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Remington 700 BDL .223 Questions..

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North Country Gal
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Re: Remington 700 BDL .223 Questions..

Post by North Country Gal » Wed Feb 07, 2018 3:53 pm

Sounds like fun. Best of luck.
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bandit1250
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Re: Remington 700 BDL .223 Questions..

Post by bandit1250 » Wed Feb 07, 2018 5:02 pm

Henry88 wrote:One other note, if it is rated for the 5.56 ammo, which I guess sees higher pressures, you will be able to shoot ammo which is just a little more expensive the the .22WMR rimfire.
The BDL Remington the OP said he likes will not be chambered to handle the 5.56 rounds. The chamber is different in the leade. The 5.56 has a longer leade(similar to Weatherby free bore) to relieve the pressure and to get the higher velocity of the heavier bullet that 5.56 use. The 5.56 can use the 223 Remington rounds with no problem but 223 rifles should not have 5.56 fired in them. I recently read when 5.56 was fired in a 223 chamber the pressures went from the normal 55,000 to over 72,000. Not worth the chance of losing fingers or worse to shoot ammo that is usually not that accurate any way. Also the BDL from the time period that were still being made with the walnut gloss finished stocks were a 1-12" twist and will not stabilize a bullet over 60 grs. Mine won't even stabilize a 60 gr. if it is a plastic tip because of being longer than a 60 with the lead tip like a Hornady 60 gr. spire point. I have owned over two dozen Remington 222's and 223's and they were capable of shooting with any of the rifles from that time period even higher priced rifles. Remington's dominated the sporter matches in my area and 788's were strong competitors on the line also. Remington has had some bad people at the helm in the years since they were sold from Dupont. But for all the bad things on the internet about them being junk I was at the range one day and it was pretty busy with quite a few small caliber center fire bolt rifles. There was a Weatherby Vanguard and a Browning X-bolt, a Savage or two and a Sako there. There was also two guys there with the Dick's sporting goods special they handle. Remington 700 ADL Varmint. They are the blind magazine models with the synthetic stock. They was chambered 223 Rem. and 22-250 Rem. They out shot every other rifle there and handily beat the Weatherby(Howa) and the high dollar Sako. All these rifles were chambered in 223 and 22-250 so there was really no caliber advantage to the accuracy. Also the Remington's were using scopes far below the price ranges and power every one else there had. I was there to shoot CZ rim fires but if I would have had a Tikka or my Sako Vixen there I believe the cheap Remington's would have done both of mine in. My Savage Swift would have probably turn the tables on the Remington's. Maybe not. I also have plans to get one of the Dick's ADL's in 223 or 22-250 and put it in a 40-x stock with a single shot plate installed. That is how impressed I was with those two Remington's that so many "experts" at their key boards call junk. So even if there is not the nice fit and finish on Remington's from days gone by they still know how to make decent barrels. If the OP can find a nice BDL in 223 Rem. better buy it. They bring good money at the dealers and the shows if some one knows what they have.
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North Country Gal
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Re: Remington 700 BDL .223 Questions..

Post by North Country Gal » Wed Feb 07, 2018 8:21 pm

Good points, bandit. For all my wanderings at gun shows and gun shops, I actually don't see many of those old Remington BDLs and ADLs for sale. People rarely part with them.

As for twist rate, yes, it is important in the 223. We have 223s in 1-9 and 1-12 twists. We're perfectly happy with the 1-12s, though, because we are strictly target shooters and shoot mostly the bulk 50 and 55 grain stuff and, now and then, the same weights in the pricier varmint ammo. Our CZ 1-9 223 let's us shoot some of the 62 grain match stuff, effectively, but still does well with the 55 grain bulk stuff.
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Re: Remington 700 BDL .223 Questions..

Post by henry22 » Sat Feb 10, 2018 11:18 am

Much thanks for that info guys. Without going into too much detail, it's my dad that's really pressing for a .223. It's cheap enough to shoot regularly, and has much better velocity and range than a rimfire. We intended to only shoot Remington 223 freedom bucket stuff — we're not serious shooters or hunters. I like shooting potatoes off the top of a target board at 100 yards or so. To me, that's great fun with a .22 mag Henry.

Having said that, it's getting the most accurate, and handsome rifle we can find. My dad hates the look of the Browning Eclipse Varmint, I don't love the stock colour, but it's really beefy, and perfect as a bench rest rifle at the range. He wanted a more traditional looking rifle, — like the BDL. The only other rifles I'd consider are the X-Bolt Medallion, or hunter in .223, or the CZ 527 Varmint - that's a really nice rifle.
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