Whick new rifle to avoid disappointment??

[James19306]

Hi guys, im new to the forum. I joined up as i suddenly feel the need to shoot crows and such at long distances but have a bit of a dilemma. At the minute i have a sako 75 hunter laminated stainless (just standard barrel) in .222. I am home loading and at the minute think im getting reasonably good groups with nosler 40gr b-tips, at 100 yards im getting .5"-.75" and at 200 between 1"-1.5". My problem is my barrel is heating a bit too quickly and i would really fancy having a go at longer range ie 5-600 yards at the range. I was thinking of trading my 75 in for an 85 varmint in .223 with the 20" fluted barrel but im a bit worried in case it doesent give the same accuracy as my .222, also anyone using the 20" barrel and will it be ok with heavier bullets for longer range?

sorry about the ramble but i would really like an opinion which is not driven by sales?

[Scotch_egg]

Welcome to UKV.

 

 

I note you joined today. Please introduce yourself and tell of your experience.

 

The wealth of experience on this site is something to behold. However what you will find is that a Rifle can be a jack of all trades but master of non.

 

A 1-8" twist light weight rifle will be able to put single .22 75gr rounds down range but string them together under target conditions and you will find your groups open. This is how I started with a Tikka T3.

 

You would also benefit from longer barrels than 20" to achieve greater velocity. Long barrels are not great in a truck gun and there is often no need for the ability for to reasch past 300 yards when lamping.

 

You will find that long range varminting is still a niche market and more than one rifle is needed for your shooting exploits. I cetainly have

[Finman]

+1 on the brand choice! Not sure about the calibre though, perhaps the .22-250 may have more legs than the .223. Plus you have a .308 boltface that you can then rebarrel with a 6mmBR which is what you really want

[Ronin]

Tikka T3 Varmint in 223?

 

Rem 700 VLS in 22-250 / 223

 

Cooper in any of the above.

 

er

 

 

 

 

Blaser R98 / R8, with jagtmatch barrel...(sorry chaps. I like Blasers)

[baldie]

You like do-nuts too, but it doesn,t make it right.....

[Gandy]

For what it worth, don't make the mistakes I did and spend time practicing and using the equipment you have. Otherwise you will end up having a few to many rifles and scopes which ultimatley are not what I wanted.

 

Reading the wind is the big skill I'm still learning.

 

Hope it saves you a few£

[Toby]

Why not rebarrel the Sako in 223 with a 1-8"?

[James19306]

Why not rebarrel the Sako in 223 with a 1-8"?

 

How much do we rekon i would need to spend to get it re-barreled in .223 because then i would have a rifle i know which i know will shoot well without worrying if it will be as good as the one i have now. I think the problem with buying a sako 85 varmint is i have no way of knowing if it will be as accurate as the one i have now. I cannot speak for a sako 85 but if its anything like every other product in the world it seems the newer the model the more cost cutting shortcuts have been taken in its production. I really like the sako 75 action and trigger so dont see any reason to change it but i just really want a heavier barrel so i can have more prolonged target session, anyone on here reading this had their 75 re-barreled that could point me in the direction of someone who could do it.

[tackb]

How much do we rekon i would need to spend to get it re-barreled in .223 because then i would have a rifle i know which i know will shoot well without worrying if it will be as good as the one i have now. I think the problem with buying a sako 85 varmint is i have no way of knowing if it will be as accurate as the one i have now. I cannot speak for a sako 85 but if its anything like every other product in the world it seems the newer the model the more cost cutting shortcuts have been taken in its production. I really like the sako 75 action and trigger so dont see any reason to change it but i just really want a heavier barrel so i can have more prolonged target session, anyone on here reading this had their 75 re-barreled that could point me in the direction of someone who could do it.

 

I have a 75 in 223 with a 1-8 original factory barrel (quite rare apparently?) it shoots 50g to 75g very well and I think you would be well served by fitting a 1-8 on your rifle .

 

Where are you , that will help with rifle smith recommendations ? I use Riflecraft in Suffolk and as long as your not a sensitive type then I would recommend him very highly he has a very practical approach which I like.

[James19306]

I have a 75 in 223 with a 1-8 original factory barrel (quite rare apparently?) it shoots 50g to 75g very well and I think you would be well served by fitting a 1-8 on your rifle .

 

Where are you , that will help with rifle smith recommendations ? I use Riflecraft in Suffolk and as long as your not a sensitive type then I would recommend him very highly he has a very practical approach which I like.

 

I live in Northern Ireland so sending it anywhere will be a pain anyway. I may as well send it to whoever people on here recommend, will have a look at riflecraft. Any idea what time i would expect to wait to have a barrel fitted?

[baldie]

Why not check out the 5 gunsmiths that actually sponsor this site ? their adverts are down the right hand side of the page. You have a very good gunsmith in the South, Fergal at Ireland custom Rifles. Why not give him a ring ?

[6.5shooter]

I live in Northern Ireland so sending it anywhere will be a pain anyway. I may as well send it to whoever people on here recommend, will have a look at riflecraft. Any idea what time i would expect to wait to have a barrel fitted?

 

 

James, im from Armagh, I send guns back and forth on a regular basis to get a rebarrel or a bit of customisation done and its no hassle. Just drop it into youre RFD and get him to send it to wherever you want.

I use Tannyoky guns in poyntzpass I mostly buy alot of my stuff there anyway and they couldnt be more helpful.

 

Garry

[6.5shooter]

Just a thought, if you want to shoot crows at Distances like 5-600 and you want to keep youre rifle with 223 boltface, rebarrel it to 20 tac, they are not the easiest things to hit at that distance but you might stand more of a chance in this calibre.

I do it with a 220 swift but it has a 308 boltface.

 

Garry

[achosenman]

James welcome to the boards. Be very wary of recommendations. Listen to what is said but get what you want. Everyone here has a personal favourite, be it rifles or gunsmith.

 

I have used 6 smiths to re-barrel/ bed or build from scratch. I no longer use any of them. As Dave (Baldie) says, the smiths on this board will put up or shut up. That is worth all the promises or bling websites put together. Do a cursory search with Google and you will find out if there are any bad reviews for the smith you are considering.

 

If you go down the new barrel route, there is no guarantee that your rifle will shoot like it does now. There’s a lot more to it than just screwing in a new barrel.

 

As to calibre, they all have pro’s and con’s. FWIW after 4 years of use, I will no longer use any 20 cal for really long range work. For me, velocity is not king, accuracy is. At the ranges you are talking about you need the highest BC you can get and the 20 cal is severely limited in that department and is outclassed by the 22 by a long way in the70/75/80grns wt range of bullet.

 

As a rule of thumb, tiny fast bullets being pushed by lots of powder may be fun, but they are hard on the barrel. E.g. the 204 I owned never shot long strings, I never got it hot, but the barrel had to be replaced at 1500 rds. For me that’s stupid. I want to burn powder, not buy barrels.

 

 

ATB

[22/250 foxer]

if the 222 is shooting really well. it seams a shame to rebarrel it. you would be better off selling it. and looking out for a sako in 223 with a fast twist if you want to shoot the heavier bullets.