I shoot a little of everything,action wise and the 700 is where you want to be. It will get you the most,for the least and seldom does so many stars readily align.

There are many misconceptions in regards to twist rate. The faster/tighter the twist,the longer the bullet it can stabilize. Many wish to infer weight instead of length,but that is a misnomer.

A faster twist rate will shoot longer bullets of greater BC values and that can pay handsome dividends downrange,both in flight characteristics and in terminal affects. In .224",the 1-8" PacNor 3-groove is my favorite,as it will readily stabilize all pursuits of interest to me...which means up to and including the .435BC 75gr A-Max. It also has zero qualm bugholing 40's and the like. Win/win. That 75 rates building a rifle around,solely by itself,as it is truly amazing.

My 3-groove love is based on it's mannerisms,in that they are not the least fickle and wear exceedingly well. Dan Lilja's 3's are skookum too,but PN is my landslide favorite.

In regards to fireforming loads in the 223AI,Precision is based upon the quality of fodder you feed it. Under the assumption of proper sizing and COAL settings,FF loads will blow your mind. So it isn't like you have to shoot holes in the sky,to get to the good stuff. I typically FF 50gr V-Max in all my tubes,as I dig their Goo Factor and Precision has to be seen to be believed.

Flipside is,you can safely/happily rattle Factory ammo through same,but you'll always take a Precision hit when tossing COAL control away to the Factory(s). My marked preference is to load my FF fodder,so as to retain that control.

If you are musing a modest length rifle in HS-esque Varmint-ish guise,then the 1-9" LTR is your Huckleberry. Punch it out and run it...mine does rather well in such configuration.

Were I to take you to the range so you could shoot all of mine,you'd leave with a 21" light contoured 3-groover digesting those wonderous 75's. If Ti ergo's horn you up,then a Faux Ti dupe is a cheap blueprint,because the stocks are $150 a pop or so. A McMillan is triple that,but less peer.

My next will be a PacNor S/S Supermatch 1-8" 3-groover at 21" in a Mountain Rifle contour,riding in a Ti takeoff handle,wearing Talley LW's and a 6x42.

Oftentimes,a little is a lot.