Stevens 200 first major upgrade ?

[mwroseberry]

I'm trying to figure out which upgrade would help me the most at the moment. I am looking at the B&C Medalist stock and the Bushnell 3200 10x40 Tactical scope. I Currently have a base Stevens 308 with a tupperwear stock and a Bushnell 3x9x40 scope that seams to do ok. I recently installed a EGW 20MOA base which helped at the range shoot I went to over the weekend.

My question is what will give me the most accuracy improvement. I'm leaning towards the stock as I couldn't use my bipod over the weekend due to stock flex even after taking more out of the barrel channel. But I hear very good things about the scope mentioned.

What your guys opinions. (tried the search feature with no luck)

Thanks,
Merritt
SGT USMC vet.

 

[Tyler Kemp]

Re: Stevens 200 first major upgrade ?

I say get a scope you can dial with, the 10x would be great. Then take an aluminum arrow shaft and put it in the forend, which should stiffen it up enough to use your bipod.

 

[Joe Myles]

Re: Stevens 200 first major upgrade ?

When you decide to get the stock, these are worth a look http://www.stockadegunstocks.com/stocks.html especially if you get the money saver and finish yourself. I would probably do what tyler said and worry about the scope first, make the current stock work until you have the funds for a new one. Super Sniper should be considered if you looking for a cheap 10x.

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: Stevens 200 first major upgrade ?

keep your eyes out for barrels. i snagged a select match from shillen for my savage. there was a 24" varmint/tactical on here last week for $80, used.

 

[mwroseberry]

Re: Stevens 200 first major upgrade ?

I like the idea of the glass as well. The issue with this is I know I will probably want to upgrade it down the road and I'm big on spending money once and being done with it. The stockade stocks are very nice but I can get a finished B&C for the same price as a money saver. Are the stockades that much better? And I would love to get ahold of a barrel for 80.00. I would be happy with a 10FP barrel for that price if I could get my hands on one. But how many rounds is too many before I'm better of just saving my money on a new one?

It's the age old question, which came first the chicken or the egg...

Thanks,
Merritt
SGT USMC vet.

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: Stevens 200 first major upgrade ?

good match barrels are like oh anywhere from $250 to your first born i guess. i got a nice one for $300. new savage 10f barrels are $210 new. guys shoot under .5" with new savage factory barrels. in the last 30 days 2 fp barrels sold on here for $80 & $85. as far as used, if you can trust the guy 308 barrels can shoot alot before they are done cant they? you gotta pic a stock for what you like. look at all of them, one will pop out. once you get it, you will want to keep it. resale shouldnt guide you. nice part about unfinished is fitting it to you. grip not right, sand more here, open that up there. but stocks are like women. you gotta feel good hold it close, not the other guy. you might like wood with real grain, or fiberglass with bright colors. maybe full camo scope and all. go slow, there isnt really a right or wrong

 

[bohem]

Re: Stevens 200 first major upgrade ?

How's the trigger in it?

You can fix that stock with about $10 in Home Depot materials and 2 hours of your time on a rainy saturday.

I vote you put a good trigger in it, while you're waiting for that to arrive you stiffen the stock up and THEN buy the glass.

 

[mscott]

Re: Stevens 200 first major upgrade ?

I'd say glass first then the barrel. The factory stock is functional with a little work. I filled in the hollow cavities in one with a fiberglass repair kit from Walmart and it helped a lot. Here's a good place to get the B&C stock
http://www.stockysstocks.com/servlet/StoreFront
They also have laminated wood stocks for about $110.

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: Stevens 200 first major upgrade ?

dont forget jim at northland

http://savageshooters.com/SavageForum/index.php/board,64.0.html

he gets new and take off stuff pretty reasonable. and he can tell you whats what as far as upgrades with that rifle

 

[tbrewer]

Re: Stevens 200 first major upgrade ?

My stevens 200 has a Bartlein varmint contour no shouldered no barrel nut, Lepold Mark 4 10X, factory trigger that I stoned and changed the spring in, and its all in that plastic stock (of course I've spent some time on the stock fill the forend fill the assend with expanding foam and something for a little weight. I also bedded it) This gun shoots in the .150 range with FGMM .168s I had to put my Nightforce on it to shoot this tight Leupold will get you .250 range. So I would definetly listen to the these other guys scope, barrel, or trigger first. Do some stock work yourself for now.

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: Stevens 200 first major upgrade ?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: tbrewer</div><div class="ubbcode-body">My stevens 200 has a Bartlein varmint contour no shouldered no barrel nut, Lepold Mark 4 10X, factory trigger that I stoned and changed the spring in, and its all in that plastic stock (of course I've spent some time on the stock fill the forend fill the assend with expanding foam and something for a little weight. I also bedded it) This gun shoots in the .150 range with FGMM .168s I had to put my Nightforce on it to shoot this tight Leupold will get you .250 range. So I would definetly listen to the these other guys scope, barrel, or trigger first. Do some stock work yourself for now. </div></div>


no barrel nut? how do you mount the barrel?

 

[tbrewer]

Re: Stevens 200 first major upgrade ?

Do away with the barrel nut just shoulder it like a Remington. Makes them way easier to bed infront of the recoil lug also. You can still make a switch barrel rifle out of it to if you want. Because every barrel you chamber will be cut to that action just make sure you tighten it back to the same spot and check with headspace gauges.

 

[tbrewer]

Re: Stevens 200 first major upgrade ?

My original post should have said shouldered no barrel nut.

 

[davidw3625]

Re: Stevens 200 first major upgrade ?

trigger(sss)

 

[mwroseberry]

Re: Stevens 200 first major upgrade ?

I just got a used scope. It's a Vortex 6-24x50 mildot. That with my EGW 20MOA base should be alright for me to get me started. For trigger I would like to get the SSS but I think I can work my factory trigger down. If I can get it to 4 lbs that will be the lightest trigger I've ever used. And I'd like to work my way down to a lighter trigger pull later. Moding my factory stock would work as you've stated but I think I'm going with the B&C Medalist next. Being an assult weapon guy I'm so used to a pistol grip that I would feel more comfortable with a larger palm swell and I'm going to need the extra material on the butt to get my cheek weld on the 50mm scope.

Thanks everyone for the help and I'd like to hear more and see some pics on this "running without a nut approach"

Thanks,
Merritt
SGT USMC vet.

 

[tbrewer]

Re: Stevens 200 first major upgrade ?

I just did one a couple of days a go on a Stevens 22-250 came out at 2#. You can buy diamond stones and spring stock at Brownells for doing these triggers.

 

[mwroseberry]

Re: Stevens 200 first major upgrade ?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: tbrewer</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I just did one a couple of days a go on a Stevens 22-250 came out at 2#. You can buy diamond stones and spring stock at Brownells for doing these triggers. </div></div>

Everything I've read says to keep it above 3# or risk bump fire. Have you done a drop test to check yours?

Thanks,
Merritt

 

[tbrewer]

Re: Stevens 200 first major upgrade ?

You can slam the hell out of this thing and it will not go off. It's all how you file it. Keep it sharp and straight.

 

[learjet]

Re: Stevens 200 first major upgrade ?

mwroseberry u a member at

http://savageshooters.com/SavageForum/

?? join up, and id recomend the paid membership. theres a rather brisk member classifieds there - ull save the signup fee quickly buyin parts from other members.

ive sold all my non savage boltguns, since all the customizing ud ever want to do can be done by the owner w minimal tooling.

imho replace the stock first. dont bother tryin to strengthen it. i went down that road, and no matter what i did to strengthen the factory stock itll never be a HS precision, mcmillian, or stockade. determine weather ur rifle is staggered feed or centerfeed, ill assume its a short action, check out these 3 stock companies, and order whatever u prefer. i go w HS precision on short actions, their prices are reasonable and theres no wait. stockade is currently 4 months wait, dunno bout mcmillian. the laminate wood stocks from any of the vendors are nice enough, but require some inletting, none that im aware of have pillars installed, and all need to be bedded. ive seen a few BCs, and choates, never shot them, but wasnt impressed w the fit or finish.

for glass id consider a 10x SS, ive got them on all my savages, mostly RF models, ive got 1 HD. my son has a bushnell 10x 3200, works well, but glass is not as nice imho as any of the super snipers

dont ditch the savage barrel till ur convinced it wont shoot. my savage bbled 300wsm will hang w my match barreled 308. that said any of the barrel manufs that make drop in savage bbls do a good job, and northlander over at savage shooters has many in stock at great prices. keep the bbl nut, buy a wrench and HS gauges, and do barrel swaps urself. y? cause u can

the only reason i would see for goin below 4lb on a trigger is if ur gonna shoot Benchrest. i dunno, i was brought up shootin clunky military rifles, and 4lb savage triggers seem fine to me. to each his own here

dont skimp on rings and bases. plenty of info in the optics section here on ur choices. i like badger, but im sure some of the cheaper ones are just as nice

all just imho...good luck w ur savage

lear

 

[mwroseberry]

Re: Stevens 200 first major upgrade ?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: learjet</div><div class="ubbcode-body">mwroseberry u a member at

http://savageshooters.com/SavageForum/

?? join up, and id recomend the paid membership. theres a rather brisk member classifieds there - ull save the signup fee quickly buyin parts from other members.

ive sold all my non savage boltguns, since all the customizing ud ever want to do can be done by the owner w minimal tooling.

imho replace the stock first. dont bother tryin to strengthen it. i went down that road, and no matter what i did to strengthen the factory stock itll never be a HS precision, mcmillian, or stockade. determine weather ur rifle is staggered feed or centerfeed, ill assume its a short action, check out these 3 stock companies, and order whatever u prefer. i go w HS precision on short actions, their prices are reasonable and theres no wait. stockade is currently 4 months wait, dunno bout mcmillian. the laminate wood stocks from any of the vendors are nice enough, but require some inletting, none that im aware of have pillars installed, and all need to be bedded. ive seen a few BCs, and choates, never shot them, but wasnt impressed w the fit or finish.

for glass id consider a 10x SS, ive got them on all my savages, mostly RF models, ive got 1 HD. my son has a bushnell 10x 3200, works well, but glass is not as nice imho as any of the super snipers

dont ditch the savage barrel till ur convinced it wont shoot. my savage bbled 300wsm will hang w my match barreled 308. that said any of the barrel manufs that make drop in savage bbls do a good job, and northlander over at savage shooters has many in stock at great prices. keep the bbl nut, buy a wrench and HS gauges, and do barrel swaps urself. y? cause u can

the only reason i would see for goin below 4lb on a trigger is if ur gonna shoot Benchrest. i dunno, i was brought up shootin clunky military rifles, and 4lb savage triggers seem fine to me. to each his own here

dont skimp on rings and bases. plenty of info in the optics section here on ur choices. i like badger, but im sure some of the cheaper ones are just as nice

all just imho...good luck w ur savage

lear </div></div>

I'm on savageshooters and a paid member over there. I have been poke'n through the classified but just haven't found anything I need. I actually picked up my scope here on the hide. I like the look of the higher end stocks but the price-tag is hard to bear. We'll see I'll take another look at HS precision but last time I checked 400 for a stock was a little much for my budget. Got a wife and a 6 month old girl and I'm the only one working.

Thanks,
Merritt

 

[packratt]

Re: Stevens 200 first major upgrade ?

Take a look at Stockade's money savers. You need to do some finish work but the price is alot less.