Which budget bolt 223? (Part 2)

So, awhile back I had a thread about budget 223 rifles that I was considering. My budget got bumped up a little bit to around $450, which opened up a whole new world of options. Here's what I'm looking at:

Savage 10 Precision Carbine
T/C Compass
Weatherby Vanguard Heavy Barrel
Ruger American Predator

I'm leaning heavily towards the Savage 10 due to the Accustock. I already have a Savage Mark II FV and Savage 10 FCP in .308, so I'm very familiar with the Accutrigger and really like it, and the Accustock seems like it would be a big improvement over the other stocks. The main plus to the Ruger is it taking AR mags which I already have. The T/C Compass is just a killer deal, even if I kinda of want a heavier barrel contour.

My main uses are going to be casual bench shooting and some coyote hunting eventually. I don't see myself hoofing it much when coyote hunting so weight isn't a huge issue. I'm going to mount a Primary Arms 4-16x44 scope on whatever I end up getting.

 

i'd get the ruger

 

They are all decent choices but the T/C Compass has an accuracy guarantee doesn't it.

 

I sadly do not know much about the Accustock, it sounds good, but it's not like the Ruger Predator's stock is bad. All of them have thicker or heavy barrels, so that's good. I'd say if AR mags is that important to you, get the Ruger. If all you're doing most of the time is shooting bench rested, get whatever is cheapest. These will likely all perform about the same on paper.

 

It’s ‘a little’ more money, but if I had the cash for this and nice glass, this is where I would put it...

https://www.ruger.com/products/HawkeyePredator/specSheets/17122.html
But you’re on a budget like most of us, so, the American Predator...

Greg

 

Mis typed.
Greg

 

my personal preference would be the Pred, or the Wby (sometimes you can find Howas heavy barrels cheaper than wby's).
That's just my personal preference tho, I doubt you'll be disappointed with any of them.

 

I second the Howa, I enjoy both that I have and if I found another deal I would purchase another. I have no experiences with the ones you have listed.

 

I bought my ruger a few months ago. I love it! Trigger is amazing and very accurate. And the fact that the one you are looking can take ar15 mags. Thats a winner.

 

How do you feel about the stock? My main reason for leaning towards the Savage 10 is that I've read the Accustock bedding block significantly stiffens up the foreend of the stock. I'll mostly be shooting off of a bipod, so the foreend not flexing and touching the barrel is important. If the Ruger stock is stiff enough that I don't have to worry about that, I think it's pretty much a shoe in with the taking AR mags and all.

 

You can either get a Boyd's for the RAP or buy the Savage which I feel has a better action, bolt, stock, barrel and do the savage AR mag modification. I have only handled Ruger Americans and the actions and bolts just feel cheap. I own two Axis rifles and if I could afford a different action/rifle I would have went with a model 10/11/12 just for the beefier bolt and action. My axis stocks, which look a lot like Ruger's sucked for precision bipod shooting. I went with a Boyd's to fix that. I have tested an accu stock rifle and they do help a lot. .

 

Unfortunately, Boyd's doesn't make one for the AR mag Predator, and there isn't an AR mag mod for the Savage 10 that I'm aware of.

Proprietary mags aren't a big deal to me, if what I buy has them I'll just buy 2 extra (I like having a minimum of 3). AR mags would be a bonus, don't get me wrong, but they are less important than not having to worry about the stock flex into the barrel.

I've narrowed it down to the Savage and the Ruger, and I'm pretty torn but slightly leaning Savage. If I was confident in Ruger stock not flexing too much, I'd probably lean that direction but I can't really find much about it.

 

there are 3 generations of Ruger American stocks, the newest are much stiffer than the originals, and from my experience, most molded synthetics.

this is a picture of all three, with the thick honey comb one being the newest version.
I've owned a fair number of Savage 10s and 110s, and about as many Americans, and given a choice between the two, I'll take the American.
Not that I think the Savage would be a bad choice.

 

Thanks for the pics! Definitely torn... Good thing I have a little while before I'm buying to mull it over some more.

One factor I didn't mention is virtually any shooting I may do will be within 200 yards, so I may be overthinking things regarding stock flex and all that jazz.

 

There's a great deal to be said for confidence in ones equipment.

Personally, I've never had an issue with even the original flimsy stock (which really is bad, I torque them when shooting off the bed rail of my truck), and a bipod. Tho if you use a pod and sling, or lean really heavily on your gun/pod, I guess I could see how it would be a problem.

Something else to consider, which I didn't think about. While I prefer the Americans to the Savage 10/110s, out of the box the Savage will feel nicer in most cases. Tho the Pred my buddy JUST picked up, and the go wild I had were way slicker than any of my previous Americans.
Equally, it only takes a little work to smooth out and spiff up an Amy.

 

Stock is ok with me.

 

The Ruger has the action sitting in metal "V" blocks instead of a traditional bedding system. With traditional bedding methods a stiff stock along with a good fit between the actions recoil lug and the stock is important. The Ruger doesn't even have a recoil lug . It completely separates the action from the stock and the stiffness of the stock is taken out of the equation. It will shoot very accurately in a stock as limp as a noodle. The only purpose the stock serves is for the shooter to have something to hold on to. As long as you have enough clearance between the barrel and forend of the stock they will be as accurate as possible and a stiffer aftermarket stock won't improve accuracy one bit.

I don't think you'd go wrong with either, but the Ruger has a few other advantages. The enclosed top of the action makes for a stiffer, more accurate action. And the Ruger has a much thicker, stiffer bolt with 3 lugs vs 2. Both of them use DBM. All of those features along with the "V" block, or accustock bedding system have proven to enhance accuracy without increasing costs. Savage barrels are also usually pretty rough. They shoot great, but require more frequent cleanings, and are harder to get clean.

I like the Ruger slightly better. But since you already own several Savage rifles that may be a better way for you to go. I do like the 3 position safety better on the Savage.

 

The V block bedding is one of the reasons I've always leaned to the Ruger American as the go to budget bolt rifle. It is an extremely strong, accurate, and inexpensive bedding system and I'm amazed that nobody else, to my knowledge, has a similar bedding system.

That said, I just looked at the Accustock bedding and that looks really good too. I think the difference will come down to the barrels and what bullet weights the OP is looking at shooting.

 

Well, the Savage is going sold out everywhere very quickly so I have a feeling it'll be the Ruger American at this rate since I still have awhile before I can buy it. Honestly, the American is probably the more logical choice and I was just caught up on the Accustock.

 

I've been considering picking up the Ruger American myself; AR mag compatibility opens up a world of high-quality non-Ruger options.

 

I wished they did that with the 762x39 model. I have a pile of ar and ak mags in 762x39. Would have been nice to use those. I am still researching and trying to figure out how to convert it to ak mags

 

The Howa/Weatherby rifles are really good. They have way smoother actions and excellent feeding in this price range. I also suggest a look at a Savage with the new Accustock. I just bought one, a Varmint model in 22/250. I like the Accustock, it's very stiff and I don't have to fiddle with bedding the action on a new gun. I'm in the market for another 223 and the Savage is very tempting.

 

I wouldn't want to carry the Howa/Weatherby around much, but as a range rifle, I'd probably choose it instead of the others. Some friends had excellent results with theirs.

 

you can get the parts to convert it to ar mags from Ruger, AK would take some custom work.

I've actually considered getting a Grendel Pred, and going TOO mini 30 mags, just cause the 5s don't stick as far out the bottom.

 

Hmmm, wonder how it would feed from ar mags. I will have to check it out. I assume you meed the magwell part that separate from the main stock? Forgive me for now knowing the exact terminology.