I want to get into centerfire target shooting. I love my 22 plinker and its cheap Walmart scope, but I want to step slightly up to bigger cartridges. 556 is fairly cheap and plentiful, but the only available bolt actions in 5.56 are the Ruger ones that are expensive, have a large box magazine, and are fairly short.
Can anyone point me to an affordable 5.56 rifle or to a subreddit that might be more appropriate for this specific question.
The death of the Handi-Rifle having happened mainly when those kinds of rifles were 223 not 556 I genuinely cannot find a single one. The closest thing I’ve found is the Henry Break-Actions that are the price of a new AR15 and still don’t come in 5.56 for some reason. EDIT: They do, I’m dumb. It’s still kinda pricy for what it is.
It doesn’t have to be break action, I could be a bolt action or other manual action but they seem to be quite a more expensive starting around $500 and I STILL can’t find anything in 5.56.
To be clear because I’m sure I’ll get this question: no I don’t want to get a semiautomatic AR15. I know I could get a Bear Creek or PSA other generic AR for $400 but I am not interested in that. The whole purpose of this rifle is going to be for patient, long range practice. I don’t really have any interest in an assault rifle at this time.
Edit: this post had a correct answer that many of you directed me to, namely Rossi and CVA. Thank you for your help!
I don't mean to be silly, but all the marksmanship fundamentals like natural point of aim, trigger control, sight picture and breathing still apply to an AR15.
If, for whatever reason, you've got a problem with the magazine capacity of the rifle you could put a smaller mag in it or even single load it?
Unlike rimfires, single-shot centrefire rifles are low-volume rifles used for hunting larger game and tend to be in larger calibers and finished to such a standard to make them bloody expensive.
There seems to be a bit of naivety for OP that's causing them to not want an AR-15 at all.
"I don’t really have any interest in an assault rifle at this time."
OP, I'd pick up an AR-15 (not an assault rifle), and if you really want a bolt action, put a Kali Key in it and make it a straight-pull bolt-action. Then, when you're comfortable or whatever is causing you not to want one goes away, you have one. You also have a firearm that's easy to work on and upgrade.
u/Graffy
It's a good thing I don't care about that, then.
Maybe just give them the information they requested, so as to let a noob feel welcomed instead of castigated and demeaned?
They aren't new, first of all.
Second, even if they were, being new doesn't make someone immune to being corrected.
This is overly dramatic.
They said they didn't want an AR, and yet here you come telling them that they should get exactly what they said they don't want and calling them naive for not wanting it. You're not helping the cause.
They said they didn't want a semiautomatic AR-15.
Maybe try reading the OP again before you continue to run your mouth to me.
An AR-15 with a 16” barrel (or any barrel length that accurately shoot between 0-300m) is absolutely an assault rifle. If you want to call it a “Modern Sporting Rifle” and pretend the platform wasn’t designed as an infantry weapon, you do you, but it’s an assault rifle in the same vein as an AK-47, X95, or an STG-44 (the original assault rifle).
Some people don’t feel comfortable owning one and we shouldn’t get pedantic with them when they say they don’t want one.
No, it isn't. Assault rifles are select fire. Period.
I don't really care what people own or don't own, but when someone is wrong, they should be corrected.
Sure but the reason people have an issue with at-15s and ak-47s isn’t because people call them assault weapons they call them assault weapons because they look the same as the ones carried into battle. Just like a “sports car” is any red car with a spoiler and sharp features to non enthusiasts, and they don’t care what’s under the hood.
Telling people “they’re not technically assault weapons!” Doesn’t magically assuage them.
Have you ever actually looked up what the word “assault rifle” means? Clearly not
What about 10”?
What exactly makes it an "assault rifle" that other semi-auto rifles don't also have?
They also have round limiters for standard capacity AR mags. Magpul makes them…
I don’t understand comments like this.
I specifically explained I don’t want an AR15 and yet here you are.
The thing I’m looking for is a manual action rifle. If you don’t know of one, that’s totally fine, I don’t either. I don’t understand replying just to argue?
How're you defining long range? Have you already checked r/longrange? Firing 223/5.56 for long range doesn't really make a lot of sense, unless you mean like 100 yards. And, like other people have said, if you're shooting at 100 yards, just get an AR15 and pull the trigger slowly instead of quickly.
I'm not sure if you are using 'single shot' and 'manual action' interchangably.
If by 'single-shot' you mean true single-shot rifles, and you want .223/5.56, Ruger and Browning make LOVELY single-shot rifles, Thompson Center makes a rather nice one, and Rossi, NEF, H&R, and CVA all make perfectly serviceable single-shots.
If you want a 'manual action' as opposed to a semi-automatic, then Henry and Browning make lever-actions and everyone makes bolt-actions in that caliber.
Hope this helps!
Ruger American Gen 2 bolt action
Is that available in 5.56?
Technically no. But it is available in .223Rem.
https://ruger.com/products/americanRifleGenII/specSheets/46909.html
The Ranch and Patrol are available in 5.56 specifically. The standard model and Predator are .223.
Good to know. I didn’t look further down for the ranch and patrol models. Thanks!
Sure thing! My friend has the Gen 2 Ranch in 5.56, it's hilarious putting my 30 round PMAGs in it.
In that first paragraph of my post I address the Ranch and Patrol not really having what I need. If something more like the American came in 556 that would be what I would go for.
Take it to a smith and have them ream the chamber to 5.56 from .223. Better yet, .223 Wylde. Problem solved and this shouldn’t add more than $100 to the cost of the gun.
I contacted every gunsmith in a 50 mile radius of me and none of them do chamber reaming :(
Copy, thank you for the clarification.
Yes, the Ranch model is 556, the standard and predator are 223.
Yes. A simple visit to ruger.com would tell you.
Friendly reminder that 5.56 and .223 rem are not exactly the same thing. So is it available in 5.56 specifically? No. Can you run 5.56 through it safely? No.
Thank you for the downvote. If you look at the link I sent, that specific model is actually chambered in 5.56, not .223.
You’re welcome.
Yes, you absolutely can shoot 5.56 in a ruger bolt action.
The difference between modern .223 and 5.56 is basically nothing. It's entirely safe to shoot 5.56 in a modern firearm, especially a bolt action.
You're not only being needlessly pedantic, you're also just wrong.
Rossi and Henry make one. The rossi one kinda sucks, I sell some at my shop and half the time they get to us they dont function. The Henry's are super nice though.
https://www.henryusa.com/firearm/single-shot-rifle/
I think I’ll probably start with the Rossi before dropping over $600 on the Henry if I really like it, thanks for the recommendation.
You're basically looking at the Ruger American or Savage 110 for something in 5.56 and both of those have short, thin barrels. 5.56 isn't really a "long range" cartridge. I mean, you'll definitely be able to hit 500 yards with the right rifle in 5.56, but that's really where long range starts getting interesting.
I think with your budget constraints, you won't find much.
A cheap rifle for 200-300 yards is basically what I’m looking for right now. Once I learn how to shoot at that range, I’ll invest in something nice (over $1k for me) in 308 or 6.5 creed or something like that to go out to the 300-1000 range. This is basically me trying to get “buba’s first sniper rifle” so cheap is a big part of the equation.
I had a Remington XP-100 in .223 when I was a kid. It’s a bolt action single shot pistol. It was fun to shoot and you could drive a tac with it. Edit: just looked up some XP-100 for “fun” they will set you back $800-$2500. Too bad Dad didn’t keep that one.
CVA Scout. I have one, love it. Great trigger. Has a Bergara barrel. Quality. Easy scope mounting. Scout
Way nicer than the Rossi, as good or better than the Henry.
I put a folding stock on mine and I can drop it in a backpack. Suppresses nicely too (for a .223).
Thank you so much this recommendation is perfect!
I need to remind you of something first.. the AR15 is not an assault rifle. i know there are lots of definitions of assault rifle but generally speaking, they're full-auto. not full semi-automatic but full-automatic.
a bolt action in 223 is what i think you want so i'm not sure why you're fighting it for 556? you know they're virtually interchangeable these days right?
also if you think $500 is expensive, this may be a big problem
my two recs are the Ruger American Gen 2 in 223 or the Browning X Bolt in 223.. somewhere around $6-800
By that logic, an M4 isn’t an assault rifle but an M240B is.
Burst fire is just full auto with extra steps
No it isn't, friend
M4 is full, semi, burst, or safe.
An M4 has no full auto mode. It’s safe, fire, and burst. Have you ever held one IRL?
Sounds like you’ve been out a few years. The M4A1 has an auto selector.
That’s true, good job! Now show me when we were talking about the M4A1
A M4A1 is colloquially called an M4.
You know, you had every opportunity to say yeah you’re right my bad. Instead you doubled down to be even more of an asshole. Is that how you go through life?
Wrong about what? An M4 not being full auto? You’re the one making assumptions on a text-driven platform; it’s okay to admit that you should have clarified before posting
Held one? Lol. Yes. The A1 has full. The M4 has burst. Both are colloquially called M4s.
It’s okay to admit you were making an assumption that was wrong.
Burst is full auto. Full auto is simply defined as multiple bullets fired per trigger pull. You're making a distinction that doesn't even matter to the definition you're arguing against...
That’s not what full auto means, but thank you for your participation
Yes, it does.
If you're going to be the annoying "um ackshually ☝️🤓" guy, you have to at least be correct lmao.
Have…have you ever shot a burst fire weapon? Or a full auto weapon? Because they’re not the same thing, my dude.
Everything I’ve read online tells me 223 is not interchangeable with 556 and that, while the round will chamber and fire, it damages the barrel and can cause dangerous failures. I’m trying to get an older cheap, likely used rifle. I’m just not willing to risk it for some range fun. I’m sure if I bought a nice, new 223 rifle it would fire 556 but for my needs I’d rather just keep waiting and looking.
So long as the rifle was made in the last 30 years you'll be fine.
The slight difference matters for really old rifles from the 60s, but with modern manufacturing (and liability concerns) it's very safe to say all .223 rifles can safely fire 5.56 with no safety or wear concerns at all.
Yeah technically a .223 Wylde is “safe” for 5.56
.223 in 5.56 barrels is entirely safe
That said many friends quite happily put 5.56 down .223 (non Wylde) barrels.
Also, given various wars, .223 is more readily available and frankly pretty similar ballistically.
Maybe get a bolt-action upper for an AR? A few companies are selling those
This has been suggested but it’s boils down to “buy and AR” and I’m really not interested in that.
It's just not clear what is the distinction that makes the AR-15 unsuitable for you. 5.56 or .223 manual-action rifles are small scale productions that are going to be expensive despite the lack of features, because they're a niche that people generally aren't looking for. It's not an 'accurate long range' cartridge like a .308 or 30-06, and you get much more velocity out of increasing the barrel length than from making it manual-action.
If it's about aesthetic, that's absolutely fine to say
https://rossiusa.com/product/rifles/single-shot-rifles/413-lwc-556-45mm-black/
My brother in Christ, bless you, bless your family thank you and have a happy new year!
If you want to shoot long range you don't want a rifle in 556. You need to clarify your intentions if you want a useful answer.
“Long range” is apparently much longer for some than others. I’m looking for 5.56 to learn to shoot 100-300 yards, then from there once I am proficient at those ranges, I would invest in a nicer rifle in a larger caliber for that process. Right now I’m looking for something cheap to buy, cheap to use, that I can run into the ground to learn the basics and practice a ton. My “accomplishment” I am aiming at is to be able to hit a shot at 1000 yards, but I am not going to do that with this rifle.
Gotcha. 300 yards is still effectively point blank range, so by pretty much any definition is not long range. Personally I say long range starts around 800 but opinions vary.
Regardless, if you already have a 22lr rifle and want to eventually get to 1000yds, an extremely common intro strategy for getting into long range shooting is taking your 22 out to 200yds. It's cheap to shoot and will teach you all of the skills you need minus recoil management, and even then that's mostly solved with a heavy fucking rifle and the right choice of caliber.
It seems like you don't actually need a 556 rifle to accomplish your stated goals. So it's not a big deal that the rifle you're imagining doesn't exist.
No but you can go out to 600 with it pretty easily
Of course, but I sensed (correctly, given their reply) that they had some ambitious and contradictory desires, and that we'd need clarification in order to give useful guidance. That's what I was eliciting.
I'm looking on Henry's site and they have a single shot, .223/5.56 rifle. I know it's still expensive, but they do have one.
Yeah, I found that one. I was hoping there were cheaper ones, and others pointed me to CVA and Rossi. If this had come up with no answers I probably would have been going that route and just waiting a lot longer to save up.
Savage makes a .223 bolt action, the axis. I used to sell these. It also came in 5.56 at one point, not sure if it still does. People often choose 5.56 bolts because they’re one of the easiest ways to work on your rifle skills. 5.56 is plentiful and (relatively) cheap. The bolt forces you to slow down and pay attention.
You could probably find a used one that is pretty inexpensive. They aren’t typically collectors items.
I believe you, but I could not seem to find it online. Maybe they are often mislabeled as .223 not 5.56 but yeah a used 5.56 Axis would be perfect for my needs.
If you’re willing to go .223 there’s plenty of options. Savage axis II, savage 110, ruger american, bergara B14, all make good quality .223 bolt actions (more or less listed in increasing price). They may also have .556 or .223 wylde chambered versions, but the regular .223 are the easiest to find
The Axis was offered in 5.56 at one point, as well. And they used to sell (not sure of current price) for less than $300.
This would be perfect!
ARs aren't assault rifles.
Technique for patient long range shooting doesn't magically change alongwith your bolt system.
You don't plan to hunt if you're only interested in 5.56.
Get an AR-15.
an AR-15 is a platform at this point, but most variants of it are absolutely an assault rifle
Are these full auto assault rifle variants in the room with most civilian users right now?
I was at the range with several fully automatic civilian AR15s literally yesterday. FRT triggers.
That’s not fully automatic. One pull of the trigger one round just faster. That’s all it is. If it was actually fully automatic it wouldn’t be legal
The presence of an FRT doesn't make them "assault rifles" nor should their existence pose any practical deterrent to buying an AR. The legality around them is ever shifting and the decision to put one on or not is yours.
Unless the click-clack of a bolt action generates dopamine for you. The click-clack be a good sound.
Who said it needs to be full auto? An M4 isn't full auto
The words assault rifle do not mean what you think they mean.
lol, lmao even
An M4 isn’t full auto. Have you ever used one?
It's so funny how much you're insisting that burst fire =/= full auto when it absolutely does. You're the annoying "um ackshually ☝️🤓!" guy, but you don't even have the decency to be correct lmao.
I strongly suggest you reconsider your aversion to the AR.
The AR is going to do exactly what you're looking for, while also giving you far more capability when you inevitably want a semi auto 5.56 later.
Just because you have a standard capacity magazine and semi auto, doesn't mean you need to fire quickly or in large volumes.
Affordable, accurate, light, excellent support, and versatile. It's as close as you're going to get to having your cake and eating it too.
While I appreciate your kind approach, much nicer than others, I have reconsidered and I still think I don’t want to get an AR.
Bear creek arsenal makes cheap bolt action AR’s. You can swap out the upper setup for a semi auto if you wanted to. It’s only considered one gun since the lowers the only part that serialized.
Rossi sells a single shot break action 5.56 rifle with a rail for $239 brand new
YOU ARE A CHAMP, THANK YOU!!
Define "long range." 556 may not be your best option of you're talking much more than 100 yards.
Also define "assault rifle," because that's a loaded term with a lot of competing definitions.
I’m intending to use it for 100-300 yards, run it into the ground until I’m good at those ranges, then invest in a higher caliber, higher quality bolt action to go past that. My long term goal is to hit a target at 1000 yards.
When I said “assault rifle” I really just meant “Rifle that shoots a whole bunch” - A Mini 14 is one. An M1 Garand is not. I’m not a lawmaker, this is not a definition, I don’t know enough about anything for anyone to be changing their minds about things based on what I said, it’s just what I meant by those words.
So you want a bolt action? Because a Garand can hold about as much as an AR-15 in states with restrictions.
I'm not trying to be difficult, just trying to parse exactly what you're looking for.
If capacity is an issue, you can just get lower capacity magazines. California restricts us to 10 rounds, so 10-round magazines are easy to acquire.
That's why I'm wondering if you're more talking about the action of semi-auto vs bolt action.
Mossberg MVP is pretty close to your price range and has a bunch of good features, and are in 556 NATO so can handle 223 Rem or cheap 556.
https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting-gear-gun-supplies/rifles/mossberg-mvp-patrol-matte-blued-flash-suppressor-bolt-action-rifle-556mm-nato-1625in/p/1321640?
CZ 600. Have used for prairie dogs and target shooting. Your glass will cost way more than the platform, and it’s bolt action so it will likely never be confiscated.
Fuck it, just toss some in another caliber barrel and see how it goes
Instructions unclear, got a 50 BMG stuck in my 22
LEGALLY REQUIRED ADDENDUM: do not do this
Basically the advice I get from a lot of Redditors
Assuming that they are legal to own in your state, just get an AR15.
You can reach out plenty far with an 18” barrel and match-grade ammo and can always opt for 10- or 20-round mags to optimize shooting from prone. And a railed upper makes it easy to mount an optic.
I explicitly said I don’t want an AR. The whole point is a manual action rifle. I literally wrote a whole paragraph in this post about this comment before you even posted it, yet you did anyway.
Howa mini-action is another good option for a bolty.
Take the gas tube out of an AR and you got yourself a bolt action
Obligatory point out that an AR15 is not an assault rifle
You can use an AR15 and just load one round in, take all the time to aim and fire, just like you’re talking about. Nothing requiring you to use a larger magazine
Henry makes a single shot rifle in many calibers including 5.56x45.
Yeah, I missed that. Oops.
You can go the custom route. Get a Savage target short action and build it up from there.
If your use case is patient, long-range practice...why are you trying to shoot 5.56?
Basically, your use case doesn't make much sense.
5.56 mm isn't really a "long range" round.
I mean, it's a rifle round, so it's still fine for 2-300 yards. But long range shooting tends to involve larger calibers, like .308.
5.56mm is a relatively modern defensive round. It's meant to be fired from a semiautomatic weapon with a detachable magazine; one of the main "selling points" was that it's relatively compact, so that you can fit a lot of rounds into a magazine.
So you're not going to find many single-shot / bolt-action rifles that use this, because bolt-action rifles aren't really used for personal defense.
Single-shot rifles are primarily meant for hunting large game, or extremely long range competition shooting. And 5.56mm would be a sub-optimal choice for either of those situations.
Accordingly, I'd recommend you find a bolt-action rifle chambered in .308.
.308 is still pretty easy to find. While it's more expensive than 5.56mm, it's still affordable. And honestly, if you're shooting a bolt-action rifle, you're never going to burn through a ton of ammo, so the minor cost difference won't amount to much. And .308 is still pretty easy to shoot.
You are generally correct. In the long run, the “plan” is to get a nice 308 rifle. However, they tend to cost a lot. I am very broke. If I spend 6months to a year saving up for an $800 rifle, and rounds cost 125% more I won’t get good enough as a shooter for the difference between 5.56 and .308 to matter for years. I’m barely competent with my .22 at 100 yards. I would really like a cheap training device to learn 100-300 yards before I invest in something that takes a considerable amount of my recreational spending. I can’t shoot past 300 yards without a road trip anyway, so once I am really solid up to 300 yards, then it will be worth it to invest the money in the rifle and ammo and membership, and the time in the driving.
Lever Action is always cool.
https://www.henryusa.com/firearm/long-ranger-express/
That’s sick but it’s about 3x my maximum budget.
I think you can have a gunsmith cut the chamber to .223 Wylde, which is designed to handle 5.56 and .223 and does a really good job with both. That lets you (A) buy the rifle you like and (B) shoot ALL the ammo and (C) enjoy having a slightly custom rifle that suits your needs perfectly.
You could broaden your search to include .223 Wylde chamberings.
Single shot rifles are extremely outdated firearms. They’re not mass produced anymore so any you find are likely to be more expensive than their modern counterparts. You’re not going to find a bolt action 5.56 that is not in the AR format. It’s a military caliber and is generally only used in “military” style rifles like an AR. You COULD find a bolt action in .223 wylde which can shoot the .223 and 5.56 ammo.
Why are you dead set on 5.56? Why not .223? Or .308? Bolt actions are just as solid as a single shot and carry more utility.
Edit Apparently Ruger has some bolt actions in 5.56. I learned something today.
i also have a mossberg MVP flex bolt action .223
I’ll go point by point.
I’m not an expert, when I said “single shot” I really was implying all manual action rifles, which I think I corrected in the post later. I basically meant “not semiautomatic”
I named single shot because one of the most important aspects of what I’m looking for is that I want it to be cheap. A big part of why I want 5.56 is the cost of feeding it. At my range, 50 5.56 is $25 but that only buys you 20 rounds of 308 or 30-06.
I can buy huge stacks of 5.56 way cheaper than other rifle calibers. My long term goal is to run this rifle into the ground at my local 100-300 yard range and then invest the money on a nicer, higher caliber rifle which will require a membership and a road trip to go somewhere to do 500 yards and beyond.
As others point out, things like the Rossi and CVA are exactly the kind of product I was hoping to be directed towards. To be clear, if I could find a Ruger American or Remington 700 in 5.56 for less than $400 I’d be all over it.
You can get a brand-new Savage Axis in .223 for $350 and that is a good, accurate magazine-fed bolt-action rifle. Chuck Hawks has tested two that both shot 3/4" or better at 100 yards.
Rossi, cva, Henry and many others mass produce single shot rifles. They’re actually pretty inexpensive…