Outfitting the Savage

[setandmatch]

Hey guys, guess this is sort of my introduction post. Been just reading for awhile, but I finally saved up for a nice precision hunting rifle so I decided to finally post. Ended up going with a Savage Model 10 FCP-K. Even though I had to pay $200 over MSRP because of backorders and it was in stock local, I am happy I spent time researching instead of just buying a baseline 700. Box mags for simple unloading, heavy fluted 24" barrel, accu-stock/trigger, its got it all, out of the box precision. Its sort of heavy though. I do have a few questions on outfitting it if you can help.

I have decided on the SWFA SS 5-20x50 scope. FFP, High density glass, nice variable range for versatility, and nearly 30 mils of adjustment, its a bonus that its actually mil/mil! Reviews seem pretty good, and hopefully I have sourced one.

First, what I need is the proper base, and rings for the scope. I am looking at the Ken Ferrel mounts, reviews sound like good quality. The gun shop said this rifle was the rounded LONG action . But isn't .308 a short action round???

My big question about the scope base is whether I need a tapered one or not. I have always wanted to shoot at the 1000 yard range but never had a rifle to do it with. However, I will also want to be effective at the 100 yard range as well, without having to change from say a 20moa base to a 0 moa base either. I would like to find the most optimal mount to be able to zero in at 100 yards and have room to adjust a bit further than 1000 yards. Will a 0 moa base accomplish this with 30 mils elevation, or do I need 10, or even 20 moa base anyways to keep it centered in the adjustment range?

As far as rings, can anyone suggest the most budget friendly quality set in 30mm that shouldn't give problems? I am a little worried about bolt/scope interference but I want to get the scope as low as I can. Guess I need to get the scope and mount here to really measure for that though.

I do my best to read and learn on my own, but I would appreciate any advice you guys can give to help me get set up properly, quickly. I am trying to have it ready for a day my friend offered to come with to help me with the 1000 yard range so I can learn my new rifle. I would like it to be built right from the start!

 

[Spock]

First welcome I am not a big poster here but I like my Savages. A Ken Ferrel one piece base should work great they are nice. Yes it is a short action! Personally I put a Badger on mine but I have gone almost exclusively Badger bases and rings. 20 MOA is the way to go on that rig. No problems zeroing at 100 and will get you to 1000 easy. 308 is not your best 1000 yrd round but will get you there. My FCP-K is a true .5 MOA shooter with FGMM 168's and about .75 MOA with the 175's. Out to 500 yds I like the 168's past that I like the 175's. I rarely shoot past 800 with the 308, I have other guns for that. If you got a good one like mine you will not be disapointed. No offense to Remington but this was by far my best out of the box shooter. You will quickly determine if this is going to be a dedicated long range gun a better stock is in order. The factory accustock is not bad just not great. XLR Chassis and Atlas bipod this rifle is good to go. My advice is don't try to shoot 1000 right away you will get very frustrated. Learn the rifle, get really good working out to 500 then stretch its legs. As for rings burris for cheap are OK but frankly don't skimp on base and rings. No point putting decent money on a good rifle and scope and then putting cheap attachment points on it, believe it I know. Good luck you should enjoy that rifle

 

[Temp9]

First off, welcome to the Hide and a life-long addiction. FYI, drugs will cost you less money....

You're correct, the .308 should be short action. To be sure, measure the spacing between your action screws. It should be 4.4" center to center for short action (unless it's an old model, then it'll be 4.27" ish). A general rule of thumb is to never believe anything that anyone says within 25 feet of a gun counter.

You'll be fine with an angled base; actually, I'd recommend it. 1 mil = 3.4 MOA, so the scope has about 100 MOA of travel, 50 up, 50 down with a flat base (approximately, you may be off a few after it's zeroed). With a 20MOA base, you'd end up with 70 up, 30 down (approximately), get it?

By the way, the Weaver Tactical bases are phenomenal for the price. Here's the link to MidwayUSA.
Weaver 1-Piece Extended Multi-Slot Tactical Picatinny-Style 20 MOA

With rings, I highly recommend TPS rings or Seekins rings. Both will do great and are on the more budget-minded side of things. I personally wouldn't go any cheaper than that. Don't worry about bolt handle-scope interference. Your scope will be touching the barrel or bottoming out on your base long before this happens. The easiest way to measure for the correct ring height is to get your rifle, base, and scope before ordering rings. Use pennies to place on top of your base where your rings would go, then place the scope on top and change the amount of pennies until you get the right height. Measure the stack of pennies, and that's your ring height.

Here are some set-up videos to get you started:

"Budget Precision" Pt.1 - Remington 700 Scope Base Installation - YouTube

"Budget Precision" Pt.2 - TPS Ring and Scope Mounting, Remington 700 - YouTube

 

[Jackcrow73]

I also have a FCP-K in .308. I used a TPS 20 MOA base and their low 30 mm rings. I have been very happy with TPS products so far. I have had 0 problems with bolt/scope interference with my Vortex Viper PST 6-24x50.

 

[JJsBusaRox]

Hi, I'm new here also. Thought I would comment since I went through the same research process of selecting what rifle, base, rings and scope to buy. I just got my Savage 10 FCP HS Precision Stock a couple days ago along with the TPS XP 20 MOA steel base and Harris 6-9 bipod. Waiting for my TPS TSR 30mm steel rings and the SWFA SS 3-15x42 scope which should arrive tomorrow.

I test fitted the base to the rifle as per LoneWolf's instruction on the video above. I don't know if I got lucky or what but the base fits perfectly on the receiver. No gaps or "daylight" at either end of the base. I'm glad I chose this set up. Not that there is anything wrong with the other quality name brands but I feel I got a product that is just as good as the others without having to pay twice as much. If the fitment of the TPS base is an indication of it's quality, then there is no doubt in my mind that the rings should be of equal quality.

I don't mean to thread jack but since we are on this topic, would I still need to do any prep work of any sort to the base or receiver if it already fits flush to the receiver? Thanks.

 

[6brshooter]

Farrell base is nice but they are way too tall. About 7/16" from receiver top to rail top. It should be short action since it is a model 10 not 110. Since it is accustock it will be 4.4" c-t-c. I have Badger, Tps, and weaver rails. All use a lug that hangs over the ejection port for added recoil support. That list ranges in price from 35-140 bucks. I would definitely go 20 moa cant, reticle is more centered optically when doped for 1k shots. Scope selection is good, solid scope that has nf equal glass. My too seem to cut through mirage better then my old mk4 and bushy hdmr. Reminds me of my nf in that regard. For rings i like tps tsr low or super lows. Seekins are great also and i seem to be able to set reticle level easier with them compared to my tps. I used to use Burris xtr, while decent at 48.00, they are overpriced at 65.00. I would just as soon add 10 bucks and get tps rings. Don't forget a harris 6-9 or 9-13( better hunting bipod) with swivel and notch legs.

 

[6brshooter]

Farrell base is nice but they are way too tall. About 7/16" from receiver top to rail top. It should be short action since it is a model 10 not 110. Since it is accustock it will be 4.4" c-t-c. I have Badger, Tps, and weaver rails. All use a lug that hangs over the ejection port for added recoil support. That list ranges in price from 35-140 bucks. I would definitely go 20 moa cant, reticle is more centered optically when doped for 1k shots. Scope selection is good, solid scope that has nf equal glass. My too seem to cut through mirage better then my old mk4 and bushy hdmr. Reminds me of my nf in that regard. For rings i like tps tsr low or super lows. Seekins are great also and i seem to be able to set reticle level easier with them compared to my tps. I used to use Burris xtr, while decent at 48.00, they are overpriced at 65.00. I would just as soon add 10 bucks and get tps rings. Don't forget a harris 6-9 or 9-13( better hunting bipod) with swivel and notch legs.

 

[Temp9]

Hi, I'm new here also. Thought I would comment since I went through the same research process of selecting what rifle, base, rings and scope to buy. I just got my Savage 10 FCP HS Precision Stock a couple days ago along with the TPS XP 20 MOA steel base and Harris 6-9 bipod. Waiting for my TPS TSR 30mm steel rings and the SWFA SS 3-15x42 scope which should arrive tomorrow.

I test fitted the base to the rifle as per LoneWolf's instruction on the video above. I don't know if I got lucky or what but the base fits perfectly on the receiver. No gaps or "daylight" at either end of the base. I'm glad I chose this set up. Not that there is anything wrong with the other quality name brands but I feel I got a product that is just as good as the others without having to pay twice as much. If the fitment of the TPS base is an indication of it's quality, then there is no doubt in my mind that the rings should be of equal quality.

I don't mean to thread jack but since we are on this topic, would I still need to do any prep work of any sort to the base or receiver if it already fits flush to the receiver? Thanks.

I'm assuming you have a round back Savage? A good fit is normal for these Savages. The front and rear of the receiver have the same curvature and are on the same plane. This makes it very easy to machine bases that fit properly. Remingtons and flat back Savages have issues because the front of the receiver follows the curvature of the receiver body, while the rear is ground to a larger radius, almost flat. The actual amount below the front varies from rifle to rifle, making it all but impossible to machine a perfectly fitting base for it.

And no, you don't need to do anything else to it if it already fits properly.

 

[setandmatch]

Thanks for all the replies guys! I already have too many costly hobbies LOL but shooting has always been one of my favorites. I chose the .308 round because it will be a long time before I can afford another precision rifle and it seemed to be a great compromise while retaining versatility. Common caliber is very important to me with the current ammo panic situation. And I have friends with the same caliber so we can trade ammo.

Honestly, it will probably be sort of rare that I actually shoot to 1000yds. Local ranges max at 200yds and that's where I usually go. Hopefully some day soon I will find a better place that I could use for the long stuff though. I have shot once, without a target at 400yds with a iron sight Mosin. That alone was a thrill so I am really looking forward to my upcoming range time with my new precision rifle. Even at 800yds, that would be quite a rush to be able to reach out that far! I'm going to do my best, working up from the 300 yard range. Still a month away so I have some time to do more reading up and 200 yd practice.

Thanks a lot 6brshooter and Temp9, I am trying to keep the scope as low as possible so I will skip on the Ken Farrel and go with the weaver from midway. The savings will help a lot for the rest of the gear I need to buy. And no worries about "thread jacking" JJsBusaRox, glad these guys are as helpful for you as they are for me!

And thanks Spock, good to see another good review of the -k. Haven't heard much of anything bad with them besides replacement stock choices (found out after purchase). Guess I figured the Accu-stock would be better than it is, but free-floating with sub MOA is a great start anyhow! I have faith the Savage will prove to be a good buy. Never made a bad gun purchase yet (although the NCStar scope for even the .22 was a terrible idea) so hopefully it stays that way

 

[Spock]

No problem, hope you enjoy the rifle as much as I do mine. There are getting to be more and more stock choices for the bottom bolt release Savages so when that time comes you should be able to come up with something good. There have been several threads lately that have stock and chassis choices for the bottom releasers. I went back and forth before I bought mine but knew it was going into an XLR and Kyle had both side release and bottom release available. Good shooting