Hey guys , i know you all like the savage over the remington 770 , so i am looking at one of these package rifles. I don't hunt so it will be for target shooting only. I am considering .243, .270 or .30-06 . I was hoping they would have it in .308 but that's not happening. Is there a big difference in ammo prices to feed these ? I don't own any of these calibers, so i want to get advice of which of these to choose. Thanks alot i appreciate your help.
Savage 111FCXP3 package : which caliber ?
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If its for target shooting, I would skip the Savage package gun, buy a Stevens 200, as the scope and mounts are not worth paying anything extra, they are junk and unreliable, even to save only $100, and use that money towards buying a decent scope, mounts then trigger and eventually a stock. As for caliber, perhaps 30-06, as there is a wide variety of 30 cal bullets for reloading and building accurate target loads.
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- Location
- Yellowknife, NWT
X2 for the .243. Same as Woodsman.......I'd go .270 or .30-06 to hunt.
If you want something accurate and cheap to shoot for target shooting, try to find a Stevens or Savage in 223. 40 rounds of varmint load ammo at Walmart for $17.00. That's about as cheap as you can get for new factory ammo.
I have the .30-06, and it's about as much as I'd go. I feel sorry for my buddy with the .300 Win Mag. It's a light gun, and tends to kick proportionally.
Dunno what you want to use it for, but if it's for hunting, the .270 should be alright. If it's for shooting a lot for cheap, go for the .243.
I'm not saying the recoil on the .30-06 is absolutely terrible and unmanageable, but for me, I'd say it's quite close to the upper limit of being comfortable. YMMV.
Dunno what you want to use it for, but if it's for hunting, the .270 should be alright. If it's for shooting a lot for cheap, go for the .243.
I'm not saying the recoil on the .30-06 is absolutely terrible and unmanageable, but for me, I'd say it's quite close to the upper limit of being comfortable. YMMV.
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I picked up the same gun last summer when Wholesale had one of their save 10% sales on 
D, yeah I'm cheap).
Mines in .270 win, right out of the box it was bang on at 100 yards (lucky me) great gun for the money.
I've already sold the scope and mounts, and will be getting a bushnell 3200.
Only thing I did was take a knife and removed the mold lines from the stock.
Oh, and ammo is only 13$ a box at SIR.
D, yeah I'm cheap). Mines in .270 win, right out of the box it was bang on at 100 yards (lucky me) great gun for the money.
I've already sold the scope and mounts, and will be getting a bushnell 3200.
Only thing I did was take a knife and removed the mold lines from the stock.
Oh, and ammo is only 13$ a box at SIR.
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For pure target shooting, I would definately get a .243 first, then the .270 as they are pretty flat shooting and the kick is less than punishing. And if down the road your confidence grows and the opportunity to tag along on a hunt occurs, the .270 will definately fill the bill. My hunting partner uses his .270 for almost everything. He has taken 2 moose, 3 elk, almost a dozen deer, and 1 bear. You can use bullets up to 150 grains, so if you even think you may branch out into occasional hunting but will remain mostly a target shooter. I would go with the .270 If you KNOW you will only shoot target, then the .243 is the way to go. I was shooting a CZ in .243 last weekend and it was a joy to shoot. (I have a savage in .300 win mag and IT DOES KICK LIKE A MULE) The statement made earlier that you should get a stevens isn't a bad one, as the scope that comes with the package is crappy. You will eventually have to replace it anyhow. Why not just get a cheaper rifle and a little better scope. I put a bushnell 3200 3-9x40 on my savage and I love it. Crystal clear and durable. I paid 270 bucks for the scope. Just a thought. It may cost 100 bucks more than the package deal but getting the package is just wasting 100 bucks or so when you have to replace the cheap scope. My friend bought a used 3200 bushnell for 140 bucks and it has lasted on his 7mm mag for 3 years with no problems. So thats an option too. A quality scope can be gotten used with pretty good confidence. Quality scopes are made to last and are worth looking into.
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manbearpig
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Somewhere in the Third World
yeah, if you have a limited budget, get a Stevens in either .223 or .308 for $300. .223 would be better since ammo is significantly cheaper.
its basically the same rifle as the Savage in the package. no detachable magazine, but this is an overrated feature anyway and the internal mag Stevens/Savage has more aftermarket stock options. im not really happy with my DM Savage and wish id have picked up an internal mag one instead.
put the $100 you save towards a decent scope and rings. the scope and rings that come with the package are very low quality and you will definitely end up replacing them anyway. the Simmons scope also leaves a lot to be desired. especially if you are target shooting.
you should look at the Bushnell 3200 Elite line, or the Burris Fullfield IIs.
for rings id recommend ordering a set of Warne Maxima TPA rings at Brownells for $30, they only charge $3-4 to ship to Canada and you have about a 50-50 chance customs wont even look at the envelope. search 947-005-112 at Brownells. bases id normally say get the Warne Maxima 2-piece steel weaver bases at Brownells for $25, but if you are on a budget the aluminum Weaver brand bases that every gun store sells for around $5-6 will work for now.
the SPS-Varmint is a nice entry level rifle but is twice the price of the Stevens and no more accurate. so if you are on a budget, go with the Stevens, youll be able to get it with a decent scope and mounts for the price of the SPS-V.
if you have an extra $300 to spend, then the SPS-V will definitely be a better long-term investment.
its basically the same rifle as the Savage in the package. no detachable magazine, but this is an overrated feature anyway and the internal mag Stevens/Savage has more aftermarket stock options. im not really happy with my DM Savage and wish id have picked up an internal mag one instead.
put the $100 you save towards a decent scope and rings. the scope and rings that come with the package are very low quality and you will definitely end up replacing them anyway. the Simmons scope also leaves a lot to be desired. especially if you are target shooting.
you should look at the Bushnell 3200 Elite line, or the Burris Fullfield IIs.
for rings id recommend ordering a set of Warne Maxima TPA rings at Brownells for $30, they only charge $3-4 to ship to Canada and you have about a 50-50 chance customs wont even look at the envelope. search 947-005-112 at Brownells. bases id normally say get the Warne Maxima 2-piece steel weaver bases at Brownells for $25, but if you are on a budget the aluminum Weaver brand bases that every gun store sells for around $5-6 will work for now.
the SPS-Varmint is a nice entry level rifle but is twice the price of the Stevens and no more accurate. so if you are on a budget, go with the Stevens, youll be able to get it with a decent scope and mounts for the price of the SPS-V.
if you have an extra $300 to spend, then the SPS-V will definitely be a better long-term investment.
Wow, lots of responses. Thanks guys . I'm not really on a budget and i won't be hunting with it. Just a gun for shooting at the range. I'm thinkin maybe
.243 or .270. I don't need a caliber that's going to beat me up, nor do i want to spend too much on ammo. I was just thinking for the money it looks like a pretty good setup. Everyone seems happy with theirs.
.243 or .270. I don't need a caliber that's going to beat me up, nor do i want to spend too much on ammo. I was just thinking for the money it looks like a pretty good setup. Everyone seems happy with theirs.
The savage gun itself is good. Its the same metal parts as the Stevens 200. That's the part people take no issue with. The cheap scope and rings are low end on the quality department, and the plastic stock is too flexible at the foreend and may move around, touching the barrel and throwing off the point of impact. The trigger is nothing special and could do with improvement as well, but that's pretty typical for new rifles. Aside from the 223 ammo being cheaper, the scope takes less of a beating and the recoil is insignificant. That means you won't need to buy as high quality of a scope and eye relief won't be so much an issue as a rifle that recoils and the scope needs to be further from your eye. A cheap scope like a Meuller APV 4.5-14x40 (about $190) adjustable objective is a good match for a 223 and you will have a gun that will shoot very accurately at 300 yards. I can't comment on beyond that as that's the extent of my experience with 223.
Also, keep your eyes open on the equipment exchange. I personally think you would be better served with a heavy barreled laminate stock gun if its only going to see range or other stationary shooting.
Also, keep your eyes open on the equipment exchange. I personally think you would be better served with a heavy barreled laminate stock gun if its only going to see range or other stationary shooting.
manbearpig
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Somewhere in the Third World
unless you reload, youll be paying twice as much for .243 or .270 ammo as you will for .223, and both have more recoil. because of the stupid war .223 prices have gone up quite a bit but it is still by far the cheapest centerfire caliber to shoot.
if you are NOT on a budget, then get a Remington 700 SPS-V like bartell suggested in .223, top it with a steel Ken Farrel rail for $80 at Brownells ( 100-001-074), a decent set of weaver rings and a decent scope.
later down the road you can keep an eye on the EE for something like a Remington 700P take-off stock for a big upgrade over the factory stock. if you sell your original factory stock on the EE, you can basically build yourself a 700P this way for over $300 less, only matte blued instead of parkerized.
get a LeBarons club card, itll save you 10% on everything thats not on sale at LeBarons. it costs $25. itll bring the $600 SPS-V down to $540, and save you
10% off whatever scope you choose to buy there.
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i should add that unless you fully trust the person you are buying the gun from in the EE, or they are a very reputable seller with lots of good feedback, be wary. ive been burned a couple times on used rifle purchases and it would have saved me a hell of a lot of frustration and money to just spend the extra $100-150 and buy it new. with EE prices on remchesters being what they are, all you are really saving is $50-100 and taxes. if you order from someplace like SIR or LeBaron youll only pay the GST, so taxes arent such a big deal. entry level gun prices have really come down lately and from what i see EE prices havent.
of course im talking about the typical modern remchester - the EE is still a great place for older guns and milsurps.
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Timberwolfe
CGN Regular
For target shooting only I would say get the 223 with the 1-9 twist. Very little to no recoil. Cheap to shoot, the ability to shoot the heavier longer high BC bullets to send them way down the range.
Does anybody even shoot the 270 in match shooting? They do not have the bullet selection as the other calibers do. What ever you buy have fun.
For myself I find shooting alot more fun with the small calibers.
Does anybody even shoot the 270 in match shooting? They do not have the bullet selection as the other calibers do. What ever you buy have fun.
For myself I find shooting alot more fun with the small calibers.
manbearpig
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Somewhere in the Third World
yeah thats another thing to consider - what range you will be shooting at. long range with a .223 youll benefit from heavier bullets and a faster twist, like 1/9".
for varminting or short range with lighter bullets, the slower 1/12" twist rate is fine.
Remington .223s almost all come in 1/12" twist, Savage/Stevens comes in 1/9". the new Remington 700 XCR Tactical Long Range/Compact Tactical have a 1/9" twist but cost 4x as much as the Stevens.
if you are going to shoot long range definitely look into the 20 MOA Farrel rail i linked above (not the 0 MOA one).
for varminting or short range with lighter bullets, the slower 1/12" twist rate is fine.
Remington .223s almost all come in 1/12" twist, Savage/Stevens comes in 1/9". the new Remington 700 XCR Tactical Long Range/Compact Tactical have a 1/9" twist but cost 4x as much as the Stevens.
if you are going to shoot long range definitely look into the 20 MOA Farrel rail i linked above (not the 0 MOA one).
