My 223 Rem and 223 Ackley are built on long actions. The best single shot follower (and only follower made for centerfeed) is Sharp Shooter Supply's. They are a site sponsor. Fred's follower snaps into the action slot and feeds rounds smoothly. The centerfeed magazine is no longer needed. Fred at SSS also makes a great 223 bolt head and extended baffle that shortens the bolt throw when using the shorter cartridge in the long action. He also installs a PPC extractor to aid in case extraction. The cheap factory stock can be reworked for use with a heavy barrel but it's a lot of work. If your a carpenter and have the tools, it's doable. A stock that will get you going cheaply is the Bell and Carlson Duramaxx. It's set up for larger diameter varmint barrels. If you go with a barrel much over .825" at the muzzle, you may have to open it up just a tad. A standard varmint barrel fits it just fine.
I would suggest becoming a paid member ($12/yr) so you can access the technical articles and the classifieds which can save you money in the long run. Your going to need barrel nut wrench and a decent machined/ground recoil lug (available through Sharp Shooter Supply, Midway USA or Brownells). Your 223 barrel is a small shank so that's the size recoil lug you'll need. The factory recoil lug is a stamped piece that is not very flat at all so replacing it during a barrel change eliminates one variable in the quest for accuracy. Being a first timer, I would suggest using headspace gauges for setting the headspace of the barrel when you screw it on. At the very least, you will need a GO gauge and it wouldn't hurt to have the NO GO gauge. The Duramaxx stock will require glass bedding and there are good tech articles here to talk you through it.
If you don't want to go through the hassle of installing it yourself, or spend the money for tools and gauges, You can use Shaw or E.A. Brown to install the barrel for you and you can do the stock work when you get it back, your choice. I would jump on the Stevens from Academy. I did back in January and built mine into a 6.5X47 Lapua bench rifle. If you care to, contact me at gacop103@gmail.com and we can talk more about your build.
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