Birdboy Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 Hi, Got my FAC last May with a .22, .17HMR and a .223 (with mentor) granted. Immediately bought the .22 CZ Synthetic and well pleased with it. Recently given permission on 400 acres near my house which is like winning the Lottery for me. The land is cleared already for up to a .308. Ive visited many times recently and on each occassion, see a lot of fox so getting really keen now to buy the .223. I had thought about buying a .17HMR but a friend of mine shoots with a .17 HMR so i will bypass this route and go for a .223. Cost at the moment is key as i need to keep the wife happy with my proposed new acquisition ! Can anyone comment on the following please. 1. What is a good synthetc .223 ? Ive seen a CZ 527 new at around £450 ? Any others ? 2. Whats the best scopes a man can get at a budget price ! 3. Whats should i expect to pay for a new or 2nd hand good mod 4. Do mods vary in terms of quietness are all they about the same ? All comments would be appreciated. Cheers all Gaz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldrick Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 1) CZ527 is a superb rifle. Sturdy and accurate. 2) Depends on your budget, and whether you want fixed or variable mag. A 7x50 Meopta can be had for about £130 on Fleabay, and offers extremely good glass (much better than any cheapo Jap or American-built scope). 3) You don't need anything more than a T4 or a PES muzzle can on a .223 (latter costs c£150 new). The ASE CQB is the ideal, but costs c£250. 4) Yes, they do vary. The above-mentioned PES is very quiet, so is the CQB. You need to decide whether noise reduction is as important as the overall length of the rifle with the mod fitted, and the weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdboy Posted February 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 Thanks Baldrick, good advice. Whats the difference in the two mods you mentioned, as theres a £100 difference, but you rate them both. Do they ever come up second hand here ? Scope around £150 would be ideal. I sent over £200 on my current scope fitted to the .22 (MTC Viper). I was in the gun shop the other day and i suggested to the shopkeeper that i could perhaps fit the MTC Viper (x56) to the new .223. Then buy something cheaper .22 . I was suprised when he said the MTC isnt suitable for a centrefire as the recoil would shake the crosshair out Not sure if this is correct, but he seemed to know what he was talking about. He was trying to flog me a scope at £325 at the time though ! Would you suggest a variable scope on a .223 ? Ive never adjusted the MTC, but then again, it doesnt have the reach of a .223 Cheers Gaz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy. Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 I got a tip off a gunshop earlier today. The T8/T4 are really prone to rusting and then blowing up, so you have to take good care of them. I have the PES and if you've got a long barrel, you'll have a nightmare, faffing about trying to swing it out the car window when you're out lamping. With the over-barrel reflex mods your gun only gets a few inches longer, as 60% of the mod is behind the muzzle. The PES mod certainly does take the bang away though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldrick Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 The ASE CQB is tiny - it is very narrow and adds just 120mm to the length of my .22-250. The PES muzzle can adds about 190mm, but is noticeably bulkier. I never had noticeable corrosion problem with the T8s I owned, but I eventually replaced them with PES and ASE versions. Blackbart on here has one of the new ASE North Star NS-3S moderators, an over-barrel design made in stainless steel, giving a 100mm increase in length. It looks like a short T8 (search for the photos he has posted). An RFD quoted £205 for one of these. I don't see many decent second-hand moderators available for sale. FYI, the Jedi Master of foxing, Robert Bucknell, leaves his scope set on 9x magnification for almost all foxing work. Buy the best glass you can afford (not the scope with the most 'tactical' turrets and fancy reticle). In my books, that means a European brand, with Meopta being king of the hill on the value stakes. Having said that, the recoil off a moderated .223 is unlikely to rattle an MTC Viper unduly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdboy Posted February 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 Cheers guys, Glad to hear i you think i could get away with using the MTC Vipers on the .223. I might still try to buy a set of Meopta 7x50 if they are around £130. If you had the chioce of the two scopes, which you would fit to a .223 ? Im guessing the Meoptas. Good advice re the mods. Comes down to personal choice i guess in terms of legnth of barrel etc. Gaz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoot57 Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 i use a 527 varmint laminated with a t4 mod, a very accurate rifle, the gun + scope + moderator weighs a ton but as i do all my foxing from a 4x4 it doesn't bother me, actually the weight might help, if you can get one new at £450 seems a good deal, with my scope it has an illuminated centre dot which i find very helpful with long shots maybe worth a thought Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldrick Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 Cheers guys, Glad to hear i you think i could get away with using the MTC Vipers on the .223. I might still try to buy a set of Meopta 7x50 if they are around £130. If you had the chioce of the two scopes, which you would fit to a .223 ? Im guessing the Meoptas. Good advice re the mods. Comes down to personal choice i guess in terms of legnth of barrel etc. Gaz Although I am conscious that I sound like a stuck record, it has to be Meopta. I have three Meopta 7x50s, run alongside S&B, Zeiss, Kahles and Swarovski scopes costing many times more. I never cease to be impressed by the Czech brand. My new .22-250 fox-juicer is currently sporting one of the 7x50s. What I like specifically is that the 4B reticle has very bold arms, reducing to a fine cross: easy to pick up at night or in thick woodland, but fine enough for fairly precise shots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdboy Posted February 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 You dont sound like a stuck record Baldrick, but it does concern me to hear you have at least 2 spare Meoptas kicking around which probably need re-homing in the Devon area !! £130 wasnt it ?? Just a thought . . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenix Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 A few of our club members have tried MTCs on 5.56 straight pull ARs, they get used mods on and off but the MTCs have all been retired. I think they are good air rifle scopes but when you add the extra range and recoil of a CF they arnt designed for it. The original reason for getting them was probably for the tacticool look, think somebody reported one getting rattled to death. Ive tried a few cheaper brands on my .17HMR, have found that the quality of the optics really starts to show at around 200 yards, what looks great at air rifles ranges limits you at longer range. One the rifle front I am currently looking at .223 or possibly .308, Howas are looking interesting so might be worth you investigating them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoot57 Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 good idea birdboy...hey baldrick if the s/b is up for sale at £130 can i have first offer because it seems you Reilly prefer meopta, (i think that's what you said as you didnt make it very clear) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldrick Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 Birdboy, shoot57, thank you for the kind offers...... There's nothing going spare at this end! Fenix, that is interesting that even a .223 will shake an MTC up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdboy Posted February 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 Cheers Baldrick, thanks for the advice today. Had a couple of offers already via PM of complete packages, so see how it goes. If you wake up in a mad panic tonight wishing you had let me have one of you scopes gathering dust, give me a shout tomorrow ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polski Posted February 15, 2009 Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 I have been using the mtc on my .223 for a couple of years, not had any problems so far. Rick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdboy Posted February 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 Thanks Rick. Given me some confidence perhaps i could get away with it. Bladricks convinced me to that i could look for a second hand set of Meopta's for £130, which makes sense, as if i put the MTC Vipers on a .223, ive still got to go and replace the MTC's for the .22. Cheers Gaz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkeye Posted February 16, 2009 Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 I have a T8ar on my 223 it isnt very long but i did have 4" chopped of the barrel so that with the mod on its the same lengh as a rifle with out mod.. Find this is great shooting from the motor and in the right conditions is as quiet as my HMR with an ASE Utra mod on.. :good: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdboy Posted February 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 Cheers Mike, thanks for the advice. Could get the barrel reduced to save on weight etc. Im not planning to be shooting from a 4x4 so weight is an issue. All the best Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highseas Posted February 16, 2009 Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 Birdboy, shoot57, thank you for the kind offers...... There's nothing going spare at this end! Fenix, that is interesting that even a .223 will shake an MTC up. apal of mine has a mtv viper on his sako 85 22-250 and he says hes never had no probs with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.