Remington 770 or Savage 111 FXP3 or Savage axis???

[Flyingbullet]

Hey guys I'm trying to figure out which rifle to buy. I'm on a budget of no more the $400. I will be getting a rifle either in a 30/06 or .308. I can't decide between the Remington 770 or Savage 111 FXP3 or Savage axis! They are all in my price range! I would like any info anybody's got on each of the rifles pros and cons! If I was to buy a rifle with a scope packaged I would probably only use the scope for a year till I can buy a better one so... Also What are your thoughts on the 30/06 and the .308 what are there pros and cons??? Thanks!

 

[exavid]

I hunted with a Savage 110L 30-06 for over 30 years. I don't know much about the 111 but it looks like a modernized, slicked up 110 to me. I like the 30-06 cartridge, it's good enough for anything in North America depending on how you load it. Mine did fine one many moose, caribou, Dahl sheep and a few bears both black and grizzly. I had a .308 which is ballistically the same as the 30-06 for all practical purposes. The .308 really was developed for shorter actioned rifles but otherwise the same power as the 06. I had a Winchester model 100 in .308 but eventually sold it and kept the Savage as I liked the bolt action better. When hunting potentially dangerous game it seemed to me that the bolt is a lot less likely to act up than an autoloader.

 

[hoghunting]

Out of those 3 choices, take the 111 FXP3. You might also look at the T/C Venture and Weatherby Vanguard as they are both very good rifles and around your price range.

 

[Flyingbullet]

I have done LOTS of research and I was leaning towards the Savage 111! I will be using it for Whitetail deer and Elk mostly. And my whole thing between the 30/06 and the .308 is that the .308 was cheaper ammo so I thought there was a big difference.

 

[natman]

Either Savage would be a good choice. Another well worth looking at would be the Marlin XL / XS 7.

Don't even consider the Remington 770.

 

[reuben mishler]

I agree with most others that the 770 is something you should stay away from. I think for the price point that Savage and Remington are competing in, being the 300 350 range, Savage has Remington beat. I do think the 111 is nicer yet, but for the price point, the Axis is not a bad choice.

 

[Flyingbullet]

Yeah I think I'm going to get the Savage 111. Now I just need to figure out what Caliber to get it in 30/06,.308, or 7mm. What are your guys thoughts on that?

 

[mnhntr]

Either Savage or a Stevens 200 would be good. The 770 is the biggest POS I have seen lately. I like the .308 or .30-06 if you are not handloading.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Yeah I think I'm going to get the Savage 111. Now I just need to figure out what Caliber to get it in 30/06,.308, or 7mm. What are your guys thoughts on that?

With the Savage you aren't limited to just one caliber. Buy one in 30.06 (long action) get a barrel nut wrench and go/no-go gauges, a magnum bolt head and a .308 win and a 7mm rm barrel. Switch back and forth at will. Three guns in one.

 

[Flyingbullet]

I like that changing the barrels idea! But what should I get it in first?

 

[jimmyraythomason]

But what should I get it in first?

post #9,sentence #2.

 

[courtgreene]

.308. If you don't know how you handle recoil, then why blow your shoulder out of socket with the 06 when you can get plenty of great bullets, similar performance, and an easier shooting rifle (assuming the same weight of the gun) from a .308. There are a LOT of people who swear by the 30-06. They love it, for good reason, but given your uses and given the similarities, I'd recommend the .308.

 

[ssyoumans]

I go with 308 in:
1) TC Venture $349 after $50 rebate. Has 5R rifling and box mag.
2) Marlin XS7S in SS. I have it in 243 and it is a fine rifle.
3) Savage 111

Avoid the Rem 770. Savage Axis is ok, but not as good as the other 3. Didn't like package scope on the marlins, a bit fish eyed at 9x power, narrow eye relief. I'd avoid all package scopes even of just for a year and get a $150 Nikon Prostaff.

308 is just as good as 30-06 with bullets up to 180gr with less blast. It's more efficient. I can't think of much a 165/168gr Barnes in 308 won't drop in the US with proper shot placement.

 

[LetFreedomReign]

I would go with the 30-06 for ballistics or the .308 if cost is a major factor. Have you thought about .243? Unless you are hunting in Africa, the .243 WIN round is hard to beat....

 

[Flyingbullet]

I have never heard of a .243. And if there is no difference in the 30/06 and the .308 why is .308 ammo so much cheaper??? Also does anyone know what kind of scope comes with the savage 111 like the brand?

 

[courtgreene]

.308 is a common military round, well, the military version is 7.62x51mm NATO, but it's ALMOST the same thing. there is surplus and components are always in production. That's one reason it's cheaper. Another reason is that the target crowd loves it. Those two things together means that it's always got a market, so it's always got plenty of supply. That's the second reason it's cheaper. It's also burning less powder, which makes it TECHNICALLY cheaper to load, although you would have to load a heck of a lot of it to see the difference.
The .243, much like the .7mm-08, is a .308's case that is "necked down" to shoot a smaller projectile. Think of it as a mini-magnum, by which I mean a smaller projectile with the same amount of powder (potentially) as the bigger projectile, which means FASTER. Commonly referred to as "overbore."

 

[nra-for-life]

i won a savage axis a while back and i was floored at how well a cheap out of the box rifle could shoot. maybe i just got lucky, but there are a lot of guys showing really nice groups with these on youtube and such. i wouldnt hesitate to recomend one to anyone on a tight budget.

caliber choice is going to be dependent on what you intend to do with the rifle. if your going after an elk id say go 30-06. jmo

 

[ldhulk]

If elk are on the menu, don't consider a .243 at all. The .308 is plenty for deer, with a little less recoil than the 30-06. The '06 will give you a bit more power than the .308 if barrel lengths and chamber pressures are equal, and it handles heavy bullets better. Elk hunters seem to favor 7mm, .300, and .338 magnums, but the '06 will do fine as long as you aren't trying to shoot 500 yards. I doubt if any elk could tell the difference, but the 30-06 is a bit more gun than the .308. Both Hornady and Federal are selling extra power loads in both cartridges that beat the old standard loads by 200 fps or so.

 

[mdauben]

I go with 308 in:
1) TC Venture $349 after $50 rebate. Has 5R rifling and box mag.
2) Marlin XS7S in SS. I have it in 243 and it is a fine rifle.
3) Savage 111

The Savage 111 is a long-action rifle and does not come chambered in .308 caliber. If you want a Savage in .308 then you want their Model 11.

 

[Flyingbullet]

Yeah I saw that the Savage 111 doesn't come in .308 so I'm now in between the 30/06 and the 7mm any thoughts???

 

[LoonWulf]

Check the savage 11fxp3 for the .308 version of that rifle. Savage uses the double digit numbers to designate short action rifles, and the triple digit numbers for the long actions. I have a 11 in .243 that my g/f decided is now hers. We both really like the gun, but when we hunt she uses it.

.30-06s is all you need, 7mm remington magnum is just a bit more insurance lol. The 7mm shoots flater and hits harder outside of 300yds. It also cost about twice as much as the 06 ammo wise, and you lose one round in your mag if that makes a difference. I have both, and i use my 7 more. My 06 is going with me next time i go home tho, and ill see if i cant add a few more kills to its record.

 

[ants]

Rem 770: You probably shouldn't buy it, but it is accurate nevertheless.

Just for fun, I bought one of those Remington 770 rifles when it was on sale really cheap. No particular reason, just a cheap thrill. I got it in 7mm Rem Magnum because I don't own any other 7mm Mag.

Holy crap, I am totally impressed with its accuracy, and the ease with which it develops accurate handloads.

But it has lousy controls and lousy fit and finish. I guess not everything 'Made in America' is made very well.

A hard rifle to live with, to be sure. It feels like a cheap crummy toy of a rifle, but it shoots 0.770" groups with handloads, and 0.880" groups with Remington factory ammo.

Here are my criticisms.
The fit and finish is poor.
The controls are difficult.
The stock feels like a Tonka Toy version of a toy hunting rifle.
You need the skill of a surgeon to release and insert the magazine.
The bolt release is completely un-intuitive.
The Bushnell scope is a cheap version of a cheap scope.
The trigger feels like prying open a car door with a crow bar.
The sling mounts are just barely screwed into the cheap polymer plastic stock.
Drawing the bolt feels like a tow truck winching a wrecked jeep out of a ditch.

But when you put the crosshairs on a target at 100 yards and pull the trigger, it hits within 3/8" of the where the crosshairs pointed. Yes, for all its faults, the rifle has a barrel that is indeed that accurate.

A lot of guys on this Forum bash the 770 rifle badly without ever owning one.
They would probably be surprised at its accuracy.
It probably outshoots most of them.

If you want a cheap rifle that feels and handles
like a cheap crummy rifle,
this is your huckleberry.
Just be prepared to shoot straight with it.
It will shoot straight.

I don't own a Savage, I only checked them out at the gun store.
They feel much better than the Remington 770.
Find a Savage owner and borrow one, if he lets you.
It is probably a better buy.

 

[natman]

Accuracy is probably the 770s best, if not only, redeeming feature.

However it's not enough to make up for the absolutely appalling lack of quality of construction. It's not as though you can't buy a well made accurate rifle for similar cost.

 

[Kachok]

Just in case you did not get the message from everyone else here AVOID THE 770! Heck avoid everything Remington makes right now. The only firearm of theirs I still own is an oldschool Speedmaster. The rest were JUNK. Having owned five Savages I will vouch for them, great rifle in every way. The TC gets good reviews everywhere I have seen and the Tikka rifles ROCK!!! 30-06 vs 308 you will never see the difference unless you want to shoot heavy bullets for truly big game, the 06 just pushes heavy 180gr+ bullets better then the 308, but with the most common 150-165gr class the 308 is just as good and you get a short action. The 308 kicks a tad less then the 06 due to the smaller powder charge, but they are darn close. If you like the 7mm it is a whole different class then the 06 or 308, it shoots flatter and futher but can be a pain in the recoil department compared to the other two, I have owned three 7mm Rem mags but last year made the switch to the 270WSM it shoots flatter, and faster then the big 7 and has less recoil + it works in a short action. My two go to hunting rifles now are my Savage 270WSM and my Tikka T3 Stainless 6.5x55 a great pair one for the wide open country and the other for the woods.

 

[godale]

guys i have seen some good shooting 770s/710s. my main gripe is i dont like how the bolt slides on them. i think if you were going to take it two or three times a year,or use it as a lender rifle it would work. dead deer do not care about the flimsy stock.the sticking point is price for that price there are just beyyer choices the stevens 200 and savage11/111 to name a quick few. the axis by savage might even be better.one thing about the stevens even though the stock is junk is the possiability of switching callibers and barrells out. no such thing for a axis or 770 they are what the are. even the stock on the stevens 200 can be changed over it is just something to think about. all a stevens is a 110 action without accitrigger best of wishes