Cheap gun for more trigger time

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Jul 18, 2019
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If you want trigger time, cheap ammo is the first place to look. You can pay off a gun easy by saving $0.25 each time you squeeze one off. I’d go 223 for center fire.
 
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It’s hard to overlook 223..

If you reload, blue dot, necksized lapua brass and midway seconds is hard to beat for trigger time on go to rifle without worry of burning up barrel.

8.5cents a bullet. 3 cents for powder, 3 cents for primer.
 

rayporter

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a slightly different take on this.

everyone should have an accurate varmint rifle. to shoot, a 222 or 223 or 6 br. cheap to pull the trigger on so you shoot it often and accurate enough to show you that if you shoot a big ol gob with fliers with your prize 308 or 280 you can pick up the small rifle and instantly know that if it shoots a .3 group that you dont have problems -your rifle does.
 

BCD

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I'm about to buy a Ruger American Predator 223 from Buds Gun Shop for this very purpose. I already bought the scope- SWFA 3-15.
 

tdhanses

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For everyone that says it’s cheap to shoot a 223, quick question. How often are you getting new barrels? Just wondering because on avg when I shoot my 22lr about 30-40 days a year, each time out I’m putting around 250-300rds down the tube or on avg 9,625rds a year through it. If accuracy falls off I just order a new barrel and put it on myself, no gunsmith needed to chamber or install.

My last 223 went to crap at about 3200rds.

I only have one year of really shooting my 22lr this much but it has considerably improved my accuracy. I bet I’m more accurate with my 22lr at 300yds then 80% of rifle hunters with their centerfire and my centerfire has become much easier to accurately shoot.

Also it’s nice to not have to reload hundreds of rounds every week or every other week.
 
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For everyone that says it’s cheap to shoot a 223, quick question. How often are you getting new barrels? Just wondering because on avg when I shoot my 22lr about 30-40 days a year, each time out I’m putting around 250-300rds down the tube or on avg 9,625rds a year through it. If accuracy falls off I just order a new barrel and put it on myself, no gunsmith needed to chamber or install.

My last 223 went to crap at about 3200rds.

I only have one year of really shooting my 22lr this much but it has considerably improved my accuracy. I bet I’m more accurate with my 22lr at 300yds then 80% of rifle hunters with their centerfire and my centerfire has become much easier to accurately shoot.

Also it’s nice to not have to reload hundreds of rounds every week or every other week.

I'd recommend the 22lr as well.

You can be accurate to 300-400 yards with one(with work, obviously). It doesn't hurt your wallet every time you pull the trigger, and it honestly makes you a much better marksman at the end of the day... not sure if thats the inherent difficulty of shooting 22lr "long range" or the fact that you'll take more shots and practice much more when it only costs you 8-10 cents to pull the trigger.

You can get 300 rounds for like 25-30 bucks. Thats a hell of a day of shooting from 100-400 yards... the 223 idea, while great, will still cost more not only in money(assuming the figure above, you're looking at 48 bucks for 300 rounds) but also in time spent de-capping, cleaning, sizing, inspecting and loading... not to mention initial brass cost, the shipping cost of the bullets, etc.
 

tdhanses

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Also if you only plan to shoot a few hundred rounds a year are you really getting more trigger time? Or are you just wanting to add to the collection?

I get the 22lr is not as appealing as a centerfire but once you get past that you’ll find its actually more fun to shoot.
 
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MuleyFever
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The reason I’m not leaning to a 22 is that I wonder how accurate a cheap one will be to 200-300 yards. I can pick up a used Ruger or Savage 223 for under $300 or so and it should shoot well based on reviews.
 
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tdhanses

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But how much will you invest to reload? What’s a rebarrel cost etc. you can get a really good 22 for $400 or even a little less.

Look at the cheaper CZ, Rugers or Savages in the $300-$450. I think I paid around $399 or a little less for my Ruger Precision Rimfire. Then take the cost of a 223 and everything to reload., if you don’t reload take the ammo price difference of CCI Standard Velocity to the cheapest 223 ammo at 2,000rds.

You may still find that 223 is more expensive over the year just not up front.

Something else to consider, if you’ll only shoot a few hundred rounds a year, you can set this money aside for a new rifle and just rebarrel your hunting rifle once you wear the barrel out.
 
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I use my .17 HMR as my trigger time rifle and try to shoot the smallest groups possible at 50 or 100 yards. It really allow me to work on my breathing and trigger squeezing mechanics and is very cheap to shoot.
same here.… before I bought a CZ I had the savage model 93, and bought my bro in law one too, and they are stupid accurate.... unbelievably so. they tell you exactly how you are executing shots, they shot one ragged hole @ 100yds if it's not windy.

I bought them for shooting sage rats over east and they are crazy fun to shoot, just how accurate they are, and cheap to shoot.

my second option would be something in .223 due to ammo price, though not near as cheap as 17hmr.

I would rather have a sub 300 dollar 17 vs any sub 300 dollar centerfire, some of the cheap rifles shoot well enough, but I just don't like the feel of any cheap rifles I have shot including the savage axis or ruger American..... just not a good investment to me.... get a lot nicer 17 for 300 bucks, and they will shoot
 
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The reason I’m not leaning to a 22 is that I wonder how accurate a cheap one will be to 200-300 yards. I can pick up a used Ruger or Savage 223 for under $300 or so and it should shoot well based on reviews.

I have a Savage B22FV that will hold sub-moa 5 shot groups at 100 yards with minimags. It’s unbelievable how accurate it is considering how little I paid for it.
 

.270

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I picked up a Mossberg patriot in 6.5 creedmore for 250 bucks shipped off of gun broker. I did upgrade the stock with a 225 dollar boyds stock with a cheek riser and I put on a swfa demo 3-15x42 scope for 399. I handload 140 eldm at 2770 shooting under 1 moa with little load development. For a cheap rifle build it is fun to shoot and decently accurate.
 

16Bore

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22 LR at 200 yards is gonna give you about 20” of drift in a 10 mph crosswind. So is most CF at 500 yards.

Food for thought.

The DOPE for my 30-06 is almost identical to the DOPE for my 223 shooting 75’s, and the rifles are both T3’s

More food for thought.
 

wyosam

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One advantage of the 22lr is space. My range ends at 600, and ringing that one with a acenterfire is pretty easy unless the wind is howling. Of course some smaller targets would help that. The dope that puts my 22lr on at 400 would get my creedmoor to something like 1300. Hitting a 10" plate with a poorly designed bullet that requires 26 feet (76.6 moa) of holdover is way more challenging that ringing that size steel at twice that distance with a centerfire. Plus if no one else is there and you're suppressed, you don't need hearing protection.
 

Dirt Wagon

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If you reloading the buy a 223 Rem, cheap to reload & to buy factory ammo.

Don't bother with a .22 or .17 rimfire for varmints at 300 yards. The 223 has cheap factory ammo if your not in the mood to reload or get too busy for it.

Can still shoot deer with it so it can become a varmint/deer/target rifle.

I don't know about the rest of the people who touted the 22 lr as a 300 yard range varmint gun, but for me it's not the best tool in the chest for that task. You'll be reloading so ammo cost's won't be much of an issue. Only reason to buy a rimfire is for target practice at short ranges. Unless you like the idea of wounding animals to die a slow and painful death as target practice.

If your going to kill it, kill it. Don't take cheap shots at game with a pea shooter at that distance even if it's a varmint.

If you wanted to spend a little more, I'd say buy a 6.5 Grendel Howa Mini. Would be a lot more fun reloading with the selection of bullets.
 

tdhanses

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If you reloading the buy a 223 Rem, cheap to reload & to buy factory ammo.

Don't bother with a .22 or .17 rimfire for varmints at 300 yards. The 223 has cheap factory ammo if your not in the mood to reload or get too busy for it.

Can still shoot deer with it so it can become a varmint/deer/target rifle.

I don't know about the rest of the people who touted the 22 lr as a 300 yard range varmint gun, but for me it's not the best tool in the chest for that task. You'll be reloading so ammo cost's won't be much of an issue. Only reason to buy a rimfire is for target practice at short ranges. Unless you like the idea of wounding animals to die a slow and painful death as target practice.

If your going to kill it, kill it. Don't take cheap shots at game with a pea shooter at that distance even if it's a varmint.

If you wanted to spend a little more, I'd say buy a 6.5 Grendel Howa Mini. Would be a lot more fun reloading with the selection of bullets.

I don’t think a single person said 300 yard varmint gun or even that the op is looking for that. We are talking trigger time and shooting a ton, how cheap is 9,000rds of 223 a year reloading or what is the time spent doing it? How many barrels is that in a year?

Last I checked paper and steal targets don’t bleed and really can‘t be killed. The op is looking at cheap practice.
 
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