Custom Coyote/Varmint Rifle 223

[ndczerwinski]

Hello,

I am starting to make a parts list for a custom 223 varmint/coyote rifle. I planing on a Varmint contour Bartlein barrel, but a totally not familiar with what actions and bottom metals exist out there that are not way to big and heavy for 223. Any suggestions other than a trues up 700?

Any suggestions on specs for building the best varmint rifle would be helpful. Cost is not really a big concerns but I don't want a rifle that is over 10 lbs bare. Intended use is coyote hunting and occasional prairie dogging.

Thanks.

 

[Catahoula]

Why not a 22-250? Far better coyote rifle.

 

[ndczerwinski]

Why not a 22-250? Far better coyote rifle.

Because they heat up too quick and burn out barrels quick if you prairie dog for them. Plus I already have a 22-250.

 

[jjmp]

The 223 is a splendid round love it myself and have a semi/factory custom ,it is limited to range,say 300 , 400 if your a Crack shot , Catahoula has shot many more coyotes then I'll ever see in my lifetime and he's a great friend !, I think he's talking about the flatness of the 22/250 , bac to your ?'s if you build it to heavy you won't like carrying it , unless your a young man many of us are not ,lol it comes down to compromises . A custom bbl mated to like a Borden action would be very nice , but it's your call your Build ,a # 5 contur would be liter and shoot probably just as good as a varmit weight bbl , the Gunsmith you choose is Most important , their custom smiths here but to many to list ,reserch them on this forum . May I missed your point and your thinking Fast twist , just trying to help , Cheers !

 

[killahog]

Give this guy a call I built a 22-250AI on one of his actions and it is really nice.


LYONS GUNSMITHING
: DISTRIBUTOR FOR TL TECHNOLOGIES OF LANCASTER,PA
CONTACT
Lyons Gunsmithing, 532 Adamstown Road, Reinholds, PA 17569
Phone 610-775-1262 Cell 610-603-6760
EMAIL [email protected]

 

[Ohlongarm]

Because they heat up too quick and burn out barrels quick if you prairie dog for them. Plus I already have a 22-250.

Amen,many who dispute the two calibers ,oftentimes fail to look at the two side by side in terms of long range trajectory and energy delivered the 204 wins. Not detracting from the 22/250,i have a Tikka ,but it stays home now since acquiring a 204.

 

[hateCA]

Unless this is a daytime rifle and you are very good at shot placement .223 is not the best choice. Like mentioned above you need something with a little more volicity and or bullet weight. My go to caliber is .243 but I do a lot of night hunting and don't want that coyote running with me trying to track him in the dark. I want him DWHS. Faster volicity and or a little bit bigger caliber will anchor the dog a lot easier if the shot isn't perfect.

 

[Mosster47]

This is my 223. It's a 700 VTR. I originally bought it to hunt Coues deer but I couldn't get it to shoot a 63gr Game King or 55gr X-bullet. It's supposed to handle the big pills with this fast twist but it doesn't. So I relegated it to shooting 40gr ballistic tips and use it if I just want to get one shot off in an area I won't come back to. 223 like 308 will be your cheapest option for sure.


I did take my biggest yote with it ages ago though. They're super easy to kill. I've never had one move a muscle shooting them with a rimfire. A 223 is beyond enough. This was a big boy though.

 

[window licker]

Build the .223 get a 1-7 twist barrel, and shoot the 75g or up class bullets. This combo kill coyotes past the 700 yard mark if you are capable of doing so.

 

[DSheetz]

I bought a Winchester model 70 in 223 years ago . I load 55 Sierra HPBT's in it 26 gr of H335 have killed a lot of coyote with it . It's 25 years old and has a few thousand rounds through it still going strong .

 

[22Kreedmire]

I run a trued 700, 223 rem with a Bartlein number 3, 8twist 5r at 25" N133, Lapua brass , 7-1/2br primers with a 50vmax at 3600fps. coyotes don't know what hit em. Use a ballistic app and compare to a 22-250. Difference is not much. 22/250 50vmax at 4000fps is doing 3600 at 110 yards. So it has a 110 yard advantage on my 223. And uses about 10 grains more powder. 223 is absolutely one of the best cartridges ever created. I've never seen any powder but n133 get this speed with a 223 and a 50 grain bullet. But 3 rifles betwix myself and friends all shooting same load and all are 3500-3600. Even going with superformance 53 Hornady factory they list it at 3465, I tested in a 24" AR and they were doing 3450. And the BC is better than a 50 vmax. 22/250 is a great cartridge. But in reality it's not that much ahead of a 223 as you would think.. bullet for bullet wise. Here's a chart of 22/250 firing a 50 vmax at 4000. At 110 yards it's 3596. My 223 is 3600 at the muzzle via LabRadar and magnetospeed. You can't go wrong with either cartridge

 

[DSheetz]

I had some bad times with AR style rifles when I was young so I didn't want much to do with them until the last 4 or 5 years . Since then I have studied them and found that they can be made to shoot accurately and repeatedly . I am fond of the 223 and 5.56 round , I don't much care for FMJ rounds , small holes in and out makes for too much tracking .

 

[22Kreedmire]

I had some bad times with AR style rifles when I was young so I didn't want much to do with them until the last 4 or 5 years . Since then I have studied them and found that they can be made to shoot accurately and repeatedly . I am fond of the 223 and 5.56 round , I don't much care for FMJ rounds , small holes in and out makes for too much tracking .

VMAX. yeah ar's are deadly accurate when built right. I build my own with WOA predator barrels and they shoot an honest .5 moa most of the time with factory ammo. (Hornady 55 varmint express, federal v&p 53vmax ) Coyote in my profile pic is the biggest I've ever killed (western yote). 42#. 350 yards with a 20" ar shooting 55 vmax factory Hornady ammo. DRT

 

[window licker]

Why would you shoot 50g bullets out of an 8 twist barrel?