Hi all,

Will be getting one of those by the end of the year in a 24" barrel. The point will be for range use only, and it will be used to shoot from 100 to 500 yards.

I don't have much experience with optics at all, so I came here to look for some opinions on what reticle and scope size would be most effective. Not sure if FFP or SFP would be better for that type of shooting. Also, not looking to exceed $600 for an optic.

Any mounting options for the optic would be great as well.

Any ammunition suggestions would also be appreciated. I don't mind buying bulk 7.62 for strictly range use, but would also like some good match grade target ammo.

Thank you for looking

For your price range on a scope, Leupold or Nikon would be a decent purchase.

Range ammo for just shooting just go with a good name clean ammo. There are many FMJ rounds out there.

As far as match grade goes, buy a box of 20 of about 6-8 different weights and manufacturers and shoot a group of three of each and the rifle will tell you which it prefers.

Just my opinions, worth exactly what you paid for 'em.

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Isaiah 41:10

Should get great accuracy. Heard those Savage rifles are capable of great groups.

I love the savage guns, I own two early 110 fp tactical's without the accutrigger, 1 is a 7rem mag, the other in 308, they have both been under BSA sfp scopes since the 1990s, both are tac drivers, 1 gallon milk gugs at 500 yrs are not a problem, have won many shooting matches with the 308 against rigs costing many times what these old plastic stock rifles will do. shoot the 308 more because of ammo cost.

also have a 223, 10flp in a chote stock under again bsa sfl glass won a new reming 700 tactical at a local match shooting in a golf ball challenge,

winning round was at 300 yds, she shots per round

have a model 12 vlp dbm in 308 under a bsa 6x24x44 ffp, target scope I bought from midway, cant get and gun for gun matches for it

the new changes savage made in the early 1990s have developed some of, if not the best out of the box guns for accuracy ever

before these savages I had several high dollar name brand target guns , long range has always been my thing for the last 50 years

I no there are better scopes than what I have on my guns, but foe the shooting I do these days local matches, daylight hours all I care about is clear and repeatable.

I attended a sniper course at the jungle warfare center in the canal zone in the early 70s we were shooing 3x9x40 sfp scopes and were taught to judge wind and hold over.

so I am not saying the new super scopes are not good, but the real advantage of the marksman is in his knowledge of his rifle, his god given computer, and his breathing and trigger finger.

I watched and episode of a show on the history channel where hey brought in a old ww2 sniper and let him shoot at 1000 yds, after that show I bowght the model 12, and the ffp scope, I can actually shoot out to 1300 here on the farm, if it was somewhere in a hot zone you would not want to offer my old eyes a torso shot

I find what my rifles like, then I buy it by the case, my go to for plinking is federal,old blue box 150 grain wil take out milk jugs at 500 all day long from either of my 308s the old 110fp is best with 168grain federal premium sierra match kings, the model 12 likes the 175 grain best
if I reloaded it would get scary accurate, but alas to many other things to keep me busy

have

Thanks all.

So as far as magnification goes, what would be recommended? 4x14?
1x9? Not even sure if I got those magnification specs right!!!

I've owned a number of Savage rifles over the years, but never found their famed accuracy to be true. I've found them in general to shoot like most other rifles in their price class, but not as refined in looks or as smooth operating as some others.

As far as scopes, I'm a big fan of Leupold in that price range and their warranty can't be beat. I've never been afraid of buying a used Leupold because if it has problems, Leupold will fix or replace it. A 4.5-14x or 6.5-20X would make a great all around casual target scope.

I prefer a standard duplex reticle. I find most of the windage and elevation compensating reticles too busy for my tastes.

Only your rifle will tell you what ammo will be most accurate, but I've found Federal Premium to be the most accurate or near the top in most rifles I've owned. Hornady is another good choice.

I had a Mod 110 in .243 which I used for Prairie Dog hunting. Shot well out to and past 500 yards. You can find factory ammo that will shoot good, but the best accuracy will be from handloads made to your specific gun.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

My son-in-law is left handed and I had been searching for a left handed bolt action rifle in .30 caliber for a year or so when one turned up in my LGS. A Savage Mod.110 Tactical in .30'06. A round that I reload and use in several rifles.

It came with a Harris Bi-Pod and a Tasco 3 x 9 scope. A client of mine owns the shop and he gave my S-I-L a great deal, $300 OTD.

We zeroed the rifle at 100 yards and used a load that I had that provides excellent results. Winchester brass, an appropriate load of IMR 4064 and Sierra 165 gr. BTHP Game Kings.

Now I am an admitted rifle snob. Winchester pre 64' Mod. 70's and Sako Mannlicher rifles are my choices. The Savage shoots every bit as well as my rifles and for a lot less. I was impressed and very pleased that he was able to get a left handed rifle that is a tack driver.

He took a nice buck with it this past deer season at just under 100 yards. The Sierra 165 gr. performed as expected.

If you can up your budget just a bit or be patient and search for a deal (and they're out there) look seriously at Burris. Burris has glass quality WAY above their price. Vortex will be your second serious option. You can spend as much or as little as you want on Vortex, they have scopes to fit any budget but their PST scopes are some of the best to be had, at a price though. Burris though only has mid priced units (in the grand scheme of things) which are still expensive really.
I'll tell you, you should look over at M4Carbine.net at their EquipmentExchange. There are some great, honest and extremely knowledgeable and helpful guys over there who are very, very serious about their gear. I buy stuff there all the time. I bought a Bushnell LRS scope there, which is a very high end piece of glass, for and excellent price. It's currently the best glass I own. I've never felt like I got a bad deal on anything I've ever bought there and you can find some great deals there all the time. Oh, Bushnell is another brand I wouldn't hesitate to buy.
First or 2nd focal plane? Well, it really depends on how you plan to use it. In the construction of a riflescope, the reticle itself can be located in either the front (first focal plane) or rear (second focal plane) optical plane. Until recently, most riflescopes sold in North America were second focal plane design, while Europeans often preferred first focal plane configurations.

In a variable power second focal plane riflescope, the reticle, as you see it, does not change in size across the scope’s magnification range. In other words, it appears the same at four power as it would at, say, ten power.

In a first focal plane design, the reticle appears to grow larger as magnification increases. This can be disconcerting if you have not used a first focal plane scope.

Why the two styles? And is one better than another? The answer is, it depends.

Most hunters will be perfectly happy with a second focal plane reticle. This is what most of us are used to, and it presents the same reticle picture regardless of the scope’s magnification setting. There are many more scopes available with second focal plane reticles, and many more reticle designs available for them.

A reticle with first focal plane placement appears to grow as you increase the scope’s magnification. Hunters not used to this complain, “The reticle gets bigger.” That is not entirely accurate. The reticle stays in the exact proportion to the target across a scope’s entire magnification range. So, while your target will appear larger at 10x than at 3x, the reticle will appear proportionately larger, too. This characteristic has specific advantages for tactical shooters, many law enforcement and military professionals, and others who prefer its distinct attributes. Because the target and the reticle are always in the same relationship, it can provide sophisticated rangefinding information and can be extremely useful in rapid-fire environments where the shooter expects to encounter multiple targets at varying ranges and magnification settings.

Because of how the internal mechanics of a variable power riflescope function, first focal plane placement also absolutely guarantees there will be no shift in point of impact across a scope’s entire magnification range, while a poorly built second-focal-plane riflescope can place a bullet differently at high magnification settings than at lower settings. This shift might be negligible at 100 yards or so, maybe only a fraction of an inch, but any such error is multiplied as range increases. The easiest way to avoid this is simply to buy a good riflescope.

For hunting purposes, you will most likely be happiest with a second focal plane version. If you need the specialized behavior of a first focal plane reticle, chances are you already know that.
Oh, congrats of getting a fine rifle. Savage rifles are the sleepers of the precision rifle market. I wouldn't trade my 10fcpHS for anything. With Black Hills 168gr loads it will easily shoot lights out at 100 yards and cloverleaf 5 rounds @200 and 300 yards, when I'm on my game. Whenever you take out your Savage and anybody scoffs at the brand just let them and then when you wipe the smirk off their face and they quietly pack up their 3k$ rig and go home, your satisfaction will be all the sweeter.

Another couple hundred on your scope budget will get you a 6-24x50 Vortex Viper PST.

If you're going to be shooting variable ranges and want to use holdovers instead of turret adjustments, I would get the FFP. If you're committed to scope adjustments, you can stick to SFP.

I watched my brother shoot a 3/8” group at 100yds with his fp110 in .308. He had a Tasco 4-12x42mm on it that he spent about $90 for....albeit about 15 years ago. I just bought a brand new Nikon P5 4-16x50mm on gunbroker for $235 to put on my .22. It might be a good start til you determine you need something else.

A nice luepold will run at least $600, but man, what a difference. Comparing my leupold vx6 to the Nikon m223, what I can read at 14x with the Nikon, I could read with 8x on the leupold. Anyway, my point is, out to 100, it won’t make a tremendous what you get, beyond that, the clearer glass will make a huge difference.

Billbro, nice write-up!

I have a Savage Model 16 FHVSS in 308... 24 inch Fluted Heavy Varmit barrel in stainless steel - early ACCU everything gun... supposedly a Cabela's special run in that configuration...
topped with a Leupold VX-1 scope... great rifle in the 100-300 yard range... it is my hunting rifle... so it is better than a minute of deer out to 300yards... using Federal ammo... I am not much for paper past 200yards and have never taken any game farther.than 300.. but I would not hesitate out to 500... have zero set at 200 and everything (so far) has dropped with only one round...farthest track was 15yards... enjoy your new toy...

Check out Hawke scopes...........you're in for a surprise!