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stan1664

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Hi all i am on the look out for a 223 not sure what make or model; yet i have fired afew rifles Howa, Remington and a tikka all very nice but any advice would be grateful, ive been told to buy new but im on limited funds so new is out the question, Also im on the look out for a semi auto 22rm.
223 for foxes/muntjac and 22rm and 17hmr for rabbits
I live in West Yorkshire and if anyone has a bargain that is sitting in there cabinet i am willing to travel, I shot left handed so an ambi or left handed stock would be great.
Regards Stan
 
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Stan
if you state what you want the rifles for you will get better advice of what to look for !

My advice is unless you are messing about don't get a semi .22, if your target shooting or hunting a bolt action wont have stoppages like all semi's do, and small mags take less time to charge
 
Stan
if you state what you want the rifles for you will get better advice of what to look for !

My advice is unless you are messing about don't get a semi .22, if your target shooting or hunting a bolt action wont have stoppages like all semi's do, and small mags take less time to charge

+1 on the semi-auto comment. I bought a Ruger 10-22 semi auto as soon as my FAC came through. Traded it in 3 months later. The bolt cycling is so noisy that it makes the silence of a .22 pointless and the number of stoppages mean that you're never truly confident that there's a round in the chamber. Stick to a bolt action for hunting but make sure you get the variation noted on your licence (another mistake I made!!).

On the .223 I have a howa action with one of the stock upgrades they sell. Great rifle. Better if you're in Scotland and so can take Roe with them too though. In your neck of the woods only really a foxing rifle but a great calibre - so comfortable to shoot and very available ammunition.
 
Splash
223 for fox control and 22 and 17 hmr for rabbits
Stan
if you state what you want the rifles for you will get better advice of what to look for !

My advice is unless you are messing about don't get a semi .22, if your target shooting or hunting a bolt action wont have stoppages like all semi's do, and small mags take less time to charge
 
RuralLondoner
223 is for mainly for foxes and some muntjac but 22rm is for bunnies

+1 on the semi-auto comment. I bought a Ruger 10-22 semi auto as soon as my FAC came through. Traded it in 3 months later. The bolt cycling is so noisy that it makes the silence of a .22 pointless and the number of stoppages mean that you're never truly confident that there's a round in the chamber. Stick to a bolt action for hunting but make sure you get the variation noted on your licence (another mistake I made!!).

On the .223 I have a howa action with one of the stock upgrades they sell. Great rifle. Better if you're in Scotland and so can take Roe with them too though. In your neck of the woods only really a foxing rifle but a great calibre - so comfortable to shoot and very available ammunition.
 
Sako quad for your rimfire or Finnfire if you want a .22LR (I'm presuming from your OP that you applied for a .22WMR)

For the .223 any Sako or Tikka will delight you, the older Sakos are beautiful rifles and Tikka 595's are almost indestructible
 
Hi all i am on the look out for a 223 not sure what make or model; yet i have fired afew rifles Howa, Remington and a tikka all very nice but any advice would be grateful, ive been told to buy new but im on limited funds so new is out the question, Also im on the look out for a semi auto 22rm. 223 for foxes/muntjac and 22rm and 17hmr for rabbits I live in West Yorkshire and if anyone has a bargain that is sitting in there cabinet i am willing to travel, I shot left handed so an ambi or left handed stock would be great. Regards Stan

If you're Lefthanded buy LH. It makes no sense to buy something which doesn't suit you.

You might also consider getting a micro-action fitted to the cartridge rather than a standard size action to save unnecessary weight & bulk. Tikka, Howa, etc. aren't any more accurate than CZ in sporter form.

There was a CZ527 on sale recently.

For Sale: full left handed .223 cz527 low shot count
 
I use an Anschutz 525 S/A for rabbits - it was cheap and although a little noisier than I'd like, I've had good results with it. I'd advise against getting a S/A though as you're left handed and they tend to eject in that direction. Go for a CZ452 or an old BRNO in the .22LR

My .223 was new and quite expensive in comparison - I went for an RWS Titan 3 - didn't like the synthetic stock and was grateful when I swapped it for a wooden one on here.
The CZ looks and feels really cheap in comparison (my mate has one) but they're accurate and reliable and easy to get hold of.
 
I'd go down the CZ route.

Got a .22lr Brno Model-2 and and .223Rem CZ527 American. Really enjoy shooting both
 
If you're Lefthanded buy LH. It makes no sense to buy something which doesn't suit you.

I'm left handed but all three of my rifles are rh stocks/actions.
About 6-8wks ago I took a fox at about 165yds with the .22Brno Mod2 and just last week I took 2 bucks with the 6.5x55 Tikka Hunter.
So it doesn't really matter about the stock/action but how much you practise and are confident with the rifle.
My third rifle is a .222Brno which I still have to christen with a beast (hopefully soon)

Ed
 
Rifle make out of your list irrelevant as they are all ok. More important is what you can afford or get hold of.

for .22rf cheapest good make is CZ or Bruno ( yes I know its the same but Bruno is older)

For .223 don't think you need a thick barrel or a long one, in fact a 20" sporter barrel will be ideal for use.

would not recommend a .17 hmr as I think they are a great advert for good Marketing ( as noisy as a centre fire but p*ss poor when put next to .17cf )
 
I'm left handed but all three of my rifles are rh stocks/actions.
About 6-8wks ago I took a fox at about 165yds with the .22Brno Mod2 and just last week I took 2 bucks with the 6.5x55 Tikka Hunter.
So it doesn't really matter about the stock/action but how much you practise and are confident with the rifle.
My third rifle is a .222Brno which I still have to christen with a beast (hopefully soon)

Ed

Nice you feel so strongly about humane destruction, Sorry if this offends you BUT I hate people recommending long shots on any Quarry with a calibre that is not easily up to the job :stir:
 
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Nice you feel so strongly about humane destruction, Sorry if this offends you BUT I hate people recommending long shots on any Quarry with a calibre that is not easily up to the job :stir:

It's all part of wildlife management - and the calibre is up to the job and indeed at one of the army ranges (a number of years ago now right enough) I believe that a horse rider stayed into the firing range and was killed at a range of a mile with a .22
So how can you say the calibre is not easily up to the job:stir::stir:

I wouldn't have gone for the shot except I had practiced on a steel plate, directly in line with the shot I took on the vixen, which is at 125yds and hit it square 9 out of 10 times and I have been shooting at this location for at least 8 years so know the field very well.
My preference would have been to use the .222 and christen it but as it was back home 5miles away it was not an option.
 
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It's all part of wildlife management - and the calibre is up to the job and indeed at one of the army ranges (a number of years ago now right enough) I believe that a horse rider stayed into the firing range and was killed at a range of a mile with a .22
So how can you say the calibre is not easily up to the job:stir::stir:

I wouldn't have gone for the shot except I had practiced on a steel plate, directly in line with the shot I took on the vixen, which is at 125yds and hit it square 9 out of 10 times and I have been shooting at this location for at least 8 years so know the field very well.
My preference would have been to use the .222 and christen it but as it was back home 5miles away it was not an option.

Lucky the fox didn't get the 10% you missed and go on wounded to die then!
 
Lucky the fox didn't get the 10% you missed and go on wounded to die then!

He could probably have shot it with the .222 from 5 miles away once he got home... :D


In fairness, according to my Hawke ballistics app, a .22LR at 165 yards has approximately 50% energy left - that's going to be in the region of 50ftlbs, more than enough to kill a fox if hit in the right place, although the chance of guaranteeing a humane and quick kill is pretty minimal.
 
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