First LR Rifle - A little guidance please.

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gregisthegreatest

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It's time to get a long range rifle. I don't know how I've went a year without one. I think the rifle I want is the Savage 12fv or 10fp. The only difference I can see between the two are the matte vs blue finish and an exrta swivel on the 10fp. The price of the rifles and all the good stuff I've read about them make me want a Savage.

The last time I was at the local gun shops they didn't have anything in I was interested in for me to hold. I have no idea how any of these guns feel but I guess I can customize if I dislike it that much.

I want to get a .223 because I live in SW Ontario I would like to possible try some hunting with it. I also like the price of .223 more than .308. I don't reload yet but plan to in the near future.

I plan on doing bench rest and prone shooting. I might try a compitition in the future if my club has one.

I would like the finished gun to cost me under $1000 and be the best that it can for under that price. All you guys input would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. Could I build a custom rifle that would perform the same/better than the Savages for the same price?
 
I doubt you'll build a custom for under a grand, that is for sure. Maybe if you use a Stevens 200 as a donor and get a good deal on a suitable bench style stock, even then you will be squeeking just under 1k

You'll want a 1:9 twist or faster 223 so that rules out most guns under $1000, as most of them have 12 twist (Remington, Browning, Ruger). Probably best bet is a 12 series Savage, and spend the remaining $ on optics and reloading gear
 
Ditto bartell;

For your budget, grab a Savage, they are a 9" twist IIRC, so you'll be able to shoot heavier bullets well.

That leaves you room for a quality scope and some 'successories'
 
I'd never want to hunt with a heavy barrelled rifle, however, if this is what you want there are other options as well.

If you're stuck on the Savage thing then I'd mention the new Preadator Hunter model with a 22" medium contour barrel. Light enough for hunting and still has the 1/9 twist barrel as opposed to the more usual 1/12" found in other manufacturers.

Sure, you'll sacrifice some long range capability here due to some slight velocity loss but who cares? How far do you consider long range in London, Ontario? What, 300 yards?

No matter what, you're going to have to compromise here and there because you're asking your rifle to accomplish a lot while on a limited budget.

If you have to get the FP or FV, get the FV. Cheaper of them. Then cut the barrel down to 20"-22" to save some weight and make it easier to hump around the woods with. Chopping the barrel will cost you somewhere around $50.
 
HEAR HEAR...proud owner of a Savage 12fvss...shooting just great up to 1000 yards.....223 and would not try anything else....wanna specialize???...the 12vss varminter ( $699.00) is all you need...
 
You should be able to find a long a Savage LRPV for around 1000$. My Stevens/Lothar Walther will be under a 1000$ once finished

Stevens Donor Action 380$
Lothar Walther BBL 325$
Burris Mount and SIG Rings 40$
SSS Trigger and Follower 125$
Stock 125$
Sell Stevens Stock, BBL and Trigger -150$

Total 845$

I've had great success with factory savages but wanted to try putting one together just for fun. I'm not really any furthur ahead other then getting a better then factory tube and trigger. If I could have got the donor action used it would have been well worth it.
 
Gheeze we're not wanting much here are we?

time to get a long range rifle...
going to chamber in 223?
you're going to hunt with it, that's doeable in .223 for small game
Then you want this thing to work for benchrest which nessitates a flat based stock... and I don't know anybody shooting .223 in BR that's normally a 6ppc caliber and for good reason...
The project has to come in at a grand...
I hope you're expectations for results at long range and BR matches are the same as your price point... another 1/4 minute Leatherman on the horizon
 
Last edited:
jkajfes said:
Gheeze we're not wanting much here are we?

time to get a long range rifle...
going to chamber in 223?
you're going to hunt with it, that's doeable in .223 for small game
Then you want this thing to work for benchrest which nessitates a flat based stock... and I don't know anybody shooting .223 in BR that's normally a 6ppc caliber and for good reason...
The project has to come in at a grand...
I hope you're expectations for results at long range and BR matches are the same as your price point... another 1/4 minute Leatherman on the horizon
Click to expand...

I want something to shoot longer distances as all I have for rifles is a 93R17 and SKS. I'm new and have done a bit of reading but don't know enough before I make my purchase so that's why I posted here. Thanks for all your help jkajfes.

The range I go to has a 300m range so that will be "long range" for me. For hunting I guess I could just get a Stevens 200 and give it a fancy paint job.

Thanks to everyone with helpful posts.
 
How handy are you with woodworking? If you are, you can make you own stocks out of plywood for about $25 per stock FINISHED. They don't need a mag inletting which saves alot of time and hassle.

If you can find a few Stevens stocks, you can build on these for an even easier project.

BR and prone/high power stocks are completely different in shape. An Fclass stock is a BR stock shot prone.

I would start with the 12FV as the 223 needs all the velocity it can muster. 75gr Amax, Benchmark or Varget, CCI BR4 in Win cases. Good for 1000yds.

For varminting, a bit heavy but workable. For big game, I would use a larger cartridge.

The package with the most options is to get a Stevens in 223, build a couple of stocks for yourself, pick up a Pac Nor prechambered/threaded in 223 in a heavy 1" contour 28 to 30" long for all your competition ambitions (F-F is a great class), get a SSS or Rifle basix 2 trigger group, bases, rings, etc.

The Stevens can be an excellent walkabout hunting rifle. Can shoot very accurately for about 10rds unless shooting in the heat of summer. The trigger is heavy so must be replaced. The orig stock is just fine for most applications except proper BR - can be used for prone/high power with a bit of padding added for a check rest.

You can read my build up on the Stevens a few pages back. This rifle will shoot 3/8 MOA at 200yds and sub MOA at 1000yds if I can dope the conditions. With a SSS trigger groups, you have less then $450 invested.

Lots of a spare barrel and stocks....Just mix and match the parts you want to fit the game you want to play.

My stevens has a SSS trigger group but will swap in a Rifle Basix 2 later, a Pac Nor match barrel (shoots in the low 2's with some groups in the 1's), a spare FV stock (varmint and bipod practise), an AI clone being built this fall (a tacky rifle with very high cap mag), and will also likely put together a BR stock when time allows so I can practise F class with it (single shot, very heavy). I use the Orig rifle with SSS trigger as my walkabout varmint rifle.

Because I build my own stocks, total investment for all the above is still well under $1000.

Jerry
 
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