Ruger American in .223, with Vortex 3-12 power scope. takes AR style magazines. Maybe I'll shoot for 1st time tomorrow. If I like it and its not too loud, I will sell my Ruger 10-22, as I dont feel like owning more than 2 guns.
Nice rifle, but it will be substantially louder than your 22. I recommend keeping both rifles. It’s not a sin to have more than 2 guns. A 22 is great for short range inexpensive plinking. Your new rifle will give you very good accuracy at extended ranges. You should be able to shoot 1 inch groups with ease at 100 yards with your new 223. Ammo for it will be much more expensive, though. So keep them both.
Actually, a good compromise would be to do what I did, and buy an actual AR-15. For under $200 you can buy a conversion kit like this. And what it does is let you fire .22LR rounds in an M-16. I first used one when I was in the Marines, as that is what we used whenever we ran the "tire house". And it lets you practice shooting and using the sights of an AR-15 or M-16 at a fraction of the cost. And just change the bolt and you are back to firing 5.56mm ammunition. The only requirement is that a rifle accept a standard M-16 bolt carrier.
I'm a big Ruger fan. Solid quality. And the American series are very nice. My 223 launcher is an AR. I prefer semi autos. But a Ruger American is tempting.
Semi autos use no more ammo than a bolt action.One trigger pull fires one round. The benefit is that if you miss, a bolt action makes you take the weapon off your shoulder. That means you must re-acquire the target, reset a good stock weld, go through the whole aiming process. It takes a lot of time. A semi-auto lets's you readjust your aim point instantly without any of that.
I didn’t know you were into guns. Shows my biases hold me back on actually getting to know someone. I’m going to have to work on that. I like the gun though. Give us some feedback on how it goes.
Bolt actions are also the most accurate action. They’re actually a great pick. I prefer levers but they’re not the most accurate. My most accurate gun I have is .338 Lapua in a bolt. I can hit constantly up to 1500 yards with that one. But I still love my levers.
No need to move gun from shoulder with a bolt action, if it had a magazine. If your good like Jack Reacher, u can even keep eye on target.
No one would confuse a 223 round with a 22 LR round. Hit a person with 22 LR round in the arm at 400 meters (which is almost impossible), and he'll probably treat it with Bactine. Hit a person in the arm at 400 meters with a 223 round and the shattered bone fragments will probably travel to his heart and kill him.
The .223 really is an amazing round though. It’s a tack driver. One of the best rounds for coyotes I have ever ran across.