Target shooting
Couple of things to consider. You say this will be a target gun which to me means you don't plan on toting it around much. Add to that the concept that you may be shooting a lot and it all equals a heavy varminter. The weight will help it "ride the bags" and the heavy barrel will not heat up as quickly. A standard weight barrel will get very hot very quickly in hot weather. I'm talking only 15-20 rds before the barrel is too hot to leave your hand on it. That's my yardstick when we're prairie doggin'. As the caliber and case capacity increase, so does the heat you're putting into the barrel.
Accuracy: Accuracy is very different to different people, particularly at 100 yards or so. Some are happy to be able to hit a man-size target with every shot at 100 yards. To others, it's stacking bullets through the same hole at 100 yards. If you're going to be shooting a rifle that you wish to call "accurate" you need to decide which of the above applies. I'm closer to the latter than the former and I suspect you will be, too, since you're talking about a scoped bolt gun. All of my dogtown rifles are capable of shooting 1" groups at 100. I waste enough ammo due to my lack of talent. I don't need a gun that complicates the issue.
Caliber: In my opinion, .223 is more than adequate for killing paper at 100 yards and retained energy means nothing. For that matter, so is .17 HMR and several more which lie between those two. .223 ammo is relatively cheap but commercial ammo capable of shooting 1" groups is not. Typical .223 FMJ is not intended to be target ammo and you're probably going to need something like a 1:7 twist barrel to get it to consistently hit a torso-size target at 100 yards. Our .223s are 1:9 or 1:12 twist. That green tip "penetrator" crap keyholed at 25 yards from our 1:12 Howa 1500 SV but the gun took a prairie dog at a lasered 532 yards with a 45 gr. Winchester HP. If you're planning on reloading good ammo, go with a .223. If not, I'd seriously consider a .17 HMR. It's still available for about $11 a box (shipping included) online and will shoot 1" at 100 yards from a rest with any one of a half-dozen decent bolt guns. And, I don't care what anybody says, the mighty HMR is capable of humane one-shot kills on Shoot.N.C targets, even the big ones, at 100!
Couple of things to consider. You say this will be a target gun which to me means you don't plan on toting it around much. Add to that the concept that you may be shooting a lot and it all equals a heavy varminter. The weight will help it "ride the bags" and the heavy barrel will not heat up as quickly. A standard weight barrel will get very hot very quickly in hot weather. I'm talking only 15-20 rds before the barrel is too hot to leave your hand on it. That's my yardstick when we're prairie doggin'. As the caliber and case capacity increase, so does the heat you're putting into the barrel.
Accuracy: Accuracy is very different to different people, particularly at 100 yards or so. Some are happy to be able to hit a man-size target with every shot at 100 yards. To others, it's stacking bullets through the same hole at 100 yards. If you're going to be shooting a rifle that you wish to call "accurate" you need to decide which of the above applies. I'm closer to the latter than the former and I suspect you will be, too, since you're talking about a scoped bolt gun. All of my dogtown rifles are capable of shooting 1" groups at 100. I waste enough ammo due to my lack of talent. I don't need a gun that complicates the issue.
Caliber: In my opinion, .223 is more than adequate for killing paper at 100 yards and retained energy means nothing. For that matter, so is .17 HMR and several more which lie between those two. .223 ammo is relatively cheap but commercial ammo capable of shooting 1" groups is not. Typical .223 FMJ is not intended to be target ammo and you're probably going to need something like a 1:7 twist barrel to get it to consistently hit a torso-size target at 100 yards. Our .223s are 1:9 or 1:12 twist. That green tip "penetrator" crap keyholed at 25 yards from our 1:12 Howa 1500 SV but the gun took a prairie dog at a lasered 532 yards with a 45 gr. Winchester HP. If you're planning on reloading good ammo, go with a .223. If not, I'd seriously consider a .17 HMR. It's still available for about $11 a box (shipping included) online and will shoot 1" at 100 yards from a rest with any one of a half-dozen decent bolt guns. And, I don't care what anybody says, the mighty HMR is capable of humane one-shot kills on Shoot.N.C targets, even the big ones, at 100!