Savage 111 in 30-06. What to do??

[lrkcs332]

I have a brand new Savage 111 in 30-06. It has never been fired. I want to build a long range rifle. I know that 30-06 can isn't the best round for this, but the rifle was free and I am wondering what I can do?? If anything?? Or if I should just sell the rifle and start from scratch?? I have a budget of about $3000 for now not including optics. I appreciate all opinions and responses.

I should also say that I am fairly new to all of this... So go easy on me haha. Thanks again guys.

 

[2guard]

Re: Savage 111 in 30-06. What to do??

for 3k not including optics, I would just buy one of the nice used custom rifles here on the hide.

 

[exhogflyer]

Re: Savage 111 in 30-06. What to do??

Take that action and install it in a Mcmillan or Manners stock...pillars and bedded.Install a nice trigger from Sharp shooter supply,quality scope, rings, and bases,bipod.Load yourself some 175 gr bullets and GO SHOOT THE DAMN THING ! It'll be better than you can shoot...WHEN you've exceeded the guns limitations only then do you buy a "long range rifle".....308's routinely go 1k and that old '06 will too.

 

[Wannashootit]

Re: Savage 111 in 30-06. What to do??

^^X2^^

I just finished reading "Marine Sniper", and the 30-06 served "Him" very well...

 

[lrkcs332]

Re: Savage 111 in 30-06. What to do??

Thanks for all the replies so far. What should I do about a barrel? Leave the stock or go with a higher end?

 

[mwroseberry]

Re: Savage 111 in 30-06. What to do??

B&C or Choate Stock, Custom barrel of your choice of make but I'd recommend the 284 winchestor caliber in a long action, EGW base, decent rings and a SS scope and you're set. Building the exact same rig for my cousin but he's using a XLR stock. Everything you can do yourself and your total cost will be the following.

Stock 200.00
Barrel 300.00
Scope 300.00
base 30.00
rings 50-150.00

Or you could just upgrade the stock, get a good scope and handload for it. Handloads are the only way to unlock a rifle's true capability.

PM any questions you have.

Good luck,
Merritt

 

[dohnuts58]

Re: Savage 111 in 30-06. What to do??

i have the same gun, put on an egw 20 moa base, bsa stealth tactical scope, harris bipod, and just last week dropped it into a choate ultimate sniper stock. shoots great, and i like the way it looks too, except needing to take off the tan paint

 

[lrkcs332]

Re: Savage 111 in 30-06. What to do??

Wow. That gun looks good. Thanks

 

[bama110]

Re: Savage 111 in 30-06. What to do??

Purchase used rifle on site or trg22. Get something with dbm

 

[fdkay]

Re: Savage 111 in 30-06. What to do??

For a budget of 3K, I would sell the rifle, purchase a Shilen rifle off their site.
Stiller action, shilen select match barrel, shilen trigger and McMillan stock.

I own a Savage, it is a fine shooter, but my semi-custom build will be on a Remington action. I just prefer the Remington, it "feels" better.

IF you like to tinker, I would find a good stock, rebarrel it to 6.5x55, replace the recoil lug and run the thing out to about 1200 yards.
I put a B&C varmint/tactical stock on my Savage, it is a good stock, but the damn thing is heavy, if I had the money, I would go with a chassis system that is setup for AI mags.

The Savages are very good shooters, but you could buy a Rem 700P for about 800, send it to mark at short action customs, have him square and true the action, set the barrel back and rechamber it, cut the barrel down to 22", thread the barrel for a suppressor for about another 700 bucks.
That's 1300 bucks for a very fine shooting rifle that is lighter and handier than a Savage in a B&C varmint/tactical stock.

 

[head2h2o]

Re: Savage 111 in 30-06. What to do??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Exhogflyer</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Take that action and install it in a Mcmillan or Manners stock...pillars and bedded.Install a nice trigger from Sharp shooter supply,quality scope, rings, and bases,bipod.Load yourself some 175 gr bullets and GO SHOOT THE DAMN THING ! It'll be better than you can shoot...WHEN you've exceeded the guns limitations only then do you buy a "long range rifle".....308's routinely go 1k and that old '06 will too. </div></div>

+1

The trigger will definitely need to be replaced. I like the idea of staying with the Savage action due to the versatility of calibers. The 30-06 will have no problem going long, but with the Savage you have the luxuy of swithcing barrels if you so choose.

 

[Top Cat]

Re: Savage 111 in 30-06. What to do??

The 111 is fine as a hunting rifle and will do what it was built to do without any changes...let it be.

Since you seem new to this, I would recommend leaving the Savage as it is and buy a "long range rifle" for under $1000 and shoot it.

The biggest expense is good optics, so put the real money there. If you want something different down the line you can get most of your money back if you buy quality.

If you dump money into a Savage, you'll likely have to sell it at a loss.

TC

 

[desertrat1979]

Re: Savage 111 in 30-06. What to do??

Nothing wrong with the 06, stick with it. That round will do far more than folk want to admit. It just hasn't been tacticool in the last 30 years. For 3k and a base, unfired rifle you can do a lot and get the results of going with another rifle.

For a barrel, there are an endless number of makers that can fill that niche. You can find them from $250-350 for a pre-threaded, short chambered barrel. The plus about the Savage is you can do the swap yourself with a few hand tools and a go-guage. My "advice" ,buy the barrel, since you got the coin, but keep the original and shoot it out.

Scope...lots of endless options, there is a huge range that will all work fine. Burris, Bushnell, SuperSniper and Weaver all make a tactical scope under $1k, you can get a Leupold, Nightforce, USO around $1k-2k.

Consider other required parts like a base, and rings. You will do well to invest in a decent bipod.

Lots of stocks you can pick from. High end gets you Manners, Mcmillan, and Mcree. In-between falls with Stockade, HS precision, Bell and Carlson, ect. Bottom of the price line is Choate. The biggest complaints with them is they are heavy, and ugly. But I have never heard of someone complaining about performance.

If you let us, we will not have an issue spending your money for you.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Savage 111 in 30-06. What to do??

I can't tell from the basic designation of Model 111 whether the rifle has an Accue-Stock, a pre-Accue-Stock, or one of several wooden stocks. Looking on the site, it would appear the rifle has a 22" sporter contour barrel.

To me, modifying a rifle comes down to finding if there are actually any problems, and then proceeding from there.

First thing, I'd buy a few boxes of Federal Gold Medal 168gr Match, and see how the rifle shoots as-is.

My .30-'06 bolt gun is a Win M70 with pretty much the same barrel configuration as yours, and aside from adjusting the trigger and glassbedding the B&C replacement hunting stock, it works fine just as I bought it (used, with the stock replacement already added). Well enough to take 3rd place in a State Sniper Championship in 1997; FGMM ammo and all. Maximum distance fired was 300yd, but your '06 should reach out all the way if necessary; maybe 175gr loads could be needed with the shorter barrel. I try to keep my loads tame enough to be compatible with my Garand.

If I were to improve on your Mod 111, I would go with a longer barrel (24" or 26") and a somewhat heavier barrel contour (Varmint or Light Varmint weight). Seriously, if the rifle shoots well with the original barrel; I'd see how long I can maintain my love for it and try resisting upgrading.

I would only alter the stock if the ergonomics require it (if LOP and/or Cheek Weld aren't good), or if the barrel channel can't handle a barrel upgrade. I prefer minimal drop in a stock, it helps with recoil. I use a Limbsaver Slip-On Recoil Pad to help add LOP and to reduce the 'snap/rap' of the recoil cycle.

Sometimes keeping the scope's optical axis as low as possible can eliminate the need for a cheekweld adjustment.

If the trigger is the Accue-Trigger, I'd leave it; and if not, I'd get the Sharpshooter Supply unit.

A Harris Bipod is a good addition.

Heavy weight barrels will absorb more heat.

I remain unconvinced that this is such a good thing, because it's an equation; heat in equals heat out. While a heavy barrel will take more heat, it will also take longer to shed it.

I prefer to keep the barrel contour on the thinner side; heavier than sporter, not heavier than Varmint. I am probably not in the majority on that.

Greg

 

[jb326]

Re: Savage 111 in 30-06. What to do??

Once upon a time, I actually set out to build a precision rifle specifically in 30-06. I was on a limited budget, and so a Savage action was used. Below is what I ended up with...

It is a Savage 116SS action, McGowen SS Select Match 1-10" barrel and a fairly cheap B&C Medalist stock which is bedded. No other mods or upgrades to speak of. Here is a typical group...

I don't shoot this rifle as often as I used to, but it is the most consistently accurate bolt gun I own.

 

[Crook79]

Re: Savage 111 in 30-06. What to do??

The 30-06 is a fine and very versitile caliber for everything from hunting to 1000yd target shooting. Having said that, If I were given $3000 to put in a rifle, I would look hard in the for sale section on here for something nice in .308win or .300win mag.

 

[Lefty06]

Re: Savage 111 in 30-06. What to do??

If its like my 111 30-06 the factory synthetic stocks isn't bedded and has a lot of flex in it but they shoot good.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Savage 111 in 30-06. What to do??

$3000 is a ton of money. One should be able to figure out how to own a pair of decent Savages (C/F and R/F) for about half that. Decent accuracy is a lot less about money than about personal skill and reasonably reliable equipment. Once the basic rifle is well founded, more money does not mean more accuracy. But the money you save could pay for more ammo, and that might help a bunch.

Greg

 

[lrkcs332]

Re: Savage 111 in 30-06. What to do??

Thank all of you for your replies and advice. I really appreciate it. I now know that 3k is quite a large budget for this project and I can get away with spending a lot less than I anticipated. I will keep all of you updated on my choices. Thanks again.

 

[z71rat]

Re: Savage 111 in 30-06. What to do??

Keep the Savage .30-06, build to suit, buy a good reloader, turn out some pin pushin poison pills, AND SHOOT!!

DK

 

[z71rat]

Re: Savage 111 in 30-06. What to do??

JB... nice lookin ride there Bro!!

DK

 

[Kyshooter]

Re: Savage 111 in 30-06. What to do??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: bama110</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Purchase used rifle on site or trg22. Get something with dbm</div></div>

Jeff at CDI lists a DBM for the 110 LA Savages. You can find him on the user list here.

 

[Savage_Jake]

Re: Savage 111 in 30-06. What to do??

You could do this....