.223 Question

[gun runner]

Would you really expect much of a .223 on 1200 yard targets or would you rather have a bigger caliber such as a .270 or .308?

Is the .223 suitable for decent groups at such range? I know centerfires can go up to a mile+ but I was just wondering about consistent accuracy as long as you have a decent scope setup on the rig.

Thanks for any advice

John

[gun runner]

Also I wonder why the BoreSnake is so hard to pull through the barrel of my new Savage .223 bolt action. I drop the weight in the chamber and pull the device out of the muzzle end. Its made for a .223 caliber rifle. I wonder if the friction from the brass bristles on the boresnake are going to cause wear in the barrel. I can hear the friction. Im sure thats not an issue but do any of you have the same problem with boresnakes? I sprayed it down with rem oil and dropped it into the barrel.

I think that before you shoot any gun its a good idea to clean the inside of the barrel eh?

Thanks

[gdmoody]

I use bore snakes for every caliber I have. Some of them seem a little tighter than others but they are brass and the barrel is steel so you should not experience any wear by using them.

As far as shooting a .223 at 1200 yard, I would never even consider it, myself.

[gvw3]

223 to 600 yard. Over that lot's of luck and no wind.

[cpttango30]

Originally Posted by gun runner

Would you really expect much of a .223 on 1200 yard targets or would you rather have a bigger caliber such as a .270 or .308?

While the 223 can be shot out to 1200 yards you are going to have to use BIG bullets. Say your shooting the 90gr Berger with a BC of .551 you are going to push that to lets say 2554 fps (Hodgdon web site) if you zero at 250 yards your drop at 1200 is going to be -615" (51.25' of drop). You are going to have to put a 50MOA base on that sucker to get close. The biggest problem you are going to have is wind. The slightest breeze can blow a 185gr 308 off target by a foot or two.

Originally Posted by gun runner

Is the .223 suitable for decent groups at such range? I know centerfires can go up to a mile+ but I was just wondering about consistent accuracy as long as you have a decent scope setup on the rig.

Thanks for any advice

John

You are going to need a custom built gun with a 28 or 30" barrel. And a decent scope just wont cut it when trying to reach out and touch something. I have a Bushnell Elite 4200 6-24x40 on my 308 and it was having a hard time at 800 yards. That was my second most expensive scope at $550 when I bought it. It can be done I know a few guys taking Pdogs at 1200 with a 20BR (22BR necked down to .204) but it is stretching it.

[cpttango30]

Also I wonder why the BoreSnake is so hard to pull through the barrel of my new Savage .223 bolt action. I drop the weight in the chamber and pull the device out of the muzzle end. Its made for a .223 caliber rifle. I wonder if the friction from the brass bristles on the boresnake are going to cause wear in the barrel. I can hear the friction. Im sure thats not an issue but do any of you have the same problem with boresnakes? I sprayed it down with rem oil and dropped it into the barrel.

I think that before you shoot any gun its a good idea to clean the inside of the barrel eh?

Thanks

Never understood the attraction to boar snakes. Do you get up in the morning and put on dirty drawers and filthy socks? When you clean your rifle after a range or hunting trip do you go get dirty patches out of the trash to clean it? So why do you want to pull a dirty boar snake through your rifle? Scraping some of that gunk off in the chamber.

As for the few brass bristles causing wear. You are pushing a bullet at up to 3300fps down the barrel followed by a gas plasma hot enough to make that bullet reach 3300 fps. I don't think you have much to worry about with the boar snake.

I myself would switch to an Otis cleaning system.

[gun runner]

Thanks for the information folks. Im going to weld up some steel swing plate targets and try my .270 at around that distance. 3-4 hundred yards shouldnt be a problem with a .223? What type of grain would yall recommend I use for that distance for better accuracy? How about hornady? Any better? I will pay the price for high quality ammunition.

[cycloneman]

Once you get past 350 yrds a real help is match ammo. Hornady is the best out there. I have run many brands of factory ammo in the chrony and Hornady to me is the best, most consistant i should say. If you can find match ammo in hornady get it.

Things really change past 350 yrds. Every hundred or so yrds after that the bullet drop doubles and keeps doubling.

To shoot 1200 yrds i think you should look at the 338's and up. I believe weatherby make a 338 and then there is the laupua.

223's at 4 to 6 hundred yrds, i would not even try them. I would go straight to the 308. my .02

223's are strange bullets. I have a 1 in 7 which shoots vmax thru the same hole allmost. Fmj all over the page.

Twist rate, wt of bullet type of bullet make a big difference. You can easily become fustrated with the 223 at 500 yrds. That is why i say go to the 308

[3/2 STA SS]

Originally Posted by gun runner

Thanks for the information folks. Im going to weld up some steel swing plate targets and try my .270 at around that distance. 3-4 hundred yards shouldnt be a problem with a .223? What type of grain would yall recommend I use for that distance for better accuracy? How about hornady? Any better? I will pay the price for high quality ammunition.

In the USMC we shot from 200-500 yards for rifle qualification with standard 55 grain ammo. I never had a problem shooting expert with the M16A2. Then the Corps moved up to a 62 grain bullet (the green tip stuff). If you practice and take the time to get into proper positions and control your breathing 3-400 yards should NOT be an issue. Good luck.

[gun runner]

500 yards at the most until I get a .308 or .338 lapua. Thanks for the helpful information folks

[3/2 STA SS]

Me, personally, I would go with the .308 just for the cost factor until you learn the ''science'' of long range shooting then maybe the .338 but I have no problems with my .308 or .30-06 at 500-800 yards on a man sized target.