Re: New savage 110BA 338 LM
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: turbo54</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I'll throw some coals in the fire...
I had a steyr SSG in 308. I had NO interest in it, but for $700 with the proprietary rings and a 20moa rail to fit the proprietary dovetail, and the double set trigger, I couldn't say no.
Thoughts:
I'm not a big fan of locking lugs that engage in the "rear ring" of the receiver. As an engineer, I understand buckling moments, and I think a designer is really asking for trouble when they intend for a ~.750" diameter hollow "bolt" to transmit a compressive force 5". Why not just put the lugs as far forward to minimize risk of the bolt buckling???
Also, the bolt and locking lugs were either cast, or MIM....which I found amazing. I wouldn't have thought either of those two manufacturing methods would have produced a part strong enough.
For such an expensive rifle, the stock was not much better than the injection molded stock cheap savages and remmingtons come in... WTF?
The barrel "tennon" is not threaded into the receiver. Its a frickin press-fit! A nice tight fit can be achieved this way, but few gunsmiths are going to have the ability to rebarrel it. I think most gunsmiths would probably end up threading the receiver for a thread-in barrel.
The rifle was worthless for shooting groups. A 10 shot group in even 10 minutes would be ~1.5moa. HOWEVER, it was a cold bore gun. I kept a target that I would fire one (first of the day) round at each time I went to the range, and it maintained .5 or better moa. Don't know why, but it did.
The proprietary dovetail/rail arrangement was flawless. For how PERFECT those rings fit the rail, even before tightening them, it absolutely amazed me they'd both fit at the same time, when they were mounted to my scope. Flawless. The rail had a forward dead stop, so the scope would return to exactly the same spot each time. Flawless.
That said, however, this is 'Meraca (America)... Don't give me a rifle that has some kind of proprietary dovetail thing on the top of the receiver, then rape me for $400 for *the* set of rings that fit...especially when you already raped me for $2500+ for the rifle itself. Give me nothing and I'll put a pic rail on it. Better yet, do it like Surgeon does and give me an integral pic rail.
It came with a nice bolt knob - no need for a conversion.
It was also one of the slickest actions I've ever felt. CERTAINLY the slickest factory rifle action I've ever felt....but a close second is the Sig Target Rifle my friend has.
I guess my point is after owning one, I'm wasn't convinced Steyr had anything too amazing to show for themselves. Look at it this way: I sold the Steyr, and kept my Savage!</div></div>
Thank You! Thank You! & Thank You!!!