Mossberg 4x4 or Stevens 200

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A buddy of mine has hunted for a couple of years with borrowed guns and is now looking at buying his first rifle. He wants a .270 so he can use it on deer and yet still use it around Southern Ontario for Wolf/Coyotes etc.

I mentioned getting a Stevens 200 for $299 (SIR) and then maybe a Bushnell Elite 3200 3-9x40 ($245 minus 20% in Le Barons this month), plus rings and mounts.

He has now seen a Mossberg 4x4 package with the laminated stock, detach mag and a no-name 3-9x40 scope for $529 (SIR). He has yet to see or handle either rifle but says he prefers a laminated or wood stock to synthetic and also prefers a detachable magazine, although neither are absolute essentials if the right deal comes along.

There doesn't appear to be much if any feedback on the Mossberg, but which package would you prefer/recommend?
 
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Look also at the Savage 111FCPX3 package. I don't know if I got all those letters right.

Savage 111 package is cheap also comes with detachable mag, and a crappy simmons scope. Price should be compareable to the Mosberg package. and after a year or 2 your friend will want to upgrade the scope.

I got one in 300WM and after break in using 2 boxes of factory ammo the scope started showing signs of wandering. Scope did not handle the recoil well. Now I have a nice little cheap bushnell elite 3200 on it.


now as for his choice of caliber I think that can be refined :D 270 is more then enough for deer and a lot for wolves and yotes. I prefer the 25-06 for that roll.

but others may have different opinions :runaway:
 
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I'm looking at the savage 111FCNS, has the accutrigger and detachable mag. Synthetic stock though... I recommend he go to the store and give them all a feel tosee what he likes most
 
What ever I have seen the mosbergs have decent accuracy very respectable for an econo gun. probably the biggest reason you don't see more is the limited chamberings.

Personally I have the Stevens don't mind the blind mag or plastic stock, rigged with a bushnell banner it was probably a hair over 500$.
 
A Stevens 200 is on my 'list'. 243 or 22-250 - probably 243

Savages are shooters! Let me see I have one, two, three.....you get the point - rimfire(s), combo guns (Mod 24), centerfire in 111F.

I'd say Savage/Stevens all the way for the price-point. The 11/111 packages or the 200 could be great. There are a few threads here that detail improvements for the stock of the 200 - some nice paint-jobs and smoothed-out parting lines from the injection moulder.

Just too bad they don't make 'em for lefties.

Good luck - happy hunting/shooting!!!!!:D
 
My buddy has a 111 package gun in 270 he set his wife up with for hunting. I set up in the bed of his truck off the bipod and wrapped 3 off into a target at 100 yds (150 gr fusion loads). I got under an inch from that setup (less than ideal IMO) This tells me that even with the #### scope, the rifle has major potential. I currently own 3 savages, 2 being stock and one a rebarreled, restocked stevens 200. They have all been deadly from the get-go. Why oh why did i pass up that 30-06 package for $300, i will never know.
 
You have already given your buddy the correct answer!

Available right now from SIR:

426332 Stevens Model 200 Bolt Action Rifle - .22-250 Rem $ 299.99
426330 Stevens Model 200 Bolt Action Rifle - .223 Rem $ 299.99
426334 Stevens Model 200 Bolt Action Rifle - .243 Win $ 299.99
426336 Stevens Model 200 Bolt Action Rifle - .270 Win $ 299.99
426342 Stevens Model 200 Bolt Action Rifle - .300 Win Mag $ 299.99
426338 Stevens Model 200 Bolt Action Rifle - 30-06 Sprg $ 299.99
426340 Stevens Model 200 Bolt Action Rifle - 7mm Rem Mag $ 299.99

Just choose the caliber you want and go! :D

Ted
 
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with the Stevens he has access to pretty much all of the aftermarket Savage accessories: stocks, triggers, barrels, bolt handles, etc. its basically just a $300 barebones Savage, so later if he grows fond of it he can swap stocks, change barrels/calibers, etc.

with the Mossberg you are pretty much stuck with a low-end gun forever. i love the Mossberg 500/590, but i dont think id buy a Mossberg rifle.
 
Went to SIR and looked at the Mossbergs, you might as well buy a Bic lighter. Ended up buying the Stevens 200, in .300wm. Although they're not the prettiest guns they're great shooters, and if you ask some fellow CGNers they can show you some awesome camo jobs that they've done to these guns. Anyways the Stevens is the same barrel and action as the Savages, just a bit cheaper finish. Either or is a good choice if you're on a budget.
 
forgot to mention earlier -- if this is his first gun make sure he handles them. he might not know, looking at catalogues, that the laminate stocks add a *lot* of weight.

i love the look of something like pepper laminate but - depending on what i needed - if i wanted a light rifle for carrying around i would forego the laminate stock and stick with a cheap synthetic one. some laminate stocks add about 2lbs to the weight of the rifle, driving it up from 5.5lbs to 7.5lbs without glass.
 
Thanks guys. I already like the reputation of the Stevens and I ordered one in .223 myself from SIR last week (still waiting for them to ship the darn thing but that's another story!).

My buddy seems all set on the Mossberg for some reason and thinks the Stevens looks crappy. At the end of the day I'll give him the free advice and then its up to him. :rolleyes:
 
pointandshoot said:
not to hijack the post, but how is the savage 200 trigger out of the box? and is it easy to adjust? i'm interested in the 200 as well.
Click to expand...

Not the greatest out of the box, but it is adjustable, quite easily I might add, to an acceptable level. You can always buy an aftermarket trigger from Rifle Basix, Timney, or Sharp Shooter Supply.

Here's how to do it (key 1 doesn't exist):
OldStyleTriggerAdjustment.jpg
 
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The first Stevens 200 I bought was a 300 Win Mag. I bought it just to see what all the fuss was about. Took it to the range without doing a thing to it other than mounting a scope. The trigger pull was about five pounds, however the rifle shot well under an inch and a half three-shot groups.

Back home, I removed it from the stock and adjusted the trigger to break cleanly at three pounds. Put it back together and the next trip to the range the rfile was shooting right at an inch. This with no load development whatsoever, just shooting some 180 gr loads I had on hand.

The rifle weighs right at 7 3/4 pounds with 2-7 Leupold Vari-XII, sling and three rounds in the magazine. Actually, the weight is a bit too light for a 300 mag, but is a joy to carry.

Ted
 
you have to be very careful with the pre-Accutrigger Savage trigger - you cant just wade in and try to adjust it to a pound:
"Because of the limited mechanical advantage (the trigger bears against sear which is bearing against the main spring) the factory trigger cannot be safely adjusted below 3-5 (experts vary) pounds. After market triggers do better but the placement of the sear forward of the trigger make design of low pull weight triggers problematic."
Click to expand...
http://www.switchbarrel.com/Savage FAQ.htm

if you examine the diagram of the Savage trigger you can better understand this. theres a lot of misinformation on web pages dealing with the Savage rifles - for example ive come across several sites that describe how to file/stone the trigger components.

"The trigger (and its face that engages the sear) are sintered (made from powdered metal). This process results in a part that has a very hard, thin outer surface, yet is soft and ductile inside (both these properties are desirable). However, a gunsmith that does not know this may attempt to "stone" or polish this part, in an effort to "clean it up" and reduce friction.
This exposes the soft, underlying metal, which will cause this part to rapidly wear (and the soft underlying metal will have higher friction!"
Click to expand...

if you want a rifle with a crisp 1.5lb trigger then just spend the extra money for the Accutrigger, which was specifically designed to alleviate this problem safely.
 
I can vouch for the quality of the results from a Sharp Shooter Supply trigger. Its a worthwhile upgrade, and in my opinion gives you all the results of an accutrigger, and remains conventional in feel. Even aftermarket trigger upgrades require care in installation to maintain safe operation and proper engagement of the safety. They are not simply drop in.
 
The very best thing for him is to head down to the store and handle them both. The stock sounds alot nicer on the mossberg. I am sure the scope is junk but would get him by for now. I have handled the stevens and it isnt a bad rifle at all. Throw on a 150 dollar scope and he would have a good package to start off with.

I was looking for another rifle and had 5 in mind. It wasnt until I went down to the store and handled them all at the same time that the answer was clear to me which one to buy. You can get lots of opinions which one to go for which is a good start but he should handle them to confirm which way is better for him.
 
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