new to me savage 12fv 223rem

[seabass1858]

I just acquired a savage 12fv stagger feed 223 bolt 26in 9twist varmint contour rifle with a Nikon monarch bdc 3-12x42mm scope and Caldwell bi-pod. I am a computer repair and network technician and as payment this is what I got as payment for only about 3 hours worth of work. I am new to the 223 caliber besides the Army and was wondering what is the heaviest bullet I can shoot out of it and if I got a good deal for this rifle?

P.S My work order was originally 580$ and I just accepted this rifle as payment.

 

[chemist1]

Re: new to me savage 12fv 223rem

I have the same rifle and I was able to stabilize 75 A-maxs. My rifle shot 68s, 69s, and 75 very well.

 

[seabass1858]

Re: new to me savage 12fv 223rem

So I guess 75gr and below is a good rule to follow.

 

[calling4life]

Re: new to me savage 12fv 223rem

The 77smk should work if the A max will.

I'd say you got a good trade, fire away and let us know how she does.

 

[BoilerUP]

Re: new to me savage 12fv 223rem

75gr A-Max will be a hit-or-miss proposition; some Savage 1:9 barrels will stabilize them, others won't.

I used to have a 12FV 223 barrel and it did okay (0.7MOA) with the 75gr A-Max, the same barrel did an honest half MOA with the 75gr HPBT.

If you don't reload, Hornady 75gr Steel Match should give you sub-MOA accuracy and is reasonably priced at <$25 per 50 rounds.

 

[OneShotJim]

Re: new to me savage 12fv 223rem

Congrats on the new rifle. Sounds like you got a great deal.

I've had a Savage 12 BGTV in .223, 26in heavy varmit contour fluted 9 inch twist barrel, for a couple of years now, have shot lots of different ammo and agree with most of the above advice.

If you look at the stability #'s for the 75 & 77 grain bullets (for a 9in twist barrel), you'll see that that at warmer temps (75F+) you should be fine, but at lower temps (<55F) the stability gets more marginal. In practice in our warm (read hot) GA summers I've found that hand loaded Hornady 75gn HPBT works pretty well, averaging 0.75-1.0MOA. (Haven't tried the Amax.) In contrast, both the Hornady Steel 75gr & Hornady Match 75gr (commercial loads) just don't seem to shoot quite as well, both give ~1.0-1.25MOA; not bad but not as good as the hand loads. I tend to keep lots of the Hornady Steel 75gr on hand since it's very cheap - my friends can shoot this without using up my hand loaded ammo.

In my rifle I see the best accuracy with the Sierra 69gr hand loads, consistently 0.5-0.75MOA, YMMV. Stability is not a problem with this bullet weight in a 9in twist barrel.

Bottom line: try different bullets/loads in your rifle to see what works best. If you're interested in the best possible accuracy, I highly recommend developing hand loads using the Optimal Charge Weight (OCW) approach or something similar (always start low & work up, watching for pressure signs).

Get out & shoot & have fun!

 

[BoilerUP]

Re: new to me savage 12fv 223rem

Oh yeah...if your rifle doesn't shoot a 75gr HPBT/77gr SMK over 24.0gr Varget at least MOA, something's probably wrong with your rifle.

 

[seabass1858]

Re: new to me savage 12fv 223rem

I reload 260, 30-06, .40cal, 22 hornet, 45-70 but never owned a 223 rem, I figured since I have a 22 hornet that I owned for over 15 years that there was no need for any other varment caliber but I soon realized that ppl are shooting deer with a 223rem which I dont believe in personally. I think i will try out the 75gr a-max and try out a 70gr tsx for the boar here in Georgia.

 

[seabass1858]

Re: new to me savage 12fv 223rem

23.6gr of n-140 and 75gr amax with a rem 7 1/2 primer seems like a winner all over the internet with a savage 12fv