I am to the age I have enough rifles, but grandson has a wood stock Mossberg .243 that is a good shooter. I have built most of my rifles thru the years on Mauser based actions, but the new (to me) Howas are a good bang for the buck. Got a couple of them, not wood stocks, but they take abuse and shoot good.
Savage rifle quality decline
- Thread starter 460harry
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bulletslap
Member
I gave my grandson-in-law an old Remington 721 30-06 before hunting season. He said wow this was when they made real rifles. I told him that in it's day a 721 was looked at as an economy rifle in comparison to Winchester model 70 and the Remington model 30.
So, I shot the 111 today. 40 .338 win mag rounds off the bench. 250 grain soft point bullets with 69.5 grains of IMR 4955. Specs are about 2,640 fps. The gun is accurate, I nailed bullseye at 100. Had some difficulty getting it on paper at first, hence 40 shot rounds.
Not going to lie, I think I have a slight concussion. Later today I had a slight headache and couldn't remember what I did this past weekend, and remembered that I mostly cooked on Saturday. Just generally felt weird. Let me tell you this; a 338 win mag with that load in a 7.8 lb rifle makes a 300 win mag of any load in any rifle look like a .308. This thing would make Elmer Keith flinch. You definitely want a 9 or better 10 pound rifle if you intend to shoot this round regularly.
Not going to lie, I think I have a slight concussion. Later today I had a slight headache and couldn't remember what I did this past weekend, and remembered that I mostly cooked on Saturday. Just generally felt weird. Let me tell you this; a 338 win mag with that load in a 7.8 lb rifle makes a 300 win mag of any load in any rifle look like a .308. This thing would make Elmer Keith flinch. You definitely want a 9 or better 10 pound rifle if you intend to shoot this round regularly.
LVSteve
Member
I see the "plastic = cheap" philosophy is alive and well on this forum.
As for the recoil, two words: muzzle brake.
As for the recoil, two words: muzzle brake.
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For me Savage stop making rifles when they discontinued the 99. I also like the 24 and vintage bolt guns 22s, but I could never warm up to their newer bolt rifles. Accurate perhaps, but they're just ugly and feel cheap.
Sincerely
The gun snob
Sincerely
The gun snob
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LVSteve
Member
I've got a....
....very basic Savage 110 that does fine. Looks like it might be a 70's model. It has a synthetic stock. I won't b buying any new ones.
....very basic Savage 110 that does fine. Looks like it might be a 70's model. It has a synthetic stock. I won't b buying any new ones.
All my hunting rifles have synthetic stocks, but not the cheap soft plastic g that Savage has been using on their rifles. I have a number of firearms with wooden sticks, but they seldom see hard use in the woods.I see the "plastic = cheap" philosophy is alive and well on this forum.
As for the recoil, two words: muzzle brake.
I care less about what it looks like, but really like how well my Savage Axis in .223 and .243 shoot!!!
Have never seen a Savage that shot poorly.....some shot better than others but they have all shot quite well for me.
And yes, I own Win. M70's, Rem. 700, a Rem 40x, several Anschutz etc. so I know a little about accurate rifles.
Randy
Have never seen a Savage that shot poorly.....some shot better than others but they have all shot quite well for me.
And yes, I own Win. M70's, Rem. 700, a Rem 40x, several Anschutz etc. so I know a little about accurate rifles.
Randy
Savage was NEVER known as a top tier producer of fine firearms. Savage was built on budget minded guns that performed. Savage has had and maintains today, a reputation for the best accuracy out of the box you can get for a production grade gun.
Younger buyers today want one thing. Performance.
Savage has been way out in front for this change. You could say the market moved to the Savage strategy. Lower costs. Save the money from the wood stock and fancy high gloss finish or labor intensive oil finish. Save the money from polishing and bluing the metal and invest it into accuracy enhancement.
Here is a group I shot with my Ruger American 17 about 3 weeks ago. No it is not a Savage, but it is plastic stock, flat metal finish and a plastic trigger guard. $389.00 rifle with a $200 scope @ 100 yards outdoors.The other groups were 5/8- 3/4". Keep in mind this is a rimfire gun.
I have a Kimber 308 Custom Select Stainless that wont do that. It will shoot MOA and sub MOA on a good day but it will never shoot 1/2 MOA and it cost almost triple the price of the little Ruger and I can hand load custom ammo for the 308.
Stop and consider what younger shooters are enjoying right now. Performance we dreamed and tinkered for hours to achieve right out of the box at a price that allows them to enjoy our sport.
What us old folks view as value has faded into the dust bin of history. Now younger buyers want accuracy and could care less about aesthetics. They like the plastic stocks and flat metal finishes and they are enjoying that performance for the same prices we were paying way back then.
I am happy gun makers have found a way to keep costs down and improve performance. It keeps our sport affordable for younger shooters on a budget. Not a bad thing at all.
Younger buyers today want one thing. Performance.
Savage has been way out in front for this change. You could say the market moved to the Savage strategy. Lower costs. Save the money from the wood stock and fancy high gloss finish or labor intensive oil finish. Save the money from polishing and bluing the metal and invest it into accuracy enhancement.
Here is a group I shot with my Ruger American 17 about 3 weeks ago. No it is not a Savage, but it is plastic stock, flat metal finish and a plastic trigger guard. $389.00 rifle with a $200 scope @ 100 yards outdoors.The other groups were 5/8- 3/4". Keep in mind this is a rimfire gun.
I have a Kimber 308 Custom Select Stainless that wont do that. It will shoot MOA and sub MOA on a good day but it will never shoot 1/2 MOA and it cost almost triple the price of the little Ruger and I can hand load custom ammo for the 308.
Stop and consider what younger shooters are enjoying right now. Performance we dreamed and tinkered for hours to achieve right out of the box at a price that allows them to enjoy our sport.
What us old folks view as value has faded into the dust bin of history. Now younger buyers want accuracy and could care less about aesthetics. They like the plastic stocks and flat metal finishes and they are enjoying that performance for the same prices we were paying way back then.
I am happy gun makers have found a way to keep costs down and improve performance. It keeps our sport affordable for younger shooters on a budget. Not a bad thing at all.
When Savage went under in late 80s they were turning out junk. They had withdrawn support from warranty repairs. The 99 was only Savage I was remotely interested in that they were still producing. Then Savage was brought back by focusing on the 110 rifle. It worked and they pulled same thing as the other companies. Expanding product line and cost cutting on what they make. They are losing market for BAs now and will go down the tubes. Just a smaller version of what just happened to Remington.
CAJUNLAWYER
Member
$350 in 1985 is right at $1,700 today. They are building rifles to a price point of $400 which is dirt cheap considering for a rifle which is for the most part pretty accurate with a good trigger. Much as I love my stainless 77/22 I has to get a trigger job done on it to get a serviceable trigger which is today eclipsed by the CZ 22's.
Try finding a Model 77 or a Model 70. They are not there. All the stores have is the price point built rifles which look like snot to us old timers but are pretty serviceable. Much as I like my 77/22 If I were buying a bolt action .22 today it would be a CZ or a Ruger American.
Times they are moving on
uncleted327
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Savages aren't terrible, but there are so many models and levels of them that you need to do your homework on them. For "entry" level rifles I think it's hard to beat the Mossbergs now though. I paid under $400 for a walnut stocked 30-06 Patriot and the first three shots out of it could be covered with a quarter. It also had a nicer trigger and much smoother action than my friends new Savage Storm that cost an extra $300.
gregintenn
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