NO NO NO! me and my father went thorugh this same problems 4 or 5 yrs ago.
we found after a lot of reseaerch not to bother with the 223. if you want want a good all round rifle, go the 22-250. its a great all round caliber because you can make some strong loads using 50gr, 55gr or 60gr projectiles for pigs, goats, and pigs to about 300-400 metres OR you can make some light loads using 40gr, 45gr and 50gr for your rabbits, hares and foxes.my father and i purchased a sako 75 heavy barrel varmit w/ a leopold vx3 24 powered scope. this is by far my favourite out of the smaller centerfire's. my father late last year chest shot a hare at 760yrds with the sako 22-250under a spotlight! thats how accurate this caliber is. it shoots very flat which is perfect for varmit shooting and target shooting. i have seen multiple times a man using a 22-250 at 500 yrds win fly shooting compitions.
i have also dropped a medium sized pig at 250yrds+ before and have shot goats at 300Yrds+ with ease. also if your looking at a 22 have a look at the 17hmr we have one in a cz and its a fantastic gun for rabbits foxes and hares.
this is a pic of what my 22-250 did to a fox at 479yrds
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all i can say is before you by a gun research all your options and also think of what your going to be shooting now and in the future, where you'll be shooting now and in the future and shop around.
i hope i have helped you a bit. good luck dont forget to send us a pic or two