Entire rooms of my house are dedicated to guns lol.
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Savage bolt guns
- Thread starter DrDeath
- Start date
The good and bad about Savage. One of my stupidest decisions ever made in my entire life was letting a fine Model 99 in .250 Savage go.
Now, back to the subject at hand. Owned two Savages, but our son owns several. Sold a nice original first year production Remington 700 in .25-06 to purchase our son a left hand Savage in .25-06. The Savage easily outshot the Remington on its best days. He still has it, now rebarreled in 6.5x284 and it still shoots great. (Lost tract of how many stocks it has worn. A concern when purchasing a Savage. Getting a better stock)
Being a lefty, and with Savage selling left handed actions, he has owned several. One rifle he built would not extract 300 Blackout Cartridges. Shot nice, if you like single shot muzzle (Un)loaders. Last Savage he purchased was a left hand custom shop in .22LR. Nothing about it worked right. He sent it back, when returned, no better,
I built a Savage Striker for my wife to shoot Silhouettes in .223. It was a bit heavy for her, but with a 1-9 twist, it had the velocity to stabilize Sierra 77 grain MK’s. It had the giddy up to damage Armor Steel Turkeys at 150 meters and was generally a very nice handgun. We had a trigger job and reworked the bolt to reduce the effort to cock the piece. When the shooter would do his/her part, it would take down rams and hit all 40 targets, all with the stock barrel. It was a nice little gun, but Brenda preferred my half scale gun so the Savage went to market (at a loss of course) though hated to see it go.
Now, back to the subject at hand. Owned two Savages, but our son owns several. Sold a nice original first year production Remington 700 in .25-06 to purchase our son a left hand Savage in .25-06. The Savage easily outshot the Remington on its best days. He still has it, now rebarreled in 6.5x284 and it still shoots great. (Lost tract of how many stocks it has worn. A concern when purchasing a Savage. Getting a better stock)
Being a lefty, and with Savage selling left handed actions, he has owned several. One rifle he built would not extract 300 Blackout Cartridges. Shot nice, if you like single shot muzzle (Un)loaders. Last Savage he purchased was a left hand custom shop in .22LR. Nothing about it worked right. He sent it back, when returned, no better,
I built a Savage Striker for my wife to shoot Silhouettes in .223. It was a bit heavy for her, but with a 1-9 twist, it had the velocity to stabilize Sierra 77 grain MK’s. It had the giddy up to damage Armor Steel Turkeys at 150 meters and was generally a very nice handgun. We had a trigger job and reworked the bolt to reduce the effort to cock the piece. When the shooter would do his/her part, it would take down rams and hit all 40 targets, all with the stock barrel. It was a nice little gun, but Brenda preferred my half scale gun so the Savage went to market (at a loss of course) though hated to see it go.
I have two. A Savage 16 in 7mm-08 that I got direct through Savage at a very good price through their Mil/LEO program several years ago and earlier this year picked up the Elite Precision in 6mm Creedmoor. As someone else noted earlier, the Elite Precision doesn't cost much more than what you'd pay for the MDT chassis.
Never had a hiccup with 7-08 but the 6 Creed is giving me the ejection issues that everyone here talks about that I'm working through. But it shoots. I've taken it out to 1100 yards, farthest I've ever shot, and I was impressed how consistently I could get impacts. I'm hoping I can take care of the ejection issues and am taking note on some of the comments here.
I have a habit of liking the underdogs, I like how easy it is supposed to be to change a barrel (I haven't tried yet), I prefer to buy US made, and I appreciate any company that provides veteran discounts.
Never had a hiccup with 7-08 but the 6 Creed is giving me the ejection issues that everyone here talks about that I'm working through. But it shoots. I've taken it out to 1100 yards, farthest I've ever shot, and I was impressed how consistently I could get impacts. I'm hoping I can take care of the ejection issues and am taking note on some of the comments here.
I have a habit of liking the underdogs, I like how easy it is supposed to be to change a barrel (I haven't tried yet), I prefer to buy US made, and I appreciate any company that provides veteran discounts.
What is it with Savage rifle ejectors? Is it essentially the same problem over and over again? Design flaw? So far ( knock on wood ) I`ve not had any extraction or ejection issues with either my 110 Storm in .223 or my 17HMR. I`ve seen so many mentioned I`m tempted to get the replacement kit for extractor/ejector. If you get a spare of just about anything it ensures that whatever you`re backing up won`t fail!
It’s been an issue for many years. I’ve been shooting them since 2010. The savage action of 2010 is the savage action of 2022. Nothing has changed except the rear bolt assembly screw about 6 years ago.
They went to the smooth nut to address people complaining about the cosmetic appeal of the barrel nut. Only to swap back. That era sucked if you wanted to swap a barrel for the first time. The nut was junk so a pipe wrench was the tool of choice. But Samson the gorilla is who seems to tighten the barrels at savage and they can be a bitch to break loose
Other than that they had their “blueprinted” stuff but that isn’t anything great and savage actions shoot well because of their design regardless
You buy one now you still get the occasional ejection/extraction issues and sloppy firing pin etc etc etc
The rimfires to my knowledge haven’t had issues with the eject/extract. Mine have been solid at least
Where savage appeals and the only reason they’re as popular as they are is you can spend much less money to achieve great accuracy. Years ago a 1/2 moa gun costed a lot of $$. Along came savage for $400 and started showing those guns up. People put up with the downfalls because they were pleased with the cost vs accuracy factor
Fast forward to today and companies like Ruger are giving them a run for their money in the cheap line. Then Tikka really runs them down in the more expensive stuff. Mossberg entered and gave cheap prices coupled with cheap components and tend to shoot like crap. Remington all but collapsed on it face. Now that Ruger/Howa/Tikka/Bergara are showing up to the party the same old savage action is 10 year old technology that hasn’t seen the needed improvement. IMHO
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" It`s been an issue for many years..." What that says to me is that Savage is a company that simply doesn`t give a damn about its customers and addressing issues that they no doubt know about. That`s more the pity because they make a rifle that can actually put metal on target to a degree that rivals Tikka, Bergara, CZ, etc., etc. etc.
FWIW, I called Savage and they sent me a new extractor, ejector, detent and spring but it actually made it worse. Well, after I put them in I cycled a few mags through and it seemed fine, but when I went to the range, not so much. So, it ejects loaded rounds just fine, but will leave empty cases sitting in the action backwards. I ordered an "enhanced" set from Kinney and will keep trying other tricks until I figure it out.
Why I still carry a baggy of 9/64 detent balls around to fix savages that don’t extract 12 years later is a mystery. But I still do and I still use them. Even on new guns
To the last part. Those guns can now all do the same thing. They’re all capable of 1/2 moa with the right shooter and ammo. The difference is (and this is where savage takes a backseat) is the others have refined what they were and savage has increased prices to the point where they’re now direct competition
Years ago nobody in the gun industry was touching savage accuracy for $400-$450 that the 12FV was going for. Now savage wants $1800-$2200 for their elite precision. Which contains likely the same action. I say likely because I don’t own one to say for sure
But at $2k you’re into Tikka A1 or even 80% of the way to a bighorn/chassis/barrel combo which will outperform any savage on the market
Savage was the king of “Poor Man’s Precision”. It’s where we all start. $400 rifle, $500 optic, choate stock, Harris bipod etc. But for the price it was OK. Barrel changes in your garage was the biggest draw for precision guys. But the world of prefit barrels has changed. So had the host. Savage takes a backseat currently. And yes I own a few
Yep, a 9/64th ball came in the upgrade kit from Kinney's. I think that's actually what Savage sent me, too, but I'll measure when I swap it out again.
I got the 110 Elite Precision for $1,700. I think that MDT ACC goes for $1,300, so that pretty much makes the barreled action $400. I thought that was a pretty good deal for me to get started and dabble in PRS style shooting.
I got the 110 Elite Precision for $1,700. I think that MDT ACC goes for $1,300, so that pretty much makes the barreled action $400. I thought that was a pretty good deal for me to get started and dabble in PRS style shooting.
I know I'm late to this party. However, I bought my son a Savage Axis II precision as a Christmas gift. He'd fallen for it at a local shop while we were knocking around together. What can I say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. He talked about it several times. And even mentioned it to "mom", who passed that on to me. For me that was great. It give us some more stuff to do together, and he'd gotten my wife's approval. Well as stated I bought, without his knowledge. I rigged it out with my lightly used Diamondback tactical 5X25X50 ( I think that's right), a harris bipod, and a MDT muzzle brake. Myself, I'm and avid shooter and a rookie reloader. He works full time and is also finishing up collage. Between our schedules, we finally got a range day. I had lots of different factory ammo in 168 and 175 left over from pre reloading testing days. After we did a short barrel break in using some bulk PMC ammo. He started shooting for groups. We found that it likes 175 Federal GMM and will shoot 1" groups with a few 3/4's in the mix. Thats the good of the story. Now the bad. The bolt lift was horribly heavy, extraction was worse, trigger was marginally OK. Now I'm thinking I should have bought the Begara that I liked. But that was a 6.5 Cm and I'm set up to reload .308. I could have ordered a .308. But I needed it then it was the end of November. I needed time to get it rigged. So here we go. Can I turn this thing into a shooter. First I put a bolt lift kit in it. That helped a bit however, pulling the case out is still a bit of an issue. Next I installed a spring and shim kit in the trigger. That made a huge difference. My next course of action is to hone the chamber a little to see if it will ease up on the force required to extract the spent case. In short I made a mistake and now have buyers remorse. I'm not telling him that. He still thinks it's great and Dads just making it better. I keep telling him to drop it off at the house so I can tinker with it some more. Hopefully I can get it to preform at least decent.
You can learn a lot shooting a cheap Savage. When he outgrows it he'll have a lot better idea of what he wants and needs in his next rifle. I think there might be a bunch of You Tube videos on upgrading a Savage Axis. Don't dump big money in it just have fun with it and see where it takes him.
I purchased our son a Savage Tactical in .25-06 when he was a senior in high school. He still has that action. It is on its 2nd barrel (Now a 6.5x284) and its third stock. Still a tac driver. Since that purchase, as he has grown in years and abilities he now has multiple rifles, most of which he has built from scratch. Most of his builds are of the AR type. However, he also builds bolts. One sad thing, the last two Savages he purchased, were not up to the task and despite returns to the factory, they were never right. Now he uses custom actions.
Why was his first rifle a Savage. They offered many actions/rifles in left hand. And, he is left handed.
Your right. So far I've gotten all my "fixes" from Youtube. Outside the original investment, I don't have a lot in it trying to make it a shooter. I just bought a chamber hone that might have pushed me to the $100 mark. I'll give it a light hone and go from there. He'll be 24 this year so his next rifle is on him. I'm trying to get it somewhere close to right for my peace of mind. I'm just happy that he still wants to hang out with me.
I think that you will find the 110 line a step up from the Axis in functionality. The Model 12s even more so IMO. The Model 12 target guns are extremely accurate and well put together. They`re also more expensive!
Agreed! I have the 110 Tactical and I can tell a difference when messing around with the axis at the stores.
I have bought 3 different used savage model 11's. All were bought for the actions to rebarrel.
I shot all of them before I unscrewed the barrels. They all shot under an inch at 100 with factory ammo
that I had on hand. I had a hard time unscrewing the barrels knowing how well they shot. I just wanted different calibers
I shot all of them before I unscrewed the barrels. They all shot under an inch at 100 with factory ammo
that I had on hand. I had a hard time unscrewing the barrels knowing how well they shot. I just wanted different calibers
Ya I had been thinking about rebarreling my 300 win mag to 300 prc. But I think I’ve just decided to keep it in 300 win mag and save up for a Bergara HMR in 300 prc and have 2 rifles.
My first precision rifle was a 10BA in .308.
I hand loaded for that rifle and it was averaging about 0.6 MOA. At around the 4,000 round mark the groups started opening up.
I got an IBI 1-10” twist 26” barrel that was never installed on a Canadian EE.
I haven’t shot it a lot recently since I have a bunch of other rifles.
What I liked about the Savage was that I didn’t need a gunsmith to rebarrel the rifle.
I ended up buying a second 10BA in 308 because it was near new and I planned to rebarrel that on into a 6.5 Creedmoor.
I then bought a Savage 110BA in 338 Lapua Magnum because it was nearly new and very cheap. The first owner only fired 10 rounds out of it.
I then bought a Savage 12FV in 6.5 Creedmoor (Cabela’s special) I put it in an MDT LSS-XL and I shot these groups during load development.
I ended up installing an IBI 1-8” twist.
Some of the Savage family (3 in the center)
image uploading
I hand loaded for that rifle and it was averaging about 0.6 MOA. At around the 4,000 round mark the groups started opening up.
I got an IBI 1-10” twist 26” barrel that was never installed on a Canadian EE.
I haven’t shot it a lot recently since I have a bunch of other rifles.
What I liked about the Savage was that I didn’t need a gunsmith to rebarrel the rifle.
I ended up buying a second 10BA in 308 because it was near new and I planned to rebarrel that on into a 6.5 Creedmoor.
I then bought a Savage 110BA in 338 Lapua Magnum because it was nearly new and very cheap. The first owner only fired 10 rounds out of it.
I then bought a Savage 12FV in 6.5 Creedmoor (Cabela’s special) I put it in an MDT LSS-XL and I shot these groups during load development.
I ended up installing an IBI 1-8” twist.
Some of the Savage family (3 in the center)
image uploadingI've never owned a Savage, anything....they are just too ugly, ..very unappealing. Like the ugly fat lady in the choir. She may be able to sing but I just can't stand to look at her... Savage.
Just too many other actions that are so sleek, appealing, and attractive. Life's too short to own an ugly gun...you just can not make a Savage appealing, by putting a dress on it, ...it's still ugly, to the point of embarrassing, to say, I just took a glancing look at it.
You go ahead, ...I'll never own a Savage bolt gun in its current form....I'll pick something more attractive to dance with... and fund.
Just too many other actions that are so sleek, appealing, and attractive. Life's too short to own an ugly gun...you just can not make a Savage appealing, by putting a dress on it, ...it's still ugly, to the point of embarrassing, to say, I just took a glancing look at it.
You go ahead, ...I'll never own a Savage bolt gun in its current form....I'll pick something more attractive to dance with... and fund.
I have an old 112, bull barreled long action 22-250. I have targets somewhere from load development that were .4", .3", .4", .5" 200 yard 5 shot groups.
The trigger isn't great, and I keep spare extractors, ejectors, springs, pins, and balls for the bolt.
It's a great long range prairie dog gun.
It's not a comp gun (at least not one as trustworthy and trouble free as any 700 or clone dropped in a chassis).
The trigger isn't great, and I keep spare extractors, ejectors, springs, pins, and balls for the bolt.
It's a great long range prairie dog gun.
It's not a comp gun (at least not one as trustworthy and trouble free as any 700 or clone dropped in a chassis).
I’ve put over 20,000 rounds through my Savages.
My 10BA has over 5,500 rounds through it now including 36 competitions, and I’ve never experienced a failure of any kind.
I have replaced the bolt handles on the ones that didn’t come with the tactical handles but that’s about it.
Reached 500 yards ( current range limit for our club ) today with my new Model 12 LRPV in .223. This is a solidly built, almost boringly accurate gun limited only by its owner/shooter and the limitations of the caliber. Love it.
My theory is that if you want to ensure that an original part never fails, buy a spare! Even though I`ve had no issues with extraction/ejection in any of my Savage guns ( knock on wood ! ), I got a spare kit just to make sure I don`t!
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Those are nice looking stocks! I had a Boyd Claro XX walnut stock on my 1903 I used to have.
I barely won my club BR match with my Savage last weekend. What a worthless POS!
There are bolt lift kits available. It`s reported that they help. The bolts and actions on Savage rifles will not be Tikka smooth, granted, but mine are such that they`ve improved over time and use and have never bothered me in the first place.
You folks should try a Savage Impulse Straight Pull. Once smoothing the travel, you can change the bolt handle angle and clocking, as well as shifting it from the left side to the right side without tools.
I went with a bolt lift kit and a new handle. Those, in addition to a few thousand rounds fired has turned the bolt open/close situation into a pleasant experience. I should also add the rifle shoots very well too!!
I have an Ultralite, it shoots, feeds, and extracts well, but honestly, it is no contest, the worst feeling action I have ever used, like inexcusably awful, even with the bolt lift kit and a longer bolt knob
As much as I enjoy my Savage rifles, I` can`t for the life of me figure out why the company continues to ignore long standing complaints from customers. Everybody knows that Savage knows about them. Customers, AFTER the sale, should not have to be putting in things like bolt lift kits and larger ball bearings in extractors.
Daniel Defense is located just outside of Savannah close to where I live. I met a couple of young men at the range I shoot at that work for Dainiel. They were filming shooting some of their rifles for marketing purposes. I asked them if Daniel bought rifles manufactured by competitors that they tear down for " intelligence gathering " purposes to see if somebody`s doing something better that they might incorporate into their products. They said that was a key element in their product engineering. Wonder if Savage does that?
Savage sells over a 1/2 million + firearms a year and have been in business for almost one hundred and thirty years, so they really don't need advice in the sales dept.
Others have come and gone, but the brotherhood of the barrel nut has lived on.
They also came out with the straight pull Impulse models, so their innovating, just not with the turn bolt rifle designed in the paleolithic period.
If you don't want to accessorize or improve your rifle, buy a DD or other custom for a lot more money.
They have their niche.
SJC
Others have come and gone, but the brotherhood of the barrel nut has lived on.
They also came out with the straight pull Impulse models, so their innovating, just not with the turn bolt rifle designed in the paleolithic period.
If you don't want to accessorize or improve your rifle, buy a DD or other custom for a lot more money.
They have their niche.
SJC
Indeed they do sell a lot of rifles, particularly at the lower price points ( Axis line ). They are generally very accurate and yes, they do have a niche. I see as many or more Savage rifles at the range compared to other brands, particularly the more "traditional " hunting rifle style just before deer season.
I just have a personal issue with companies seemingly unwilling to address long standing customer identified issues. It`s about the best way I know of NOT to ensure repeat sales.
The vast majority of Savage sales are to people that don’t shoot enough to identify these perceived “issues.”
