Savage Edge .223 Range Report..more nice groups!

TomZ

TomZ

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While at a local gun show last weekend I picked up a NIB Savage Edge rifle/scope package in .223. for just over $400. Not knowing much about these rifles (I was actually looking for a Stevens 200 as an inexpensive .223) I was anxious to see how it would perform.

For those not familiar with this rifle check the link here:

http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/featured/

I gathered up some various handloads I had laying around as well as some surplus ball I must say and took it out to the range. I was VERY impressed.

After sighting it in at 100yards (it was only a few inches off as the scope attached was bored sighted at factory) I shot a 5 shot 2.5" group with Norinco Ball and a slightly smaller group with Winchester Whitebox ball. Not a great start, but I guess it could have been worse. All shooting was done on a bench with my pack as a rifle rest (Marine style ;-)


After a quick cleaning to help cool down the barrel I shot two groups with 55gr SP bullets (25.0 IMR4895) and ended up with the following groups:


55sp1.jpg


55sp2.jpg


WOW!..what a great start! I was PUMPED!

Next to try were some 55gr HP Match loads I had worked up (23.5 IMR4895) and here are the results:

55m1.jpg


55m2.jpg


I was almost in tears ;-)

Next I tried some REALLY old loads that I had topped with 62Gr SS109 bullets (24.0 IMR4895) and obtained the following results:

62ss1091.jpg


62ss1092.jpg


and finally my shooting buddy and fellow CGNer "rhs" lent me some of his super-duper 69gr match handloads to try. As expected they shot very well with the best group:

69m1.jpg


69m2.jpg



I think one can easily say that this rifle will shoot 1 MOA all day long. While my results with the 55 grain bullets were good, I think this gun will love 62-69 grain bullets with the correct load. I expect that as the round count goes up the groups with tighten up even more.

The trigger was surprising light (I would guess 4lbs) with very little creep and a very clean break. Not bad for a 6.5 lb varmit gun!

I took some nice "gun ####" at the range on my BlackBerry however the pics were lost when by BlackBerry went for a swim the same evening (long story). Darn!

Anyways, here is a photo of the Savage (who has not yet been named) taking her place of honor (between a M14 and Rem870 ;-) on my gun room wall:

SavageEdge.jpg


For $400 including scope I think this rifle was a great deal!!!

Now I need to work up some loads for 55gr v-max bullets and get ready for winter Coyote hunting. Yipee!

TomZ
 
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hmmmm................I might have to investigate further, too bad its SOOOOOO BUTT UGLY!! But if its accurate and cheap, the looks thing might get pushed alot farther down the criteria list for me.
 
Updated...more great groups!

I was finally able to load up some "varmit" reloads and try them out in my barely broken in Savage Edge at 100 yards.

All groups shot today were well under 1 MOA with a few in the 1/2 MOA range. Unbelievable, considering I was shooting off of my pack with a guy next to me blasting away with a 30-06 semi . ;-)

My recipe was 24-25 grains of H335 under a 55g V-MAX bullet with overall length of 2.25"

My first group was a respectable 0.95" (24 grains):)

095.jpg


A bit better 0.81" group (24.5 grains)::):)

081.jpg


Any finally...0.45" group (25 grains)::D:D

043.jpg


I also fired several groups without letting the barrel cool more than a minute or so.

Not bad at all! :eek:

groups.jpg


And finally, my partner in crime, Matt, who helped me with the handloads and is also starting to shoot some nice groups with this rifle.

Matt.jpg


I can not wait to try it out on 'yotes!!!!

Not bad for a $400 rifle and scope combo!!!

TomZ
 
I just bought one too but without a scope. I put an elcheapo scope I had just to try it out and was impressed. My next move is to pout a good scope on it and try it out. I am loading the same as you with 55 gr vmax and also going to try some 45 gr Sierras. They are ugly but they sure seem to be able to shoot.
 
I was also thinking of getting one in 22-250. But I was also looking at the Steven's 200xp Short. The Steven's comes with a scope also but is a little more money, has anyone shot both? Or even just the Steven's? I am at a serious crossroads here over the 2 :confused:
 
No need to start a new thread. A guy at the range asked me to sight in his rifle it was a savage edge in 270 winchester packaged with a bushnell scope. The first thing that I did was check the parrallax error on the scope. There was approximately 6 moa of error that I observed through the scope. I dialed the power down to 3X bore sighted then fired a group.

A few observations. The gun is light, it recoiled quite a bit. The buttpad helped a bit. The rifle is reasonable accurate. Groups were 1 moa to 1.5 moa.

I was surprised that savage could build a rifle at that price point which could deliver that level of accuracy.

I would recommend the rifle, but not the scope.
 
little bear said:
I was thinking about getting one in 7mm-08, for moose and bear. Also, will be shooting a few coyotes with it as well. I honestly can't say this rifle is ugly. Practical maybe, but not ugly.
Click to expand...


I don't find them ugly either. I admit they are definitely not the most aesthetically pleasing rifles to look at. I'm not a collector, so fancy stocks and smooth lines on an action matters not to me.

Although, I am a bit torn between the Axis XP(Edge)and the 111 Trohpy Hunter XP. This will be the rifle that my son will use when hunting with me, if he decides he wants to give hunting a go. If I am correct, I believe the Axis is about 1 1/2 to 2 lbs lighter and also seems as though it would be a better fit for shouldering on a smaller framed person.
I do have a couple of concerns with the Axis, being the design of the action and the the safety. However, I don't have any concerns with the 111 except for the weight! Any thoughts welcome!
 
I bought an Axis in .223 end of last year. Like it a lot. Nothing fancy about it, but it shoots good and the price was right. I think I've posted about it on CGN before, straight out of the box, sighted it in and then shot a three shot group at a little over 100 yards. Result was this:

XqpGg.gif


I never measured it specifically, but three shots at 100 yards all sitting under a dime is plenty accurate as far as I'm concerned.
 
Just to throw in 2 more models by Savage, i have a Predator Brush in .243 & a Predator Max1 in 22-250. Both are shooting sub 1" groups with factory Hornady loads. While both are towards the upper end of the spectrum in terms of price, it clearly shows that the Savage line is well known for its' accuracy out of the box regardless of price point or model.
 
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