Tell me about your PROBLEMS with Savage rifles...

[Davo]

Everyone tells how great Savage rifles are for the price, and for the most part they seem like a good value. What Id like to hear are the problems youve had with them. Im looking to purchase the 10fp, possibly with the hs stock. Have you had any problems with your Savage?
Ive heard about the rough barrel that smooths out with firing, and that the stock rifle has a poor stock. Id like to know that the rifle cycles reliably, and if it would make a good target rifle, and possibly an f-class shooter.

 

[RH822]

I owned a Savage 110E in .243 for better than 15 yrs, my father owned it for the prior 20 yrs, my niece is the current owner and we have never had a problem with it.

RH

 

[quatin]

Only thing I've heard bad about savage is that re-assembling the bolt is a pain in the ass. You have to fiddle (as in gauge with a meter then correct) with how far the striking pin protrudes every time you put one together.

 

[Crosshair]

Loaded one of my handloads too hot and suffered a total case failure. Had to open the bolt with a mallet and take the gun to a gunsmith to have the case removed. He told me, "How the h*ll did you get this THAT stuck." I had to replace the ejector and never did find where the extractor went. Once those parts where replaced I have used the gun ever since with no problems. Overall I like my Savage.

 

[ZeSpectre]

so far the only problems I've had with my Savage (64 FXP) were interference with the action when I overtightened a stock screw and some disassembly issues because my manual was mis-printed and very blurry.

Mine is still pretty new but I've put 900-1200 rounds through it. I had 1 misfire which I believe was an ammo fault, not the rifle. Shoots very tight groups at 25 yards which is as far as I'll probably ever use it (bought it as a plinking gun).

 

[Larryect]

My son has a Savage. Composite stock. Bought as a hunting rifle/scope combination for around $400 I think. Scope fell apart. Rifle has been generally okay. He was having troubles sighting it in - kept wandering. Finally decided it was lousy ammo - Remington Core Lock . I helped him make some handloads and it groups just fine. Seems to be a very strong bolt gun.

His only complaint is, he thinks it tends to rust quicker and easier then any other rifle he has delt with. However, I would say he is not particulary careful with it either.

 

[Lambo119]

Not a Savage fan But.......

Let me start by saying the first rifle I could afford was a Savage 110 in .243 twenty odd years ago. Still have it and will never sell it. For the money as good as you can get but if you want dislikes/Likes here goes:

Old savage triggers were not that great. New accutrigger is very nice.
Stocks are usually plain but functional. Laminate stocks as good as anyones because boyds make them for Savage. Barrels often needed lapped or shot in. Interior metal work is rough and rifles are just plain HEAVY..... But on the flip side very reliable.....

Thankfully I have done ok for myself and now can afford more expensive toys. But I did purchase a Savage 12 stainless fluted heavy barrel with laminate stock in .204 ruger and love it. It is honestly as accurate as many of my much more expensive rifles.

 

[MCgunner]

My M110 in 7 mag is picky about bullets. Either it looks like a shotgun pattern or it shoots 1 MOA. Don't seem to be much in the middle. I found out real quick it liked 150 Sierra Game Kings. I worked up a 1 MOA load with it that shoots about 3150 fps. Pretty devistating on medium game, lots of meat damage. I went round and round trying to find a 160 grain penetrating bullet. Tried normally great Barnes X and Hornady Interlocks. Finally found Nosler Partitions worked great. Nothing else I tried was better than 4 MOA. I floated the barrel and that helped a bit.

The action feels like it's riding on sand paper compared to my Remingtons. It is NOT smooth, but it is effective. You can't put 3 rounds (max capacity) in the magazine and one in the barrel. When you do, the round coming out of the magazine nose dives and won't feed. If you load 3 in the mag, chamber one, it works fine. 3 shots are plenty in a hunting rifle, never really bugged me.

I turned the trigger on mine down to 3 lbs which is what I like. But, I noticed with the stock trigger return spring, I couldn't go any lighter, not possible. So, the trigger adjustment is limited. I don't know what sort of triggers are available in 'em now days, though, and I know there are aftermarket triggers available. To me, though, 3 lbs is perfect in a hunting rifle and I adjusted it nice and crisp.

The Savage rifle is a GREAT value, good accuracy potential, and miles above that cheap Remington 710 or the old M788s for not much more money. It is THE bargain priced rifle I'll recommend. I wount recommend the 710. However, it's not of the quality, IMHO, of a M700 Remington. I own two Remingtons and this Savage. But, the Savage is quite a bit more affordable.

And, yeah, the scopes they put on those bargain hunting packages are junk, don't even waste your time. I have a Weatherby Supreme on mine that I got a deal on, excellent scope. A cheap scope wouldn't last five minutes on that 7 mag, pound it to pieces with the recoil.

 

[ID_shooting]

When I was into heavy barrel bench shooting I had a 10fp. The only trouble I had was with the plastic mag follower. Rounds wanted to nosedive rather then feed. The smith fixed it in 10 minutes and it worked 100% after that.

 

[Detritus]

I've owned two, a 110FP and a 12FV both in .223.

as to the problems i have had with them...

Both suffered occasional feeding hangups wherein the bullet tip wouldn't qhite make it into line with the chamber and strike the breachface, requiring the round to be removed and reinserted into the mag or simply pushed backwards back into the magazine. this was more pronounced on the 110 since it was a short action round (.223) in long action receiver. in both cases most occurances were due to "not holding my tongue right" ie having the gun canted to one side during bolt manipulation or working the bolt too slow etc. but regardless the savage double stack magazines are not as well designed as they could be when it comes to smaller rounds.

the factory synthetic stocks, (at least when cut for a heavy barrel) are very boderline, too whippy and small changes in how you hold can be enough to cause a pressure point that changes POI.

and i too have noticed that my two savages when they were still fairly close to factory new were more prone to rust than most other guns i had. in both cases a month or two with me and my tendency to wipe down and re apply oil to new guns on a very regular basis, ended this problem. maybe savage puts an unusually thin coat of protectant on their guns before boxing them up. all i know is that for both of mine, they both developed light superfical rust at what i would consider a fast rate, untill i had basicly bathed them in Hoppe's and then wiped them down every 2-4 days with a freshly oiled rag for about a month (yes i am a little OCD). after that i didn't have a rust problem.

lastly on my 110FP the hexhead action screws were slightly soft and one rounded off on me requiring a trip to the smith for removal and replacement.

 

[Matthew T.]

more feeding issues

My Model 10 in .243 Winchester had chronic feeding problems. Rounds either nose dived or popped out on top of the feed lips. The Savage factory said they fixed it when I sent it in for another issues (related to whacking the plastic trigger guard on a cold morning). They didn't. I sold the rifle to a guy who thinks he get the gun to feed properly.

 

[MM]

My model 12, stainless, fluted, composite, is better than one moa with my own loaded and lightly crimped 300wsm ammo.
It has, though, a tightness to the bolt after it warms up. Before I sent it back to savage for a warranty throat job, I had to repeatedly bang the bolt with my palm to get it to disengage and eject. And no, the rounds aren't hot. The best grouping load is at least a grain below max. OAL was always in spec.
Since the rifle's return home, the action is better, though not what one would call "buttery" smooooooth!
SatCong

 

[Detritus]

Since the rifle's return home, the action is better, though not what one would call "buttery" smooooooth!

smooooth in a recent vintage savage, usually means a trip to Fred Moreo at Sharp Shooter Supply for his "time and true" job.

I never got around to it myself (sold my 12FV for cash to put toward the AR i built my wife as a belated B'day gift) but i have seen rave reveiws of the improvement.

 

[Run&Shoot]

After 70 years a little spring in the safety lever of my .30-06 broke and I had to have it replaced. I agree with the bolt disassembly not being easy, but I think a remington isn't much better. I really like the easy stripping of the Mauser and Winchester, and I hear Ruger is similar, too.

I gave up waiting for the Savage to wear out and bought another one recently. jyust in case the first one ever breaks at an inopportune moment.

 

[robctwo]

I recently purchased the 10fp in .223. I replaced the stock with a Bell & Carlson Dura Max. I have had a problem with the trigger not resetting, or going into lock out mode since the swap. I took it apart and found that the trigger was set for the lightest setting. I had read on the Savage Shooters forum that this might be a problem, so I put a bit of resistance in. Seems fine now, but I haven't had it to the range since the change.

I like the gun well enough that I ordered the 10fp in .308 with the 20" barrel. Not sure what I'll do with the stock. My plan is to use the factory stock for the first few hundred rounds to see how it prints.

 

[swingset]

The only problem I've had with my 12FV were really minor, I pushed the extractor out by accident and lost the detent ball.....and I the factory stock was crappy and flimsy so I replaced it with a B&C Duramaxx. No problems at all, other than that....stupid accurate and a great gun to shoot.

 

[Dr.Rob]

Only thing I've heard bad about savage is that re-assembling the bolt is a pain in the ass. You have to fiddle (as in gauge with a meter then correct) with how far the striking pin protrudes every time you put one together.

This would just be incorrect... to disassemble a savage Bolt you need one tool: a quarter from your pocket.

You don't need to 're-time' re-guage etc, you screw it back down tight and call it done.

The plastic stock on my 116 is in my opinion a tad soft... and it doesn't affect wear much but you CAN easily overtighten the screws, and that is bad.

The HS stock is much improved.

Mine has a TIGHT chamber. My reloads have to be fully sized rather than just neck sized. My 110B never had that problem. But my rifle shoots 1/2 moa 100 yard groups so I'm not complaining too much.

I also managed to double feed a 110 once... no idea how I did it (operator error) but it took me a few precious seconds with a pocket knife to clear the action... only happened once while I was a relatively new hunter.

 

[Detritus]

to disassemble a savage Bolt you need one tool: a quarter from your pocket.

Just a note, the newer ones have a hex key socket at the back of the bolt now instead of the slot.
your intent is of course correct, just that the tool(s) have changed a little.

 

[.38 Special]

I have owned four Savage rifles; one a 110FP. I don't know anything about "rough" barrels. The triggers are, IMO, very good and easily adjustable. The action is incredibly strong. They tend to be very accurate rifles. The plastic stocks are absolute garbage.

 

[Beetle Bailey]

All the things I didn't like about my Savage 10FP in .223 I changed:

Hated the flimsy but usable factory stock so I bought the Duramax. That's not perfect either, but it's an improvement.

Didn't like the factory trigger (pre-accutrigger) so I got one from Sharp Shooter Supply. I love it now and everyone who's shot it is impressed with the trigger.

Factory bolt handle is too short and the knob is too small. I had to grab it twice to open it so I got a tactical bolt handle from SSS and it's much nicer now. With the added leverage, bolt manipulation is smoother.

The only complain left is that it doesn't always set off the primers in XM-193 (surplus ammo). I'm gonna order an extra power wolff spring to fix that. It's strange because a buddy of mine has shot over 1000 rounds of XM-193 out of his Savage with no problems while mine only works about 80% of the time. (military primers need to be hit a little harder to set them off).

 

[Essex County]

At the present time I own two varmit rigs and four sporters All were purchased used and are pre-accuratrigger. All but one has an aftermarket trigger installed and they have been problem free. In addition I've had another four pass through my hands, again all trouble free. I can't say the same about some of my 700s...........Essex

 

[MikeH]

Guess we're unanimous about the factory tupperware.

Another gripe I have is that the front action screw can interfere with the bolt when tightened beyond a certain level. That makes it difficult to get the prescribed torque on some after-market stocks.

 

[Stickjockey]

My only problem with my Savage rifle is that it's chambered for .300 Savage-

and I'm out.

 

[hps1]

Having had a brand new Remington 40XC fire on release of safety (the very first round through a new rifle out of Rem. custom shop) and a new Win. Mod. 70 in 300 Win Mag that shoots (at best) 1 1/2" 100 yard groups (after extensive bedding, free floating, etc.), decided to give the Savages a try.

My first (and second) Savage rifle was a 112 in 338 Win Mag., pre-accutrigger which had been bedded and trigger worked over by previous owner. Shoots 5/8" 100 yard groups and feeds 100% in the black tupperware stock. Great hunting rifle!

2nd rifle is a 116 Safari Express in 375 H&H. It is also pre-accutrgger; had my gunsmith work over the trigger and it breaks like a glass rod @ 3.5#. Perfect for a hunting rifle. Still developing loads for this rifle but it shoots 1.25" w/300 gr. full house loads now and also feeds w/o fail.

#3, an FP10 accutrigger (2.5# from factory) in 223, is the only one I purchased new and has not been touched other than to shoot it. Out of the box, this rifle shoots in the .2's w/handloads and shot under moa with every factory load I have tried including Win. white box. Incredible accuracy, great trigger, has never failed to feed and, yes, it still has the tupperware stock.

Are Savage rifles a thing of beauty? The view from behind the scope is, and that is the one that counts . Would I buy another Savage? You bet!

Regards,
hm

 

[.38 Special]

I "fixed" a plastic Savage stock by hogging out the forend and glassing in a section of fiberglass fishing rod. It's still not very stiff -- it actually flexes at the "hinge point" between the end of the action and the begining of the glass rod -- but at least it got rid of the "bangwhap" business caused by the forend hitting the barrel with every shot.

The amazing part is that most of the plastic stocked rifles still shoot very well.