well, after saying i wasn't going to buy a savage, i bought one. model 12BTVS 22-250. has the laminate target stock with the stainless fluted heavy barrel. it was between that and the .204 cal. i went with the 22-250 because the salesman said that shells were readily available pretty much everywhere and that from everything he read about the .204 was that it was a barrel burner. hope i made the right choice. now i need a sweet scope for it that won't break the bank.
bought my new coyote gun today
- Thread starter titleist
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greeeeaaaaatttt. looks like i made the wrong choice. one thing i am a little fuzzy about though is the life of the barrel. i know that the amount you shoot and how heavy the loads are do factor in. so, shooting normal loads (factory and reload) at coyotes and gophers at long range which wouldn't happen often, how long would the barrel last in my 22-250. another thing is.....i thought the .204 was a new calible and hasn't been on the market that long, so how is it known about it having a longer barrel life than the 22-250? i am new to guns so i am just asking. should i take it back and get the .204? i hate being a rookie.
They're both good. It's really hard to choose between them. I bought one of each. Overall, for gophers, I prefer the 204. The reduced recoil is the winner - I can spot kills through my scope, even at high powers.
For coyotes, I think I'd go 22-250, or 6mm. The extra power buys you that much more insurance.
Don't sweat the barrel life, either. Chances are that you'll be bored with the gun and ready for something new and different by the time barrel change time comes up. Plus, you don't need benchrest accuracy for a coyote or even gopher gun for the most part, so you'll probably get significantly more than 2500 rounds out of it. Especially if you don't clean it vigorously every half-dozen shots like the BR guys do
For coyotes, I think I'd go 22-250, or 6mm. The extra power buys you that much more insurance.
Don't sweat the barrel life, either. Chances are that you'll be bored with the gun and ready for something new and different by the time barrel change time comes up. Plus, you don't need benchrest accuracy for a coyote or even gopher gun for the most part, so you'll probably get significantly more than 2500 rounds out of it. Especially if you don't clean it vigorously every half-dozen shots like the BR guys do
I'm planning on getting a new toy this summer too, and was thinking of a Savage just like titleist got. I saw a Rem XR-100 at one of the local shops and thought the stock looked pretty nice....but I had never heard of that model before. Seems all I see after "Rem" is "700" hehe. Sorry to hijack the thread, but Prosper, caliber aside, what are the pros and cons of each? (XR-100 and 12BTVS).
I'd planned on .223, but after reading about the accuracy of the .204 I'd definately consider it, especially if its barrel life was comparable to .223
Hope you enjoy your new rifle Titleist!
I'd planned on .223, but after reading about the accuracy of the .204 I'd definately consider it, especially if its barrel life was comparable to .223
Hope you enjoy your new rifle Titleist!
the XR-100 and the 12BVSS are quite similar, actually. I tend to prefer shooting the Savage - I like the way the stock feels, and the accutrigger is also very nice. Between my guns, the Savage has the better fit & feel overall - I have to send the Remington in for a factory repair, due to a poorly-fit bolt. And I can't really get used to the thumbhole stock - it's neat, but overall I prefer the fat palm swell on the savage
titleist said:
I don't think you made the wrong choice, just an alternative one. there are plenty of people that swear by the 22-250 for Coyotes and it is an excellent round. I agree that you will get less barrel life from a 22-250 than a 204, but I look upon the day a barrel wears-out as a great excuse to try something new or make something better. I would not resist the temptation to turn a 22-250 into a 6XC.
I have a plain old R700 ADL in 204 and I have just over 1500 rounds through it. I wish the barrel woud wear out so i could make the excuse to jape it. It is an awesome sub-moa gopher/yote killer. The case mouth is tiny, so reloading is finicky, but I use one of those fits-on-the-end-of-an-ear-looker-inner things that I got from the hospital as a powder funnel and it is perfect.
Obtunded said:
Couldn't agree more. Don't worry about it, titleist. Enjoy your .22-250 .. it'll probably do everything you ask of it, and well.
Two lessons: (1) do your own research and don't believe everything a "salesman" tells you; and (2) you can never have too many guns.
Shot my 243 for over 30 years before I had it rebarrelled. You will sell the 22-250 before you wear the barrel out. I was going to try a 204 but read that some people using them found the 204 a bit light for coyotes. I think you made the right choice. Both will bring down a coyote hit in the right place, I have had lots of them keep going even hit with 243 and bigger.
I remember ranting online YEARS ago on the firing line about not buying a SAVAGE rifle because of the native head logo and being native myself. Then they released a 20" heavy barreled 308. I'm such a sell out.titleist said:
Can I be the next mascott?!?
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