Building a rifle for grand kids and there friends to shoot

[turkeyfever]

Looking into building a rifle for my grand kids to shoot and hunt with. Want to start with a .224 caliber first. I have the Manners MCS-CS stock on order now. Will be using a Remington action. I want to shoot the 64 grain Nosler bonded bullet for this build. Will have a proof barrel at 16.5 inches long and suppressor. Will be a two hundred yard rifle max. What caliber will shoot the shorter barrel best. No wildcat calibers.
Thanks
Rusty

 

[HARPERC]

Always a great endeavor! Good for you, getting something they don't have to grow into.

I hadn't been aware of that stock before I like it.

Which bolt face are you working with? What twist?

 

[can1010]

the good old 22-250 would be my choice but I am old. for the younger crowd I here the 224 Valkyrie is pretty good there is a husband and wife team with a tread on here about it out to 1000 yds in an AR-15 platform

 

[turkeyfever]

Would like to keep it a .473 bolt head.

 

[thatguyshm]

Sounds like a 22-250 with a 9 or 10 twist would do everything you need. Feeds well, plenty of data for it, fits your bolt. There's the 22 Creedmoor but I think it would be a bit more tricky with brass and chamber neck size due to either necking down larger brass or using new 22 Creed brass. If you want simple just go with the 22-250.

 

[dmoon]

The 22 BR would be an extremely accurate little round with a little less "Thump" on the shoulder and muzzle jump, which would be better (in my opinion) for young people. Other than that I would go with the 22-250 like has been mentioned.

 

[thatguyshm]

That's funny, 22BR was my first thought, but rumor has it they can be a bit finicky to get feeding reliably and in my experience new shooters need the easiest and most reliable. No need to take a nice manners and make it a single feed. Just my two cents.

 

[dmoon]

With the steep shoulder on a BR they can be finicky. But with the right bottom metal and a ramp adjustment that can be easily taken care of. A single shot for children isn't a bad deal either though. I shoot a dasher (with a steeper shoulder) that I adjusted the ramp on and have not had any issues. That's a good point that "thatguyshm" made though.

 

[HARPERC]

.22-250 on that bolt face.

I'd get a 7" or 8" twist barrel.

 

[RevJim]

Yep, .22-250 for the action and best bang for the buck. Turn them loose with the budget packs of generic ammo ( in a brand of brass you prefer)- I like the 40rd Winchester 45gr packs- for general rifle practice, benchrest techniques, etc, have them keep the fired brass for handloads later. If possible, include them in the load workup/teaching them to load their own later. I taught a lot of boys by giving them a decent, good trigger .22LR and turning them loose to just plink "after" we had about an hour of safety/rifle shooting technique, etc. Prairie dog hunts are worth the price for training youngsters, IMHO.
With the low prices, the many budget rifles in .223 may be a better investment?

 

[HARPERC]

.......I taught a lot of boys by giving them a decent, good trigger .22LR and turning them loose to just plink "after" we had about an hour of safety/rifle shooting technique, etc. Prairie dog hunts are worth the price for training youngsters,....IMHO With the low prices, the many budget rifles in .223 may be a better investment?............

17 HMR's in a field full of sage rats for a couple of days priceless!

The .223's work well here also. Volume shooting would favor the .223. We ended a trip with 18 lbs of brass. That likely kills some more intense cartridges. They work well in 16" barrels as well.

I still really like the OP's plan. Other adjustments is personalizing towards knowledge of the intended use.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Would like to keep it a .473 bolt head.

.22-250 or .22-250 AI hands-down! I had one for a few years till I burned the barrel out, then rebarreled to .308 Win (at the time, I didn't have another .308), but looking back, I loved that little cartridge. Smooth shooting, no recoil, and blistering fast speeds with a 55gr VMax. I sure wouldn't mind building another 20" heavy .22-250 someday, but this time I'd go with the AI version with a 6" twist to push the 90 grain Bergers.

 

[turkeyfever]

223 already in use. Cannot keep enough ammo around. Buying it by the case. Will more than likely do the 22-250 for this build. Just not sure how it will work with a 16.5 inch barrel and suppressed.

 

[MudRunner2005]

223 already in use. Cannot keep enough ammo around. Buying it by the case. Will more than likely do the 22-250 for this build. Just not sure how it will work with a 16.5 inch barrel and suppressed.

Pushing a bullet over 3,600 FPS MV, it's still going to be loud with a suppressor, especially with that 16.5" barrel... But, that sounds like it would make a cool little varmint rig!