The ultimate (affordable) FOX Rifle

[Piston]

Oosik, that sounds like a nice little tree stand you have!

I just learned about the 17WSM. Any users of that round? Seems pretty new.

 

[Piston]

Regarding scopes, I was thinking of something along the lines of a vortex viper HST or leopold vx3.

Seem like a good match?

 

[dusty3030]

Oosik, that sounds like a nice little tree stand you have! I just learned about the 17WSM. Any users of that round? Seems pretty new.

Looks good on paper, I like the looks of it but time will tell if it will take off so that ammo will be around in the future.

 

[k0ua]

A .223 Remington round is very loud compared to a .22 rimfire. Especially with a short barrel. Now soft, moderate, and loud are very subjective terms, but a .22 rimfire round out of a rifle is not very loud by my way of thinking, but a .223 Remington round is pretty darn loud. Maybe not a 30-06, but the neighbors are going to know.

 

[rekees4300]

Yes, earring protection should definitely be used for a .223.

 

[Bigfoot62]

I just learned that I can't shoot anything over 22 caliber after dark. Hmmm.

Not really a show stopper since I really don't see myself shooting much at night, but supposedly it is more of a noise concern than anything.

I'm wondering how much louder is a .223 than a .22? Is it a world of difference or just a bit louder?

My .357 revolver is very loud, so compared to something like that and a 22?

I'd like to hold the rifles in my hand before buying, but the fun shops near me don't have tons of options. Also, I don't enjoy the gun shopping process much so I don't see myself driving a couple hours to hold a gun.

I'm not worried about ammo availability in the least bit.

A .223 will be a lot closer to the .357 than the .22lr. Like James said, maybe not a 30-'06, but the neighbors will know when you're shooting.
That said, the .223 (5.56) is a great varmint round. Very accurate and relatively flat shooting.

I'm glad that ammo availability isn't a concern for you.
It IS a concern for most of the rest of the country. There's not a single gun shop that I'm aware of, where I can walk in and buy .22lr. (even walmart hasn't had any on the shelves in months) Lots of other calibers are very limited in choice, if available at all. .223 is available, but mostly in FMJ.
If you have a reliable source for ammunition, I'd really like to hear about it.

 

[Bigfoot62]

Yes, earring protection should definitely be used for a .223.

But, I don't wear earrings.

 

[Piston]

A .223 will be a lot closer to the .357 than the .22lr. Like James said, maybe not a 30-'06, but the neighbors will know when you're shooting.
That said, the .223 (5.56) is a great varmint round. Very accurate and relatively flat shooting.

I'm glad that ammo availability isn't a concern for you.
It IS a concern for most of the rest of the country. There's not a single gun shop that I'm aware of, where I can walk in and buy .22lr. (even walmart hasn't had any on the shelves in months) Lots of other calibers are very limited in choice, if available at all. .223 is available, but mostly in FMJ.
If you have a reliable source for ammunition, I'd really like to hear about it.

The reason I state that it's not a concern, is not because of a secret stash buried in the mountains somewhere but because I very rarely shoot and when I do, it's not all that much. I'm not one of those guys that likes to shoot 10 rounds as fast as possible, I take my time. When hunting, you pretty much get one shot.

As for 22lr, I didn't realize the shortage, but I have more rounds in my gun cabinet than I'll ever use, so I lucked out there. The reason I have so many is because my old Marlin 22 which hasn't been shot in forever, is about on it's way out and I don't even remotely enjoy shooting it anymore. A while back I bought a bunch of ammo and haven't used it.

So, I didn't mean anything secretive by my statement, I'm honestly just not concerned with it. Ammo will become available again, and the cost doesn't concern me for the same reason, i just don't use enough of it to matter. Sort of like a gas guzzling pickup truck, I don't care about fuel mileage because I doubt I put 1500 miles a year on.

Thanks for the comparison on the noise level. I don't 'think' noise is too much of a problem, but I guess I am slightly concerned about it so it's something to think about. I do have an old friend who has an AR and I'm sure he would let me shoot it, I haven't talked to him for a while but perhaps I'll touch base and drop a couple hints and see if he offers.


Edit: A 30 second google search shows that .223 seems to be readily available if you don't mind buying online. :confused3:

 

[Bigfoot62]

Edit: A 30 second google search shows that .223 seems to be readily available if you don't mind buying online.

MidwayUSA is one of the largest online ammo supplies.
They only have TWO choices available in .223: Full metal jacket for $33/box or ballistic tips for $77/box (50 count boxes)

A couple years ago, I could walk into a gun shop and choose from a dozen or more varieties in .223.

IJS, it ain't like it used to be.

 

[coobie]

Regarding scopes, I was thinking of something along the lines of a vortex viper HST or leopold vx3.

Seem like a good match?

Weaver grandslam or superslam scopes are a very good value for $$ spent.Check them out at www.natchezss.com