Reciever experience needed-700/howa/savage

BCrecce

BCrecce

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Looking at three different barreled reciever combos I have never owned in the 308 variety.

Looking for owners experiences on likes and dislikes on the howa 1500, remington 700 and Savage actions. My last precision 308 build was a custom one off based on an old mauser reciever.

Any relevant input would be greatly appreciated in helping me make a decision on purchase.

Cheers, Ash.
 
Just looking for first hand opinions on the 3 actions from owners who have used or handled them, I understand opinions are usually personal prefences but this still holds relevant merrit. I have handled and fired a few 700's and savage but never howa 1500's. Not enough handling to form biased opinions on any of the 3.

Im using the same heavy contour barrels, mdt lss stock configuration. Not entering any comps, not going overboard with truing. I dont use factory ammo. I enjoy medium/long range real world shooting and minimal range time.
 
Larger selection of aftermarket support for the Remington 700 with regards to stocks and triggers etc. I like the flat bottom integrated recoil lug of the howa. Like the extractor on the howa and the bolt seems smoother than my Remington rifles. I've never had a Savage. Depends what you want. They'll all do anything you want for the right investment.
 
IMHO everything about the Howa action is superior to the Remington. But the HUGE disadvantage is the lack of aftermarket support.

You've got the chassis covered with the MDT so no issues there but if you decide to switch out the trigger for something better you're pretty much limited to Timney. Not that there's anything wrong with the Timney, it's just that more options would be nice.

Just my .02
 
Thanks boys thats exactly the info I was looking for ie: recoil lugs/bolt function. Ive never been attracted to run of the mill coockie cutter rifles(700). I like solid and dependable, everything else can be polished and worked.

I have no problem with Timnney triggers, my last mauser build was a basic adjustable timney. Shooting discipline trumps all in the end.

Thanks for your .02
 
Have been using the older gen Savage/Stevens rifles for a very long time. They can be set up to run superbly .... in some applications. I am not a fan of the new gen actions and the cost cutting measures Corp Savage has done. They can also have some issues with ejection... very hit and miss.

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Run as a single shot F Class rifle, I really like what it offers. For a mag fed rifle, I only use it for practise.

Since you want to run a chassis and the MDT LSS is your choice, I would strongly recommend the Rem 783.. specifically the newer oversized bolt knob variants. They run superbly with AICS mags. All the positives of the Savage, none of the negatives and a bunch of extras that make this action my fave for a factory donor.

If I can help with the chassis, let me know as I am offering discounts now.

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With a match prefit barrel, they will run with the custom rifles ....

Rem 700 is well understood in the good and bad... again, not a fan of the actions over the last 5 to 8 yrs. If you can get some real old ones, they can work very nicely. nothing comes close wrt to options and parts. if the action has been manf decently, they run well... if not, money to fix and then you loose the point of a budget build.

Howas are very nice actions. Definitely underrated but Legacy Sports is working hard to change that. A very solid action, not much aftermarket but that might change given the corp support. If just looking at the pure action, I would choose the Howa over the Rem 700

Jerry
 

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Mystic Precision said:
Howas are very nice actions. Definitely underrated but Legacy Sports is working hard to change that. A very solid action, not much aftermarket but that might change given the corp support. If just looking at the pure action, I would choose the Howa over the Rem 700

Jerry
Click to expand...

^^^ What Jerry says
 
Thats the gentle push I needed. Thank you.

By the way havent seen you in awhile Jerry...I havent been to the range much this year. Everytime I see you dropping orders at the post office I forget to order more projectiles.

Did not think to look at the 783, no experience with them.
 
Not real experience with Savages but I've witnessed their ejectors not working (2-man team running Savages at a team match I was at had to take turns pulling each other's brass out of the action after each round, haha). I've shot a Howa 1500 a bit and it seemed nice, my buddy used to work for them (Legacy) and had done some work on the trigger. I have 2x Rem 700s, both with pinned recoil lugs so I can run them as switch barrels. I don't like them as much as my custom actions (Defiance Deviant Elite and ARC Nucleus) but I otherwise like them just fine and have cumulatively about 15,000 rds through the 2 actions in multiple different calibers. You definitely get your pick of what accessories you want for a R700, from triggers, to chassis to whatever, so there is that to consider.
 
They are all very good rifles. I've owned all 3 and currently own a Remington 700 and a Weatherby Vanguard (Howa 1500.) I will say it like this..

Remington 700:
Great aftermarket support.
Lots of factory options.
Can be a good base to start a build since a lot of gunsmiths know how to tune them.

Savage:
Pretty decent aftermarket support
Design to run prefits so minimum gunsmith work needed.
Very easy to work on.

Howa 1500:
Improvements over the Remington 700.
M-16 style extractor is a huge bonus.
Limited aftermarket support but its growing.
 
BCrecce said:
Thats the gentle push I needed. Thank you.

By the way havent seen you in awhile Jerry...I havent been to the range much this year. Everytime I see you dropping orders at the post office I forget to order more projectiles.

Did not think to look at the 783, no experience with them.
Click to expand...

If you want to go do some LR plinking, let me know. The 783 is truly held back by the constraints and cosmetics put on by Corp Rem.

Jerry
 
BCrecce said:
Looking at three different barreled reciever combos I have never owned in the 308 variety.

Looking for owners experiences on likes and dislikes on the howa 1500, remington 700 and Savage actions. My last precision 308 build was a custom one off based on an old mauser reciever.

Any relevant input would be greatly appreciated in helping me make a decision on purchase.

Cheers, Ash.
Click to expand...

If you are a DIYer with limited tools and knowledge,
I like how Savage is easy to change barrels and chassis.

I have seen the problems certain Savages have to eject, my Savage is at round count 3000 and never missed a beat.
It can also shoot 10x shot group sub 1/2 moa @ 300M if I do my part.

Best thing was, scope excluded, finished at 2K, and shoots like something worth much more.

9fVqKV3h.jpg


I also hear great things about Rem 783, just heavily limited in aftermarket options.
My stock choices weren't available in 783.
 
Yea, I agree the 783 is an enticing option and it seems to be getting more and more aftermarket. Plus the recent additions of the tactical models with a 24" barrel makes it really hard to ignore. MDT and Oryx both have short action offerings, once Timney drops their trigger for it I might pick one up to play with.
 
I have also seen Savages with ejection issues, I used to have one and have seen at least 2 others have issues during matches.
I believe the usual fix is getting a larger ball bearing for the ejector...?
 
Re. the Savage extraction/ejection issue. I've got a Savage 10T-SR from Cabela's, it's never had any issue extracting or ejecting but it wasn't really a strong ejection - called Savage and they sent me a little parts kit. Includes a new ejector and extractor as well as ejector spring and retaining pin, and a new spring and bearing for the extractor.

According to the internet the original Savage extractor bearing is a 0.125" / 3.175mm / 1/8" ball, and the "upgraded" unit is a 0.140" / 3.556mm / 9/64" ball. If you just want a new bearing MEC or any bike repair shop will sell loose bearings - and MEC definitely has 1/8" bearings. Seems a lot more difficult to get 9/64" bearings though - and very few places will carry ~3.5mm bearings (one industrial supply place out here was willing to order them in, but only in quantities of 100+).
 
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