Whatever happened to the Bolt Action .223 Remington?

[Jester896]

I have a .223 on the way for eval. It started life as a dog gun. Guy can't tell me much about it other than he can't make it shoot. Trued 700 action w/HB and twist rate unknown

 

[J pace]

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

It's either a 600 or A 660 does it have the ventilated rib.

 

[DixieReb]

My 222 is a 660, no ventilated rib

 

[J pace]

Mine is a Sako that I inherited from my dad.

 

[seandizzie]

Bolt gun... you mean grandpas guns...

Lol

 

[Slickshot223]

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.

Mine is a S&W (Howa) 1-12, shoots bugeye groups 126 yrds!!

 

[Captain Dave]

Mine is a Sako that I inherited from my dad.View attachment 201995

L461 Varmint, looks like. Great rifle.

 

[J pace]

L461 Vixen I also have the matching .222 Vixen and a matching .243 Forester, All guns my dad left me. One of the grandboys already putting the .222 to good use

 

[Fathertime]

Most fun you can have with clothes on

 

[G-rat]

Its just the way it is... my 16" lpvo host shoots clovers at 100yds all day with a 1-8x. My first 1k shot on a steel target came from an 18" gas gun. I think more than anything, its platform commonality that drives people to AR platforms. Had a few bolt guns in .223/5.56 but they weren't worth their price when my 16" build is capable of moa at 100yds...

 

[Captain Dave]

L461 Vixen I also have the matching .222 Vixen and a matching .243 Forester, All guns my dad left me. One of the grandboys already putting the .222 to good useView attachment 202004

Love those Sakos!

 

[M118LR]

I have a .223 on the way for eval. It started life as a dog gun. Guy can't tell me much about it other than he can't make it shoot. Trued 700 action w/HB and twist rate unknown

Can't wait to hear more once it arrives. .223 held some 300 & 600 yard paper target records, So the round is capable of more than 100 yard performance.