10 Best 223 Bolt Action Rifle For The Money (2023 Updated)

A great way to get into the table top war game “Bolt Action” This has everything you’ll need to learn how to play, and enough pieces for small 2 player games including a good quality manual, dice and counters, a couple of pieces of terrain, 1 USA Airborne squad with MMG, and 1 German Panzergrenadiers with half-track You’ll obviously want and need some gear to get everything assembled (hobby knife/snips, files, plastic cement or super glue) and then painted (white primer, then some sets of your choice, I like the Vallejo paint sets, you can get small paint sets with exactly what you’d need, like a US armor and infantry paint set, and a wehrmacht infantry paint set, usually around $20 per set.

) The models have a lot of pieces and you can assemble them with all kinds of accessories depending how you want to play your faction, and how you want them to look: rifles, smg, grenades, different pouches, different heads, different arm positions, etc.

Everything was good quality, and as expected. The scale is about the same as Warhammer, but as they are realistic humans, they are a bit smaller and more fragile than that games pieces. The overall detail on the models is good, but I did have some pieces, especially rifles, and ammo belts, that broke while removing from the plastic sprue.

I’m not sure if I’m doing something wrong, because it works with other minis and models I’ve built, but Tamiya plastic cement seems to just not want to work 10% of the time, and the model will keep falling apart.

Also, it can be a little hard to figure out how some models are “supposed” to go together, like some arms won’t work with some bodies or leg configurations. And I had to find pictures online of how the half-tracks gun was supposed to be assembled (sometimes instructions for models cam be hard to decipher, not just here, but in general) Some poses could have been better, like no pose for the German MG gunner to actually be in a firing position, and seemed like a lot of the available poses for Germans especially were the model mid run.

But that is simply preference, and you’re still getting a great value here, and it serves its purpose and gives you a tiny corps to start the army you like, and to battle a friend.

This is a really good starter set as far as sets go. If you purchase this, you will have what you need to start playing the game: rules, templates, dice, figures, and even some terrain pieces. That said, you will have to use some modeling glue to put the guys together, and paint helps as well.

That said, there are more than enough options to create whatever kinds of models you want to make, regardless of what the instructions tell you. That reminds me, there is a guide that walks you through an initial game, and all you have to do is just follow the steps in the directions as it leads you through.

It is really a well thought out introduction. Of course, there aren’t enough men for a huge battle, but that is not a bad thing as you are not required to invest heavily if you ultimately are not interested, or would rather collect Brits or Soviets or some other army.

If you like studying WWII, and/or enjoy tabletop games such as these, then this is worth your time to try. If both of the aforementioned qualities apply to you, then this starter set is a must. A MUST.

Hello fellow new players to bolt action! I purchased this set as an introduction to the game. I am a brand new player to Bolt Action but I am coming from a small amount of experience with warhammer fantasy, 40k, and Warmachine/hordes so I do have a little bit of context to the others which gave me some expectations for this.

I will start with the QUALITY of the models themselves. I had watched a few unboxings of this particular set online and I was a little disappointed in the fact that some people got things that others didn’t such as a weapon sprue that just had a bunch of loose spare weapons.

That being said the quality of the models were very good. Two of the Germans were a little weirdly shaped but some trimming made it work just fine, one of the officer heads didn’t have a right ear which I actually went ahead and made it into a wound so that was fun.

I felt like the quality was top notch compared to what I have seen before. Next up is going to be PRICE. As I’ve stated above I’ve played a bit of the major ones. They all feel really expensive for what you get and are pretty much unapproachable on a budget.

However, Bolt Action is an excellent budget tabletop game. The point systems is pretty relevant to that of 40k (sort of) but you will pay a quarter of the price for similar quality and much higher quantity.

The other nice thing about the price is that you can actually just get a couple of squads and have a fun game to play. Where as you need to spend some real cash in warhammer to be able to have fun. (I know there will be people who disagree because when is there not) I wanted to save GAMEPLAY for this point in the review.

So, the gameplay of Bolt Action from my experience is much better then the gameplay of other table top games and it is the simplest of things that causes that. The organization of the turn. You and your opponent take turns pulling from a blind bag, your individual order dice.

Each player has the equivalent number of order dice to the number of squads/vehicles on the battlefield. When your color is picked out of the bag you give orders to a single squad/vehicle. You execute the order and then pull another dice from the bag and it continues like that until all the dice are out of the bag, once that happens a new round begins and you put the order dice back in the bag and start again.

Other games you do all of your stuff and your opponent does all of their stuff and the whole thing just feels a bit unbalanced and honestly unrealistic. Another point that I enjoy that I know some people wont is the fact that there are no god like characters that have a book of their own special rules and they can take out entire armies alone.

It takes real strategy, teamwork, and luck for your squads to win the day. Pointedly the gameplay is top notch and this box set is an excellent starting point that gives you every thing you need to begin playing the game.

Lastly VALUE: With all of the other components listed above I feel like the value of Bolt action in general is excellent and largely under appreciated in the table top market. This box set is an excellent introduction to the game.

That being said long time players could pick this up for an extra rule book and a terrain piece and some extra dice and units but if you have all of these things you might not find it as useful unless you are buying it as a gift for someone.

As a final talking point; I’ve been able to play with just this box set a couple times. I’ve mostly played alone but I’ve introduced a few coworkers to the game while on breaks. The game is easy to pick up and understand and quick games are possible.

One of my friends that is a long time 40k player is now looking to sell his 40k army so that he can play this instead.

Very good starter for entry level Bolt Action players. Unlike most starter army sets which give you 1000 points of units, this box set gives 1500 points. This is mainly due to the veteran status and not necessarily any additional figures.

But the addition of a Tiger tank does make this worth the buy.

Great set and excellent value from Zatu, significantly under the recommended retail price 😊

Great intro pack for bolt action. Good range for building an army and the pieces are well cast. Just make sure to take time in building the stug as it’s a little fiddly.

Comes with plenty of Infantry and a Panzer III. The 8. 8 Flak Cannon looks awesome but is a very advanced and fiddly model to put together. The panzer went together easily. The metal miniatures need a lot of filing down flash and miscasting.

I also recommend using a jeweler’s saw to remove the small lozenge tabs attached to their feet. It will look better than just plopping it down on the base.

these kits are excellent. from beginner to expert. very easy to make variants

I actually bought this after getting a few of the other Afrika Korps sets, and it filled in just about all the missing elements that I wanted for my army.

The newer Schneider Gelion 39 refill has slightly changed, and does not work with this pen. Does not fir through tip. FSP and others don’t work either. What refill should I use? Great pen, but will be useless if there is no refill.

No problems with the aluminum version of this pen, the NTP31.

A really nice pen. I love the 2 position bolt. I didn’t know it had a glass breaker in the tail but I love it. Light weight and writes smooth. Great pen.

The NTP 31 aluminum was my favorite for a long time but now the NTP 30 titanium is the best pen I’ve ever had Not too flashy and built to last

Not gonna find a better price anywhere. Really great models, incredible detail. Quite a huge step up from the old us infantry kit. My only minor complaint is that their is only one BAR pose but it’s not a problem it your clever about building them.

I was able to get 3 infantry squads, HQ and bazooka team out of this box.

this box blows the older minis away sculpts are sharp can swap out arms with airborne for some alt. poses or with marines arms for n.africa,italy,and pacific theatres

Excellent miniatures overall. Minor mold lines, to be expected on plastic injection molding miniature frames, and easily removed. As far as I can tell, historically accurate. Not a gripe, but a compliment of sorts, these are more fiddly than 28mm heroic scale miniatures, as to make them more realistic nd accurate.

Whilst the detail on the plastic is pretty crisp with very few mould lines and flash the biggest let-down comes in the form of the instruction sheet. The photographic approach for the instructions is sometimes not clear at all as to what goes where.

Other drawbacks are the lack of a colour list for the paints to be used and no detail as to which division markings are for which division. I’ve had to download another manufacturer’s sheet in a larger scale to clarify assembly.

A good model but not one designed to draw new people into the hobby.

This is an iconic vehicle and the kit does it justice. Instructions are clear and it’s an enjoyable build. I would not want to throw it around the room and so it’s durability is a bit limited in that sense.

It’s not recommended for small brats to play with.

The Winchester 34 safe is an awesome gun safe with lots of room. I really like the layout of this safe and how it is professionally made with great construction and a smooth swinging door. Also, Armadillo safes has great customer service and they made the transaction very easy with great delivery service.

Heavy construction with 3 options of opening, combination, key & rfid. Two power sources, battery & wall socket. The safe will fit one large pistol or two compact. A draw back is the opening lid does not open fully.

Also the weight would make it difficult to carry in luggage but not impossible. All in all a good safe.

These guys are prompt and very easy to work with. The Winchester Big Daddy is solid quality and made well. If I had to do this over again, I will definitely take this route. Content.

When they say nothing feels like a Mizuno, they aren’t lying. I was playing the Mizuno JPX921 Forged and thought nothing could feel better. I was very happy with them. Then I saw a pic of the 221’s and 225’s and it was love at first sight.

I demoed both but the feel of a well struck Mizuno blade is the feel that dreams are made of. I didn’t need new irons, my JPX921’s were only a year old (150 rounds) but all I could think about was the 221’s.

I bit the bullet and have played close to 10 rounds and 8 range sessions and I couldn’t be happier. The feel, turf interaction, shot control, looks at address and distance control are absolutely amazing.

I was worried that I might lose some distance going to blades, not only have I maintained distance, but my club gaps are much more consistent at 10-13yds between clubs and distance control with half and 3/4 swings are much more reliable.

I’m not a low single digit handicap, I’m an 8-10 hdcp and I have no problem playing these irons, as a matter of fact my iron play has improved since I started using the 221’s If you’re on the fence about buying these irons, don’t hesitate, you won’t be sorry.

I’ve been a fan of Mizuno since I bought a set of JPX800 irons with 115 gram True Temper steel shafts 10 years ago. I really loved the look and playability of those clubs, but with increasing age I lost speed/distance and my ball flight was getting lower to the point I was using my 7 iron to play 130-140 yard holes.

(I used to routinely hitting pitching wedges 130, including my last hole-in-one). A couple of years ago, Club Champion fitted me with the JPX900 hot metal irons. I was impressed with how straight the ball flight was, but the distances (also steel shafts) were about the same as I was hitting and I balked at the steep price and waited.

Recently I went into my local PGA Superstore and hit the JPX921 hot metals with the 75 gram Mamiya EXC shafts, A flex (regular) and was astounded by not only how great they look and how straight the ball flies, but each club hits my shots considerably higher and longer.

What a pleasant surprise to see my 7 iron carry 150 again (really straight) with total distances up to 162. I also had previous success when I replaced my 4 iron with a hybrid and thought it made sense at this point to go ahead and get the combo set with the 5 and 6 hybrids.

All I can say is Wow! I can swing the hybrids just like they are irons, and the distances are dependable with much higher trajectories than my previous 5- and 6-irons. I actually replaced my previous 4-hybrid with my new 5-hybrid because it hits straighter, higher and longer, which makes room in my bag for an additional fairway wood.

The lofts and gaps on the shorter irons allowed me to eliminate one of my gap wedges, so now I’ve got a lot more flexibility in my bag. I’ve spent a couple of hours inside on a launch monitor to develop some trust in yardages but haven’t hit them enough to see if they are workable right or left.

If they continue to hit this straight, I’m looking forward to firing at pins again! I really like the look and feel of the stock gray Golfpride grips.

I am a senior 13 handicap golfer. The weakest part of my game has always been my iron play. I have had probably a dozen iron sets of all makes including Callaway. Ping, Taylormade, Cobra, and others that escape my memory right now.

In the last 2 or 3 years I bought 2 different models of Taylormade. I really wanted to like them but they just did not inspire confidence. I got fitted at the local golf shop and I really liked the Callaway Apex and the Mizuno 921 HM Max.

Both gave me roughly the same results but the Mizuno was the easy choice. They are beautiful irons and at $125 each compared to $200 for the Callaway it was a no-brainer. Never had any kind of Mizuno club until I bought one of their putters last year which I absolutely love.

The irons I just bought are hands down the favorite irons I have ever owned. Absolutely love them. I think I have finally found a keeper.