What do I not know about Savages?

[ShortShooter1908]

I searched the form for threads on Savages. Most were about WTB/WTS. There doesn't seem to be much else. TThe Everyday Sniper ep.11 didn't mention them. Most of what I have found, they seem like a good value. I haven't had the chance to actually speak to anyone about them so the reviews may only be for a 100 yard benchshot. Is there a reason they are not in the discussion with the Bergaras, the Tikkas, the RPRs?
Thanks in advance

 

[demolitionman]

Nah. I have three. They shoot tight groups but they cycle and function like shit. They've got no resale value either...... the 4.4" action pattern has a decent amount of chasssis options though. My advice, take the money you think your saving and just buy better.....

 

[BangBangBlatBlat]

I think it boils down to the fact a lot of people do not like the 110 style actions; they are very clunky, have a mediocore extractor and ejector, and have problems when things get dirty from my observations.

It's an action that was optimized for cheap manufacturing in the 60s. We can now do things a lot better for the same cost.

 

[buskin]

I have an ER Shaw MKVII that is built on the Savage action and it is smooth and cycles well.

If you go with the low end of any manufacturer, it will not be as nice as their higher end models.

For the money, I think Savage makes some pretty accurate models...

 

[101stinfantry]

I have one in .223 that I like, you can do most anything you want with them at home, change barrels, triggers, etc. That said, its a money pit that is still a Savage, and it doesn't have much of a resale value as a result.

 

[Kadams1563]

My history with savage.

I built a Savage target action with a Criterion barrel chambered in 6.5 creedmoor. I had the barrel threaded and a brake installed. It was placed into a XLR element chassis. I also put an “upgraded” ejector kit from NSS.

Went and zeroed the rifle and it shot about 1/2 minutes groups with factory 140 eld.

Two weeks later I took a rifle class that shot out to 1000 yards. I was completely brand new to bolt actions and was getting hits in steel at 1k in about 75 rounds.

The class was 4 days long and about 400 rounds of ammunition. Needless to say I didn’t make it to 200 before it shit the bed. The action would not eject any spent brass. I replaced the ejector kit with another upgrade and it failed almost immediately.

The gun also had a PtG bolt head.

I made it through the class by shooting and having to dig my brass out the gun and tirned it into a single shot and single feed. No more mag capability.

Replaced all the parts again and sold it as soon as possible.

I have to thank the Savage rifle though or I would have my Defiance 6.5 creed in a Manners.

 

[lash]

It really depends upon what you want to use it for. Both I and a friend shoot our 110 FCP .338 LM rifles out well past a mile. Mine is home bedded in the stock HP Precision stock, his is not. We have out shot custom rifles worth 3-4 times as much with them. He owned a Savege 112 in .260 that was a freakin tack driver, but very barrel heavy so not optimal for PRS style match shooting. He sold it to my brother who has beaten others with expensive rigs and loves it.

Would I recommend it for serious precision rifle match style competition? Probably not. But for F Class or other similar styles, I'd not hesitate.

Personally, I don't think about resale value since I tend to buy and keep mostly. But for an affordable shooter on a tight budget? Sure.

Edit: none of us have ever had any feeding or extraction issues with an estimated 3000-4000 rounds shot between the 3 rifles and both of us load pretty hot for the .338.

 

[DrainTheSwamp]

Feeding and extraction are the common complaints. But more times that not most ppl will admit they were tack drivers. Depends what you do with it. I have a remage... love the 700 action and the savage barrel nut system. Most ppl think barrel nuts are ugly but it doesn’t bother me.

 

[demolitionman]

Feeding and extraction are the common complaints. But more times that not most ppl will admit they were tack drivers. Depends what you do with it. I have a remage... love the 700 action and the savage barrel nut system. Most ppl think barrel nuts are ugly but it doesn’t bother me.

Yes, I agree on the barrel nuts. It's the best thing that happened for me. I literally don't worry about shooting out barrels I just run'em hard and change'm when they shit the bed. I know some claim accuracy issues with prefits but in 5 barrels now every single prefit has been a hammer. I just wish wish wish I wouldn't have based my builds off the savage actions and instead used a trued r700, defiance, gap, kelbly, bighorn, mausingfield etc etc....buy the action once and run it for life. Now here I am with 3 f'ing chassis for savage actions. It's hard to get that money back. My advice, don't do as I did.

 

[MachoKing]

I've had fail to fires and extraction issues with my wife's Savage. Not fail to fire like I didn't seat the primer well enough, but like the trigger broke and the firing pin didn't go forward.

 

[lawofsavage]

One of the very first things I bought as an adult was a Savage 12 LRP in 6.5 Creedmoor and to this day it was one of the most accurate rifles I’ve ever had including customs. With that said, for me this is a hobby that’s all about fun and I just don’t have as much fun shooting a Savage as I do a Tikka or custom. A Tikka CTR is cheaper than a 12 LRP too iirc. I know that’s completely subjective but I remember the safety function on the target accutrigger would engage if you ran the bolt too hard. The bolt felt sloppy to me.

My opinion is they are great if all you care about is shooting the smallest groups for the cheapest price. Once you add up your costs of actually being competitive at bigger prs matches, the cost of the action you choose is going to be the least of your worries hahaha. I work way too much to be competitive but have some friends that are and it’s ridiculous the amount of time and money it takes but it’s a hell of a lot of fun.

 

[ShortShooter1908]

The reason I ask is because I did the classic new guy thing, I bought before I researched. I picked up the 12 FV from Cabela's in 6.5. I've already replaced the stock with a B&C. The only other long range rifle I have is an 223 Wylde AR I built with a White Oak National match barrel.

 

[MachoKing]

I did the same except I bought my wife a XP package rifle. Put it in a Boyd's stock and threaded the barrel, muzzle brake, and put a Bushnell LRHS on it. Hell, the scope is worth 3x what the rifle costs.

 

[Desert_Racer]

I had one of their 12 series rifles that I put in a manners stock. It shot well enough, but as others mentioned, it cycled like shit and the bolt lift was pretty heavy. I sold it and got 50% of what I paid for it.

In reality, Accuracy is what matters, but I couldn’t get over all the other things with that rifle. And it was ugly as sin.

 

[varano14]

I recently picked up a 12fv to mess around with. While waiting I noticed a used tikka on the rack. Ran the bolt and it moved like butter. The savage not so much. However, I have no intention of using this in competition, so for about 1/3 the price I can deal with a rougher cycle. If I was competing under time constraints I think I would go for something better.

When just shooting for fun I am of the opinion accuracy is king, if it shoots I can live with the rest.

 

[mi223]

My history with savage.

I built a Savage target action with a Criterion barrel chambered in 6.5 creedmoor. I had the barrel threaded and a brake installed. It was placed into a XLR element chassis. I also put an “upgraded” ejector kit from NSS.

Went and zeroed the rifle and it shot about 1/2 minutes groups with factory 140 eld.

Two weeks later I took a rifle class that shot out to 1000 yards. I was completely brand new to bolt actions and was getting hits in steel at 1k in about 75 rounds.

The class was 4 days long and about 400 rounds of ammunition. Needless to say I didn’t make it to 200 before it shit the bed. The action would not eject any spent brass. I replaced the ejector kit with another upgrade and it failed almost immediately.

The gun also had a PtG bolt head.

I made it through the class by shooting and having to dig my brass out the gun and tirned it into a single shot and single feed. No more mag capability.

Replaced all the parts again and sold it as soon as possible.

I have to thank the Savage rifle though or I would have my Defiance 6.5 creed in a Manners.

This is nearly an exact description of my rifle. I have had none of the issues mentioned. Not saying this guy is a liar or stupid or anything just saying i had a better experience with a similar rifle.

I have somewhere around 2000 rounds through my action and probably that again in dryfiring. I have had no issues and it has become very smooth as well.

I think lash said it very well. For a full on prs rig start with something different but for fclass or maybe the occasional prs style match, go for it.

 

[steve123]

This is nearly an exact description of my rifle. I have had none of the issues mentioned. Not saying this guy is a liar or stupid or anything just saying i had a better experience with a similar rifle.

I have somewhere around 2000 rounds through my action and probably that again in dryfiring. I have had no issues and it has become very smooth as well.

I think lash said it very well. For a full on prs rig start with something different but for fclass or maybe the occasional prs style match, go for it.

I searched the form for threads on Savages. Most were about WTB/WTS. There doesn't seem to be much else. TThe Everyday Sniper ep.11 didn't mention them. Most of what I have found, they seem like a good value. I haven't had the chance to actually speak to anyone about them so the reviews may only be for a 100 yard benchshot. Is there a reason they are not in the discussion with the Bergaras, the Tikkas, the RPRs?
Thanks in advance

Out of 5 I've personally been involved with, one worked without fault and was decently accurate. It was a nearly new 12FV in 6.5 Creed.

Otherwise, trigger problems, feeding problems, ejection problems, headspace off, poor quality throughout, and mediocre accuracy. If it weren't for the floating bolt, barrel nut and cheap price....

Out of many M700's, one had a bad extractor, and a aftermarket lightweight firing pin broke in half. I still say they are hard to beat.

Well nothing is perfect but the law of averages tilts to anything but a savage in my experience.

People hate to loose money, me too, but sometimes it's not a bad idea to cut your losses """early""" and apply that $ to something superior at a financial sacrifice. The years will go by and that nice action you bought back then will have been paid off and will still be awesome. Heck, just the avoidance of the emotional pain of dealing with chronic problems(or $ spent getting things fixed) is worth tons to me.

 

[myronman3]

when i ETSed out the army, my dad bought me a 300 win mag as a welcome home present. long story really short, the rifle would not shoot better than 8 inch groups at 50 yards. mulitiple scopes, many diff loads, bullet weights, powders, etc. so we sent it back to savage.
savage returned the rifle to me with a test target that was 4 inch groups at 25 yards, and a note scribbled on the target that said "this rifle meets factory standards for accuracy". well FUCK YOU savage. dumped that rifle for 1/3rd what we paid for it.

i hear a lot of guys get great results with savage. and i think that is great. but when they put out a gun that was that lousy, and said it was within factory specs for accuracy, when it is returned? fuck them. fuck them in their ass with a steel dildo wrapped in barbed wire.

 

[sav338lapua]

I've owned over 25 savages over the years and never had any problems. The way some of you young pups jerk a rifle around trying to get another round in I'm surprised that anything on your rifles works right. There's a huge difference between smooth and quick and jerking the bolt handle so hard that on several Remington 700 rifles I have seen them jerk the handle right off the bolt!!!!! Anyway I still have 22 savages, not all are model 110's
SB

 

[NateVA]

I've owned over 25 savages over the years and never had any problems. The way some of you young pups jerk a rifle around trying to get another round in I'm surprised that anything on your rifles works right. There's a huge difference between smooth and quick and jerking the bolt handle so hard that on several Remington 700 rifles I have seen them jerk the handle right off the bolt!!!!! Anyway I still have 22 savages, not all are model 110's
SB

It seems farfetched to imply that the multitude of issues people have reported all come down to user error.

 

[tomcatfan]

I’m not a fan boy, but I’ve got 6 savages. A couple 22’s, 2-10 style actions, and a target style action. I’ve not had any of the issues people talk about. It does have a heavy bolt lift, and yes resale value sucks. I’m not looking to sell any of mine so I don’t care about that. The 6mm dasher I built on the target action shoots in the 0.2-0.3’s. My 308 is a solid 0.75 Moa gun and my 6.5x47 is a little better than that. But accuracy isn’t an issue with savages. Aftermarket stuff can suck because they have 2 different action foot prints, 4.4" and 4.27" and bottom or side bolt release. They are a great value, but they are not the same a high end custom. If that is your expectation you will be disappointed.

 

[lash]

It seems farfetched to imply that the multitude of issues people have reported all come down to user error.

I got the impression that he was only addressing the comments about bolt throw smoothness or perceived lack thereof.

 

[Rerun7]

I’ve owned 3 savages, all 110 models and all shot decently well with no issues. This was also when I was just starting to get into it and I didn’t run them too hard. They were a great starter due to cost vs accuracy equation and I didn’t know any better on how smooth the bolts were etc.

I consider them to be a fine budget rifle for getting started but if you are going to run something hard or want to hang onto it for a lot of years without upgrading just save a little more and get something a little nicer.

 

[JeffLebowski]

I've owned over 25 savages over the years and never had any problems. The way some of you young pups jerk a rifle around trying to get another round in I'm surprised that anything on your rifles works right. There's a huge difference between smooth and quick and jerking the bolt handle so hard that on several Remington 700 rifles I have seen them jerk the handle right off the bolt!!!!! Anyway I still have 22 savages, not all are model 110's
SB

Well young pups, we have figured out the problem with Savages!

 

[steve123]

Well young pups, we have figured out the problem with Savages!

25 savages and no problems, that must be a world record, and I think he deserves at least a reward or something.

 

[demolitionman]

I forget who on this forum said it but it went something like this; savage rifles are like fat girls, their fun to mess around with but you don't want any of your friends at the range seeing you with one......

 

[m6z]

Accurate, but unreliable at times. Limited stock selections.

Once your cheap Savage shits the bed you've got to start over from scratch if you're going to move on to a 700 footprint action. New stock, new trigger, etc.

They are great starter rifles. I had a 10TR with the accustock & accutrigger. They are a better outfitted then your typical squishy stock Rem 700.

 

[lash]

Okay, so now it has turned into the standard dogpile around here. It's funny that I recall a similar thread here just last month where everyone dog piled on Remington 700s. What a freaking collection of arrogant snobs and experts we are.

One thread we are jumping up and down because new guys want to buy only the best when they get started and we castigate them for trying to buy their way into precision long range rifle shooting. Then, when someone who may not have $3000 to sink into a complete rig comes along and asks about an option to shoot long range on a budget, without really asking them what their goal is, we tell them to "save up their pennies and buy a real precision rifle." All else is crap, don't waste your time and money.

A real bunch of hypocrites here. I'm sure that those that have set records and won national championships with Savages and Remington 700s would have to agree.

Full disclosure, I own exactly one Savage, two R700s, one Stiller, one Tikka and have money down on a new ARC Nucleus. So no real fan boy of any of these. They all work well for what I use them.

Now back to your regularly scheduled dogpile...

 

[predator308]

Very Accurate, some times may not be reliable, its a budget/ starter rifle

 

[Vodoun daVinci]

I'm a newbie as well building my first precision rifle. Shot a few guns belonging to friends and relatives and then started putting it together and decided to start with a Savage 10 FCP-SR in 6.5 CM. With rebate and shipping I have <$600 invested in the base rifle. Added a Vortex Crossfire 6-24X50, an Area 419 Hellfire, and an Atlas Bipod and I'm gonna shoot it this Sunday. Did some dry firing and playing today and for around $1100 I'm really stoked.

It feeds and ejects smoothly/effortlessly...laser bore sighted it and the scope cross hairs are dead on which means I'll probably be on paper when we sight it at 200 yards Sunday from the first shot.

I'm pretty impressed that Savage can produce a gun that is this decent at this price point. Shot a few other guns...no $3000 custom actions but few Bergara and Tikka and a Ruger Precision in 6,5CM and thought they were nice but not all that and a bag of chips. If I shoot the Savage and it sucks I'll have been told.

I have the sneaking suspicion the Savage will shoot sub MOA from the get go and we'll put 80 rounds down range Sunday with little drama. I'll certainly report back if the gun sucks but I can tell by dry firing it and stroking it that it's a really nice starter gun for give or take $1K. I doubt it compares to a $3K custom gun with a $2K scope but I didn't expect that. I'll burn this Savage up and move up in the next two or three years and consider it a worthwhile investment.

Unless it severely disappoints sunday and then I'll admit the detractors were correct and consider the $1100 invested as a learning experience.

VooDoo

 

[goosed]

Okay, so now it has turned into the standard dogpile around here. It's funny that I recall a similar thread here just last month where everyone dog piled on Remington 700s. What a freaking collection of arrogant snobs and experts we are.

One thread we are jumping up and down because new guys want to buy only the best when they get started and we castigate them for trying to buy their way into precision long range rifle shooting. Then, when someone who may not have $3000 to sink into a complete rig comes along and asks about an option to shoot long range on a budget, without really asking them what their goal is, we tell them to "save up their pennies and buy a real precision rifle." All else is crap, don't waste your time and money.

A real bunch of hypocrites here. I'm sure that those that have set records and won national championships with Savages and Remington 700s would have to agree.

Full disclosure, I own exactly one Savage, two R700s, one Stiller, one Tikka and have money down on a new ARC Nucleus. So no real fan boy of any of these. They all work well for what I use them.

Now back to your regularly scheduled dogpile...

Don't go trying to bring logic and reason into our dogpile!

Only gear queers are welcome here!!! .....Unless they're trying to buy the best, in that case you "can't buy percision"!



FYI... new guys are always wrong, trust us we're keyboard commandos

 

[Bender]

Buy all the guns.

Shoot all the guns......

Who cares....

 

[Deleted member 10043]

My savage .308 varmint is on its third barrel. That is a lot of ammo. It gave me trouble twice. The bolt handle loosened up during one session and I ended up shooting 100 rounds like that. Before that I had to take the bolt apart and clean it up. For that session I was getting some light strikes. I don't run around with it playing army with it. I don't think it was made for that. I think it was designed for varmint style shooting. As for accuracy it has always maintained .75 90% confidence stat for at least seven 5 shot groups the few times I checked for that. So, it has shot and performed as advertised.

 

[pineoak]

I've had 2 Savages. 1 was a low end but reliable .308 that was not noteworthy in any way. The other was a .223 that was reliable, but the factory screwed up the barrel pretty badly. When I contacted Savage CS about the issue... they basically told me to f*** off.

I will never recommend doing business with Savage as they can't stand behind their product in terms of warranty.

I would rather put my $$$ toward companies that pick up the phone and actually warranty their products like Vortex, Thunderbeast, and very minimally for me once, Ruger.

 

[myronman3]

dogpile, schmogpile.

the op asked, and had people offer up their experiences with them. good, bad, and in my case, ugly. i fail to see legitimate basis for you to be indignate and butt hurt.

 

[Deleted member 10043]

It is ingrained in the company language for all subjective threads to go down the shit hole. With that said I would venture to guess that most people here don't really shoot that much or that far, lol. They just want to make sure when they are found DRT it will be alongside a malfunctioned high dollar custom set up on some battlefield that only exists in their own imagination. . Thus, the constant claims they have lifetime warranties on all there shit in case something goes terribly wrong.

 

[steve123]

Ha, it's always the same, it wouldn't be the Hide otherwise.

We all gave our opinions, pro, con or neutral, so the OP can make his own mind up, it's a public forum. Oh boy, in the near future we can all repeat this subject matter again.

Yuh takes yuh chances and yuh lives with the consequences. I hate saying to myself- if only...

 

[goosed]

Ha, it's always the same, it wouldn't be the Hide otherwise.

We all gave our opinions, pro, con or neutral, so the OP can make his own mind up, it's a public forum. Oh boy, in the near future we can all repeat this subject matter again.

Yuh takes yuh chances and yuh lives with the consequences. I hate saying to myself- if only...

No doubt we will repeat this all over again in a few weeks. No way to get around the polarizing nature of today's culture/society.

My opinion of these threads regardless of manufacturer that is actually being bashed usually remains the same...

The manufacturer, Savage in this case, not warrantying rifle issues is info that should be headed. After that it's anecdotal evidence of each guys mentality rather than helpful advice.

Examples: A rifle shooting 8MOA with no information provided as to the cause. Trigger, feeding, ejection and headspace issues with no information to the cause or resolution. Extractors that fail every few hundred rounds... once ok, second time not likely, third time wake up... the issue isn't the extractor, but once again no further investigation into the real cause.

All of those examples point to guys that want perfection out of the box and aren't willing to work or tinker to get there. In that case spend the money up front on your kit and avoid the $350 Savage. If a guy looks at these things as an opportunity to tinker since all of these issues could likely be resolved with a little effort and the result could very well be a rifle that can compete accuracy wise with rifles costing thousands more... Savage might just be the right rifle for you. To agree on something like that or offer that as advice to a new guy who might not be able to read between the lines would be near heresy around here... so I digress

 

[supratt96]

I bought a model 12 F-class in 6 BR. Accuracy is outstanding. Easily hangs with my best customs in that regard.

That's the good news. Now here's the bad: The trigger absolutely sucks. I've had to pull out of a couple of matches due to trigger failure. The bolt runs a little gritty and occasionally binds a bit, but not a big deal in F-class style shooting. It won't eject 6mm BR cases. It will extract the case but not eject it. Oddly enough, I have a switch barrel in 284 Win and it will eject those cases just fine. I also had to get the firing pin turned down and the bolt bushed due to primer cratering and piercing with the 6 BR rounds.

In summary, I wouldn't buy another Savage. Too many issues.

 

[goosed]

I bought a model 12 F-class in 6 BR. Accuracy is outstanding. Easily hangs with my best customs in that regard.

That's the good news. Now here's the bad: The trigger absolutely sucks. I've had to pull out of a couple of matches due to trigger failure. The bolt runs a little gritty and occasionally binds a bit, but not a big deal in F-class style shooting. It won't eject 6mm BR cases. It will extract the case but not eject it. Oddly enough, I have a switch barrel in 284 Win and it will eject those cases just fine. I also had to get the firing pin turned down and the bolt bushed due to primer cratering and piercing with the 6 BR rounds.

In summary, I wouldn't buy another Savage. Too many issues.

I'm sure you're already aware that the savage "target accutrigger", the one in the LRP, fclass, etc. models that adjusts to ounces, needs to be pulled perfectly straight back or it will lock up?

For those that don't know, I do mean "perfectly straight" as even the slightest hint of sideways pressure will lock it up.

 

[Velocity Chad]

I have one savage. A 110 fcp in 338 lapua. Shoots excellent and have not a single issue. I did change the trigger out because I don't like the accutrigger b.s. I wouldn't trade it for the comparable Remington that's for sure. I think savage has came a long way in recent years. I used to always look down on them, but it's hard to argue with how they typically shoot.

 

[lash]

I'm sure you're already aware that the savage "target accutrigger", the one in the LRP, fclass, etc. models that adjusts to ounces, needs to be pulled perfectly straight back or it will lock up?

For those that don't know, I do mean "perfectly straight" as even the slightest hint of sideways pressure will lock it up.

Bingo! I don't love the Savage Accutrigger on my 110 FCP either but it did teach me to make corrections to sloppy trigger pull. I've seen and helped a few guys having trouble with "not cocked, damn thing needs to be double cocked, bad trigger and trigger sucks". You don't pull straight back and the trigger requires a reset. You can call that crap and power to ya'. I say that if it helps me build a better trigger pull, then buck up and learn a better trigger pull instead of crutching on super light trigger settings.

As to the troll that says I'm butt hurt. Hello. I give a shit about what you think. I've seen a bazillion threads and this is how they go. You have something to offer the OP or just playin'?

 

[Deleted member 10043]

I'll tell you one thing the bottom plastic bolt release is really stupid. My 308 is the top release. My 6.5x284 is the bottom. Both have sleds so no mags.

 

[Txhillbilly]

I've got 6 or 7 rifles with Savage action's,plus a Shilen DGR action that uses the same style bolt head. Yes,the Savage style extractor needs to be replaced every so often,it gets worn from use.
Ejection issues are generally Operator error from pulling the bolt back slowly.
If you're having feeding problems,your COAL is most likely too long,and the magazine feed lips need to be adjusted for it to feed properly for the bullet tip to not hit the barrel face. After all,It's a Push Feed action!

Some of you guy's will bitch and moan about the slightest issue. It's one of the cheapest,and most simple action designs made,they are far from perfect,but they are good actions,and get really smooth after they are used a lot.

The Accu-trigger is a good trigger,if it is used correctly,but it is far from being a great trigger. If you don't like it,change it! I have several SSS Competition trigger's,they work great. The older models with the 3 screw trigger can be tuned down safely to very light weights also.

I don't compete in PRS, I'm too old,too fat,too lazy! I do shoot a lot for fun,and hunt a lot.
If you like or hate Savage actions,I could care less,but either figure out how to make one work on your own or buy something that you'll like better.

 

[NewsShooter]

I've got a couple, my LRP is still as accurate as my stiller action and it has over 2k down the barrel. My .223 started out as a 6.5, then a 7 saum, now 223. Started out shooting matches with the LRP, never had an issue with it. No it isn't as smooth as the stiller or my Tikka. Nothing has broken, just works, and I know lots don't like the trigger but I treat it like a two stage and it works fine for me.

 

[anon]

The Savage Target Actions helped build the market for all of the custom actions that the shooter can thread a barrel into and lock down with a barrel nut. It wasn't that long ago on the old Hide that there were threads with people saying they'd never do a Remage or the like because they'd never be accurate.

 

[Mike_in_FL]

I bought a .30/06 Savage 110 for $250 out of Walmart in '90. With a Tasco 3-9x40 and Winchester Supreme 165s I shot my first sub moa 5 shot group at 100. That one is gone but I have a Stevens 200 LA now. It sits in a Stockade prairie dog special stock with pillars and adjustable cheek piece I picked up on another forum. Rock Creek straight .284 pre-fit and CDI bottom metal. It has the Timney sear in it but is not exactly a 510 by any means.

The action is kind of rough and this is pretty much just a range toy. When this barrel is gone, I'll buy either a 6.5 Swede or .280AI. I did this as kind of a bean field build but haven't gotten to do that type of hunting.

I won't ever sell it but I wouldn't put this much into another Savage. There just isn't enough of an aftermarket and it's not increasing like it sort of was. You could buy an AI stock for the SA, not sure if that's still true. If I were doing it again I'd probably go Bergara since it's a 700 clone or Tikka.

 

[JeffLebowski]

25 savages and no problems, that must be a world record, and I think he deserves at least a reward or something.

I for one, welcome the advice regarding that folks in a certain age range are yanking the bolt handle too hard and thus are incompetent and don’t respect their equipment. See, I thought it was shoddy brazed on bolt handles and poor mechanical designs, I had no idea it was those young’uns causing all of their malfunctions themselves.

 

[myronman3]

I've had 2 Savages. 1 was a low end but reliable .308 that was not noteworthy in any way. The other was a .223 that was reliable, but the factory screwed up the barrel pretty badly. When I contacted Savage CS about the issue... they basically told me to f*** off.

I will never recommend doing business with Savage as they can't stand behind their product in terms of warranty.

I would rather put my $$$ toward companies that pick up the phone and actually warranty their products like Vortex, Thunderbeast, and very minimally for me once, Ruger.

this mirrors my experience with them in '95. i've had problems with a ruger pistol, a smith and wesson revolver, a cz shotgun, and two glocks. all stood behind their products, and customer service was excellent; you will never see me bash those companies.
any company can put out a stinker. it's what they do when contacted about it that matters. they make it right, then the word spreads. if i have confidence in a company, i will not hesitate to buy their stuff.
a company that sells me a turd and tells me to get fucked when asked to fix it? word spreads of that, too. i wont own or recomend savages to anyone. or remingtons. saw them fuck my dad over on the old jam-o-matic. was 10 years old and it was declared obsolete by remington....wouldnt supply him with a new part, but they would give him a $50 voucher for his next remington purchase.....hahahahhahaha.....i dont fucking think so.

my only advise is buy from a company that is going to stand behind their product. there are too many good companies out there that will stand behind it their products, to be buying from those that wont.

 

[Deleted member 10043]

Okay, you had a problem with Savage in 1995?