Savage rifles

[nkdninjafrog]

just curious about the brand. i've seen a lot of people talking about them lately. anyone want to share some experiences? more specifically any of the bolt action .223's

 

[Tydeeh22]

while my experience is more dedicated to the savage axis in .308 caliber, i highly reccomend them. for a budget rifle you can't go wrong. especially if you are willing to tinker with it. you can do a trigger job easily, bed the stock, weight the rear end of her, and in the end, have a sub moa shooting gun for fractions of the price of a higher end rifle.

 

[nkdninjafrog]

i would love to have a .308 again. i had a r-25 that i hunted with on several occasions, and i absolutely loved it. but i was just thinking of getting something a little smaller to play with this time

 

[U.S. Patriot]

Savage makes a good rifle. I had an Axis though, and was less than impressed. For not much more, there are better budget rifles out there.

 

[soupy]

I'v had a Mod. 10 flcp-k in 223 for about a year and a half. It's accurate and reliable. I set the trigger at about 2 lb. get along fine with it. Most savage 223's are 9 twist barrels, I'v had the super expolsive varmint bullets like hornady SPSX not make to the target. Get along fine with V-max's for varmints and 75 hpbt's for long range target shooting.

 

[KEHO]

I have a Savage / Stevens 200 in .223 and I really like it. I put a Rifle Basix trigger in it, a decent scope on top, an adjustable cheek rest, and a little spray paint on the stock and it shoots better than me. The scope is somewhat limiting as I put an illuminated dot scope on it for hunting. Something with fine crosshairs would definitely help but it's a hunting gun for me so I went with a hunting scope. Given that, factory ammo is running groups just under 1 moa. I'm currently working up a hand load and I'm sure that will help bring the groups in even more.

I would definitely recommend it for an entry level .223. Plan on doing the trigger upgrade - you'll want it. Or, get a 10/11 series Savage that comes with the Accutrigger. For me the Stevens plus a Rifle Basix trigger was cheaper than the 10/11 series and for a hunting gun, that's what I was looking for.

Here's the setup (yote not included )

 

[parson]

I've owned a Savage 110 in .243 for about 25 years and love it. I highly recommend them.

 

[avboiler11]

Savage 12FV (223 Rem, 26" 1:9 twist barrel) in a Bell & Carlson A2 Medalist stock

75gr Hornady HPBT, 24.0gr Varget, RP brass, CCI-400, 5 shots @ 100yd

Hornady 75gr Steel Match

 

[Leo]

Savage is a very old company that successfully made dependable plain jane rifles that filled the market nitch below the Winchester and Remington offerings. Through the years Savage developed their line to also include higher end versions. At the same time, the foreign owned "US repeating arms company" ran the consumer level Winchester arms into the ground, leaving a market opening for Savage to fill. They filled the opening very well with more and more better featured rifles. While the Savage action will never have the feel of the wonderful Model 70, they have good strength and safety features. The Savage varmint grade rifles have proven to be consistantly accurate for a number of years, while the cheap, entry level rifles have stayed perfectly servicable. After buying a couple of Savage Varmint rifles, I would not hesitate to purchase another one.

 

[Dirty Steve]

I have a Savage 12 in .300 WSM that is no longer offered. It is a shooter and I would buy any of the varmint series, target series, law enforcement or long range hunter series without a second though.

A few things to know:

Make sure the tang is free floated. If it is not it will give you fits with consistent accuracy. Mine did until I read that on Savage Shooters forum. Once fixed, consistency was there.

The tupperware stock can be stiffened so the forearm doesn't flex by using welding rods, push-rods or steel dowels and some JB weld and bondo. If you get a model with the new accu-stock, stock flexing in the forearm is not an issue. You can always replace the stock, but if you want to save money, you can stiffen the factory stock as described.

Accu-trigger is either loved or hated. It takes some getting used to, but I am in the love it category.

I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Dirty Steve

 

[JohnP82]

I have been very pleased with all of the Savage rifles I have shot. I plan to get a Savage bolt action in .223 soon.

 

[neeltburn]

I have a Model 10 FP in .308 and its a Sub MOA gun. I have a Bell and Carlson Stock on it with a SWFA Super Sniper 10x40 Side Focus and I cannot out shoot it. I recently had a 3.25 in. group at 400 yrds. ( My best at that distance.) The cool thing about Savage rifles is with some basic gunsmithing tools you can do most of the work yourself including swapping barrels.

 

[j706]

I think Savage makes a good barrel. They are accurate. I just can't get warmed up to that Accu Trigger contraption and I absolutely hate a Savage action. But they are priced right and they do in fact usually shoot great.

 

[red_zr24x4]

Love my 10FP! I bedded the stock, reenforced the forearm, Bondo'ed all the checkering over to make the stock smooth, and painted the stock a flat black.

 

[avboiler11]

I think Savage makes a good barrel. They are accurate. I just can't get warmed up to that Accu Trigger contraption and I absolutely hate a Savage action. But they are priced right and they do in fact usually shoot great.

A lot of folks don't like the Accutrigger; I personally like them quite a bit. They can certainly be a functional PITA depending on one's technique for finger-on-trigger placement, but I've fired thousands of rounds through mine and have never had a problem with them 'locking up' like the guy who does reviews on SniperCentral has.

I am curious though, what don't you like about the action? Is it an aesthetics thing (barrel nut & bolt release) or one of function (heavy bolt lift)? Not looking for an argument, just curious.

 

[j706]

A lot of folks don't like the Accutrigger; I personally like them quite a bit. They can certainly be a functional PITA depending on one's technique for finger-on-trigger placement, but I've fired thousands of rounds through mine and have never had a problem with them 'locking up' like the guy who does reviews on SniperCentral has.

I am curious though, what don't you like about the action? Is it an aesthetics thing (barrel nut & bolt release) or one of function (heavy bolt lift)? Not looking for an argument, just curious.

You know I really can't say. I have a buddy that love's Savage rifles. I have shot his quite a lot and it is a shooter no doubt. FWIW I shoot with my finger tip on the trigger. While the acu trigger is crisp and light there is just something about the Glock looking safety bar thingy that I just don't like. As for the action, they just feel cheap and flimsy to me. Not knocking on anyone's preferred rifle or anything it is just a personnel preference thing I guess. Another thing also is (was) the fact that for a long time you could only get a long action. That just never made sense to me. No doubt Savage has come a long way in the past 20 years or so.

 

[nkdninjafrog]

thanks for the input guys! based on what i've read, i'm pretty sure that here soon i'll be making a trip to check prices. theres a few gun stores close by, i'll see what they have to offer

 

[sgreen3]

My Savage 10FP SR will do 1/2" 5 shot groups at 100yrds, with my handloads. Get you a Savage you wont be disapointed. I have had a 12FV in .223 that was a tack driver and i also have a 93FV in 22mag that crazy accurate. Hard to beat the out of the box accuracy of a Savage rifle!

 

[straight-shooter]

I have a Savage 10 FCP .308 and am very happy with it's performance. Many sub-moa groups achieved.

Only thing i am slightly unhappy about is the flex in the factory stock. My best assumption is it sometimes causes flyers. Nothing crazy but enough that it's bothersome. I found that the factory stock is not a good candidate for bedding. I'm sure it can be done but the darn thing is almost hollow.

I ordered a Choate Tactical stock today and will see what changes it makes. I expect improvement with a minimal amount of flex interfering.

No qualms about the accu-trigger. I have two rifles with it and once i adjust to my liking, it's spot on.

 

[DestructionDan]

I don't own a Savage in .223 yet but plan to.
I have the Stevens/Savage 200 in .308 and it's a good hunting rifle.
Not much happy with my new Rem700 SPS Tac 223. So i'm looking for a Savage myself.
Out of the box better, Rem just aint the same as it was years ago!