Deciding on a 200yd caliber

MAShooter1

MAShooter1

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Minuteman
Nov 21, 2012
6
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Massachusetts
#1
Short summary: I live in Massachusetts, and most ranges I'm near to don't extend beyond 200 yards. I'm looking to invest in a quality bolt action gun to start developing good marksmanship skills and also further my reloading habit. I already own an AR and it is serving me very well but I think my next venture will be into bolt actions. Because the ranges I'm near to don't really offer much long range shooting, I'm thinking that .223 Rem would be the logical choice- I already reload for it for my AR, and it appears to be very effective at 200 yards. Is there anything I'm really missing here?
 
#8
MAShooter1 said:
Short summary: I live in Massachusetts, and most ranges I'm near to don't extend beyond 200 yards. I'm looking to invest in a quality bolt action gun to start developing good marksmanship skills and also further my reloading habit. I already own an AR and it is serving me very well but I think my next venture will be into bolt actions. Because the ranges I'm near to don't really offer much long range shooting, I'm thinking that .223 Rem would be the logical choice- I already reload for it for my AR, and it appears to be very effective at 200 yards. Is there anything I'm really missing here?
Click to expand...

223 will be very good. 6PPC would be perfect. 6BR will open doors for longer ranges.
308 will be a jack of all trades - good for all, perfect for none - but at least you'll learn to manage recoil.
 
#10
GeneralPurpose said:
I agree with the heavy barrel profile and bullet weight, but why a 20-24" barrel when he's only shooting 200 yards? A 16" would be more than enough at that range, and be lighter / more maneuverable.
Click to expand...

Weight and maneuverability are not huge factors when shooting at the range. Short barrels are nice for hunting or matches, but come at the expense of increased muzzle blast. For my money I would be looking for a Remington 700 5r in 223 with a 20" barrel.

Sent from my C771 using Tapatalk 2
 
#11
predatornut said:
Weight and maneuverability are not huge factors when shooting at the range. Short barrels are nice for hunting or matches, but come at the expense of increased muzzle blast. For my money I would be looking for a Remington 700 5r in 223 with a 20" barrel.

Sent from my C771 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...

That's a good point about muzzle blast. My 20" 5.56 with a brake is a kitten to shoot compared to my 10.5" 5.56 with a brake. I tend to like barrels on the shorter end of the spectrum for a few reasons, including fitting them in my safe easier, or carrying two rifles in one rifle case.
 
#17
Id go with a Weatherby Vanguard. I have an old one in .243 with a wood stock and 24" barrel. Very accurate, affordable, good looking, and proven. I think the new ones are guaranteed to put three shots in an inch at 100 yards. Not sure why there arent more talk of them on these forums. Also if you ever plan to shoot past 500 yards the .223 is a poor choice. Id look into 6mm, 6.5mm of 7mm. Light recoil with these and much better downrange ballistics.
 
#18
One of the 'undesirable' 10 twist Tikkas in 223. 50 and or 60gr. Vmax or the like. If you load for an AR, you are set. I just bought a Dicks 700 in 223 [399.00] . 12 tw. 26" for a '200yd. gun'. Something to heat up on the close range dogs. First 5 foulers went to 1". It will settle right in.
 
#19
Ive kind of been eyeing the 17 remington fireball vs 17 hornet. Has the fireball round died out as I see tge Remy 700 in that caliber has been dscontinued? Reload, so ammo availability is not a problem. I figured it would be a good caliber to ndroduce my nephew and GF to that wont kick the shit out of them. Now my GF think that the 243 kicks to much. Not too interested in a 22lr with all of the ammo availability with that caliber.

Whick 17 caliber is going to stick around?
 
#22
No reloading with rim fire. That was one of the OPs objectives. And he already has the gear.

L

edt: Already being set up to load for 223, anything else he goes with will take monies away that he could spend on the rifle and optics.
 
Last edited:
#24
I would go with .22 rimfire. Even without reloading, it is very cheap to shoot. And out to 200 yards will really hone your skills.

If you want centerfire, I am going against the grain somewhat and saying get a .308.

More expensive to shoot, but if you find some longer ranges, you will have the rifle for it.

But .223 is a nice compromise.

Heck, buy them all. :)
 
#25
Kirkd said:
Ive kind of been eyeing the 17 remington fireball vs 17 hornet. Has the fireball round died out as I see tge Remy 700 in that caliber has been dscontinued? Reload, so ammo availability is not a problem. I figured it would be a good caliber to ndroduce my nephew and GF to that wont kick the shit out of them. Now my GF think that the 243 kicks to much. Not too interested in a 22lr with all of the ammo availability with that caliber.

Whick 17 caliber is going to stick around?
Click to expand...
I tried a 22 hornet for a while. I could not get it to shoot. Soured me. 223 always works, easy and can be loaded to powdwer puff levels and with light bullets. 222 also still a very good suspect do not overlook.
 
#27
predatornut said:
For my money I would be looking for a Remington 700 5r in 223 with a 20" barrel.
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more. The 5-R rifles are a serious cut above the rest. Out of box accuracy is awesome. I went looking for one in .223 after having such good luck with my 5-R in .308. Ended up with an SPS-Tactical in .223 which also is a great rifle ----------Once you get rid of the "Gumby" stock they put on it from the factory.

$265 spent at "Stockys" for one of these
2956Colors.jpg
fixes the problem with the rubber Hogue.

At 200 yards with Berger 73 gr BT's it's a "one holer". .223 is a nice round to reload and shoot. About half the cost of loading for the standard 30 cal rounds and the accuracy inside of 500 yards is astounding. Also doesn't beat you up to the point where you need a muzzle brake and extra padding on the buttstock :)

I now have to choose which rifle to go shooting with. They all seem to say "Take Me, Take me!" Sometimes I take all three, the 5-R, the SPS-Tactical, and one of he AR's. Makes for a wonderful day at the range.
 
#28
222 is great choice over looked for no good reason. Easy to get to shoot and super accurate.

6br is also a great choice. Also easy to get to shoot and super accurate.

Both these have great barrel life and low recoil.
 
#29
Could reload .223 subsonic for your bolt gun to emphasize marksmanship skills. Google Subsonic .223 Load Data and proceed at your own risk. Probably won't cycle your AR, some of the heavier bullets may not fit in a magazine, but you can use your existing brass and I've seen load data for a wide range of bullet weights, so you can probably use your existing bullets.
 
#32
mcc308 said:
222 is great choice over looked for no good reason. Easy to get to shoot and super accurate.

6br is also a great choice. Also easy to get to shoot and super accurate.

Both these have great barrel life and low recoil.
Click to expand...

No argument that these cartridges are super accurate. For me, I chose to hang with "Military Calibers" and have many thousand pieces of brass that didn't cost me a cent. Back before the "Panic", a lot of the public shooters at our range turned their noses up at reloading and just tossed their once-fired brass. I have a large supply of BHA Match, FC GMM, and Hornady Match that will last me half a lifetime in my .308. Followed a couple of police and military groups that left behind 5-Gal buckets of LC brass for my .223. The only brass I've actually purchased in the last 5 years was a box of .223 Lapua Match and a couple boxes of Lapua .308. Just felt like it I guess.
 
#33
I'm gonna throw out another one that I have found interesting in my AR's and kind of want to build a dedicated bolt gun with. 300 Blackout. For 200 yds it's got all the speed you need and if you want to really work on dialing dope/holds ect go to the subsonic range and that will give you a bit more drop and wind work. It will also cross over to your AR with just a barrel and gas tube change. It's also kind of nice that the powders to work with seemed to be more available during this last crunch.

That said for pure practicality, 223 works well.
 
#34
I would buy a centerfire good for at least 1000 yards. 223 is good at 200 yards, sure, but if yer gonna get a centerfire, why not buy something with greater possibility? If you really are ONLY EVER gonna shoot 200 yards, get a 22rf that will be cheaper to shoot AND require a greater level of skill to shoot at 200.
 
#35
Deadshot2 said:
No argument that these cartridges are super accurate. For me, I chose to hang with "Military Calibers" and have many thousand pieces of brass that didn't cost me a cent. Back before the "Panic", a lot of the public shooters at our range turned their noses up at reloading and just tossed their once-fired brass. I have a large supply of BHA Match, FC GMM, and Hornady Match that will last me half a lifetime in my .308. Followed a couple of police and military groups that left behind 5-Gal buckets of LC brass for my .223. The only brass I've actually purchased in the last 5 years was a box of .223 Lapua Match and a couple boxes of Lapua .308. Just felt like it I guess.
Click to expand...

No doubt that mil cals will work for you! The o.p. didn't mention anything about limiting himself to these calibers. While there was a brass shortage, the price of these calibers
doubled and tripled. While the 222 and br was available and for a reasonable price. Also if you purchased 100 or 200 laupa cases you could reload these dozens of times and
they will last a long long time. And they will be more accurate then the mil calibers!!

Merry Christmas,
Chris
 
#37
222 - Bullets, powders, primers [can] intersect with your AR stuff.
Its all about you, learning, I cant help you with load data [lol]
a 223 bolt gun and a barrel.
Switch barrel if Savage.
Damn, sounds like you owe me a beer.
 
#38
2brothers641 said:
I guess I say anymore because there are better calibers available. Most shooters love the spray and pray type shooting with ARs. This is where the .223/5.56 shines with many options of cheap ammo.
Click to expand...
I was advised to buy a M-16 when one could be had at a user price. I did not want one though I had been shooting an SP-1 which I enjoyed. One shot thing. Moving on to multi gun, it had served me well. I could actually run with Anyone in the day. I now have three bolt guns, two 'nice ones' in 223. Burned one out, flat out and had it refurbished.
I still very much like 223 and have competed with one more recently in bolt gun run and gun. To me this is where the 223 shines. Prairie dogs past 300 [one 435yd kill] , Tactical match training and still have a 12" AR and a Dissy. Keeps on shining. Especially if you reload.
 
#41
I agree that staying with one caliber has a lot of advantages. If I had to do it again, I'd still choose the AICS .223 magazines system for you bolt action rifle and simply seat the bullets out longer to 2.55 inches. It really turns the AR-15 version of the .223 Remington into a different creature all together. Shooting the heavy 80-90 grain bullets out of a slow twist barrel is a lot of fun.

20130316-3-600x428.jpg
 
#42
ranger1183 said:
I agree that staying with one caliber has a lot of advantages. If I had to do it again, I'd still choose the AICS .223 magazines system for you bolt action rifle and simply seat the bullets out longer to 2.55 inches. It really turns the AR-15 version of the .223 Remington into a different creature all together. Shooting the heavy 80-90 grain bullets out of a slow twist barrel is a lot of fun.
Click to expand...

You mean't Fast Twist right? ;)
 
#45
2brothers641 said:
I guess I say anymore because there are better calibers available. Most shooters love the spray and pray type shooting with ARs. This is where the .223/5.56 shines with many options of cheap ammo.
Click to expand...

"Better calibers" is debatable. 223 has killed many a creature, wether 4 legged or 2. I have 2 bolt guns that are 223 and both a very accurate with Hornady Superformance ammo. They have taken countless groundhogs, skunks, coyotes, possums, etc. I would never want to get rid of them!

For a cheap to shoot, no recoil setup….. the 223 is the way to go.
 
#48
I'm by no means against more rifles but is there any reason you don't want to just build a nice dedicated AR upper for the heavier .223 rounds? a 1/7 twist at 18-20" should easily achieve your 200yrds (even a 16") but if you have the room to stretch it to 600yrds you still have that capability.
 
#49
boyscout said:
6 ppc will beat all comers at that range.
6 br would be next.
Click to expand...

Except for the 30BR one of our club shooters "campaigned" all year. Took shooter of the year honors with it. One match he shot a perfect 400-17X. That was at 300 yards, not 200. The target 10 ring is a little over 1" with the "X" just under 3/4.

The thing about the 30 cal bullet is that it "kicks the wind in the ass" rather than the other way around with the smaller bullets. :)

I hear that there are a lot of barrels at our club being "reamed" for 30BR and tuned up for the upcoming season.
 
#50
Deadshot2 said:
Except for the 30BR one of our club shooters "campaigned" all year. Took shooter of the year honors with it. One match he shot a perfect 400-17X. That was at 300 yards, not 200. The target 10 ring is a little over 1" with the "X" just under 3/4.

The thing about the 30 cal bullet is that it "kicks the wind in the ass" rather than the other way around with the smaller bullets. :)

I hear that there are a lot of barrels at our club being "reamed" for 30BR and tuned up for the upcoming season.
Click to expand...


30BR exists purely for score shooting. Even though 6s can be more accurate - the .060" makes enough difference in "breaking the rings" to win the "X"s.
The wind thing is plain wrong - 30BRs shoot flat base bullets with G1 less than .300; while 6BR would shoot 90gn+ with BC .400+.
 
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