Looking for budget precision rifle, savage 110 elite precision?

[Big-bore-bob]

Hi all, I've done a bit of precision shooting but it was with friends rifles and not my own. I'm mostly a handgun shooter and reloader chasing perfect groups. I'm in the market for an "entry level" precision rifle that's accurate as heck. I've been eyeballing the savage 110 elite precision. I can get the 300 win mag version locally or order the 308 and have it in 5-7 days. I'll be reloading/handloading for the rifle. Any experience with this rifle? And suggestions for an alternative in the 2000 dollar price range? ( optics ill purchase separately of course). A range an hour away has lanes out to 1400 yds. I'd like this rifle to do double duty as a long range antelope rifle and perhaps elk harvester. I'm not interested in 6.5 Creedmoor or any other odd niche caliber. I'm looking for a heavy, common, well tested tool. My old man is a marine gunny who knew guys on the marine precision shooting team who swear by the 300 win mag. I won't shy away from hard work and budgeting to buy a good rifle. Thanks! Happy shooting!

 

[small town life]

I'm VERY happy with my 3 savage 110's! Stealth300wm (24"), BA/LE 300wm (26") and Stealth (24" 338lm) + 2 110 receiver builds (264wm, 300wm). I decided not to get an Elite due to twist being slower (10 rather than 9) than what I'd want/need. As far as the Elite line I couldn't say, but if they hold up like the other 110's do it should be good!

 

[small town life]

300wm is the carbon fiber barrel
264wm is the ss barrel

 

[LoonWulf]

Ive had a whole pile of 110s and they are a good option for most anything.
My current 110 is one i put together in 300prc. It was assembled asy dads heavy hunting rifle and longer range target rifle (ideally out to around a mile). It has no issue handling those chores, tho since he dosent really like shooting it, ill probably use it mostly.

 

[LoonWulf]

Other options i own and like are the the sako s20, and Christensen Mesa LR (which is my longer range rifle)

 

[12Bravo20]

I'm also been very happy with all of my Savage rifles with their heavier varmint barrels. And if you want a Savage with a chassis stock, you might as well buy the Elite since it will be the same price as buying another model then going out and buying a good chassis stock separately.

 

[Ru4real]

 

[rdnktrkr]

I have a Howa 1500 that came in a MDT chassis, shoots great and has a smoother action than my Savage in 30-06. If you catch them on sale they are competitively priced.

 

[small town life]

I'm also been very happy with all of my Savage rifles with their heavier varmint barrels. And if you want a Savage with a chassis stock, you might as well buy the Elite since it will be the same price as buying another model then going out and buying a good chassis stock separately.

Maybe, but not exactly. You might want a different barrel length and/or twist not to mention lead/throat. If you need a gunsmith to do alterations/assembly then it's going to be more.

 

[Jim Watson]

I am out of date on LR but have memories and opinions.

savage 110 elite precision

Probably OK, when I was in F class, there was a Savage team shooting the then current model and doing well.
I started with the BVSS and did considerable work on it. A friend had one and did even more
The Elite would avoid a lot of it. Nice thing about Savages, barrel change is a DIY. My friend has a barrel vise so all it took was a barrel nut wrench and a Go gauge.

lanes out to 1400 yds

swear by the 300 win mag.

I'm not interested in 6.5 Creedmoor or any other odd niche caliber.

Maybe you should be. .308 is straining at 1000 yards - that is why they have a separate division, F-T/R, for it - and the .300 WM is a hard kicker in a light rifle like that. (One modification we made to our BVSSes was to rout out the butt and foreend and fill the recesses with lead shot in bedding compound - which we were using on the actions anyhow.) I suspect the Marines shot .300 WM because it was at one time the sniper caliber. I know the Army F Open team was shooting 6.5x284 when I was active.

double duty as a long range antelope rifle and perhaps elk harvester.

A 12 lb rifle (+scope and ammo) is light for hunkering down and shooting all morning but it is heavy to hump in the field after game.

 

[LoonWulf]

Im just assuming youll land on the 300wm for this one.....

12 lb rifle (+scope and ammo) is light for hunkering down and shooting all morning but it is heavy to hump in the field after game.

Ill second that. The rifle we have is about 13.5lbs loaded, has a fairly effective brake, and a decent recoil pad. Its not bad to shoot, but i find fatiguing after a while. Carrying it is also fine as long as its strapped across my back, or held in both hands.
Again neither is undoable, just gotta be aware of the trade offs.

If your willing to deal with the weight while hunting id go even heavier to get an easier and more pleasant rifle to shoot at the range.

The other considerations @small town life brought up are something to be aware of as well. Factory rifles are built to a generic specification, check the specs to make sure it will do what you want.....and dont end up with a couple boxes of bullets your gun wont stabilize, like someone i know did....or some like that anyway.

 

[Big-bore-bob]

A lot to think about here... thanks. I'll keep looking around researching different options for rifles and cartridges. I appreciate the input. Any more tips and opinions are appreciated. Happy shooting!

 

[horsey300]

Hi all, I've done a bit of precision shooting but it was with friends rifles and not my own. I'm mostly a handgun shooter and reloader chasing perfect groups. I'm in the market for an "entry level" precision rifle that's accurate as heck. I've been eyeballing the savage 110 elite precision. I can get the 300 win mag version locally or order the 308 and have it in 5-7 days. I'll be reloading/handloading for the rifle. Any experience with this rifle? And suggestions for an alternative in the 2000 dollar price range? ( optics ill purchase separately of course). A range an hour away has lanes out to 1400 yds. I'd like this rifle to do double duty as a long range antelope rifle and perhaps elk harvester. I'm not interested in 6.5 Creedmoor or any other odd niche caliber. I'm looking for a heavy, common, well tested tool. My old man is a marine gunny who knew guys on the marine precision shooting team who swear by the 300 win mag. I won't shy away from hard work and budgeting to buy a good rifle. Thanks! Happy shooting!

I see nothing wrong with the elite, probably top bang for your buck, but realistically? I traded out of my .300 wm and never looked back, something in 6, 6.5, or 7mm would be way betterer for your intended purposes with a little more recoil the 6.5 and 7mm do it quite well, and for what you've stated, I'd take a custom .243 (aka 6 creed) over .300wm. The 6.5 creed is about as far from "niche" as it gets, grab a ballistic calculator and play with some numbers using the heavy eld and 156 berger bullets, then play with the idea of those hunting trips and still harvesting that game, and doing that and the LR with something that recoils closer to a .243 or .308 and still reaches out through .300 wm territory. I'd also throw in the .280ai for giggles, little more recoil but still decently south of .300wm and the long heavy 7mm bullets are no slouch! Check out some actual matches and see what the regulars are using. The 6 and 6.5mms are there for a reason. The 6.5 prc should also be considered but it's gonna choke more powder than you really need to and that in itself is a multi-faceted tradeoff. The ol x284 was ballistically great on paper, the dimensions failed it though. Too long for true short actions with the slippery bullets and ugly in a long action. So basically anything in the 6-7mm families burning 40-50 gr of powder should do the trick nicely.

 

[12Bravo20]

Maybe, but not exactly. You might want a different barrel length and/or twist not to mention lead/throat. If you need a gunsmith to do alterations/assembly then it's going to be more.

I already did the math a few months ago. And getting the Savage Varmint barrel is the best way to go for accuracy. And yes if you buy a GV or FV model and then buy the MDT ACC chassis separately then yes you will be up to the same price as a factory Elite rifle. So if you want a MDT or other quality chassis then you might as well buy the Savage Elite Precision with the ACC chassis or the Savage Precision with the MDT LSS XL chassis.

 

[small town life]

I already did the math a few months ago. And getting the Savage Varmint barrel is the best way to go for accuracy. And yes if you buy a GV or FV model and then buy the MDT ACC chassis separately then yes you will be up to the same price as a factory Elite rifle. So if you want a MDT or other quality chassis then you might as well buy the Savage Elite Precision with the ACC chassis or the Savage Precision with the MDT LSS XL chassis.

I spent more than production rifle cost (elite in this case) as it wasn't offered in 264wm and 300wm twist rate was to slow for bullets being shot. Knowing what you're going to shoot in twist offered makes decisions easier and possibly faster on getting it on hand.

 

[small town life]

I see nothing wrong with the elite, probably top bang for your buck, but realistically? I traded out of my .300 wm and never looked back, something in 6, 6.5, or 7mm would be way betterer for your intended purposes with a little more recoil the 6.5 and 7mm do it quite well, and for what you've stated, I'd take a custom .243 (aka 6 creed) over .300wm. The 6.5 creed is about as far from "niche" as it gets, grab a ballistic calculator and play with some numbers using the heavy eld and 156 berger bullets, then play with the idea of those hunting trips and still harvesting that game, and doing that and the LR with something that recoils closer to a .243 or .308 and still reaches out through .300 wm territory. I'd also throw in the .280ai for giggles, little more recoil but still decently south of .300wm and the long heavy 7mm bullets are no slouch! Check out some actual matches and see what the regulars are using. The 6 and 6.5mms are there for a reason. The 6.5 prc should also be considered but it's gonna choke more powder than you really need to and that in itself is a multi-faceted tradeoff. The ol x284 was ballistically great on paper, the dimensions failed it though. Too long for true short actions with the slippery bullets and ugly in a long action. So basically anything in the 6-7mm families burning 40-50 gr of powder should do the trick nicely.

Depends on what you're looking for, trajectory or energy at long distances?

 

[Big-bore-bob]

Depends on what you're looking for, trajectory or energy at long distances?

Looks like a target rifle isn't the best tool for hunting as well, too many trade offs. I wouldn't mind having a quality target rifle and a separate hunting rifle but setting up both would take a year or more of saving ( I'm in no rush though). I think I'm leaning toward a purpose built target rifle first. If a "budget" rifle would need tuning to be truly good, maybe a custom/semi-custom rifle would be worth the extra cash (something I could grow into as a shooter/reloader).

 

[MarshallDodge]

300 WM

I see nothing wrong with the elite, probably top bang for your buck, but realistically? I traded out of my .300 wm and never looked back, something in 6, 6.5, or 7mm would be way betterer for your intended purposes with a little more recoil the 6.5 and 7mm do it quite well, and for what you've stated, I'd take a custom .243 (aka 6 creed) over .300wm. The 6.5 creed is about as far from "niche" as it gets, grab a ballistic calculator and play with some numbers using the heavy eld and 156 berger bullets, then play with the idea of those hunting trips and still harvesting that game, and doing that and the LR with something that recoils closer to a .243 or .308 and still reaches out through .300 wm territory. I'd also throw in the .280ai for giggles, little more recoil but still decently south of .300wm and the long heavy 7mm bullets are no slouch! Check out some actual matches and see what the regulars are using. The 6 and 6.5mms are there for a reason. The 6.5 prc should also be considered but it's gonna choke more powder than you really need to and that in itself is a multi-faceted tradeoff. The ol x284 was ballistically great on paper, the dimensions failed it though. Too long for true short actions with the slippery bullets and ugly in a long action. So basically anything in the 6-7mm families burning 40-50 gr of powder should do the trick nicely.

Pretty much this.

At 100-300 yards, the benchrest shooters are using 222 Rem, 6PPC, or 6BR, mostly because of the low recoil. If you want to shoot at 1000, 300WM has more energy, but a 6CM has a similar trajectory and lower recoil. It is also going to give you longer barrel life.

 

[small town life]

300 WM

Pretty much this.

At 100-300 yards, the benchrest shooters are using 222 Rem, 6PPC, or 6BR, mostly because of the low recoil. If you want to shoot at 1000, 300WM has more energy, but a 6CM has a similar trajectory and lower recoil. It is also going to give you longer barrel life.

7saum is a tradeoff and no need for a 7prc.

 

[horsey300]

Depends on what you're looking for, trajectory or energy at long distances?

Energy numbers aren't as important as the gun rags led us to believe years ago, a bullet constructed for the job at hand being place precisely and performing within expected parameters is much more important than ft-lbs at xxxyds. Modern bullet technologies have come a LONG ways, less need for that 200-220gr win mag load when you can grab a bonded, monolithic, or partition/aframe type bullet, had my grandfather seen what my oldest boy (second oldest total) did with his scirocco2s he would have sworn we were using something much much biggerer than a .22-250. Don't get me wrong, I have a 7mmstw and .270wsm, there are definitely times I love overkill overbore cartridges, but to beat the wind, run the yardage up over xxx amount of rounds (such as in LR shooting) my buddy agreed that while he could hit a target at 500 yards with his 06 he could NOT have fired that rifle nearly as much nor as often as he did his 6x284. Then take that requirement and ask it to ethically take game and we have a 140-160ish weighted eldx or bonded bullet to step in, trucking along at modest velocities and holding those velocities farther, past most needed hunting distances, if the bullet is designed properly, used properly, and placed properly, Energy becomes more of a theoretical conversation piece for the practical minded fellow. I personally like splodey bullets for deer and antelope, and something bonded for bigger, and occasionally barnes makes an entrance (and exit) for giggles, but I truthfully haven't looked at Energy since I don't know when.

 

[jmr40]

1400 yards on paper and call it 700 yards for hunting. The 6.5CM is your huckleberry. Virtually the same trajectory as 300 WM with 1/3 the recoil and 1/2 the powder if you handload with better accuracy. The 300 WM hasn't been a contender in long range shooting in decades. There are much better choices.

As a hunting cartridge the 6.5 CM shoots 140 gr bullets a bit slower than 270 shoots 140's at the muzzle. But at some point beyond 200 yards is faster than 270. Nobody ever said 270 wasn't a good hunting cartridge.

For a dual purpose hunting/ long range target rifle I'd get a Tikka CTR. It's going to weigh 9-9.5 pounds with optics and cost a little over $1000. They offer it with a 20" or 24" barrel in 6.5CM. For only 1400 yards the 20" barrel is enough, and it will be about 1/2 lb lighter for hunting.

Choose your own Tikka rifle from a variety of innovative models

Tikka is able to meet the requirements of modern hunters by combining traditional gunsmith know-how with advanced technology. Choose your own Tikka rifle now!

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[small town life]

Energy numbers aren't as important as the gun rags led us to believe years ago, a bullet constructed for the job at hand being place precisely and performing within expected parameters is much more important than ft-lbs at xxxyds. Modern bullet technologies have come a LONG ways, less need for that 200-220gr win mag load when you can grab a bonded, monolithic, or partition/aframe type bullet, had my grandfather seen what my oldest boy (second oldest total) did with his scirocco2s he would have sworn we were using something much much biggerer than a .22-250. Don't get me wrong, I have a 7mmstw and .270wsm, there are definitely times I love overkill overbore cartridges, but to beat the wind, run the yardage up over xxx amount of rounds (such as in LR shooting) my buddy agreed that while he could hit a target at 500 yards with his 06 he could NOT have fired that rifle nearly as much nor as often as he did his 6x284. Then take that requirement and ask it to ethically take game and we have a 140-160ish weighted eldx or bonded bullet to step in, trucking along at modest velocities and holding those velocities farther, past most needed hunting distances, if the bullet is designed properly, used properly, and placed properly, Energy becomes more of a theoretical conversation piece for the practical minded fellow. I personally like splodey bullets for deer and antelope, and something bonded for bigger, and occasionally barnes makes an entrance (and exit) for giggles, but I truthfully haven't looked at Energy since I don't know when.

Now you're talking velocity needed for reliable expansion. I didn't mention hunting.

 

[Chuck R.]

As a hunting cartridge the 6.5 CM shoots 140 gr bullets a bit slower than 270 shoots 140's at the muzzle. But at some point beyond 200 yards is faster than 270. Nobody ever said 270 wasn't a good hunting cartridge.

Some point beyond 200 yds, like at around 800 yds right?

Can you not just use a simple ballistic program, or do you truly enjoy spouting crap??

I've included ranges to ridiculous distances for hunting (in my opinion) to clearly show how the superior Ballistic Coefficient of the 6.5 Creedmoor bullet enables it to begin catching up to the velocity of the 270 Winchester bullet. The Winchester's 250 fps velocity advantage at the muzzle has been reduced to just 54 fps at 800 yards. Note that, even though the .277" bullet leaves the muzzle with 497 foot-pounds more energy than the 6.5 Creedmoor, the superior aerodynamic shape of the .264" bullet enables it to conserve more energy. By 800 yards the 6.5 Creedmoor has cut the 270 Winchester's energy advantage to just 78 f-p.

6.5 Creedmoor Versus 270 Winchester — Ron Spomer Outdoors

In a 6.5 Creedmoor versus 270 Winchester ballistic competition, which wins? Drop, drift, retained energy, velocity, and recoil are compared.

www.ronspomeroutdoors.com

Again, there's no replacement for displacement and a 6.5C is NOT catching or surpassing a .270Win within the distances most hunters have any business shooting game.

Next you'll come up with some nonsense about the higher SD of the 6.5 making a world of difference.

 

[small town life]

Some point beyond 200 yds, like at around 800 yds right?

Can you not just use a simple ballistic program, or do you truly enjoy spouting crap??

6.5 Creedmoor Versus 270 Winchester — Ron Spomer Outdoors

In a 6.5 Creedmoor versus 270 Winchester ballistic competition, which wins? Drop, drift, retained energy, velocity, and recoil are compared.

www.ronspomeroutdoors.com

Again, there's no replacement for displacement and a 6.5C is NOT catching or surpassing a .270Win within the distances most hunters have any business shooting game.

Next you'll come up with some nonsense about the higher SD of the 6.5 making a world of difference.

While I've seen and read some of his thoughts, I'm not convinced with what he comes up with. So, ballistic programs are worthless? Hunting now starts with a minimum being a 105 howitzer? I'm a 26cal fan as a 264wm was my 1st large cartridge (large to me at 9 years old) I started using and have shot 270win also (I enjoy my 270win BLR). My preference between a 6.5creed and a 260rem is............260rem all day! I do own 6.5gren, 6.5creed, 260rem, 6.5prc and my favorite.....264wm. Not sure why someone would compare a 6.5creed with a 270win? Both have 130scirocco's (26cal .571, 27cal .450 bc) with a big difference in bc's. This data I'm posting is based on Swift's #2 book.

Both cartridges use a 24" barrel in their data
at 600 yards using max velocity in both displays these numbers with a 250 yard 0

270win (3,150fps muzzle velocity) drop @ 600 54.9", drift (10mph) 26.5", energy 1,133, velocity 1,981
6.5creed (2,900fps muzzle velocity) drop 59.4", drift 22.4, energy 1,156, velocity 2,001

The extra 250fps is a loss due to bc, but has less drop and more drift.

Now take the 270win down close to 6.5creed max velocity and here's the numbers

2,950fps at muzzle, drop @ 600 yards 63.7", drift 29.2", energy 967 and velocity 1,830


It's not a debate, only a decision

 

[Chuck R.]

While I've seen and read some of his thoughts, I'm not convinced with what he comes up with. So, ballistic programs are worthless? Hunting now starts with a minimum being a 105 howitzer? I'm a 26cal fan as a 264wm was my 1st large cartridge (large to me at 9 years old) I started using and have shot 270win also (I enjoy my 270win BLR). My preference between a 6.5creed and a 260rem is............260rem all day! I do own 6.5gren, 6.5creed, 260rem, 6.5prc and my favorite.....264wm. Not sure why someone would compare a 6.5creed with a 270win? Both have 130scirocco's (26cal .571, 27cal .450 bc) with a big difference in bc's. This data I'm posting is based on Swift's #2 book.

Both cartridges use a 24" barrel in their data
at 600 yards using max velocity in both displays these numbers with a 250 yard 0

270win (3,150fps muzzle velocity) drop @ 600 54.9", drift (10mph) 26.5", energy 1,133, velocity 1,981
6.5creed (2,900fps muzzle velocity) drop 59.4", drift 22.4, energy 1,156, velocity 2,001

The extra 250fps is a loss due to bc, but has less drop and more drift.

Now take the 270win down close to 6.5creed max velocity and here's the numbers

2,950fps at muzzle, drop @ 600 yards 63.7", drift 29.2", energy 967 and velocity 1,830


It's not a debate, only a decision

Honestly I don't care what anybody uses, I just don't like non-substantiated BS.

I load for a friend's 6.5C and I load for my .260Rem (+ 30 other calibers). With 140s and a 24" barrel the 6.5C is a 2750 or so MV (which is actually being generous).

Spaulding's actually correct, he ran his numbers with both cartridges using their highest BC bullets.

As for MVs:

Nosler Lists 2730 as max in 6.5C with a 142 : https://www.nosler.com/65-creedmoor
Nosler also lists 3020 for a .270 with a 140: https://www.nosler.com/270-winchester

Using Strelok Pro and the same environmental conditions with a 10mph 90 degree wind:

For the 6.5C I used a AB Long Range with BC of .625

500 yds 6.5C 39.5" of drop and 20" of windage at 500 1346 lbs of energy
700 yds the 6.5C has 105.5" Drop, 28.0" of windage and 1056 energy

The .270 Win I just used a plain old 140 gran AB with a BC of 0.496

500 yds 34.2" Drop 15.6 Windage 1412 energy
700 yds 93.6" Drop 32.4" drift 1042 energy

IF I was worried about LR with the .270, why not go with the 150AB LR bullet and a BC of .591 and a MV of 2900?

500 drop 35.0 drift 13.4" 1571 energy
700 drop 93.8 drift 27.4" 1221 Energy

Of course there could be some variations, fast barrels etc., but a freaking 6.5C is not catching a .270W anywhere close to 200 yds no matter how many time jmr40 posts it.