[Archey]

What do you think the BEST .223 caliber rifle is?

I have a Bushmaster Shorty in .223, absoulty love it.
And an Ar-15 Colt PRE-BAN. .223. Very cool also!

 

[mountainview]

Always wanted an AR-15 but in the meantime I got no complaints with my Savage 12FV and accutrigger. Wish I hadn't waited so long before I got my first 223.

Mountainview

 

[gwp4ever]

Alot of people don't like them but I have a Ruger Mini 14 Ranch Rifle that is alot of fun to shoot.

 

[Guest]

That's a tough one, depends on what one thinks of as "best". The one that I find best in terms of fun is the M-4 I have for work, my Mossberg SSi-1 single shot is best for a knock around gun, and the Remington 700 VS SF I have on order I feel is the best for its intended use. I like the Mini-14 also, it is fine for its purpose though it seems to be not overly ammenable to accurizing, at least to the degree of the ARs.

 

[mountainview]

Archey,

That is a bit like asking what is the best tool to put in a tool box but an interesting question nonetheless. I'd rather have multiple tools than only one tool anyday! Same applies to firearms. My current tool is a 12FV heavy barrel which I really enjoy but someday I hope to add an AR-15 to complement it since the AR just plain looks fun to shoot. The 223 is a great round IMO for target shooting and plinking and ammo cost is not as big of a deciding factor in how times I can take the 223 to the range.

Mountainview

 

[Guest]

I have an HK SL8-4 and love it. It is said to be one of the most accurate semi auto .223's out of the box and while I can't say that for sure, it is quite accurate. I hear the Swiss Arms PE 90 is more accurate but costs alot more also. This past weekend I was shooting gophers with it and have no problem hitting them out to 250 yards or so. It was a blast. I have about a thousand rounds through it so far and it has functioned flawlessly so far. I also like the fact that due to the gas operation design it does not get very dirty and is a breeze to strip and clean. I also like how easy the barrel is to clean because I never have a problem with copper fouling due to the smooth chrome lined bore.

 

[Grouse Getter]

That was my post above, for some reason I got logged off while typing it. :roll:

 

[Clayslayer]

That's a tough one. Realistically I'll take a good Winchester Model 70 with a heavy bull barrel. For fun I'll take one of the M-4 variants out there.

 

[mike .308]

I like the Mini-14 in stainless and synthetic but the wood and blueing is nice to.

 

[wired]

Bringing this thread back to life just because it's a fun topic for discussion :wink:

Since I'm here, I'd have to go with a scoped, bedded bolt-action with a free-floated heavy barrel and a bipod. That would be one fun rifle. As a matter of fact, I may just have to make that my next rifle!

The AR is definately a worthwhile platform, and capable of some scary accuracy, but if I was gonna have only one .223, that wouldn't be it. If I already had the one mentioned above, I could definately see an AR carbine with a free-floated barrel in my future.