Buy the day dream or the one you'll use?

[chickenfried]

Well guys, my late night web surfing brought the Savage 14 American Classic to my attention. Beautiful looking rifle walnut stock, blued barrel and action. A classic hunting rifle look. I've already been daydreaming about tromping through the woods chasing after hogs with this rifle. But back to reality, I'm a city boy through and through. Unless I move to a different area, hunting's not going to become a regular hobby.

Which brings me to my dilemna. I've been saving up for a savage 10fp w/mcmillan stock. I'd use the rifle in attempts at making tiny little groups in paper and try out different tactical competitions at the local ranges. I know I'd make it out to the range and try out the competitions, no daydream there.

I really like the blued steel and walnut, the rifle seems so right. But the 10fp would be a better range/competition gun, correct? So how do you choose between the day dream gun and the gun that suits your purposes?

 

[Grumulkin]

Dream Rifle

Once you've done enough tromping through the woods in rain, mud and snow, carrying your rifle with the beautiful blueing and stock, it won't be so beautiful anymore. Then you will appreciate the "plain Jane" composite stock and stainless steel barrel kind of rifle.

 

[Radagast]

Buy the gun you will use. Then save your pennies for the day dream. I shoot IPSC PD with a glock 17, I have a custom standard/limited gun as well that cost four times as much. I love it, but I don't shoot it. Value for money is in the gun you will use, cause that's were the real pleasure is.

Ken

 

[ChristopherG]

Value for money is in the gun you will use, cause that's were the real pleasure is.

Wise words.

 

[dakotasin]

why does it have to be one or the other?
get both, but get them by your priority order. get the heavy barrel first, go to your competitions, tune the rifle, have fun w/ it. after you get that rifle 'done', then get the hunting rifle. you will have learned a ton about setting up a rifle in your competitions, so set the hunter up, and go on an occasional hunt.

 

[ArmedBear]

Disclaimer: I'm not trying to be an arse-hole. But sometimes I don't have to try.

Sounds like your soul is crying out to go out in the field. Perhaps instead of spending a buttload of money and time on a poor surrogate for real adventure, you'd be happier spending that time and money actually going out and doing what makes your heart beat livelier.

I don't know what kind of competitions you're talking about, but there are also sporter competitions if you want to shoot competitively with a hunting rifle.

I'd say get neither. That's right, neither. Both of them represent the lure of consumerism as a replacement for following your heart.

Get a good, accurate, utilitarian hunting rifle. Buy a walnut one if you want, but save your money.

Use the money and time to go hunting, not to make little groups in paper while sitting on your butt listening to RSO's harping on one thing or another.

Just my 2 cents, with good intentions. Take it or leave it.

 

[jerkface11]

Why not get a rifle with a blued action and buy an aftermarket WALNUT tactical stock. You'd get a combination of the two then.

 

[ArmedBear]

Accurate Innovations stocks, for example, are high-grade walnut with pretty grain, but with full-length aluminum bedding blocks hidden inside, so they look like a custom hunting rifle, they're as accurate as an ugly "tactical" rifle, and they're not as expensive as either one.

Get a 700 or 70 with a beat stock, put it in one of these. $380 from Cabela's and wherever fine gun stuff is sold...

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...racy&noImage=0&returnPage=search-results1.jsp

Get a bipod that fits on the front stud, if that's what you need.

Then go hunting, too!

 

[jeff-10]

Buy the dream rifle. You can always buy the practical later.

 

[rbernie]

Sounds like your soul is crying out to go out in the field. Perhaps instead of spending a buttload of money and time on a poor surrogate for real adventure, you'd be happier spending that time and money actually going out and doing what makes your heart beat livelier.

Amen, brudder. I would suggest a $200 field rifle, a $200 scope, and some time and money spent locating and utilizing a professional hunting service. For example, here in TX there are ranches within a two hour drive of any part of the state that will sell you an 'unguided-but-they'll-field-dress-it-for-you' hog hunt for the princely sum of $300 per hog taken. This pretty much caters to those of us who can't/won't get in on a lease or don't really know yet what they want or like to do in the field.

Real experience trumps games every time. Decide on the experience you WANT, and pick the gear to match it.

 

[chickenfried]

Thanks for the advice guys. I was checking out my old threads and found this one missing the reply I typed out back then .

Still just sitting on my money. But someone has a 14 american classic, for a good price here on the highroad that's tempting me. Good points to think about on from all, thanks.

Once you've done enough tromping through the woods in rain, mud and snow, carrying your rifle with the beautiful blueing and stock, it won't be so beautiful anymore. Then you will appreciate the "plain Jane" composite stock and stainless steel barrel kind of rifle.

But that's part of the daydream too. Putting a beautiful rifle to good use.

 

[mustanger98]

But that's part of the daydream too. Putting a beautiful rifle to good use.

Yeah. Putting a beautiful rifle to the use it was intended for. Tell you what, having a really nice hunting rifle and not shooting it and carrying it hunting and enjoying it... that's too much like having a girlfriend and not kissin' her.

 

[albanian]

"I've already been daydreaming about tromping through the woods chasing after hogs with this rifle."

Buy a nice Yugo SKS for $100 and spend all the money you save on the hunting trip. The cost difference between a high dollar rifle and a Yugo will pay for at least one hunting trip.

 

[mustanger98]

Now, if I'm thinking hog hunting with a tough old milsurp rifle, I'd got with an Enfield- .303 or .308- for the added power. I hear people talk up SKS and AK all the time, but IMNSHO those ain't the hunting gun an Enfield is. Many many deer, bear, and hogs have been taken with Enfields. Use enough gun.

 

[Schleprok62]

Why not opt for the 11/111G model? Same look, same action, real Walnut stock, a tad lighter, more caliber options, and a lower price.

 

[mustanger98]

I have the M11GL (L = lefthand) in .243Winchester. It comes in several calibers including .308Winchester. It's a good rifle. Accurate. Feeds/ejects smooth. Comes with sights on the barrel and is drilled and tapped to mount a scope. I'd recommend mounting an aperture on the bridge, but that's just me even though I scoped mine with see-throughs.

 

[nipprdog]

But the 10fp would be a better range/competition gun, correct? So how do you choose between the day dream gun and the gun that suits your purposes?

well, since you said you're not going to move to where you can hunt hogs, why get the dream gun? , get the 10FP.

and if you ever do move, you can get the dream gun for much less than the 10FP.

 

[mustanger98]

You're clearly going to get one answer from one interest group and the other answer from the other group depending on whether they're into hunting or not. Get what you like and forget what you don't like. You have to satisfy yourself and not everybody else.

since you said you're not going to move to where you can hunt hogs, why get the dream gun?

Seems to me, you got two different purposes that may or may not call for two different rifles. But this question sounds to me a lot like some people who say "my brother-in-law has a (Marlin 336 .30-30 or whatever it happens to be), but he hasn't hunted in 20 years; he oughta sell his gun." And that's about the dumbest thing I ever heard. Rifles can be a personal thing one guy to the next.

That said, I'm not sure exactly what a 10FP has (besides a synthetic stock and maybe a bedding block) that a M11G in .308 (which is pillar bedded, IIRC) don't have.

 

[bratch]

With the 10FP you can get a factory McMillian stock.

What about finding a used 10 and a used 11. You should be able to get both for well under the price of the 10FP new. Then you could save up and put a McMillian stock on the 10 later.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Man-- times have changed----this is the first time I can recall a Savage being anyone's dream rifle.

 

[mustanger98]

Am I the only one who sees what Savage haters and Mini-14 haters have in common? They both really like to use the "" sign concerning what other people like. But then, we all have something we like or don't like. You know, it's kinda like when somebody gives you a bucket of spent brass... that's cool because you can sort through it and find good usable pieces you can reload and shoot over and over.

 

[chickenfried]

yeah from what people say they're only affordable, accurate, and have a nice user adjustable trigger . I should spend more money, and get a brand name with some more cachet .

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Hey---I like my Mini-14----lolololololololololololol

 

[mustanger98]

I like my Mini-14 and my Savage M11GL.

FWIW, when I got into the Savage, I was also looking at left-handed Model 70 long action (they didn't offer LH in a short action) and Remington M's 7 and 700 BDL. I just couldn't get what I wanted to come together in the others for less money than they usually are plus the added cost of my list of options. The Savage has pretty much come together like I like it, plus if I decide to, I can reconfigure the sights at some point to be the other way I like it. Or I can get another one- maybe .308 next time- and configure it the other way.

 

[gringobaba]

Why not opt for the 11/111G model? Same look, same action, real Walnut stock, a tad lighter, more caliber options, and a lower price.

While there have been a few walnut models here and there (such as the recent Classic models), and even some examples of basic models which ended up with the fancier stocks for one reason or another (probably supply-on-hand), most Savage wood stocks have been other hardwoods for a long time. While I can tell either apart from walnut, I have a hard time telling the difference between beech and birch, so I do not know for sure, but I suspect one or both are what they use. Savage describes the stocks on their G models as "Walnut finished hardwood," meaning "hardwood finished to look like walnut." The Classic stocks are labeled "American walnut."

I say get the Classic for its stock and high-polish action, then get one or more knockaround synthetic stocks and barrels. The Savage becomes a very modular gun if you have a vise and a barrel nut wrench.