223 Bolt Action Rifle

[Sixpack]

Kicking around a bolt gun 223 again for a fun gun, practice rifle and occasional varmint gun. I’ve had a Ruger American Ranch, a couple of 700s, and a couple of single shots. Never really warmed up to any. I thought the RAR was going to be the one but I didn’t care for the AR mag hanging so far out and it never fed or shot particularly great.

With all that said, I’m leaning towards a Tikka T3 for an understudy to my T3x 308 and T1x 22lr from a pure familiarity standpoint. The accuracy and smoothness are also big pluses.

So with all that said, give me some real world experience on the Tikka in 223 and any other rifle I should look at. I know rifle selection is a deeply personal preference just kicking around thoughts.

 

[Mulyhuntr]

Get an 8 twist tikka

.223 for bear, deer, elk and moose.

This is your takeaway after reading this thread? Or your experience based on what? And what about using "match" bullets? Are they OK or too similar to "varmint rounds"? Careful with the hook set. We’ve lost a few good ones recently.

rokslide.com

 

[Wrench]

An 8tw 223ai has been one of my favorite guns. It's a good mimic to most of my bigger stuff both in layout and trajectories and is painless to shoot....ears, wallet and shoulder.

 

[Marbles]

I really like my 223 Tikka. It has been a lot of fun and no issues.

 

[ElPollo]

Kicking around a bolt gun 223 again for a fun gun, practice rifle and occasional varmint gun. I’ve had a Ruger American Ranch, a couple of 700s, and a couple of single shots. Never really warmed up to any. I thought the RAR was going to be the one but I didn’t care for the AR mag hanging so far out and it never fed or shot particularly great.

With all that said, I’m leaning towards a Tikka T3 for an understudy to my T3x 308 and T1x 22lr from a pure familiarity standpoint. The accuracy and smoothness are also big pluses.

So with all that said, give me some real world experience on the Tikka in 223 and any other rifle I should look at. I know rifle selection is a deeply personal preference just kicking around thoughts.

Smoothest and most dependable action, best factory trigger and magazine. Integral scope rail is a plus that most actions don’t offer. The factory stock is reasonable with the vertical grip module, but there are plenty of aftermarket options if you want to change. Barrels tend to be as good or better than most options from American gunmakers in terms of accuracy and stability and they tend to withstand relatively high round counts before burning out. Not the lightest or shortest action, but the guns that do well in those categories don’t do as well in the others.

My 223 Tikka T3x Lite is cut back to 18” and threaded for an 8-stack raptor. It currently sits in a Stocky’s VG hunter stock that I modified to shorten the trigger reach. It’s is wearing an SWFA 6x mil quad scope in Sportsmatch rings. It’s ridiculously fun and cheap to shoot and is easy to spot your own shots through the scope.

 

[Sixpack]

Thanks for the info!