help me pick a rifle!

kykamo

kykamo

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St Paul, AB
Hey,

Im looking for a hunting/target rifle chambered in 260rem or 7mm08. its primary use will be for hunting, but will be doing 100 round shooting sessions periodically and would like to get out to 600-800 yards one day. Also, id like to have a rifle i can upgrade to make a real sweet shooter if i need to.

I want a savage, mostly for their out of the box accuracy Iv read about and iv read that the accutrigger is the best stock trigger hands down (am I wrong?) so it can be the last thing to upgrade if I ever go that route.

So now im wondering what model of savage should i go for? on their gun finder it says the model 11, a 10 and the axis are chambered for either 260 or 7mm-08. from what iv read the axis sucks. even the axis 2 with the accutrigger has a cheaper mag clip, safety, stock and even the action, so im thinking the model 11 and 10 would be worth the extra bucks? even if im just gonna upgrade one day? but whats the difference between a model 11 and 10??? are the actions the same? a smooth action is definitely needed if im gonna build on it one day.

is it worth spending extra for an accustock? or spending a grand on a specialty model 10 predator hunting max 1? even if i upgrade one day? will i need to with that rifle??

i guess im ultimately asking what bare bones savage i can get to save money to upgrade it later, but also get the best savage parts to build on (like action, trigger, maybe barrel...).

I know I said I wanted a savage, but are there any other better guns in these price ranges that will serve me better? i may buy new if i have to, but id rather buy used which will probably dictate what caliber i go with and so would also like to have a few options just in case the price is right.

thanks guys
 
If your stuck on a savage, look at a Savage 11 Lightweight hunter in 7mm-08. Super light and easy to carry, yet has the savage accuracy. Stay away from the axis, not a good hunting rifle imo. More of a truck/yote gun. Savage 11's are good models, but buy one with the accutrigger, im a huge fan of them. Would I say best factory trigger? Nope. But it is a damn nice trigger. Another option would be a tikka, winchester, browning or if someday you want to customize it (new trigger, stock barrel etc) a remington 700 would be ok. Im not a fan of remingtons, had bad experiences with them, but lots of guys love em.
 
go for a tikka ......short bolt lift.....great trigger ......moa accuracy out of the box.......best rifle for the money......i am kinda partial, I own 4.....lol
 
I would look at the tikka T3 Hunter combo. I bought one at Xmas SS walnut stock and Burris 3X9 scope was on for $999 with another 10% off at the door great price.. The bolt is like silk and trigger is amazing as well.
 
samcan said:
go for a tikka ......short bolt lift.....great trigger ......moa accuracy out of the box.......best rifle for the money......i am kinda partial, I own 4.....lol
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steve62 said:
I would look at the tikka T3 Hunter combo. I bought one at Xmas SS walnut stock and Burris 3X9 scope was on for $999 with another 10% off at the door great price.. The bolt is like silk and trigger is amazing as well.
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i couldn't agree more, Tikka is a great fire arm, i own one myself as well, 270wsm T3 light. i'll likely never sell it.
 
I've been a Savage fan for years, but today I would tend to suggest you look at a Vanguard or a Tikka. The accutrigger was probably the best thing available in a budget rifle when it first came out, and there's nothing wrong with it now, but the trigger on the new S2 version of the Vanguard is better, and the gun has a 1MOA accuracy guarantee and seems solid and well-made.

I just picked up my first Tikka, a T3 Superlite .300WM, so I can't draw on a lot of experience with the T3's, but so far this one looks to be a shooter, and the trigger is at least the equal of the accutrigger in feel.

Both of these rifles offer outstanding value for the dollar. Savage built a reputation for being an accurate rifle at a good price, but I must admit that they got a bit tiresome with their overly-frequent changes in magazine configuration, bolt-release location, action-screw spacing, etc. Looking for an aftermarket stock for a Savage leads you through a maze of questions: blind mag, floor plate, centerfeed, staggered-feed, bolt-release on top, bolt-release on bottom, way too many measurements and way too many ways to slip up and order the wrong thing. For the Vanguard: easy; long or short action, case closed. For the Tikka: easiest of all; just pick a colour.
 
Tikka T3 synthetic/stainless... pick a calibre. Personally, I would go with 6.5x55, or something vanilla like 30-06 or 308.
A shooter out the box. Well made. Upgradeable.
 
There are plenty of Savage fans out there so I'll let them steer you that way. I sold all of my savages - I just find their bolts and bolt handles clunky and lazy and do not like the 90 degree throw. There are a few rifles I would recommend -

#1 - Tikka Super Lite on sale at Cabelas: http://www.cabelas.ca/product/61628/tikka-t3-superlite-stainless-steel-bolt-action-rifle

#2 - Sako A7 Stainless

#3 - Browning X Bolt

I have all of these guns myself. They are in no particular order. The A7 Stainess is deadly accurate as Sako is known for, nice "soft touch" stock. Found a sale and bought mine new for $899 a great price. Also great trigger, nice mag.

The T3 Superlite is a relativelty new model that just has a fluted barrel upgrade if you are into that. Otherwise any T3 will be just as good. Great looking gun, shoots about as well as the A7, its big brother.

The X Bolt in a Stainless Stalker has a nice dura touch stock, a great trigger, nice action with a ~60 degree bolt throw. All three of those are decent quality guns that will last.

The low level Savage rifles are kind of a joke. I would not go near an axis (had two of them before I really started to buy guns). As an aside on the Vanguard recommendation, I've never had one but I just bought a $2200 Weatherby Mark V Accumark in 338 Lapua. It is a hell of a nice gun but all three of the above, sadly, have better triggers and I had to order a Timney. So I don't know how Vanguard triggers are but it would be strange to find a better trigger in a rifle less than half the cost from the same manufacturer. I would save a couple hundred extra and buy a nice one of the above. Even an as new used one will serve you well and you can get some good deals on this site. Have fun
 
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260rem and 7mm08 is kind of expensive for periodic 100rd shooting sessions.

The Savage trigger is pretty good. It was good even before the accutrigger. However, its not the best.

People hate on the Axis but I've seen enough of them shoot well to say they're okay budget rifles.

Probably your first and best upgrade you can do to that rifle or for it, is start getting into reloading. Effortless small groups and major money saving on ammunition.

For other rifle options and for you to learn more about Savage rifles. I think you would really like to read this, "MOA Accuracy Out Of The Box", review.

ww w.gunsamerica.com/blog/minute-of-angle-moa-accuracy-out-of-the-box/
 
Mumbles Marble Mouth said:
People hate on the Axis but I've seen enough of them shoot well to say they're okay budget rifles.

ww w.gunsamerica.com/blog/minute-of-angle-moa-accuracy-out-of-the-box/
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I tend to agree with them shooting "OK". OK meaning about 100-200 yards max. But they are not free floated and the stock along the barrel is very flimsy. I wouldnt expect much from it without mods.
 
vancouverbc said:
As an aside on the Vanguard recommendation, I've never had one but I just bought a $2200 Weatherby Mark V Accumark in 338 Lapua. It is a hell of a nice gun but all three of the above, sadly, have better triggers and I had to order a Timney. So I don't know how Vanguard triggers are but it would be strange to find a better trigger in a rifle less than half the cost from the same manufacturer. I would save a couple hundred extra and buy a nice one of the above. Even an as new used one will serve you well and you can get some good deals on this site. Have fun
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Just to expand a bit on this: I have had several MarkV Weatherbys, along with a number of Vanguards. While the MarkV's certainly carry the snob appeal of the name, and the price to match, I've found both the accuracy and the trigger feel of the Vanguards to be generally superior. I'm speaking here of the S2 Vanguards...the earlier guns were just as accurate but the triggers could be difficult to adjust to a nice let-off while still maintaining functionality of the safety. If you like the high-gloss, California-style traditional Weatherby look, a Deluxe or Lazerguard model Vanguard will satisfy your tastes and still provide the outstanding accuracy and trigger feel for which these guns are becoming known. Really, the only reason to buy a MarkV is because you simply want a MarkV...not that there's anything wrong with that. :)
 
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Wow guys. lots to think about, thanks for taking me to school about triggers. just to clarify, the accutrigger is good, just the competition has caught up well? so i should have to worry about the trigger of these mentioned quality brands?

So, to change my initial question a bit, what i would like to do is get a cheaper rifle (as cheap as i can to accomplish my goals) and upgrade it a bit (like get a boyd stock) to make it as nice as a $1000 gun or better. Thats why i was asking about the savage models actions because i heard they're good, have a nice trigger and easy to change barrels. so is there a better way to do what i want? would a ruger american with a boyd stock be a good idea? is that ruger action good to build on?

i forgot all about the wby vanguards. do you think theyre the best $600 gun? how nice is that syn/composite stock? iv held one before, but didnt know it was nice or not. i only have walnut stocks. wood stocks are easy to know if they good or not. would it benefit much from a boyd stock?

as you may see, im not completely sold on the savages. i just thought they were a good idea for what i want to do, but if theres a better way, id rather do that.

thanks so much guys
 
shorttrac said:
Same money as a X-bolt, Model 70, M77 Hawkeye. More than a Vanguard. T3 is a good rifle but I would not say the best for the money. Not by a long shot
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Really? please explain.

The Kurgan said:
Tikka T3 synthetic/stainless... pick a calibre. Personally, I would go with 6.5x55, or something vanilla like 30-06 or 308.
A shooter out the box. Well made. Upgradeable.
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How come this 6.5?

thanks
 
I'd get a Weatherby Vanguard in something unexceptionable like .270, put it in a Boyd's prairie hunter stock, get some Talley lightweight low rings, and a Leupold VX2 3-9x40 scope. About $1150 all in, and that's if you're silly enough to buy brand new!

I have the above rifle. It's terrific.
 
jjohnwm said:
Just to expand a bit on this: I have had several MarkV Weatherbys, along with a number of Vanguards. While the MarkV's certainly carry the snob appeal of the name, and the price to match, I've found both the accuracy and the trigger feel of the Vanguards to be generally superior. I'm speaking here of the S2 Vanguards...the earlier guns were just as accurate but the triggers could be difficult to adjust to a nice let-off while still maintaining functionality of the safety. If you like the high-gloss, California-style traditional Weatherby look, a Deluxe or Lazerguard model Vanguard will satisfy your tastes and still provide the outstanding accuracy and trigger feel for which these guns are becoming known. Really, the only reason to buy a MarkV is because you simply want a MarkV...not that there's anything wrong with that. :)
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good to know. Hah! On the mark v simply a wanted gun! Range certified, 338lm, OD stock and fluted blue barrel. Not flashy, but very high quality and i got a nifty certificate signed by Mr. Wby to boot! Sorry to derail. Back to the OP's post
 
kykamo said:
Wow guys. lots to think about, thanks for taking me to school about triggers. just to clarify, the accutrigger is good, just the competition has caught up well? so i should have to worry about the trigger of these mentioned quality brands?

So, to change my initial question a bit, what i would like to do is get a cheaper rifle (as cheap as i can to accomplish my goals) and upgrade it a bit (like get a boyd stock) to make it as nice as a $1000 gun or better. Thats why i was asking about the savage models actions because i heard they're good, have a nice trigger and easy to change barrels. so is there a better way to do what i want? would a ruger american with a boyd stock be a good idea? is that ruger action good to build on?

i forgot all about the wby vanguards. do you think theyre the best $600 gun? how nice is that syn/composite stock? iv held one before, but didnt know it was nice or not. i only have walnut stocks. wood stocks are easy to know if they good or not. would it benefit much from a boyd stock?

as you may see, im not completely sold on the savages. i just thought they were a good idea for what i want to do, but if theres a better way, id rather do that.

thanks so much guys
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end of the day, most of the production rifles these days are reasonably reliable and similar, if they are at roughly the same price point. Obviously with some degree of difference in design, stock quality etc. If you experiment with various factory ammo or handload they will likely perform about the same on target.

Mostly guns are an emotional purchase IMO. Find one that feels right and you like the look of. If you enjoy tinkering and swapping stocks etc then go for it. On a practical note, youll generally find it cheaper to buy an as new but second hand rifle already loaded with a stock you like. Be it boyd b&c or what have you. Buying all new parts is the expensive way to tinker and see what you like. I would try and get some trigger time with a few guns, find out the features you like or dislike and then start to customize if you are on a tight budget cause you'll never get that money back out. It can be very addicting hobby so beware :)
 
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