The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

I've got a CZ 527 varmint in 223 which has a 1:9 twist. I've shot 52gr SMK up to 69gr SMK weight bullets with good effect. Very nice rifle and is priced well. Has a set trigger but I don't use this, regular trigger is good enough for me.

Have a look at a heavy barrel howa action. Lots of bits available for them, they've kind of taken over from the r700 recently due to poor quality. I know several target shooters with them. Cheap too.

If you want fancy, Lantac do a straight pull at £1500 odd that's very accurate with hand loads.

DW58 wrote:I know we're talking .223 here, but SWMBO's little semi-custom BRNO Fox in .222 has performed perfectly well out to 600X and has acounted for quite a few Roe Deer at surprising ranges.


Wifey's little semi-custom BRNO Fox dating from 1988.

I believe that CZ do the CZ527 in .223 these days, a very accurate little rifle.

Does .222 or .233/5.56 produce enough energy for Roe (legally speaking)?

I don't know if you do face book badger but there is a lovely sako 75 223 for sale in dorset on the deer stalkers uk page , just gone on!

I like .223. Probably my favourite cartridge if truth be told. I've had a few as well. The Savage 12BVSS was a fantastic shooter, if not a little ugly. The CZ527 Varmint mentioned above are brilliant. (dromia has one on his site at the minute....) I've had all manner of straight pulls, which do tend to leave me cold and a friend has just picked up another mentioned earlier, the Mossberg MVP. Brand new, 600 quid. An awful lot of rifle for the money.

At the minute I'm running two. A Kimber SVT that must have the thickest barrel if any .223 I've ever owner, but the slippyest laminate stick ever. And then, I have the ultimate.... Took me years to find one... An RPA Inteceptor magazine fed. I've only perfected one load for it so far, but it is bordering on Benchrest Rifle accuracy....!!!

The .223 is a great round. With the right barrel and bullet combo, it's capable of 1000yds, nicely. You can plink all day long with cheap surplus bullets. You can run lead bullets and fast pistol powder for 25yd centre punching, and it's vermin and certain deer species legal! I'd imagine just about any gunshop in the country carries factory ammunition, so if you travel and forget the ammo, you should be able to pick some up. Reloading for it is a doddle and relatively cheap to produce even using top quality components.

It's a no brainer ...

Sim G wrote:
The .223 is a great round. With the right barrel and bullet combo, it's capable of 1000yds, nicely.

*looks dubious*

We know it will get to 1,000 yards, but will it be accurate at that range, and can it knock the skin off a rice pudding on arrival ?

JS569 wrote:Does .222 or .233/5.56 produce enough energy for Roe (legally speaking)?

meles meles wrote:

Sim G wrote:
The .223 is a great round. With the right barrel and bullet combo, it's capable of 1000yds, nicely.

*looks dubious*

We know it will get to 1,000 yards, but will it be accurate at that range, and can it knock the skin off a rice pudding on arrival ?

I know someone who competes to 1200X with a 1:7 .223 rifle.

saddler wrote:

JS569 wrote:Does .222 or .233/5.56 produce enough energy for Roe (legally speaking)?

Of course it does, .222 is very effective on Roe, therefore it goes without saying that .223 is also. Both calibres have always been legal in Scotland for Roe, as long as the MV/ME limits are met then .22 centrefires are legal.

I've shot a fair number of Roe with the .222 shown above and have no doubts whatsoever as to its effectiveness. Roe deer drop as if Pole-axed when hit - I use 50gr Nosler Solid Base Boat-tails - I had a fair stock when the bullet was discontinued and have no plans to change it.

meles meles wrote: *looks dubious*

We know it will get to 1,000 yards, but will it be accurate at that range, and can it knock the skin off a rice pudding on arrival ?

A 77gn SMK doing 2900fps at the muzzle, is still super sonic at 1000. With a 300yd zero, you'll have about a 377 inch drop.

A .308 driving a 155gn SMK at 2800fps at the muzzle will only be doing 100 fps more at 1000yds than the .223, around 1200fps, eith a 320 inch drop.