's hard to shoot anything else between 200 and 500... Not sure where the mojo went in the marketplace. It's a great rig for sure.

 

[Captain Dave]

What I found more surprising was that SIerra made 77gr Match Kings with a cannalure

Pretty sure that's the pill in the MK262, which is one of the most consistently accurate 5.56 rounds I have ever had the pleasure of shooting. Even compared to my handloads. The danged things really go into the same hole.