Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters recoil and spotting your shots..

Just returned from a very successful prarie dog hunt with Triple three outfitters in Buffalo Wyoming. Next trip i want to spot my shots Sooo I have a Remington 700 in 223. a sporter wt gun... I want to have a heavier barrel put on it.. My question is how heavy of a gun do i need to tame recoil.. in this caliber (223) to be able to spot my shots...I use 50 gr bullets.. at about 3300-3400fps..

A remington varmint contour barrel with a stock that recoils straight back would likely let you spot your own shots if the scope power isn't too high. The higher power your scope the more likely it is to blank out at the shot.

I have muzzle brakes on my two PD rifles, a 22-250 and a 6mm BR. The brakes are there so I can spot my own shots, they work wonderfully for that. They might be annoying to others if you shoot in groups so take that into consideration, and an outfitter might not allow them. They do work and work well though.

Drop to a 40 grain V-max and watch you velocity increase 300-400 fps and see your hits better than you will with the 50 grain bullets...

Another option if you would like to keep a sporter weight barrel, since you have decided to re-barrel anyway, would be to go with the 221 Fireball.

Easy to spot your hits with a sporter weight rifle. A sweet, economical cartridge, and every Tom, Dick and Harry doesn't have one.

Dial your scope back and run what ya brung.

grayfox,

There are several ways to get what you're looking for, and a heavy-barreled .223 with lighter bullets is one, though in my experience not as effective as dropping down in cartridge, or using a muzzle brake or suppressor.

I don't even the .223 much on PD's anymore, mostly shooting the .17 Hornet and .204 Ruger, because I can see the bullet hit through the scope. There is some controversy over whether the .204 makes much difference, and there have been long threads on the Campfire on the subject, but many people find it helps. Another good round is the .17 Fireball, which shoots much flatter than the .221 Fireball.

Gray. Per Mule Deer I went to a Hornet for that reason as well as reduced muzzle blast and some economic benefit. It does give up some range however. I really like my Swift but there is no way to see hits, other than falling parts from the sky!-Muddy

Drop to 40's and use less magnification.

Or rebarrel to a .17 Remington like all the smart people have done.



Travis

muddy,

The .204 is very much like a lighter-recoiling Swift. In fact the highest "lift" I've ever seen on a PD didn't come from a Swift, but a 40-grain V-Max from a .204....

Probably simpler to get a new HB gun in .204 or .223, rather than giving up a sporter weight .223 which is probably excellent for walk-around shooting, and the new HB will be your truck/bench gun.

to just change barrels will require some stock mods, and most likely some trigger tuning or replacement. Possibly a new scope to suit ...

You'll like the .204

Is the 17 hornet better at a limited distance or can the 204 be used in all distances and still spot shots?

17 Fireball = Instant Visual Gratification! I have been shooting a 17 Mach IV (same ballistic as the 17 FB) and you see the hits as well as the misses. I frequently hunt alone and the ability to see the bullet strike allows me to hold or dial corrections for a second shot. I am also shooting a 20 BR and it too allows me to see the strike.

Good luck and good shooting!

This is the answer. Doing this will save you the cost of a rebarrel, there are no downsides to shooting PD's using the 40's in a 223. My walking varminter is a Cooper Classic which weighs right at 7 lbs scoped and I can see my hits with it using 40's. However with any rifle, heavy or light, good follow through is required. I have noticed over the years that very few folks who have not shot competition have any idea of how important follow through of your shot is. It will not only allow you to see your shots but your hit ratio will increase dramatically in most cases.

drover

No problem seeing impacts with the Ruger American Predator 223, with a 10X scope. Bullets in the 40-53 gr range. The barrel is not that heavy, 22" and about .66" diameter at the muzzle.

Which brings up another point: A pound of bipod on the forend can help too, rather than shooting over a rest.

From his shooting results I've seen here over time I believe Shane has really good form and follow through as well.

I can tell I'm off my game when I can't call my shots pretty close.

True.

No caliber can hang with the .17's when it comes to spotting your own shots.

And there's no reason to not go .17 Remington other than powder conservation.




Travis

Or a muzzle brake.

Brakes/suppressors change everything.




Travis