bolt action 223 rifle for the wife

My wife and I have been talking about getting her a bolt action .223 rifle. I was wondering what you guys would recommend in the $400-800 range.

Caution: I know damn little about bolt-actions. So, of course, I'm the perfect one to opine.  

I wouldn't buy a Remington until they get their act together -- and you might be waiting a very long time. My R700 Varmint is part of the trigger recall. They want the entire rifle - instead of just the trigger group - and they won't guestimate how long they'll have it. Unacceptable. I'll probably go with an aftermarket trigger.  

Lots of good buzz about Savage and their Accu-Trigger: http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/models/ They have many Lightweight, Ladies, and Youth models.  

Ruger's M77 is well respected, as is their budget American line, which shoots well even though it supposedly feels "cheap".

Then there's CZ. <sigh> I've played with their CZ-527 and (455 and CZ97...), which looks and feels like much more rifle than the price tag would suggest.  http://www.CZ-USA.com

Browning, Weatherby, etc are out there...

Luck!  Got the optic picked out?

Looking forward to all the other opinions.

Yeah, Remington is out... The local shop just shipped all r700's back to get "fixed." I was looking at the CZ's, Rugers, Brownings, etc... and I am also considering a Howa 1500. Anybody have experience with Howa rifles? I have only heard good things about them and what I gather is that they are kind of like a japanese made r700. They look to be a really good rifle for the money and something to buy if you don't plan on upgrading much. Optics wise, I am thinking of picking up another nikon p223 3-9x scope for around $150ish or maybe a mid range vortex. I think the nikon will work for a while until she decides she wants something else. I actually really like my nikon p223 on my ar15. Although the bullet drop won't be exact, it will be pretty close with the load I am using which will make it easier for her to judge distances.

CZ for me. I LOVE that company. Savage makes decent stuff, but I think CZ makes outstanding stuff. Just a PERSONAL thing.

Boy am I glad all my Remmies are old. You have NEVER fired an outstanding trigger until you shoot my Safari-grade .375 H&H. That may be THE finest trigger I have ever pulled. And it's factory! Came from their specialty shop, built in 1976 per the letter I got from them about the rifle.

Yeah, it seems like remington is going through some problems lately... I still don't trust the marlingtons and I had a problem with one of my rem 700's where the bolt was not finished properly and part of it started to rust--new out of the box.

CZ is the way to go on that, me thinks....
They make a hellova good bolt for that cartridge...

So, I settled on the Howa 1500 varmint .223 rifle.  My wife really liked the wood stock and the blued metal (I do not disagree--it looks nice).  For the optic, I mounted a Nikon p233 3-9x scope on her rifle.  My .223 loads match pretty close to the bullet drop hash marks designed for the scope, so it works well for her.  She doesn't have to worry about turrets and dialing adjustments.  

I bore-sighted it last night and we took it shooting today with the whole family.  It shoots real nice, it has a smooth action, decent factory trigger, and is very accurate.  My wife loves the gun and was able to consistently hit various steel plates between 100-250 yards.  My 8 year old daughter was able to hit her first 100 yard target today as well as her first 200 yard target with that rifle.  I was very surprised and am not sure who was more excited about her success... her or me.  This is the first time she has shot a non-.22 lr firearm. I foresee much ammo going through that gun in the future.  Very satisfied with the purchase.

Now I need to decide if I should buy a dedicated harris bipod for it, or just borrow one from my rifles.

Decent rifle rest, and maybe a bag for the rear. One is enough for all your rifles.

What kind of rifle rest do you use?

Heavy Caldwell. The 16 lb one.

So, for a second range report with this gun/scope--I took it to a family reunion on a family ranch where I was running the shooting range. I had various steel targets set all the way from pistol distance to about 450 yards. This rifle quickly became a favorite of my relatives. I had 12-14 year olds who had never before fired guns, hitting a plate at 450 yards. Due to the low cost of .223 ammo and the ability to reach out consistently to 450 yards, they had a blast. They also enjoyed the .22 duels with the m&p 15-22's, which is always a favorite.

Sheesh, this is gettng tiresome:





Congrats! Well done!

Corn - WHEN I get home I will look at the rest that I take with me for dog shooting. It is on a tripod and will accomodate any rifle. You sit on a stool and shoot from it. It is great for semi-still shooting. Its strength is that it allows you to turn to various directions for firing.

Off a bench I still thing a rifle rest of decent weight is the way to go. Caldwell or Sinclair.

Charlie Foxtrot wrote:Sheesh, this is gettng tiresome:





Congrats! Well done!

oh crap, thought I already posted a pic. Here is the beauty complete with some flowers and sidewalk chalk:

Oh, and I ended up getting one of these to use as a rear squeeze bag (sounds funny).

https://www.triadtactical.com/Triad-Tapered-Rear-Bag.html

That's a really nice rifle, Corn! The wood particularly is beautiful. One usually pays a lot more for that kind of wood.

Yeah, the wife picked out the stock--I agreed with her. It shoots nice and looks nice--perfect combo for her.

Cornmastah wrote:

Wow, that's a beaut! Congrats!

Thanx!