Help me to choose best rifle in .223

[bigfellascott]

Fellas will you please stop recommending a tikka or a bruno mod 2. Old mate wants a high end classy rifle so he doesn't have to buy ever again.

Islander you don't know it yet but you REALLY want to buy this package. It is everything you want for your small farm/hunting needs

https://www.buyusedguns.com.au/sauer-20 ... 11937.html

I still think the Brno Model 2 is a much nicer rifle. If this thing is so good you'd never have to buy another rifle...why is it for sale?

He’s probably like a lot of halfwits out there who have all the gear and no idea! They get all excited and buy the most expensive and prettiest one they can find and buy it in the belief it will make them a better shooter then they find out it doesn’t and they lose interest and move onto the next fad thing in their life and repeat the whole process.

My mate had a bloke come in and he wanted the best scope available to put on his howa I think it was my mate tried to explain a few things to him but he was adiment so my mate sold him some high end swaro which I think was up near $4-6k (expensive one anyway)

Some people are completely clueless

[marksman]

its not irrelevant if olmate decides to believe this rubbish and goes out wounding roo's with a 17hmr but you are right no need to overcomplicate things

You probably missed this bit from my post..."...but they cull deer in the UK with the .17HMR. As long as you practice and take careful shots it'd be fine, but check if it's legal where you are. Some states have cartridge minimums for 'roo."

I thought I fairly effectively covered not wounding 'roos...

I didn't miss it Blade, even with a perfect shot the 17HMR doesn't carry enough energy to reliably penetrate vital organs to bring a deer down quickly,
I'll suggest that the 17HMR is suitable for most small game but that's it

[marksman]

Fellas will you please stop recommending a tikka or a bruno mod 2. Old mate wants a high end classy rifle so he doesn't have to buy ever again.

Islander you don't know it yet but you REALLY want to buy this package. It is everything you want for your small farm/hunting needs

https://www.buyusedguns.com.au/sauer-20 ... 11937.html

I still think the Brno Model 2 is a much nicer rifle. If this thing is so good you'd never have to buy another rifle...why is it for sale?

He’s probably like a lot of halfwits out there who have all the gear and no idea! They get all excited and buy the most expensive and prettiest one they can find and buy it in the belief it will make them a better shooter then they find out it doesn’t and they lose interest and move onto the next fad thing in their life and repeat the whole process.

My mate had a bloke come in and he wanted the best scope available to put on his howa I think it was my mate tried to explain a few things to him but he was adiment so my mate sold him some high end swaro which I think was up near $4-6k (expensive one anyway)

Some people are completely clueless

c'mon scott if a guy wants to spend his hard earnt kanga that way why shouldn't he
the gunshop counter jumpers love him, that's there besty

[bladeracer]

I didn't miss it Blade, even with a perfect shot the 17HMR doesn't carry enough energy to reliably penetrate vital organs to bring a deer down quickly, I'll suggest that the 17HMR is suitable for most small game but that's it

Absolutely agree with you. The culling video I saw was suppressed rifle into the back of the head at ranges under 50m at most. If I find it I'll post it. I don't recall the type of deer, but they weren't big.

[marksman]

thanks Blade I would be interested

[bigfellascott]

Fellas will you please stop recommending a tikka or a bruno mod 2. Old mate wants a high end classy rifle so he doesn't have to buy ever again.

Islander you don't know it yet but you REALLY want to buy this package. It is everything you want for your small farm/hunting needs

https://www.buyusedguns.com.au/sauer-20 ... 11937.html

I still think the Brno Model 2 is a much nicer rifle. If this thing is so good you'd never have to buy another rifle...why is it for sale?

He’s probably like a lot of halfwits out there who have all the gear and no idea! They get all excited and buy the most expensive and prettiest one they can find and buy it in the belief it will make them a better shooter then they find out it doesn’t and they lose interest and move onto the next fad thing in their life and repeat the whole process.

My mate had a bloke come in and he wanted the best scope available to put on his howa I think it was my mate tried to explain a few things to him but he was adiment so my mate sold him some high end swaro which I think was up near $4-6k (expensive one anyway)

Some people are completely clueless

c'mon scott if a guy wants to spend his hard earnt kanga that way why shouldn't he
the gunshop counter jumpers love him, that's there besty

Too true mate, the prob was the scope he wanted right or wrong was completely over the top for what he was intending to use it for but he wouldn't listen so they lined him up and got plenty out of him by the sounds of it

[bigfellascott]

I didn't miss it Blade, even with a perfect shot the 17HMR doesn't carry enough energy to reliably penetrate vital organs to bring a deer down quickly, I'll suggest that the 17HMR is suitable for most small game but that's it

Absolutely agree with you. The culling video I saw was suppressed rifle into the back of the head at ranges under 50m at most. If I find it I'll post it. I don't recall the type of deer, but they weren't big.

Muntjac perhaps? they stand about 20" high so not exactly a big deer, I reckon a 17HMR would handle em ok

[bigrich]

223 s/s laminate tikka , CZ 452 2E american 22lr . spend the rest of your budget on descent scopes ( not going to open that can of worms ) 3-9x40 for the 22lr , 4-12x40 for the 223 . flexable , usable, reliable combo that will do everything you want and cheap to run on factory ammo job done end of this topic , shoot and enjoy, islander

if you want good qaulity without going nuts islander substitute the tikka for a sako with the same specs, or get the anschutz . top off with a leupold vx-3 or meopta meostar . as others have said , a 22lr is a must have for a shooter and i believe within it's limits it's more practical than a 17 hmr and is great for rabbit and such without annoying the neihbours JMHO

[Sergeant Hartman]

Actually he needs a sako trg42 in 300wm and an anschutz in 22lr... regarding scopes mate get March all the big benchrest guys use them. But a nightforce is minimum. European glad it's over rated


I think we can close this thread now.

[deanp100]

Of the 11 pages there is 10 pages of s**t and only a few sensible comments. Islander has no chance of getting anything useful out of it. We have gone from rimfire to a 30 mag of some sort and back again. Well done guys well done.

[TassieTiger]

Why do you think it’s deteriorated? Ever heard of sarcasm?
He has his answers in the first couple pages...

[bladeracer]

Of the 11 pages there is 10 pages of s**t and only a few sensible comments. Islander has no chance of getting anything useful out of it. We have gone from rimfire to a 30 mag of some sort and back again. Well done guys well done.

I think the OP has actually learned a hell of lot that he hadn't considered when he posted the question. I don't think anybody could want more than that from any thread.

[Islander7]

Thanks guys for your input. I've been reading and thinking a lot about it in the last couple of days.
I've come to the realisation that I don't need or want a .223 after all. It's really an overkill for my needs + needlessly noisy for my neighbourhood. I know you can download ammo to lower velocities (and noise), but I know I won't be doing it.

After all the research I've done I know exactly what I'm after - something reasonably accurate in .22 Hornet. All I'm going to do is shooting rabbits and wallabies within 100-150m max anyway, so it should be more than adequate for the task, while being noticeably quieter than .223 (all reports I found on the internet say it's much quieter). Cost of factory ammo doesn't bother me either. My problem is that there is not really much choice of rifles of this caliber in Australia. There is a CZ 527 and there is a Ruger 77, and I think that's it (unless I missed something). All reports say that CZ 527 is a better choice, but I very much prefer the look and features of Ruger... so here is another dilemma.

Anyway, currently still awaiting for my licence in the mail and browsing used rifles.

[bladeracer]

Thanks guys for your input. I've been reading and thinking a lot about it in the last couple of days.
I've come to the realisation that I don't need or want a .223 after all. It's really an overkill for my needs + needlessly noisy for my neighbourhood. I know you can download ammo to lower velocities (and noise), but I know I won't be doing it.

After all the research I've done I know exactly what I'm after - something reasonably accurate in .22 Hornet. All I'm going to do is shooting rabbits and wallabies within 100-150m max anyway, so it should be more than adequate for the task, while being noticeably quieter than .223 (all reports I found on the internet say it's much quieter). Cost of factory ammo doesn't bother me either. My problem is that there is not really much choice of rifles of this caliber in Australia. There is a CZ 527 and there is a Ruger 77, and I think that's it (unless I missed something). All reports say that CZ 527 is a better choice, but I very much prefer the look and features of Ruger... so here is another dilemma.

Anyway, currently still awaiting for my licence in the mail and browsing used rifles.

It's a shame you're not closer as I have a decent selection of calibers you could play with to get a feel for noise and recoil.

New rifles are going to be uncommon these days in .22 Hornet, but secondhand would be fine.
Some of beauties worth a look.
https://www.usedguns.com.au/SearchResults.aspx?term=&sold=False&currentad=True&cat=0&calibre=22+Hornet&condition=0&state=0&page=1

[duncan61]

You can get a single shot Harrington &a Richards brand new for a few hundred dollars in hornet.they are not that much quieter than other centre fires but do a good job with a night eater scope and a few boxes of ammo you would probably get change from $500.I had one for years and enjoyed hunting it came with a 410 shotgun barrel as well just a thought

[TassieTiger]

To quote “I'm comfortable with spending anywhere between $1500 and $3500 just for the rifle. Just want to buy once, buy right, don't care much about money at this stage.”

[Flyer]

Weihrauch HW66 comes in 22 Hornet. I've got one in 22 and it shoots hole-in-hole at 50y.

Mine's a thumbhole model


But you can get a sporter stock, too


Or even a Jagdmatch heavy barrel

[Islander7]

[

It's a shame you're not closer as I have a decent selection of calibers you could play with to get a feel for noise and recoil.

New rifles are going to be uncommon these days in .22 Hornet, but secondhand would be fine.
Some of beauties worth a look.
https://www.usedguns.com.au/SearchResults.aspx?term=&sold=False&currentad=True&cat=0&calibre=22+Hornet&condition=0&state=0&page=1

Thanks mate, yes looks like I have a much bigger selection among used rifles vs brand new ones.

If I buy used from interstate, how does it usually work? do I just trust the seller in regards to the rifle condition etc, or do I request some sort of 'gunsmiths report' (if such thing exists)?

Thanks Flyer, I've never heard of that rifle before, will check it out!

[bigrich]

+1 for weihrauch in 22 hornet . weihrauch are a qaulity gun with a fantastic adjustable trigger . i had a old krico (uses almost identical action , krico were bought out by weihrauch in the 90's ) in 22 hornet that was silly accurate with factory 46 gn winchester hollow points. i had a hw66 in 22lr , beutifully made rifle . if you want to go a new hornet, this would be my first pick . according to many on american ruger forums, the ruger's have had accuracy issues . make of that what you will and do some google searches on this, cz527 is a great rifle also that has a great reputation. i wouldn't say 22 hornet is that much quieter than the 222 i have now. i had a weihrauch in 22 mag also that would shoot 1" at 100 with cci 40gn hp's . and so opens another can off worms. 22 mag anyone

[bigrich]

12 pages now

[bigfellascott]

Don't buy 2nd hand mate, you haven't got a clue what you are looking at - just stick to buying something new.

[Islander7]

Thanks again Flyer for recommending Weihrauch HW66, doing my research now, looks like I've found what I wanted:) It's no1 on my list now.

[Islander7]

And... Finally got the approval firearm licence letter in the mail today! Yay

Flyer, Bigrich, where do you order Weihrauch from? Can any local dealer get one for me, or should I find and contact australian distributor directly and organise shipping/paperwork myself etc?

[allan]

Flyer, Bigrich, where do you order Weihrauch from? Can any local dealer get one for me, or should I find and contact australian distributor directly and organise shipping/paperwork myself etc?

Any decent local gun shop should be able to order you one from the importer. Acme in Victoria would probably work a deal for you - They were OK with shipping to Queensland.

https://www.acme-firearms.com.au/rifles ... ifles.html

I'm a bit late here but lots of info. in this link about Weihrauch:

viewtopic.php?f=71&t=8903

Good luck with your decision but I think you will be satisfied with a new WH - Quality German engineering.

[Islander7]

Thanks, I'm about to order Weihrauch HW66 Production model (I like this stock option the most), anything I need to know before ordering?

Like, I see it has different options for the trigger (I have no idea what each option is), what's best?
Also, do I need to order any special rings from the distributor to mount the scope, or this rifle is pretty stanrard in this regard and I can deal with it later when I get my scope?

Anything else I need to know?

Thanks guys - I truly appreciate each and every answer in this thread - learned a lot.

[Flyer]

You have two trigger options, two barrel options, and three stock options. The beauty of the HW66 is you can order almost any combination you want.

I've tried both trigger options and for hunting and general use, you want the single trigger - it is beautiful, and can be adjusted right down if you so wish. For me it was a hard choice between the single trigger and the dual-stage trigger, but as I use my Weihrauch for target shooting, I kept the dual-stage trigger, as it can adjust down to silly pressures - far lighter than you would ever want a trigger in the field.

The Jagdmatch is a proper target rifle, but is heavy. The stock weighs almost 0.5kg more than the thumbhole, as does the heavy barrel. It is wonderfully ergonomic, but again it might be a bit too much carrying around in the field.

The standard medium weight barrel is plenty heavy enough, and by all accounts just as accurate (the heavy barrel being slightly more consistent if you are shooting long strings).

The rifle takes standard CZ rimfire (11mm) style mounts. If you want advice on a scope and matching rings, let us know - I'm sure this thread will run another 12 pages!

Haha!

[Islander7]

Thanks Flyer, I've just been on the phone with Alcock and Pierce, unfortunatelly they can't swap barrels. Direct trigger can be supplied at 2 pull weights: 600g and 1400g though, not sure what to choose here.

[allan]

Direct trigger can be supplied at 2 pull weights: 600g and 1400g though, not sure what to choose here.

Weihrauch offer two spring options with the single stage trigger. My HW66JM was supplied with both - Very simple procedure to swap pull weight springs. If your rifle doesn't come with both springs, I would buy the second.

As a hunting rifle, the HW60J is a great choice. For pure range, target work, the HW66JM is a clear winner. as a general purpose all rounder, the HW66P with its classic style stock fits the bill - My opinions only - Others may differ !!!

[Flyer]

Yes, sorry, I should have explained better. They don't swap barrels, but you can order the Jagdmatch barreled action and ask if they can put it in another stock - it will fit the other stocks. Forgive me if they don't do this anymore, but they have done it in the past.

I had the 600g single trigger and that is the minimum pull weight - you can wind it up a fair bit higher. I didn't record the higher pull weight, but I'm in the opposite camp to allan on this one, as I'd order the 600g trigger and simply wind it up until you get used to it.

IMO, it is always better to have a lighter trigger that can be set heavier than a heavier trigger to start off with. It will still be safe for hunting.

[bigfellascott]

Nice choice mate, that will serve you nicely I would think, don't forget to clean the bore before shooting it for the first time and clean and oil after use each time and it should be good to go for a life time of use.

600g should be around 1.3lb see how you go with it and if need be increase it if you find it a bit too sensitive (I think it will be fine personally) but being new to shooting it might catch you out a few times until you get a bit used to it all.