223 trainer

[Mangata]

Looking for a decent 223 training rifle that can see some hunting as well.
There is a Franchi momentum varmit elite 223 in town for sale.
Is the Franchi a reasonable platform for above???

 

[RussDXT]

The consensus seems to be Tikka or bust. I currently have a savage axis 2 that I had threaded and a swfa 3-15 but when I find a tikka at a reasonable price I plan to switch.

 

[Mangata]

Thanks
I guess that I will keep looking for a Tikka.

 

[BjornF16]

Look for an 8” twist

 

[Mangata]

Appreciate the heads up!
I was unaware that they had both 8 & 12 twist in same models.

 

[RadDad]

Following because I’m looking for the same. Ideally I’d like the barrel to be threaded but am willing to have that done later. Was looking at the Franchi but the 1:9 twist was a dealbreaker. Too bad because I have their Affinity 12ga and love it.

 

[cmahoney]

I’ll bet that Franchi is a solid rifle.


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[RadDad]

I’ll bet that Franchi is a solid rifle.


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I’d love to go that route (I’m a franchi fan) but really want a faster twist. I live in a lead-free state so if I hunt with this rifle I’d like to have the fast twist for long, mono bullets.

-RadDad

 

[BjornF16]

I don’t think I’d balk at a 9” twist in a good platform.

Might stabilize 77 SMK/TMK, and if not then 69 SMK/TMK are always an option.

 

[RadDad]

I don’t think I’d balk at a 9” twist in a good platform.

Might stabilize 77 SMK/TMK, and if not then 69 SMK/TMK are always an option.

True. I just think if a 1:8 is available I might as well err on the side of caution and go that route. Plus, it’s just an excuse to get my first Tikka.

- RadDad

 

[Antares]

I don’t really get why people want a 223 trainer.

Maybe people are attracted to the idea of quality factory ammo in the neighborhood of $0.60/round. Just spitballing...

 

[Antares]

Pick a number. You know what I'm saying. Don't be obtuse.

 

[RussDXT]

I sighted my new 6.5 prc element in a few days ago. 9 rds. I had my .223 there and ran 30 rds.

This is one day at a 600 yd range.

 

[RadDad]

I don’t really get why people want a 223 trainer.

What’s your primary rifle? How many rounds are you planning on shooting through your main rifle and how many through your trainer? What are you looking to train?

I can answer these.

In order:

Lightweight 7mm Rem Mag

7RM - 50 to 75 depending on reloading components
.223 - As many as possible

I’d like to practice long distance fundamentals on a rifle that’s not shooting a magnum cartridge out of a lightweight platform. I do intend to take those fundamentals learned to my “main” hunting rifle.

I’d also like a rifle to have my kids shoot. The .223 seems like a clear choice with low recoil and abundant ammo choices on the shelf.
- RadDad

 

[BjornF16]

Ammoseek shows some quality .223 ammo for less than $0.99/round (my search showed $0.75 - $0.99).

7mm RM starts at $2.00 for decent long range ammo ($2.50 for cheapest Berger)

 

[BjornF16]

ADI 69 SMK - $0.75/round
Winchester 69 SMK - $0.80/round
Sig Sauer 77 OTM - $0.90/round
Hornady 73 ELD-M - $0.99/round

I've used AmmoSeek to buy plenty of ammo...sure, have to weed through some marginal businesses, but their S/H score is a good indicator.

 

[Mangata]

I don’t really get why people want a 223 trainer.

What’s your primary rifle? How many rounds are you planning on shooting through your main rifle and how many through your trainer? What are you looking to train?

280 AI
.308
30-06
300 wby
375 H&H
.457 mag
Currently building XLR 300 WSM

My thought is to get more experience with my scopes at more distance than I currently shoot. Don’t have an absolute count of the rounds that I intend to shoot.
Availability is my main concern. At present I am shipping ammo to my daughter in the lower 48 & transporting it back to AK when we visit.
I was trainer skeptical when I first read about the concept, and then I got into the safe & realized I have approximately 4000 rounds of .223 ammunition…

 

[sargent]

I don’t really get why people want a 223 trainer.

What’s your primary rifle? How many rounds are you planning on shooting through your main rifle and how many through your trainer? What are you looking to train?

After training all last year with my .308, I bought a .223 trainer this fall for the following reasons:
1.I'm kind of a recoil wimp and find that I start flinching after about 15 rounds of .308.
2.My .308 shoots best when I let it cool between shots and I'm impatient.
3.The .223 has enough recoil to expose flaws in my position when the sight picture jumps off target at the shot.
4. Hornady Frontier 69 grain HPBT shoots ~1.5 inch 10 shot groups and costs $.70 a round versus $1.45 per round of similar quality .308 ammo (quality defined in this case by 1.5 inch group size). 1000 rounds x $.75 = $750 savings.

Kimber Hunter .308 -200 rounds
Tikka T3X .223 - 1000 rounds (or more)

I'm looking to improve my positional shooting and become more familiar with dialing for distance and calling and holding for wind. I am trying to shoot a lot without (re)developing a flinch.

My last shooting session I shot 35 shots from the .223 and 6 shots from the .308. I plan to keep shooting at about this ratio throughout the year. We'll see if it pays off.

 

[wind gypsy]

ADI 69 SMK - $0.75/round

This. ADI FTW. damn that stuff shoots well. The 55 SBK is cheaper yet.

That ADI 223 brass is pretty solid too. So you're shooting an accurate round for basically the cost of just Lapua component brass but you get the high quality ADI brass too and have to spend zero time at the load bench.

That last part is the main motivator for me. I can justify buying ADI ammo and burning it because it costs me almost as much in components to load up something similar. I can still load 6.5 a fair bit cheaper than buying factory, and I don't want to spend time at the load bench.

Also, I give zero Fs about getting my 223 barrel piping hot and continuing to send it. I don't feel that way with my hunting rifles.

All that said, I think what @TK-421 is saying makes a lot of sense for people who don't already have a 223.

Edit to add: Have some AAC 75 hornady HPBT and 77 SMK from showing up today @ $0.60 and 0.75 ea respectively to give a go. I don't expect big things but for my home range that's limited to 200 yards it could be worth a shot for positional practice.

 

[RadDad]

This. ADI FTW. damn that stuff shoots well. The 55 SBK is cheaper yet.

That ADI 223 brass is pretty solid too. So you're shooting an accurate round for basically the cost of just Lapua component brass but you get the high quality ADI brass too and have to spend zero time at the load bench.

That last part is the main motivator for me. I can justify buying ADI ammo and burning it because it costs me almost as much in components to load up something similar. I can still load 6.5 a fair bit cheaper than buying factory, and I don't want to spend time at the load bench.

Also, I give zero Fs about getting my 223 barrel piping hot and continuing to send it. I don't feel that way with my hunting rifles.

All that said, I think what @TK-421 is saying makes a lot of sense for people who don't already have a 223.

Edit to add: Have some AAC 75 hornady HPBT and 77 SMK from showing up today @ $0.60 and 0.75 ea respectively to give a go. I don't expect big things but for my home range that's limited to 200 yards it could be worth a shot for positional practice.

Appreciate your candor here. I’m in the situation where I do not have a .223 but am leaning heavily toward buying one. My 7 REM Mag is expensive to shoot and I also like to let it cool down between groups. I don’t plan to just totally hang up the 7 REM Mag, but it’s becoming prohibitive to shoot on a consistent basis.

So, with that said, what rifle would you buy to add to your safe? My 7 REM Mag is perfect for all the game I hunt so another “hunting” rifle isn’t really necessary. I own a .22 LR lever action but I will say it’s definitely not the right gun to learn fundamentals for shots past 100yds. Also, the fact that .223 can be found everywhere, even during shortages, is a big plus as well.

-RadDad