Stevens model 200 in remingtion 223

[Nebraska Kelly]

I just picked up a Stevens 200 in 223 remington. It has a 1 in 9 twist.  It shoots 60gr and 55gr remanufactured ammo into groups of about 1.5 inches.  That is ok for deer but not for varmints.  It shoots white box winchester 45gr hollow points into a group that is covered by a dime. That is a five shot group. However that groups at a different point of impact than the heavier bullets.  I am at a loss to explain why this gun with a 1 in 9 twist will shoot the short liteweight bullets so well and be mediocre with the heavy bullets?  I was hoping you could tell me about what works well in your Stevens 223 rifles?   I am satisfied with sub 1/2 inch groups of the winchester 45gr hollowpoints and will use them all winter after deer season. But it seems to me there should be a heavy bullet load that will work better than what I have so far.  Appreciate any information you may provide.

Nebraska Kelly

[nasem]

I just bought one from gunbroker.com 3 days ago... I'll be getting it soon in about a week or so (same exact model you have)

Can I ask which scope bases and rings you bought for yours ? and also do you have a picture of your setup ?

[Nebraska Kelly]

The setup is===Weaver bases. Number 46 I think?  The scope rings I use are millet anglelock steel rings. I love the m. They are rock solid and really hold up well.  The scope is a Bass Pro Shop "readhead" scope. It is called the EPIC series and it is in 6.5 X 20  40 millimimeter paralax adjustable front.  Let me tell you about this scope. I was skeptical at first because of the low cost and made in china by oem.  But they brought out there training manual on that line of scopes and let me read it.  All lens's are fully multicoted. It is a one piece tube. It has excellent rather stiff finger adjustment turrets that are very positive feeling and they actually work. The bullet moves an inch when you dial in 4 clicks.  I have not had that happen on a scope costing $129 for a long time. That is the sale price. Regular price is $169.   The scope has a 92% light transmission rating.  It is very very bright.  I have used a lot of the "cheap" scopes over the years.  You cant use the higher powers because they get so damn dark and blury.  Not this scope. It is the ABSOLUTE BEST SCOPE of all the cheap scopes I have tried. I recommend it highly. It will let you use 15 power magnification with crystal clarity. Above that it starts to get to dark for my taste. But anything below that is increadible. I played around a little and found that I liked 10 power the best. It is hard to tell the difference from 10 to 20 power. It is ice water clear at 10x and shows a very crisp image. I never use the upper power of any scope except to spot with.  For walking around I use it at the lowest 6.5 setting and 10 power for long shots. I just love it. I have several scopes costing 100 to 200 more and they dont do any better. A real good buy in my opinion. The last test of that scope was to take it out in the dark with light behind me to see what the "glare" factor was. The scope has almost no glare from back light. It was excellent.  Gotta love a cheap scope that really works. It looks a lot like a Bushnell legand scope. I am almost certain that is what it is.  If anyone knows different please tell me about it.  I do have a digital camera. I will try a few pictures in the next few days. Have not downloaded any on this sight before. Any tips I should know about before trying it???

Nebraska Kelly

[nasem]

I really can't give you any tips on how to upload pics... I don't know how either
I was in north carolina about 2 weeks ago and got a doe, and I couldn't upload the pics

anyways, I thank you for posting what you had for a scope, I am having a delima on what scope to get on the 223.  im not sure if I'll be needing a 20x scope, this gun will be my 200-300 yard varminator, most likly I'll end up starting off with my old simmons 8 point 3-9X40 (my old cheapo scope).... I know the scope held its zero really well on my winchester '06.  Its sitting in my "shooting room" collecting dust.  It was replaced by a Nikon buckmaster 4.5X14 BDC (by the way I love this scope).

Where did you order / buy your scope bases & rings from ?

[Nebraska Kelly]

I bought the scope from the Bass Pro Shop in Council Bluffs Iowa and the millett rings and weaver bases at the gun store in Fremont Nebraska called Nebraska Sports where I bought the rifle.

[Val]

The issue on the heavier bullets is all about the reason people develop and reload their own loads. You need to develop a load with the proper powder for that rifle and the proper Overall Cartridge length for your particular gun. You might try other commercial loads and may find one that your particular rifle likes better.