Savage Rifles

[Sulaco]

I am soon going to be in the market for a tactical/sniper style rifle (heavy barrel contour, etc.) that will pull double duty for Whitetail deer hunting. I like the lighter weight variants.

I want a .308 and have been looking at the Savage lineup. Specifically, their Law Enforcement series. Does anyone have any experience with these rifles or with Savage in general?

I have always heard mixed reviews when it comes to Savage's "out of box" accuracy and overall quality. I really like the new trigger design, though and have been hearing more and more good things about them recently.

My only other option that I have researched is a Remington LTR.

I am looking at the Savage 10FP-LE1. I like it because it has a 20" barrel and the price is much lower than Remington.

Thanks.

 

[admar2]

I'm getting ready to plunk down some money on a Savage 10FP-LE2B.

the one with the McMillan stock.


figure I'll buy the rifle now and by spring have the money for some good glass..

 

[Sulaco]

Yeah, I know what scope I am going for and I want to try and save on the rifle if I can. The Savage is so much less than the Remington. I am probably going to get a Zeiss Conquest scope. I have seen them for less than 400 bucks.

 

[Mulliga]

I'm thinking of a Savage, too. Made in America, cheap, seems to be pretty good quality...can Savage owners confirm this?

 

[Sisco]

I have one, it's a model 111 in 25.06, no heavy barrel, no McMillian stock but it will shoot under 1/2" at 100 yards with my handloads.
Box stock except I adjusted the trigger to about 3lbs.

 

[Sulaco]

How do you like the 25-06? I hear a lot of good things about it and know someone who swears by it for Whitetail.

They say it is very accurate (flat shooting) and good for long range stuff. How long do barrels last in this chambering?

 

[ocabj]

The Savage with Accutrigger is a great gun. The LE2B version is the best buy. It comes with the McMillan A2, iirc, at only about $750 give or take. If you go with the LE2 with the cheapie stock, you will definitely want to upgrade the stock. It is not suitable for serious shooting. It works in the sense that the rifle shoots, but that's about it. The main options for stocks are Bell & Carlson, Sharpshooter Supply, and McMillan.

I bought the 10FP-LE2 myself, and first replaced the stock with a Bell & Carlson and now have the McMillan A-5.

Make sure you get bases for the new Accutrigger models because the top of the rear receiver is round and not flat like the non-Accutrigger models.

Badger Ordnance, Ken Farrell, and Warne makes solid 1-piece bases for the Savage (both old and new designs). I went with the Ken Farrell base and Burris Signature Zee rings myself. I'll probably go Badger base and rings when I get my next Savage near the end of the year

 

[Sulaco]

Well, I was hoping to cheap out on the stock for now and maybe upgrade later on. The only McMillan stock I like is the M1A and I definitely don't want that prone type grip that comes on the LE2B for deer hunting. If I went with a gun that costs that much, I would just get the LTR. The PSS and the LE2B are too long for what I want.

 

[ocabj]

Ah, gotcha. Didn't notice you wanted the 20" stick.

As far as the McMillan M1A, isn't that stock only for M1A/M14s?

Or where you referring to the A-1 aka M40A-1 aka HTG? That is a solid stock by the way.

 

[Sulaco]

What I meant was the only McMillan stock I like the feel of is the M1A. I am not partial to the prone style straight gripped stocks.

 

[ocabj]

Try out the HTG aka M40A-1. It uses a traditional style stock without a vertical grip. I had one priced out before I decided on the A-5. It's a shade under $400 fully inletted, sling studed, recoil pad, etc.

Check out the Sharpshooter Stocks as well. They run for about $250 and lots of Savage shooters like them.

Good luck and good shooting. I'm sure you will be happy with the Savage.

 

[Sisco]

Sulaco
I've shot two mule deer with the 25.06, both at about 100 yards. The only direction they moved was straight down.
I've never shot groups at any distance further than 100 yards. With the gun sighted in 3" high at 100yds, hitting a 12" diameter steel gong at 300 is a matter of holding the crosshairs near the top of the target. I'd guess that's pretty flat.
I don't shoot it enough to worry about barrel erosion

 

[cookhj]

since this is a post about savage rifle, i will give y'all a heads up about it first! i have a LEFT HANDED savage model 112 in .300 win mag that i will be putting in the For Sale threads sometime later tonite. so, if anyone wants to get a jump on this now, shoot me a PM.

 

[hksw]

The LE2B comes with the A-3.

Bought one a few months ago, still waiting to put a scope on it (funds deverted to other projects). Overall, I like the AccuTrigger, particularly its ease of adjustment. Only minor complaint is the Glock like feel to the center blade.

 

[Sulaco]

oooohhhhh I love me Glocks!

 

[redneck]

I got to shoot a friends 112FV in .223 awhile back. I was impressed. The bolt is smooth as glass and the trigger is amazing. Its got a different feel to it, but the pull is so light and it breaks so clean, absolutely nothing to complain about with the trigger.
The stock, was nice enough for my purposes. Its a little flimsy up around the barrel, which kind of cuts down on the effect of it being freefloated. As far as I'm concerned if your consistent with how you hold it, you'll have to do lots of work on your marksmanship before you worry about the stock holding you back.
Its an easy gun to shoot. The guy that owns it has never been too serious about shooting, although he does have some experience with guns. Last I shot with him he OWNED stuff out to 100 yards, and probably farther but we didn't put targets out beyond that.

At this point I can't see myself spending much extra money to get something ther than a savage.

 

[Detritus]

great guns, right now the ONLY complaint i have about them is that POS flimsy stock. i owned one for a number of years (sold to pay med bills) that had the factory stock and i did OK with it. but now, after i've seen what even a Bell & Carlson, or Sharpshooter stock is like, i couldn't stand to have that whippy thing for more than the few months it would take to save up for a replacement.

Buy the savage, they fixed most of their problems years ago. you'll find that there are two constants about ANY gun manufacturer,
1. there's always a few that get past the QC people, regardless of cost of the gun
2. there are ALWAYS going to be folks out there that bad mouth whatever THEY don't have, esp if it's possible they over paid to get a product that was of no greater, or even inferior quality.....

those two factors account for the majority of the savage-basjing i have seen on-line and in stores.

i think you can't go wrong with one, just be aware of and prepared to deal with the fact that the factory synth stock SUCKS.

 

[Sisco]

Good point about the stock, they are rather flimsy at the front. Butt ugly too unless you do something about it.

 

[cliff355]

Sulaco:

I don't think you can go wrong with a Savage. I have a 116 in 30/06 and it is a super gun. Accuracy is equal or better than any Remington or Winchester I have shot next to.

Though I haven't tried one, it is my understanding that you can get other barrels for them and change them in the field with the proper wrench. Apparently the barrels are screwed in hand-tight and then locked down by that big nut in front of the receiver. So, if you got a 308 you could switch to any other caliber of a similar OAL. If the cartridge had a different size case head, you could still convert by switching bolt faces (it has a 3-piece bolt).

 

[Sulaco]

cliff355, now that is very interesting. I would love to have a gun that could do more than one caliber. What all do you think I could get out of one setup for .308?

Sisco, that's a great looking gun. What stock is that? I really like the grip profile and the comb in the buttstock.

 

[cliff355]

Sulaco:

I'm not positive what the lengths of all the various rounds are, but if you check out www.midwayusa.com and search on "Savage" they have a whole bunch of barrels listed. Anything based on the .308 or about that length would probably work (.243, etc). I haven't tried any of them and therefore can't vouch for how easy it is to switch them out, but I remember reading an artical where a guy switched them out in the woods with his wrench.

 

[Onslaught]

Midway USA has what they call the "Rebarrel your Savage" kit that runs less than $200. It comes with a barrel, Savage barrel wrench, and a headspace gauge for the specific caliber. All you'd need is another headspace gauge in the original caliber and you're good to go.

I've never heard anyone badmouth Savage accuracy, only trigger and stock. In fact most times, the badmouthing would include "yes they're accurate, but the ......"
My personal experience with the Accutrigger was very positive, and the accuracy was excellent.

Good luck

 

[000Buck]

I have an 10FP-LE1, exactly what you are looking at. I am completely happy with it, it shoots under 1 MOA even with me, and the stock isnt that bad, esp for the price, you just need to put some loctite on the bolts that hold it to the receiver. The accutrigger is great.

 

[cordex]

Allow me to put in another good word for the Savage line.

Make sure you get bases for the new Accutrigger models because the top of the rear receiver is round and not flat like the non-Accutrigger models.

Yep. Found that out the hard way.
Anyone looking for a good, unused Leopold (I think ... I'd have to dig it out) scope base and matching rings for a non-accutrigger Savage 10FP should drop me a PM or email.

 

[Sisco]

Sulaco - that's the factory stock. I sanded down the mold lines and sprayed it with Fleckstone paint. Took it to an auto body shop first and had it sprayed with a self-etching primer.