Range report: Steven's 200 in .223 Rem.

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roadwarrior

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I bought my rifle last year and I had taken it only once to the range to brake it in. I had a few boxes of various ammo that I had purchased for testing and I figured that today was the day.

My rifle is stock, with a Bushnell Legend 5X15X40 A/O and a Harris bi-pod. Here is a fresh picture of her:

IMG_0120.jpg


So off to EOHC we went. It was a windy September day and the temperature was around 11 C and cloudy. I brought along the following ammo (all 55gr. 223 Rem.) for testing:

- Winchester FMJ (5.27$/20)
- Winchester PSP (14.99$/20)
- Federal Power Shock SP (16.49$/20)
- Federal V-Shock-GameKing BTHP (20.99$/20)

I fired a few warm-up shots with the FMJ's (I had plenty of those) and I noticed that my bases (Weaver) had come loose. So I tightened those up and I put my scope back on target.

I started the test: shooting 5 shot groups X 4 targets per box of ammo at 100 yards. I allowed +/- 15 seconds for cooling between shots and I did not clean the rifle at any point. There were no malfunctions during the 160 rounds fired.

First up were the Win. PSP the average group size was 2" with the smaller one being 1"3/16. This also happens to be the best overall 5 shot group that I fired today.

stevens-winpsp.jpg


Secondly, I tested the Federal Power Shock at what I think might of been the most windy part of the day. I managed some decent groups, but there always seemed to be a flyer that would mess the deal up... The Power Shock delivered the worst overall average at 2"3/32.

stevens-powershock.jpg


I then took out the V-Shock, having great expectations for them. Heck, at nearly four times the price of the FMJ's, who wouldn't! Well, they were definitely hotter loads and the groupings were more even, but they came in second place with an average of 1"25/32.

Finally, I decided to incorporate the FMJ's in the test for the hell of it and the little cheap buggers came out on top!:runaway: At an average of 1"18/32 the 5.27$ stuff kicked a$$.

stevens-fmj.jpg


Now, I don't pretend to be an expert shot, so take this info for what it's worth. If I would of only fired 3 shot groups instead of five, I guarantee that the average groups would have been 1 MOA. One thing is for sure, with the right hand-loads and a solid sled, this gun is sub-moa capable out of the box.

stevens-best3shotgroup.jpg


Here is an example of a 3 shot group (3/4") made with the Win. FMJ
 
My Steven's likes the American Eagle 50gr. hollow points really well. Very tight groups with them and they are only about $11.00 at Wholesale Sports.
Sadly, i just sent my rifle back to Savage for warranty as it has had a problem not feeding rounds from the magazine. The Savage rep looked at it and said it had to go back. Any trouble with yours?
 
If you can find 45gr. Winchester White Box ammo you might be surprised by the results. I find it in 40 round "value packs", it has a crimped point. I can't find factory ammo that will beat it within 150 yards.
 
I am a little back loged in my magazine reading. This week, I was reading the August issue of American rifleman and they had an article on the Steven's M200, in 30 06. The author performed similar testing, but used a lead sled and included some hand loads on top of a few commercial loads. Results with the store bought stuff was similar to mine. Taking in to account that he was using a solid rest, I would of expected more drastic results from his hand loads. Savage uses the same barrel for the .223 as they do with the .308 caliber. Would barrel thickness in proportion of caliber explain the difference in accuracy?

He tested his trigger and it broke around 6.6 pounds. Although he described it as "crisp" I can attest that a lighter trigger would be welcomed. Funny that the author also forgot to mention the ugly moulding lines on the stock.

Anyway, the Steven's 200 is a good rifle and it would be hard to find a better deal in the same price range...
 
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You could have a .223 shoot 1/2" groupings and the 308 shoot 1 1/2 inch groupings.... or vice versa... No two rifles are the same even if they come off the line 5 minutes apart. You have to experment with different loads and see which your rifle (no matter what the caliber) prefers.
 
mylesrom said:
You could have a .223 shoot 1/2" groupings and the 308 shoot 1 1/2 inch groupings.... or vice versa... No two rifles are the same even if they come off the line 5 minutes apart. You have to experment with different loads and see which your rifle (no matter what the caliber) prefers.
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Yes you are right, but a variation in barrel thickness can also have a direct effect in my view. That's why we have heavy barrels: less oscillation and cooler operation...
 
15 seconds between shots for 5 shots on a light barrel might be a little fast, by looking at your target I would say that's one thing that might affect your groups.

I had a Steven's in .243 that would shoot 3/4'' groups with factory federal ammo no problem...
 
Stevens 200 in .223

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With a 60 grain Hornady, my Stevens 200 in .223 calibre will shoot under 3/4 inch at 100 yards, and testing at 400 yards is well under 5 inches, more closer to 4 1/2 inches.

Heck of a rifle for the price. My hunting partner bought one in 25-06, his son-in-law a .243, and two locals who tried ours ended up with 7mm-08s. All seem quite accurate rifles.
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It seems that the big advantage of Steve 200 is its magazine, that feeds very long rounds. Ability to seat very close to the lands gives very good accuracy. I loaded Hornady 55 gr SP bullets that have a very conical ogive 0.015 from the lands and they fed flawlessly. The OAL was 2.275". This is our plinking round, which gives sub-MOA groups at 100 yards. I also tried Hornady 68 gr HP BT and they shot even better, however OAL was shorter due to round ogive.
 
pilot24 said:
15 seconds between shots for 5 shots on a light barrel might be a little fast, by looking at your target I would say that's one thing that might affect your groups.
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Yah, but I have to admit that patience is not one of my virtues. It took all I had to sit there for 15 seconds doing nothing...:redface:
 
Being a new member of the Savage Stevens club, I'm discovering these rifles can shoot! In all honesty, both of mine shoot better than I can. Only complaint I have is the trigger pull. That, and they're ugly as sin.
 
I am eagerly awaiting this to install into my 200 in .223

3w's.ezpulltriggerassist.com.

Cheaper than a Timney, and I am the only "tool" required to install it.

Hakx
 
With a 1-9" twist I'm not sure a 46gr slug would shot worth a darn? I wish they left the rifling at 1-12" as it is a varmint gun and loading .223's with heavier slugs still don't make it a military wonder.This is why the 6.8 came along..............................Harold
 
I just want to make a correction. The article I referred to earlier was in Guns and Ammo, not in the American Rifleman. It's written by Steve Gash and was featured in the Proof House section of the August issue. His smallest hand load group was 1.14" and his largest 2.4" as far as commercial ammo, the smallest group was 1.54" and the largest was 2.61. In average his Steven's shot 1.79" groups for 16 different bullet configurations. Not bad for a 300$ hunting rifle!:)
 
mbogo3 said:
With a 1-9" twist I'm not sure a 46gr slug would shot worth a darn? I wish they left the rifling at 1-12" as it is a varmint gun and loading .223's with heavier slugs still don't make it a military wonder.This is why the 6.8 came along..............................Harold
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A vaild point, however it is worthy of note that the 1-9" twist is supposed to allow the widest possible range of bullets to be used. For those who wish to shoot long range or use the .223 on animals larger than coyotes it allows them to use a bullet more appropriate to the task.
 
Another happy Stevens owner

Not to hijack, but I took my Stevens 200 in 243 to the Range the other day to break in/ sight in. Like other folks have said, pretty good for a $300 rifle.

To be fair, I did bed the action, and replaced the factory trigger with a SSS trigger, and a couple of other inexpensive mods.

This is with factory loads: Federal PowerShok 100gr soft points.



I'm sure the flyer is the first round after cleaning, but with a Bushnell 3200 2 x 7, I couldn't make out the holes while firing the string. I think its time for Laser surgery though .... with the low power scope, no mater how I fiddled with the focus ring, the target wasn't as clear as I would have liked :rolleyes:
 
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