Building a rifle for the wife..............and me

[sikocycles]

So my wife graduated from the .22LR and want to get her into something a little bigger. She shot my friends Tikka .223 and liked it. Sorry if this has been gone over before. Could not find anything.

So my dream rifle work be a stock with adjustable LOP so her and I can both shoot it. I like the look of the KRG Whiskey 3. Heavy barrel with a brake so she has less felt recoil and a suppressor someday.

Our range is 200 yards but friends have land in Vermont where we can shoot farther.

Was thinking 223 since there is a lot of ammo available off the shelf and I do not reload at this time. I can also use it in my AR.

What suggestions you guys have about caliber and stock and barrels?

Thanks
Siko

 

[LRJammer]

Rifle for your wife huh? I see what you are doing there.

Nothing wrong with a 223 but if you are wanting to stretch it out longer, a 6mm may be better and still have pretty mild recoil.

 

[sikocycles]

Rifle for your wife huh? I see what you are doing there.

Nothing wrong with a 223 but if you are wanting to stretch it out longer, a 6mm may be better and still have pretty mild recoil.

Don't tell................
Which 6mm? Is there factory ammo available?

 

[Tx_Flyboy]

LRJammer nailed it.

Get her a .243 winchester.

Factory loads from 58gr to 100gr+ are available everywhere & for a reasonable price. These loads are good for varmints to Elk.

Recoil? What recoil?

 

[LRJammer]

LRJammer nailed it.

Get her a .243 winchester.

Factory loads from 58gr to 100gr+ are available everywhere & for a reasonable price. These loads are good for varmints to Elk.

Recoil? What recoil?

243 is an excellent round with very light recoil. To get serious LR capability, you would probably want to get a faster twist barrel than most factory barrels so it will stabilize the 105-115 grain high BC bullets. I believe 1:8 twist is "go to" for this application.

 

[sikocycles]

243 is an excellent round with very light recoil. To get serious LR capability, you would probably want to get a faster twist barrel than most factory barrels so it will stabilize the 105-115 grain high BC bullets. I believe 1:8 twist is "go to" for this application.

I will check out the 243 but there will be no hunting. Only paper punching. How much more recoil does the 243 have over the 223?

 

[LRJammer]

There would be some increase but it is still quite light. Building some heft into the rifle and a good brake would effectively negate the difference.

 

[hollowoutadime]

I don't think most scoped, bolt action .223s have much appreciable felt recoil. A .243 certainly has some, nothing a youth can't handle and be comfortable with. .223 plinking ammo is about half as expensive as .243 which is usually sold in boxes of 20 rather than a case of 500 or 1000. I own several of both and if you are not hunting and are at shorter ranges, a .223 is what I would choose. You can always trade to a .243 or put a can or brake on either down the road.

Look at the relative muzzle energies on this table, your rest, rifle weight, all affect felt recoil, but it's a good start. Check ammo prices and availability at your local Cabelas as well before you buy
Rifle Ballistics Summary

 

[FailToObserve]

Honestly I wouldn't worry about the recoil unless you're upping the caliber to the 30's. Focus on the ballistics. Recoil for a 223 without a brake is weak. Add the brake and it's a joke. I'm fairly certain your wife was scared of it because she didn't know just how weak the recoil was. But now she knows .

Look at the ballistics. 243 and such will be faster and heavier which in a very very general sense will be more consistent. It really depends on how serious you are about the precision part of shooting. Otherwise go .223 for convenience.

 

[29aholic]

If you are going to build I would go with 6mm BR with a 1:8. Better efficiency than the 243 and it will take you to 1000 pretty easy.
I am thinking of rebarreling my 308 to 6br

 

[GongShow]

I would build a 6.5 creedmoor or .260 rem...build the rifle 12 or more pounds and enjoy!

 

[sikocycles]

Options options options.
I would really like a round that can do everything but in reality 99% of my shooting with be 200 yards so that is why I was thinking 223. A lot of cheap ammo. Low recoil.
But the other calibers are intriguing. I would not mind a gun that is capable of 1000 yards when the time comes. I need to research the other calibers. Since I don't reload yet it needs to be available off the shelf.

What stock has the greatest LOP adjustment?

 

[sierracharlie338]

Another vote for 243. Here is my "daughters rifle"



243 built by the boys at GAP.

How old is my daughter you ask? 15 months YES that's right months. But when I explained to the wife how the rifle needs to be "ready to go"and have a load already developed when my daughter is of age, she surprisingly didn't object [emoji16][emoji16][emoji16]

 

[SlimySquirrel]

Another vote for the .243

Pretty slick round for what you are after and no real recoil.
It will also perform better if you do decide to reload and you will like... wait... I mean, your wife will love that round.

 

[sib1948]

Any 6 or 6.5 mm platforms will cost your more for factory ammo than .223, but much more accurate and fun to shoot! Savage makes a good .223 platform, which can be had for about $500 and add fixed SWFA SS scope and you're set. You both can enjoy it and perfect for 2-300 yards.

If you decide to stick with LR shooting, then step up to the 6 or 6.5 mm level. Muzzle brakes, suppressors and higher power scopes for longer ranges to 1000 yards will cost a lot more. It also takes a lot more practice to get consistent results at 500-1000 yards! Your needs, desires and budget are the limiting factors.

Good information on the Hide, but remember that most who participate here regularly are avid shooters and would think nothing of donating a kidney or testicle to obtain a new rifle, scope, etc

 

[FUNCTIONAL]

Where abouts are you located? I have a precision built .223 savage, .223 AR, 308 savage and currently having a 6 creedmoor finished in 5ish weeks.

She/you are welcome to try the lot if you wanted to hold off a little. Should give you an idea of the variety.

Im in dutchess county NY by the way.

 

[Smooth_87]

223 tikka varmint won't need a brake at all. I have the same that me an my mrs shoot together fantastic action and accuracy!!

 

[EasyGravy]

Build a swede...6.5x55 can do anything you want.)

 

[sikocycles]

Where abouts are you located? I have a precision built .223 savage, .223 AR, 308 savage and currently having a 6 creedmoor finished in 5ish weeks.

She/you are welcome to try the lot if you wanted to hold off a little. Should give you an idea of the variety.

Im in dutchess county NY by the way.

I am in Fairfield Country CT and shoot in Guilford sportsman association. So you are pretty close.
I can get a deal on a Kimber Varmint in 22-250. Don't know much about the caliber. 1/2 price
Looks like a lot of people like 243.
I would love to go up to Sig academy and shoot it at the 1000 yard range. So maybe I need the 243

 

[R. Chapman]

Build a 6mm Creedmoor.

 

[MarinePMI]

Doing the same thing now; .260 Tikka CTR for the wife.

That being said, with your range and not reloading, I'd agree with the majority of folks here, in that a .223 would probably be the best option right now. You can always buy another, larger caliber rifle later, if she decides she wants to stretch her range out a bit more. Then at least, she (and you) will be able to decide more confidently what you want next, if she is already shooting a bolt gun at some decent range.

JMTCW...

 

[TOP PREDATOR]

i just started messing around with the .243 last year, very impressed with what it does from 100Y out to 420Y (the longest i have available locally).

for years thought of as the kids or ladies caliber so i didn't bother with it, boy was i mistaken for doing that. a wide range of bullet choices for different applications and very accurate, with off the shelf ammo pretty available just about anywhere. i put a brake on mine (just because) it is very smooth and comfortable to shoot mucho rounds at a session without getting beat up.

i still haven't shot enough through it to see how the "barrel burning" claims go, but i'm shooting 100 & 105 reloads at 2900, obviously not the blistering FPS of the usual off the shelf 58 - 87 grain stuff, so my barrel life may be a bit extended from what is considered normal.

.223 is good idea as you said you can use the ammo for the AR too, and a bit more economical in bulk. if 99% of your shooting is 200Y, this is probably the most realistic / practical choice for what you are doing.

i like the comment made above in a post "Look at the ballistics. 243 and such will be faster and heavier which in a very very general sense will be more consistent. It really depends on how serious you are about the precision part of shooting. Otherwise go .223 for convenience".

beyond target shooting, if planning to use it for hunting, the heavier bullets in .243 vs .223 is definitely a plus.

i have nothing against the .223, .22-250, .250, .260, 7-08, but i really think the .243 is the most versatile in that group short or long range.

if you can hook up with FUNCTIONAL and take him up on his offer, that would be worth it.

adjustable / customizable LOP stocks:

Bell & Carlson Tactical Medalist Style 5 Fully Adjustable - Remington 700 BDL (SPS, XCR, VTR) , Weatherby Mk V, Savage 10/12 - #2094, 2098, 6629, 2097
[FONT="Trebuchet MS", Arial, Helvetica]Length of pull 13.5" to 15.5". It's 12.5" withthe buttpad removed.

[/FONT]http://www.riflestock.com/store/do/product/TRS/26-01-01
1.5" of adjustment

a little more gucci, and AICS mag ready:

XLR Industries | Element-chassis
XLR Industries | butt stocks

MCREESPRECISION G5 TMAG RIFLE STOCK REMINGTON 700

 

[I Am Hero]

Build something like this for you and your wife...or buy mine! I went the route of putting a brake on my 223. It has so little recoil with that weight that you can literally watch the bullets smack the varmint! This thing shoots a dime at 100 yards with my hand loads or factory loads the same sub-MOA performance at 200 yards as well.

 

[wrhunter]

1- Do you hand load ammo or will you be buying factory ammo? .223 match ammo is more plentiful than .243 match ammo. Plinking ammo - no contest.

2 - A .243 is no more inherently accurate then a comparably built .223. .243 is just less affected by wind and is capable of maintaining its accuracy over longer distances.

 

[dpsthomas]

.223 <--------------------------------->.243<----------------------------->7mm08 (All readily available)
Less expensive/less recoil <--------------------------------> Better hunting application/increased range

Decide

 

[FailToObserve]

Just note that you will need to spend more on ammo for better consistency if you are going for precision at long distances. Especially since your not loading your own rounds yet.

I'm going to mention KRG Whiskey 3 because I have one and find the LOP adjustment to be extremely friendly. And no one else mentioned it yet. But the budget gets really up there when you go for a chassis. XLR Element might be a better choice for you. A lot of adjustment but I think it requires tools. It's also on the cheaper side (just the price not the quality, quality is amazing). Both companies are on this forum. Very nice people.

 

[GMZ]

I didn't see it mentioned so ill bring it up but is she likely to progress to a larger or more powerful round? If so I would recommend starting off with a 243, that way you leave yourself open to a re barrel in the future with any .473 cartridge.

 

[hahco]

.223 shooting 75 a-max, or 75 bthp when you cant find the a-max.

 

[Theunforgiven]

223, no break, not enough recoil. 1:7 twist. 22-24 inch barrel. Then you can shoot the more heavy bullets 65 - 70 gr bullets with no issues. Minimum a varmit conture barrel. The tikkas does only supply a factory barrel with 1:9 twist and that is not enough to stabilize the heavy bullets so you need to get a new barrel on it. Sell the old barrel and stock. No need to true a tikka action so dont use money on it.

I would look at the vortex pts scopes to get all the features for a descent price.

The 6.5x47 lapua and 260 rem are great calibers. Very Mild recoil and super performance. But they will required you to reload.
If you can shoot more than 600 yards near you, then i suggest you think hard on the 6.5 caliber. They do get the job done out past the 1000 yd marker. The 223 becomes very tricky out there if there is any wind.


...
If you snooze it - you loose it

 

[sikocycles]

I live in ct so the options to shoot over 200 is limited for sure.
I think I will start her off with a 223 because of low recoil, low cost and ammo is everywhere.
She shot my friends tikka and it's a nice gun.
Should I start with a Rem 700 since there are so many options.
I really don't know if she would want to shoot bigger calibers but I can always get another gun.

 

[silentheart]

I go with 223 tikka. Just ammo is easier and cheaper to find. With your wife shooting it too, she will like it better. Also, 223 is good for 200 yd and under any day except in a storm.

 

[sikocycles]

Is the Tikka a 700 platform?

 

[FailToObserve]

What's your plans for the rifle? How much work are you going to get done on it? Or are you keeping it factory as long as possible?

Both shoot well out of the box. I would say tikka is better but that's very biased on my part.

 

[FailToObserve]

Is the Tikka a 700 platform?

No. Very different. Lots of info on the hide about these two.

 

[29aholic]

Perfect set-up for you. Inexpensive, 5.56, uses AR mags., barrel is threaded in case she needs a brake.

Mossberg® MVP Patrol Tactical Bolt-Action Rifles : Cabela's

 

[sikocycles]

What's your plans for the rifle? How much work are you going to get done on it? Or are you keeping it factory as long as possible?

Both shoot well out of the box. I would say tikka is better but that's very biased on my part.

I want to play with it and customize it. I will borrow my friends Tikka again this weekend and see how it goes

 

[sikocycles]

Build something like this for you and your wife...or buy mine! I went the route of putting a brake on my 223. It has so little recoil with that weight that you can literally watch the bullets smack the varmint! This thing shoots a dime at 100 yards with my hand loads or factory loads the same sub-MOA performance at 200 yards as well.

Is it for sale?

 

[FailToObserve]

700 is a tinkers wet dream. Everyone can work with it.

I didn't want a 700 because it was too standardized. But I went with the 308 round. Yeah I'm weird like that.

 

[Theunforgiven]

I have the rem700 kn 308. but my friends shoot tikka t3s. The tikka has the sako style extractor that many opgrade the 700 to have. They have a much smoother bolt run. Flat action surface. Better factory trigger than the xmark pro from rem.
Downside for me is the tikka safety switch. Its much more quit than the 700 but my thumb just cant reach it. But thats a personal thing.
The 700 has a better recoil lug but in a whiskey it does not matter. Or in any other stock where the bedding is done right.

The 5 smiths i know say they are machined much more precise than the 700. My 700 is not trued but still shoots 1/3 moa with standard barrel in mcmillan stock so i do not believe it matters before the bench rest competition is the next goal. Barrel, stock, bedding is key.

Non of the two deliveries a factory rifle with a barrel twist than can handle he heavy bullets. So i suggest you find a doner rifle. Or by the cheapest 223 tikka you can. T3 lite in blued steel. Then the bolt fits

Hope that you will post some pictures when you have it ready.


...
If you snooze it - you loose it

 

[sikocycles]

We shot the Tikka again this weekend. It is such a nice and fun gun to shoot.
There will be no hunting. Only punching paper.

 

[FailToObserve]

We shot the Tikka again this weekend. It is such a nice and fun gun to shoot.
There will be no hunting. Only punching paper.

Muahahaha! Another tikka fan!

Disclaimer: as mentioned by another user.. Recoil lug sucks. But with 223 I don't know if it will matter. Its made of aluminum and it might hold against a 223 recoil. If you see it bending, then buy an oversized recoil lug to replace it (assuming your not buying a chassis or stock that already fixes this problem). If it were 308, then you definitely need to replace it. Also if you end up converting to AICS mags... You'll need to shave down the lips (this is only the case for 223). Just take sand paper to it. It's made of plastic. Krg has a PDF with pros and cons for a tikka. None of the cons deterred me from getting one. People have complained about the bolt shroud breaking. I punch paper also and haven't had a problem with it. Just letting you know the few downsides that balance out a tikka's beauty. Don't want you to regret a purchase.

Small price to pay for out of the box awesomeness.

Happy shooting.

 

[LRI]

Last summer Kalli built her first gun. We chose a 6mm-22 250. (aka 6 International)

Why?

Had the parts on the shelf and a ton of 22 250 brass. Just a neck up and run.

Shoots in the OH's so that was easy.

18" stick and 3400fps on the first load with 55's.


Just a thought.


C.