Marlin 981T vs. Savage Mark II-F

[snead888]

Marlin 981T vs. Savage Mark II-F
Ok, can someone give me their opinion here? This would be my first rifle. I hear great things about the Accu-trigger on the Savage but the Marlin can take different calibers and holds more. I am trying to keep it under $200. Also can someone explain he T-900 Fire Trigger system thingy? I'm planning to do a little hunting but mostly target practice and plinking. If anyone has any other suggestions for guns i would be happy to hear. What kind of problems have people had with these guns too?

 

[ThomasT]

I can't tell you much about the Savage. The only Savage i own is a 223 with the Accu-Trigger. Its a little strange at first but very easy to get use to. Mine felt just fine from the factory so i have never touched it.

I do have a 981T and think its a fantastic rifle. I have the T9000 trigger but sorta think its hype. Maybe its better but i can't say for sure. I can say this. It shoots and shoots very well. Nickle sized groups at 50 yards are no sweat. I put a Nikon 4x Pro-Staff on mine. These are nice scopes for the price.

I do have one small problem with it. I don't enough time to go shoot it. I like hold it and look at it. I like to work the action. Its pretty smooth for being almost "out of the box". My work is slowing down some now so i hope i can get a chance soon to shoot this rifle and some other guns i have bought.

I have bought 8-9 new rifles and have barely shot any of them. Oh well, Right now i'm not turning down anything that pays.

 

[22-rimfire]

The choice would be simple for me as I prefer the tubular magazine of the Marlin. It is easier to load, holds more rounds, and you can load shorts, longs, or long rifles.

 

[Bartkowski]

They are both decent guns, but I have had great luck with marlins. My 2 marlins shoot about 1/2" at 50 yards with remington thunderbolt ammo. My other 2 are model 60's and shoot about 3/4" at 50 yards with the same ammo.

 

[rangerruck]

I also am marlin biased, but have no probs recommending the savage. the t 900 trigger is a gimick, oh sure it is better, than the old hammer, and anvil setup they used to use, and you had to cut/ replace springs to lighten, but mmeh... it is still better than the old ones. and you are right, if you put in some Aguila super colibris, you can shoot this in your backyard, without penetrating your neighbors' fence... or freak them out without it being too loud.
the tube will also hold 25 shorts at one time.
Now then, Outdoor Life, just did a test on a bunch of rifles, and they mentioned a few. They said the Savage MK II bv, with the stainless bbl, and lam thumbhole stock, was the MOST ACCURATE RIFLE THEY EVER TESTED, including hi end European designs and centerfires. they had 7 guys shoot it, and they shot 5 shot groups at 50 yds. The average of the first 5 dudes that shot it was a .229 inches; in case you don't see it, that is under 1/4 inch, on an average, for 5 diff dudes, at 50 yds.
Then another one of their testers got up, a guy with benchrest time and skills, and pulled a squeaky .109 group!!!! Totally sick.
Again , I like marlins, and have a mod 80, which is the same rifle above, just about 70 years old now though, and it is fantastically accurate, but I doubt it could pull off groups that good....

 

[snead888]

thanks for the replies, I like the sound of the savage after that test but I do like the tube fed and the different types of ammo in the Marlin. Also it is cheaper. oh, and thanks for the info on the t900 trigger. At first I was leaning toward the Marlin but now the Savage is looking better just because of its accuracy.
Do you know if they were using scopes in the Outdoor Life test?

 

[sarduy]

i have to vote for the savage because i own one and yeah, it's damn accurate

 

[rangerruck]

yes they were. also there was a listing on good scopes as well, Bushnell has a new impressive line called the 6500 series, which uses front double glass, and can multiply up to 6.5 times per 1x of power. they have one that is a 2.5 x 18 power, and another one that is a 4.5 x 30 power. Awesome!!!!

 

[snead888]

that sounds like an awesome scope...if I was getting a higher caliber rifle. I'm good with a small one so I don't feel like I'm cheating. BTW what would be a good not high powered scope cause I have bad eyesight and I don't want to wear my glasses, cause I'm lazy and they are annoying? (and that wasn't a run-on that my english teacher would kill me for)

 

[22-rimfire]

I'll list some of my favorites in the current market: Weaver 4x rimfire, Weaver 2.5-7x Rimfire, Weaver 3-9x rimfire AO, Mueller APV 4.5-14x AO, Leupold 2-7x Rimfire, Leupold 4x rimfire. Leupold also has a 3-9x but is farily expensive.

Something cheaper: Bushnell 3-9x rimfire (around $50).

All of these are scopes for rimfire rifles with parallax adjusted to 50 yds except for the AO scopes which you adjust. I suggest buying a rimfire scope versus a regular scope such as what you might pickup at Walmart. Something in the 2-7 or 3-9x works well for everyday use. The 4x scopes are much more compact and look sharp on 22's.

 

[rangerruck]

Those are all good scopes, but the most underrated is a 35 to 50 dollar scope. It is a Tasco scope in the hard plastic package. It is ADULT, BREAK BBL, SPRING PISTON RATED, so it is built like a tank. it is a 3x9x32, so it is still small, and even though it is small, it has an adjustable objective up front, and it is adjustable down to 7.5 (either meters or ft.), which is totally awesome!!!!
Lemme get you a pic...

Normally, scopes with small front objectives, that have adjustable objectives, are expensive to very expensive. And also are still hard to find...
I also like Swift, and the Tasco varmint series; they make them from 4x12 up to 6 x 24.

 

[TIMC]

I have a Marlin 981T and love it. I have had no issues with it, the gun will feed short, long and long rifle rounds with ease. Mine is topped with a Bushnell 3x9x40mm scope. Many a rabbit has fallen to that rifle at ranges out to 100 yards.

 

[snead888]

Thanks, the tasco one sounds good, and knowing me I probably wouldn't have gotten a rimfire scope. I hope they have all these choices at the place I go to.

 

[dagger dog]

I have a Savage in .22rimfire and one in .223 both have the accu-trigger. The triggers are better than most but not perfect I set both of mine as low as they would go in pull weight havent put a scale on them, but they both have some creep and grittyness as compared to a true target type trigger that is fully adjustable and that has been honed.

They are both about as accurate as an out of the box rifle costing much much more and are good value for the money.

 

[rangerruck]

the one pictured above , again, is in the hard plastic package. It is the 'golden antler' series, but they make two diff ones. so look close , and make sure it has the adjustable objective up front, like the one in the pic does. It should also say right on the package, 'Adult break bbl, spring piston rated scope' , or something very close to that...

 

[snead888]

ill make sure to look for that. what does bbl mean?
EDIT: my dad's vote is for the marlin cause he likes the tube fed and doesn't like the clip. since he is the one actually getting it he has a sizable vote, but I am thinking of convincing him to go for the Savage. Hate being 17.

 

[snead888]

Change of heart

Ok, so my dad said i had to earn the money for it and he would buy it. i didn't give him any money though, so in a couple months when i turn 18 i will buy it from him. So no legal issues. Since i got to pick it out i pick the CZ 452 Ultra Lux
Beautiful! Very Long, girlfriend mad, haven't got to shoot it, but it ok for right now. Sorry about the horrible pics but phone on camera and lack ability to get the whole gun in the picture.
One question though, why did it come with a bullet case? (Not a live bullet)