Beginner rifle: Stevens or remington?

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cote_b

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Hi,

Im looking to get into amateur precision shooting. Im probably going with something in .223. I have been looking at moderately priced guns like the Remington 700 SPS varmint ( about 670$ new) or maybe even an SPS tactical, but recently I noticed a used Stevens 200 for sale with scope for 400 bucks with 200 round through it. Im not intending to go all out with this yet as far as handloading and what not, but just something reasonably priced and accurate. I will be likely shooting factory ammo, winchester, federal and Lake City. Would the Stevens still deliver excellent accuracy, or should I wait and save for one of the Remingtons? And if so, would the SPS tactical be worth the extra cash over the SPS varmint?
 
Lol, I love answers like that - no bull about "well, I have this, and it's the greatest whizbangy thing ever because I own it."
 
you can always make SPS Tactical from you SPS Varmint, just cut the barrel :)

also, with Stevens, we can change barrels yourself....just order aftermarket from a site sponsoring dealer or get one off EE forum....
 
Some times it's worth a little wait for what you want. For my .223 fun I started with a 700sps and ended up with a Savage 12BVSS, absolutely no comparison in the two. The Savage didn't cost a lot more but I would have saved a lot by skipping the sps.
 
I believe that the SPS Tactical has a 1 in 9 twist and the SPS Varmint has a 1 in 12" twist; the faster twist (1 in 9) should work better for heavier bullets (i.e. up to about 69 grains). I know a local fellow who start shooting F-Class with an SPS Tactical and did quite welll with that set up.
 
There are several HB Savage 223's on the EE for $600ish. I would lean you towards the accutrigger and a stock that you like. Even the FP with the plastic stock can be made to work very well and for very little money.

The 12 BVSS is favorite as is the VLP. Lam stocks are great.

There will be more stock options shortly so it really doesn't matter what you start with.

I build many rifles off the Stevens as it makes a great donor. But in its orig form, the trigger is heavy and the barrel heats up too fast when you get into the warmer months and want to shoot lots. The HB is more stable.

Both will be similarly accurate.

The aftermarket for the Savage is just as broad as the Rem so there are plenty of options for the future. And it will be much easier/less money to work on.

I sell alot of stuff to Rem owners and have owned many over the years so have no dislike for the Rem. But today, I shoot Savages and Stevens cause they give me the freedom I prefer.

Jerry
 
For your purposes, I would simply buy what you like. They all shoot the same. There is a real following for the Stevens 200`s on CGN because of the proce, but they are not a popular choice for serious precision shooters. I would get what you can afford, don`t worry about pleasing anyone here and have fun. I guarantee this will not be your first gun and there is plenty of`fun crap you can do the Stevens to make it `go faster`.

Remingtons are the safest, strongest and most popular actions for taking to the next level, but in terms of the quality control on the rest of the gun, I think remington hired out-of-work K-Car builders. Doesn`t matter... they still shoot well.
 
I would take a savage/stevens over a remington any day , they are accurate and YOU can build it into whatever you like , with the rem you get crappy QC , bad safteys and the SMITH can build you what ever you like ...............for a cost
Just my opinion
 
I like Remingtons, maybe have more luck then others but all my Remingtons simply shoot very accurate. Savage, used to own one and wasn't very happy with overall quality of stock, bolt finish and it was shooting up and down. When I tought I got the load and it shot under 1/2" at 100yr then groups start to open up.
I think trigger is the weak link in Remingtons and they should outsource that to someone who can provide better pull on their Tactical and varmint rifles.
Remington also is not listening to the customers same like Savage and builds rifles on same stocks.
Please consider Tikka HB for accuracy, I think this is easy choice if you are not going to acurize your rifle.
 
bcode said:
I'm not saying all Remingtons suck... Not even close. I just think it's important to supply all the information - regardless of whether you or I think it's pertinent or not.
Click to expand...
So, if you don't think it's pertinent or not, why post it?
Did you ever read Remington's rebuttal and how these triggers were made unsafe?
Savage or Remington? Love or leave em. I own both by the way.

Now, which one does the OP like better?
 
This is precisely why neophytes should stay away from forums like this to get objective advice.

I know many MANY serious precison shooters from around the world. With the exception of Team Savage and Jerry Teo, I know of none using Savage in custom guns used for competition. Also, except for Bill Leeper, Henry Rempel and Mick McPhee, every serious shooter I know lets an expert gunsmith take care of the most important parts of creating an ultra precise rifle.
 
I have both remington and savage and I am developing a preference for the stevens /savage, first off I don't like the finish on the newer remingtons and I find the quality isn't what it used to be on the older ones.
Although I prefer the older remingtons to the savage but not the new ones.
I think they are both good to build on but you will have a better selection of parts [stocks triggers mag kits] if you go with remington.
 
Yeah The Savage model 12's actually look really nice. Ill keep my eyes on the EE for a used Savage. So what should I go for as far as rate of twist? I will likely be using mostly 55 grain bullets. Would the 1 in 9 twist be the best choice for these bullets, or would going 1 in 12 be better? I always assumed the faster twist to be better in most cases. I dont think Im going to bother with the Stevens, as I will likely want a heavy barrel at some point. Im just going to fo for something ( Rem or Savage) with the HB already.

Thanks for all the replies. I am very new to precision rifles. I will be looking at getting a rifle set up pobably closer to the end of summer. Just getting some input now.
 
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