223 calling rifle

AWS

AWS

Custom Accessory Maker & Retired PM Staff
My idea of a great calling rifle. More on the order of a carbine. For me calling is getting them in as close as possible. Most are under 100 yards but there are always those that you have to take before the hit your scent so shots can stretch a bit. If I know I'm going to be in thicker country I packs combo gun or drilling.

This year I bought a suppressor and most of my rifles aren't suppressor compatible, mannlicher stocked, drillings and combo or collectable that I don't want to molest.

I bought this Savage 10 for the action but make the mistake of shooting the donor, it wasn't great but good enough. I killed a couple coyotes with it and after I got my suppressor I thought this would make a great test bed for calling with a suppressor. Still waiting for an OB suppressor to keep it as short as possible. I shipped the barrel to ADCO to get bobbed at 16.5". The scope was gifted to me and I think ideal for my calling rifle, a Leupold VariX-3 1.5-5x20mm with a post reticle. Wide FOV and post gives the rig fast acquisition yet the precision to get to 300 yards easily. I'm really excited about the upcoming predator season, I like them furred out before shooting them. I do have a set of Nikon steel Weaver style bases coming that will drop the scope another 1/4 inch. I've been shooting Hornady 62 gr SPs out of it but will work up loads for the 55 gr SP and 50gr NBT. Right now it has a 4.5" linear compensator on it to give me an idea on how it will handle

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Hey ... I'm right now about ready to switch a Savage (axis .473 BF) as well over to a .223 too.
Just waiting on the bolt head to get here. The barrel is on hand sooo once the bolt head gets here and the muzzle is threaded and headspaced.
I like the OD green on your stock.. I'm assuming painted (rattle canned) ?
Looking forward to your groups @AWS
 
Yup, rattle canned, cheap, easily repaired, pretty durable and it work. Its actually desert tan, cheap camera/poor light.
 
Are you looking to purchase or just waiting to clear on the OB suppressor?
An option if you're still looking.
CLAYMORE CLAYMORE
 
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Nice rifle, Erich! Love the short rifles for calling. Made a couple of alterations to the same stock on my .308 Scout. Used the desert sand as base coat. That Krylon is tough as nails.
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Nice looking, simple and effective.
I have 2 Savages and like them both. The best part on my Savages is the JARD trigger. I have them both set on a really low trigger pull.
Should you ever want to replace the factory trigger look into the JARD.
Aa bohunr asked, what twist?
 
Believe the question was aimed @ Erich? Had a Savage Mod 10 Police that had a 1:9 IIRC, shot 55 gr NBT's like a champ. Here's what Savage has to say about the .223:

Bullet Weight​

The most important factor in determining proper twist rate is bullet weight. Heavier bullets require faster twists to stabilize, while lighter bullets can perform well in slower twists.

Examples:

  • A .223 Remington with a 1:12 twist stabilizes 40–55 grain bullets well.
  • The same caliber with a 1:7 twist is better suited for 69–77 grain match bullets.

Bullet Length​

Length is often even more important than weight. Long bullets, especially those designed for long-range with high ballistic coefficients, need faster twist rates.

  • Longer bullets, like ELD, VLD, and boat tail bullets, benefit from faster twist rates like 1:8 or 1:7.
Click to expand...
The .308 Scout is 1:10.
  • Shorter bullets stabilize easily in slower twists like 1:10 or 1:12.
Click to expand...
 
It is a 1-9 twist. I have a Savage 1-9 223 barrel rechambered to 22-204 that just dotes on 40gr NBT's. I've had good luck with 1-9's with bullets from 40gr to 62gr.
 
I have shot 50gr vmax in my Savage's with good success. As I got older I wanted a lite setup so I found a CZ 527 223 with a 16.5" barrel and it was easy to carry and worked well but now I have a Howa mini in 22 Arc that is just as lite. I am not sure if I will put a thermal on the Howa or not as my 223 is working well.
 
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