I have a Savage hog hunter in .308 that I'm looking to upgrade to a LR rifle. I'm wanting to convert it to a removable magazine and upgrade the stock. If I buy a Bell and Carlson stock that is for a mag fed rifle and buy the stealth bottom metal from PTG, would I need anything else to do what I want to do? I should be able to buy both for around $400, any thoughts on other options?
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Savage hog hunter upgrade
- Thread starter KyleW
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- hog hunter savage .308 stock
I have one in stock condition as well. I’ve looked into upgrades and there are some chassis systems it will fit in, but they cost north of $400. I wish KRG made a B stock for Savages, that would be more in the price range I would put that in, but they don’t as far as I know. Whatever you decide, please post what you did and how it worked out as I would love to see something that inspired me to upgrade the flimsy plastic stock mine has.
I bedded my stock and action myself and it really helped stiffen up the stock and I couldn't believe how much better it shot. If it wasn't for me wanting to turn it into a LR rifle and compete with it, I wouldn't even mess with it. But hopefully I can turn this cheap rifle into something and I'll gladly share what I did when it happens.
The Oryx chassis fits the savage and comes in right at $400. I have never tried a Savage in one yet, but they have been fantastic with Remmys and Howas.
ORYX Rifle Chassis
oryxchassis.com
Nice looking chassis!
Sadly, the pistol grip is so scary to the gutless city dwelling people who have given up their ability to think for themselves to CNN, that where I intend to house this rifle, that chassis is, I believe, illegal, and I don’t mess with illegal no matter how ridiculous it is. The KRG-B is fine, but they don’t make it for Savage owners behind the lines. I’m not sure if one could be modified, I’ll have to look into that.
I actually went through this same thing a few years back. I priced out doing the upgraded stock with bottom metal, then realized I wanted a longer barrel to reach out longer and then the trigger should be upgraded, before I knew it I was over the price of a new rifle. I ended up getting a used model 10 in the factory HS Precision stock to satisfy my want and then sold it to build a custom rifle built off a Zermatt origin action.
Build & Price Gunstock Configurator | Boyds Hardwood Gunstocks
Shop hardwood gunstocks for any make, model, and action with the Boyds Gunstock Configurator. Choose from several wood and finish options.
Might go this route, but I’ll likely bed the original stock and see where that gets me.
That’s funny, I’ve traveled that same path in thought which has kept me from doing anything at this point. I skipped the buy of a model 10 and I’m at the door of getting a Origin action and prefit in 6.5.
I'm not aware of any state that makes pistol grips on bolt rifles illegal, am I missing one or is this some sort of local ordinance?ORYX Rifle Chassis
Nice looking chassis!
Sadly, the pistol grip is so scary to the gutless city dwelling people who have given up their ability to think for themselves to CNN, that where I intend to house this rifle, that chassis is, I believe, illegal, and I don’t mess with illegal no matter how ridiculous it is. The KRG-B is fine, but they don’t make it for Savage owners behind the lines. I’m not sure if one could be modified, I’ll have to look into that.
The origin with profits is definitely a wise investment, just be careful you might end up with a TL3 once Zermatt gets you hooked.Build & Price Gunstock Configurator | Boyds Hardwood Gunstocks
Shop hardwood gunstocks for any make, model, and action with the Boyds Gunstock Configurator. Choose from several wood and finish options.www.boydsgunstocks.com
Might go this route, but I’ll likely bed the original stock and see where that gets me.
That’s funny, I’ve traveled that same path in thought which has kept me from doing anything at this point. I skipped the buy of a model 10 and I’m at the door of getting a Origin action and prefit in 6.5.
I did alright with the model 10 I shot the hell out of it and sold it for pretty much what I bought it for.
Yes it’s a local ordinance I believe. I need to see if anyone can actually make any sense of the patchwork of convoluted rules regarding what is allowed in the people’s republik of cook county Chitcongo. From reading them in the past, it looked like to me a pistol grip on anything was not allowed, but I’m not a lawyer.
So what makes a TL3 $400 more desirable than the Origin? I’ve not handled either.
It’s a combination of a few things, the machined in lug is nice for barrel swaps but it’s more about the refinements in the cocking ramp profile, material chooses and overall feel. They are both built to the same level of precision but they have two completely different feels when running them. The origin on the cocking cycle feels a tiny bit heavy and a tiny bit of grit, while the TL feels much smoother overall. Now do those different really make up the price difference, in my eyes it does but I wouldn’t hesitate to buy an other origin in the future.
If you haven't considered it: sell rifle and use $$$ + $400 and buy a better rifle. Bergara HMR or Tikka CTR for example
I'm going to assume your scope needs upgraded too. Have fun trying to compete when your optic doesn't track..
I'm going to assume your scope needs upgraded too. Have fun trying to compete when your optic doesn't track..
Better glass is always a good idea, but I shot half a season with a primary arms 4-14 mildot and didn’t well enough to get hooked.
I paid $400 for the rifle, a oryx chassis is $400 and a sig tango 4 is around $500. After rings I'd have around $1400 into a complete rifle that took me about 6 years to put together. I could sell it but I feel like I'd have a lot more into another rifle when it was all said and done. You're right about the optics though. My Vortex Diamondback is about 3 MOA off from 100 yards to 700 yards. It will get sent back to Vortex but I will upgrade my scope.
For starters, avoid a Boyd's like the plague. It's my experience that by the time all the wood is cut away for DBM you will end up splitting the stock at the thin parts...just not enough meat left. A composite B&C should be much stronger, but I don't know if the PTG is a true drop in fit or not. Be prepared to have some inletting done.
As others have stated get an Oryx if at all possible. They are truly plug and play...I have 3 with Savages and have been impressed.
As others have stated get an Oryx if at all possible. They are truly plug and play...I have 3 with Savages and have been impressed.
I'll definitely get the Oryx chassis since it will give me a better stock and DBM in one go.
If you go the savage route.......i don't know how often they come up nowadays but about 2 years ago I picked up a take of APO Saber for $600.
It's great but it has a pistol grip.
Good luck, I have a similar outlook.....I don't break or flirt with laws of this nature
You could always also snag a factory savage Accustock .....much better than old flimsy plastic only stocks and has a factory detachable mag setup.
Here's old plastic only vs new Accustock with aluminum bedding
It's great but it has a pistol grip.
Good luck, I have a similar outlook.....I don't break or flirt with laws of this nature
You could always also snag a factory savage Accustock .....much better than old flimsy plastic only stocks and has a factory detachable mag setup.
Here's old plastic only vs new Accustock with aluminum bedding
That’s what I did. Sold the Savage and saved up for a Tikka Tac A1 from the PX. Absolutely worth it.
I know a lot of people knock on Savage but besides the cheap stocks that they use, what is so bad about them? I have thought about buying another rifle but I can't justify to myself replacing a rifle just because the stock is crap. If there are other flaws that I haven't noticed or ran into yet, I'm all ears. Not trying to be a dick, im just curious why so many people dislike Savage.
I work on alot of Savages and am actually a fan, however my personal match rifles are all rem700 platform based. A savage can be very accurate, but the action is very loose and clunky and even the best trigger options feel sloppy and dont come close to what you can get with a Rem, Tikka, Howa Etc. For precision paper punching from bench or prone where quick manipulation of the action is not needed a savage will do just fine. For PRS style shooting they leave alot on the table.
Not a Hog Hunter, but I had an older 10T. I looked at it from another angle.
The only piece that I wouldn't have been replacing was the action. Rem/clone action parts/accessories have more options, can usually be found at a less expensive price when new, and are hands down more available on the used market.
If you buy a replacement stock for a Savage and don't like it, your market to recoup losses is smaller and again, less options on something new.
The 10T makes a great hunting rifle for me. I'm just saving up, slowly, to buy the parts to build something that can be made into what I want.
The only piece that I wouldn't have been replacing was the action. Rem/clone action parts/accessories have more options, can usually be found at a less expensive price when new, and are hands down more available on the used market.
If you buy a replacement stock for a Savage and don't like it, your market to recoup losses is smaller and again, less options on something new.
The 10T makes a great hunting rifle for me. I'm just saving up, slowly, to buy the parts to build something that can be made into what I want.
I have taken a Savage and made it a long range rifle, but at the end of the day, it's still just a Savage. You can drop it in an Oryx, screw on a new barrel and do some work to try and smooth out the bolt. But it's not worth in my mind more than what it was before you are done.
Was a wood stocked 7mm-08 converted to 300WSM.
Is just not as nice as my MPA 6.5CM. Honestly though, it's more fun to shoot, and I don't regret all the money I sank into the action. I probably put $1,500 into it lol.
Was a wood stocked 7mm-08 converted to 300WSM.
Is just not as nice as my MPA 6.5CM. Honestly though, it's more fun to shoot, and I don't regret all the money I sank into the action. I probably put $1,500 into it lol.
I started with a Savage 12FV from Cabela's. At first I put it in a Boyd's AT-ONE with a pillar and glass bedding job. I kept the blind magazine, so I didn't have any problems with stiffness or breakage. Topped with an Optika6 5-30x56 that rifle shot 1/2 MOA with Hornady factory 140gr BTHP ammo.
I kept upgrading it, adding an ejector kit from Kinney shooting supply and a bolt lift kit from PT&G. I also polished and smoothed everything I could see that moved. The accutrigger on the 12FV came with the lighter varmint spring so I was able to drop the trigger weight quite low, and it turned out to be a very good trigger. I shaved a little off the ejector to help with feeding and now it's a really slick action.
Earlier this year, wanting to be able to use AICS mags and not wanting to mess with shipping it to a gunsmith for inletting, I decided to swap it into an MDT Oryx. It already shot great, but it's even more solid in the Oryx. I upgraded the optic to an Athlon Cronus BTR a few months ago. That rifle in that chassis with that optic is currently my best shooting rifle. I don't even bother to reload for it yet because it will do 1/3 MOA with 140gr ELD Match factory ammo. (I will eventually work up a load for it, but I'm having too much fun just shooting it for now).
I love the Oryx, but it was very good bedded into the Boyd's stock also. If the pistol grip is a problem MDT now offers the XRS for the SA Savage. My Savage was a good rifle to start with, but with a little work it's become a great rifle IMO.
I kept upgrading it, adding an ejector kit from Kinney shooting supply and a bolt lift kit from PT&G. I also polished and smoothed everything I could see that moved. The accutrigger on the 12FV came with the lighter varmint spring so I was able to drop the trigger weight quite low, and it turned out to be a very good trigger. I shaved a little off the ejector to help with feeding and now it's a really slick action.
Earlier this year, wanting to be able to use AICS mags and not wanting to mess with shipping it to a gunsmith for inletting, I decided to swap it into an MDT Oryx. It already shot great, but it's even more solid in the Oryx. I upgraded the optic to an Athlon Cronus BTR a few months ago. That rifle in that chassis with that optic is currently my best shooting rifle. I don't even bother to reload for it yet because it will do 1/3 MOA with 140gr ELD Match factory ammo. (I will eventually work up a load for it, but I'm having too much fun just shooting it for now).
I love the Oryx, but it was very good bedded into the Boyd's stock also. If the pistol grip is a problem MDT now offers the XRS for the SA Savage. My Savage was a good rifle to start with, but with a little work it's become a great rifle IMO.
That MDT XRS looks nice, I might consider it eventually. I didnt buy the Hog with the intent of making it a target rifle, it was more for a bolt gun to run a suppressor on that I could feed with mil-surplus ammo while banging steel to 500 yards at my local range and I couldn’t pass it up for $340. It has a older Zeiss Conquest 3.5-10x40 with the rapid Z-800 reticle which has really nice glass and the reticle hash marks are spot on with the power ring set at 6.6 which works well since 500 yards is the longest range I have. I’m always thinking about restocking it, but that usually leads to why not do it right with a Origin, prefit barrel, KRG-B, and my Cronus BTR, that’s sitting on my 6.5 AR10 right now. I’ll probably bed it first to see if its accuracy potential deserves a better stock.
When I bedded my Hog Hunter my 100 yard groups with 178 Gr eld-x went from +1" down to .75". It might be worth your time, and its fairly cheap.
I’m also it the republic of NY and haven’t ever heard of such a silly rule.
I think its also important for us to know the intended use (maybe I overlooked that.) As we all know there's gonna be different recommendations for hunting, for flat ranges and paper and also comps
This started as my hunting rifle but I'm wanting to set it up for competition as well. This is my only large caliber rifle so I still need to be able to hunt with it. Maybe I'm just wishful thinking but I hope I can do both with it, as buying a whole new rifle is out of the budget.
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You can hunt with anything. Style or weight has nothing to do with its ability to kill an animal. What it does have to do with is your want or ability to carry it as far as you need for that hunt.
The rifle I shared I'll be taking to the UP, but I'm only walking 500 yards to my blind so it's weight does not concern me. If I needed to, I would buy a pack with a scabbard. I'll be just using a sling instead.
The rifle I shared I'll be taking to the UP, but I'm only walking 500 yards to my blind so it's weight does not concern me. If I needed to, I would buy a pack with a scabbard. I'll be just using a sling instead.
The weight is one concern of mine. Right now I'm right at 12 pounds and that's about as heavy as I want. I also dont want a stock that's uncomfortable to carry on my shoulder as I tend to pack mine around when I hunt.
I picked one up a couple years ago when a Gander Mtn was closing up. Afterwards I found a fellow selling the chassis that his BA Stealth came in and this is what I ended up with for around $750.
I must say it’s weird seeing the iron sights on the barrel, since mines been devoid of them since about a week after buying it.
The scope is mounted in Leupold quick detach rings and you can still use the sights when shooting with a suppressor.
Everything.
Cheaply made, unreliable and poor aftermarket support.
Most of us have tried them in our earlier days of being young dumb and full of ...spunk.
They are a dead end poor value system.
I like to tinker with my rifles, so mine have been excellent platforms for trying things out. I've found plenty of aftermarket for them also. They aren't perfect out of the box but they also didn't cost much, and they both just flat out shoot.
My Savages are far from being dead ends and for how well they function versus what I've invested in them they've been an excellent value.
They're not premium rifles for sure, but they're not intended to be - at least not the ones I got.
That's my look on them. Even with the cheap flimsy stock, it still flat out shoots good. I can't afford to go out and buy a $1000+ rifle THEN a scope. I looking at less than a $1000 in my whole rig and I'm sorry but I'd still put it up against a more highend rifle.
People who say their savages are great either A. Never shoot them or B. Never shoot them in field conditions.
Anyone with an inkling of experience in this game has seen them go down hard when run even moderately fast.
They are hands down the worst bolt action rifle you can buy on the market today.
Howa
CZ
Thompson Center Compass
Ruger
Mauser M18
All make a vastly better rifle for the same or less money.
Anyone with an inkling of experience in this game has seen them go down hard when run even moderately fast.
They are hands down the worst bolt action rifle you can buy on the market today.
Howa
CZ
Thompson Center Compass
Ruger
Mauser M18
All make a vastly better rifle for the same or less money.
