5.56 bolt actions?

[GRIZ 3,369]

 @Greenday really doesn't make much difference if you use 5.56 or 223 to zero IMO. You may find one shoots better than the other.   Being you don't reload try several different brands of ammo.  Cheap steel case ammo will shoot okay but will not match the accuracy of most brass case ammo AFAIC.  They will all shoot good but you usually find one that shoots best.  Don't get carried away with buying expensive "target" ammo at this point.  Remember a 2" group at 100 when you're starting out is good.  The rifles Carlos Hathcock used were only capable of this.

If you want some help setting up the rifle let me know.

[myhatinthering 462]

Vortex, burris....plenty of sales out there. Dont buy cheap glass

[Greenday 323]

Wolf Gold 223? Target Sports has it at $279.50 for 1000 rounds.

Leupold Rifleman 4-12x40mm is looking pretty solid. Leupold lists it at $325 but Amazon has it at $280. Sounds like a great deal.

[GRIZ 3,369]

54 minutes ago, Greenday said:

Wolf Gold 223? Target Sports has it at $279.50 for 1000 rounds.

Never used it. No opinion.  SG Ammo is out of stock but shows a price of about $15 less plus shipping (that would be maybe $15).

[Malice4you 627]

I have a bunch of Nikon glass, and they make some good stuff. I have an inexpensive Nikon 2-7x32 on one rifle, though I do sometimes wish I had gone 3-9x40 or fixed 10x. I would suggest a 3-9x40 or 4-12x40, of which there are dozens of brands and models to choose from. I personally prefer 12x minimum magnification, and all my other decent scopes are 12x to 18x max magnification. I have been moving to fixed power SWFA scopes on some rifles, but most people want a zoom, and the 3-9 and 4-12s are likely the sweet spot of power to price.

I found fiocchi 50pk bulk ammo was really pretty decent for bulk ammo, and usually priced quite reasonably. Groups were about half the size of groups using cheap remington or pmc ammo, so about 1.5" at 100yds.

What rate of twist is the barrel? If its a 1:7 or 1:8, you should try to find some 62 grain or heavier ammo to see if the rifle does considerably better with it.

[Greenday 323]

I made my decision. I'd like to thank you all for your advice.

Ruger American Ranch in 5.56 NATO, flush fit 5 round mag

.223 Wolf Gold FMJ

Nikon Prostaff 5 3.5-14X40 Matte BDC

Got the ammo in yesterday and scope today. Dear God it's so beautiful.

[Mrs. Peel 7,157]

19 minutes ago, Greenday said:

Dear God it's so beautiful.

What?! And no pics?! You're a tease!

Hope you enjoy it. 

[RecessedFilter 222]

41 minutes ago, Greenday said:

I made my decision. I'd like to thank you all for your advice.

Ruger American Ranch in 5.56 NATO, flush fit 5 round mag

.223 Wolf Gold FMJ

Nikon Prostaff 5 3.5-14X40 Matte BDC

Got the ammo in yesterday and scope today. Dear God it's so beautiful.

Congrats. You sound happy so that's great! An advantage to the American Ranch rifles is being able to use common AR mags. I plan on buying one maybe over the winter.

Post some pics up, we love to see new purchases.

 

[Greenday 323]

I suppose posting a pic is doable.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[GRIZ 3,369]

Did you level the scope?

[Greenday 323]

Did you level the scope?

I just put the rings on and the scope before bowling tonight. Saturday will be when I give it some love.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[GRIZ 3,369]

25 minutes ago, Greenday said:

I just put the rings on and the scope before bowling tonight. Saturday will be when I give it some love.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 

But did you level the scope when you mounted it.  If you didn't you can shoot groups but makes it really hard to zero.

[Zeke 5,504]

11 minutes ago, GRIZ said:

But did you level the scope when you mounted it.  If you didn't you can shoot groups but makes it really hard to zero.

I’m reading it as photo op.

[Kevin125 4,772]

4 hours ago, Greenday said:

I suppose posting a pic is doable.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 

 Very nice. Good luck with it.  And do whatever Griz says.  Even it seems a bit complicated, its worth your time to learn how to do it.

[Greenday 323]

My two highlight groupings of the day. Took a bit to zero. Without adjustments it started about 4" left and 4" down. But finally got it around where I want. Windy as hell today. The tighter grouping is just under 1" at 100 yards.

Rifle felt great. I'm going to be honest, I was greatly amused by how far ejected brass went flying each time I chambered a new round.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[GRIZ 3,369]

@Greenday with practice you'll be able to keep those groups 1" or under all day long.

[Zeke 5,504]

Needs a bipod

[Greenday 323]

5 minutes ago, Zeke said:

Needs a bipod

I do have a shooting rest.

[Zeke 5,504]

Just now, Greenday said:

I do have a shooting rest.

Nope, rifle needs a bipod and you need a squishy bag.

jus sayen 

[myhatinthering 462]

if anyone is interested, Thompson Center Compass on sale for 209 after rebate.  Reviews are beyond impressive so if looking for a .223/5.56 bolt gun, hard to go wrong here

[Greenday 323]

On 11/3/2018 at 7:56 PM, Zeke said:

Nope, rifle needs a bipod and you need a squishy bag.

jus sayen 

Muzzle brake? Someone suggested one yesterday.

And what's the difference between a lot of the bipods?

[Zeke 5,504]

31 minutes ago, Greenday said:

Muzzle brake? Someone suggested one yesterday.

And what's the difference between a lot of the bipods?

I’ll defer to @Bully

[Malice4you 627]

Muzzle brake on a .223 is not required, but may help you stay on target through the scope. My savage came with one preinstalled.

Bipods, you can get $15 ebay specials, harris models from $60, and brands i don't even know because some cost more than some of my rifles. I would be fine with a Harris on almost any rifle, and harris is my preference. Most inexpensive bipods seem to be harris clones/wannabes. I typically get the 6-9" model, though I do also have a 9-13". I always leave my bipods on the guns, I do not swap them around. If you expect to swap to different rifles often, I strongly suggest only going with Harris or better.

In terms of price, best cheap one I have is marked VLIFE and has a C and backward nested c inside it to left of VLIFE. Believe I got it off ebay from ecop, but may have been from elsewhere. Think it was under $20, and its the best cheap one I have owned.

Next step up is Champion, which are very similar to Harris, and should run around $30-40 IIRC.

Harris benchrest models are on a few of my guns. If you will be shooting from uneven terrain, there is a tilting model, but i would avoid that if only being used on a bench. Fit and finish, and overall quality of Harris is nicest, as one would expect since they start around $60, but they feel tighter, stronger, and better made.

Avoid Leapers/UTG brand, and clones that look like them. They are crap, poorly designed and pot metal parts far as I can tell, and made for airsoft.

Other cheap ebay/amazon bipods will be hit or miss. Most will not secure well, due to design or materials used, so you may be tightening the tension screw for the sling stud often. I usually end up adding nuts to the tension screw to prevent creep.

All that said, even the cheapest bipods I have used work OK enough for bench shooting smaller calibers. If money were not an issue, I would run only Harris until I got a rifle worthy of/designed for a more expensive bipod.

[myhatinthering 462]

best sub 100 bipod imho is the green blob

[GRIZ 3,369]

2 hours ago, myhatinthering said:

if anyone is interested, Thompson Center Compass on sale for 209 after rebate.  Reviews are beyond impressive so if looking for a .223/5.56 bolt gun, hard to go wrong here

Where?

[myhatinthering 462]

17 minutes ago, GRIZ said:

Where?

https://www.kygunco.com/Product/View?ItemNo=111628

 

all of them are on sale, the 308, 6.5mm, 30-06   mail in $50 rebate online brings it to 209 delivered. 

[GRIZ 3,369]

1 hour ago, myhatinthering said:

https://www.kygunco.com/Product/View?ItemNo=111628

 

all of them are on sale, the 308, 6.5mm, 30-06   mail in $50 rebate online brings it to 209 delivered. 

Thanx!!!

[myhatinthering 462]

22 minutes ago, GRIZ said:

Thanx!!!

no worries

was reading a thread on snipershide and this pop upped.  the reviews on these rifles are impressive to say the least.  Nice price for a platform loaded with features and performance you get on more expensive guns.  I'm half tempted to get a hunting rifle here

[GRIZ 3,369]

2 minutes ago, myhatinthering said:

no worries

was reading a thread on snipershide and this pop upped.  the reviews on these rifles are impressive to say the least.  Nice price for a platform loaded with features and performance you get on more expensive guns.  I'm half tempted to get a hunting rifle here

I'm tempted to get one just because it's such a bargain.

[Bully 749]

Muzzle brake if you don't intend to compete.  However it being a bolt gun it does not need to be pinned/welded so if you have one and decide to compete in an NRA style event (FTR/BR/etc.) it can be removed for the match and screwed back on afterward.  

Bi-pod, I'm a Harris fan for a regular old rifle kind of thing.  On my match rifle, I run something a bit different.  However I've shot some relatively impressive groups off a non-cant, non-swivel, non-notched leg Harris 6-9.  Bipods are nice to have and come off if you decide to run bags or hunt the rifle and won't need one.  

Good luck.