New Caliber

[dddddmorgan]

So the plan is by spring to have a new varmint rifle.

I'm too Scotch to just plunk down custom gun money so I want to go "semi-custom."

I'll pick up a Savage or Remington 223 gun when the right thing comes along and re barrel it to 20 something/ 223.

I might lean toward the Savage and I can re-barrel it myself.

So in looking around at 20 something/ 223 it seems there isn't an absolute.

I like everything I've seen so far; 20 caliber for flat and fast shooting, using the 223 cases I have, etc.

So, how about some input folks?

[ulav8r]

Why not a 204 Ruger?

[dddddmorgan]

Well I thought about the Ruger but buying the brass would be more expensive than using the goodies I have on hand.

Still not completely out of the question if the right thing comes along.

[Winger Ed.]

I'm a big Rem 700 guy.
If I was doing it, I'd find an older short action one, and put a heavy contour aftermarket barrel on it in .22-250.
Then a speed lock firing pin, aftermarket trigger guts, Tubb's recoil lug, Sako extractor, Leupold mounts and a GOOD scope.
Then maybe a higher end after market stock.

Maybe you'll end up with something like I did with a 700 my Mom gave me for Christmas when I first got out of the Service.
I accidently destroyed the .270ADL on a hunting trip, but rebuilt it in .30-06.
I was able to do it all myself (checkering too) except fit & headspace the barrel, and carve the notch for the new extractor.

[dddddmorgan]

Well, I've thought about the 22/250 route, I guess that's not out of the question.

Certainly the short Remington action is superior.

Good thing I've got all winter to work this out

[Winger Ed.]

Good thing I've got all winter to work this out

Good luck with it.
It took me about 5 years before mine was done.

[dverna]

I am lucky....I do not have the ability to shoot tiny critters at ranges beyond what a .233 can handle.

[nicholst55]

Been done; it's called the .20 Practical. Google it.

[M-Tecs]

Good info here. https://www.6mmbr.com/20caliber.html

I do all my own barreling and chambering. I prefer the Tikka 595 as a base but the Savage barrel nut allows for lower cost barrel changes and the ability for everyone to do their own changes themselves.

[dddddmorgan]

Yes, I've found the 20 Practical and it certainly has its merits.

Doesn't look like any 20 other than the 204 Ruger has been standardized. This doesn't matter to me, just a point I guess.

[36g]

I like the Savage for ease of rebarreling. I'd tend to look at a wildcat with the .223 case necked down and a bit longer neck (shoulder pushed back) to hold a heavier ELD type of bullet. In my experience a .223 for varminting has a disadvantage in windy conditions much beyond 200 yds (at least with 55 gr. bullets). South Dakota prairie dog shooting was frustrating with a .223 but then stepped up to a .243 and that made a huge difference in wind.

[Finster101]

Like 36g I would have to look at 6mm. I have been researching 6mm ARC and am real close to pulling the trigger on one. I will be using an AR platform though. Out to 300 yards everything I have read has been very positive.

[Elmer Fudd]

Hmmm. 223 brass in hand. Wanting varmint caliber. How about a 223? The savings in bullets over a 20 or a 6mm version of those brass more than makes up for the fact that the 223 isn't usually overkill. Use some plastic tipped bullets and you will pop small varmints out past 300 and keep bullets in coyotes at nearly any distance, or have small-enough exits to be able to sell the pelts.
I'd prefer a 22-250 or a 6x45, but then I'm back to the savings with brass, powder volume and bullets in a 223. A true step up in a short action could be a 243 or equivalent.

[36g]

I did a 6mm PPC on a heavy barreled AR platform some years ago but still haven't gotten back to load work up on it. It functions okay just haven't tweaked it for best accuracy loads.

[deltaenterprizes]

I am lucky....I do not have the ability to shoot tiny critters at ranges beyond what a .233 can handle.

233? You have fat fingers like me? ��

[Baltimoreed]

I was always partial to the .25-06. Had a Ruger #1V and a Remington Sendero. Both were very accurate but might be more gun than you want.

[GregLaROCHE]

What boolit would you use? What weight?

[dddddmorgan]

Well, I have a 223 and on my shooting trips I always come home with a bag or two of more brass for 223 than when I started. So anything based on the 223 is a bonus from the standpoint of plentiful brass to work with.

A long 6mm bullet is almost ballistically perfect and IMHO would be ideal for the long, long range shots.

My idea on a 20 caliber is something I can make (or find) in a rifle heavy enough that repeated shooting gives no recoil that would get tiresome.

I like the idea of using bullets I have on hand and/or can swap between calibers.

So here's how it lays out in my mind with what I have and what I'd like to eventually have:

22 TCM - "walking varmint" out to 200 yards on a calm day.
223 - I have a Savage Axis. Going to swap the junky synthetic stock for a Boyd's and it's good for 300 yards.

The "blanks" to fill in are a light shooting, medium-heavy rifle (bench or prone shooting) and a heavier hitter for long shots (300-500 yards).

I know the 22/250 would be a good heavy hitter if it was set up for long and heavy bullets.

The 25/06 has great merit here in Idaho for variety such as Coyote and Antelope and of course deer but this would necessitate it being a rifle one could carry.

Kind of chasing the rabbit down the hole, eh?

[curdog007]

I've been thinking about something like this, probably go with 223 Ackley Improved. You can do all the work yourself with a Savage.
You don't have to throw most everything away and start over with aftermarket stuff, unlike a Rem 700.

[GregLaROCHE]

I wold think that 308 brass should be easy to find too. Could you neck that down to 243?