What weak points and dislikes with Savage centerfire rifles??

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RickR1100

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What weak points and dislikes with Savage centerfire rifles??

Meaning, what reasons do you have for disliking Savage rifles? Are you concerned about parts failures? Do they not handle the deep cold? Something else?

I ask because one time I met a guy who had just bought one, and he considered it garbage when brand new...was gonna return it. I'm somewhat certain that his real objection was not the rifle itself at all, but the stock, which he seemed to think was overly cheap, seemingly hollow and possibly too light to have strength. But... I find it hard to fault that when the price was so low, and light hunting guns are so popular. And really has nothing to do with the function of the action or the entire rifle.

But maybe you have a different view... maybe the extractor doesnt give you confidence. Or maybe the barrel nut makes you wonder if it'll loosen while in the field? Maybe you dislike the accutrigger and consider it a poor substitute for a proper one installed with care and skill?

I guess I'm asking because I'm kinda liking the design, but want to know more about alternative opinions before I spend real money on them. I want to know about the "show stoppers", the reasons you returned it to the store, or sold it to another sportsman. I know what Iike about them... now I want to know what I should be concerned and wary about?
 
I have shot a few savage's and loved them all... no complaints about them :D compared to my friends Remington 700 they feel way better built and smoother, and the r700 is like the king of hunting rifles, so I think that says something... I think there is a new king, its just not "official" yet...
 
RickR1100 said:
What weak points and dislikes with Savage centerfire rifles??

Meaning, what reasons do you have for disliking Savage rifles? Are you concerned about parts failures? Do they not handle the deep cold? Something else?

I ask because one time I met a guy who had just bought one, and he considered it garbage when brand new...was gonna return it. I'm somewhat certain that his real objection was not the rifle itself at all, but the stock, which he seemed to think was overly cheap, seemingly hollow and possibly too light to have strength. But... I find it hard to fault that when the price was so low, and light hunting guns are so popular. And really has nothing to do with the function of the action or the entire rifle.

But maybe you have a different view... maybe the extractor doesnt give you confidence. Or maybe the barrel nut makes you wonder if it'll loosen while in the field? Maybe you dislike the accutrigger and consider it a poor substitute for a proper one installed with care and skill?

I guess I'm asking because I'm kinda liking the design, but want to know more about alternative opinions before I spend real money on them. I want to know about the "show stoppers", the reasons you returned it to the store, or sold it to another sportsman. I know what Iike about them... now I want to know what I should be concerned and wary about?
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fit and finish on the rifles I have seen and handled was very poor, basically all the finishing details you pay more money for with other brands because the quality is higher. They are not aesthetically pleasing to look at IMO and the stocks do not fit me.
 
Savages were designed so parts didn't have to be fitted properly, everything could be adjusted to fit. That wasn't to make it better, that's to make it cheaper.

That leads to things like a separate head on the bolt that is held in place by a pin that is in turn held in place by the fireing pin that is made in multiple pieces and threaded together because they couldn't even do that right. Then they put a big headed pin in because a camming cocking piece would have made sense, threw a loose bolt handle on and held the whole schmele together with a big friggen Allen screw. Does that sound retarded?
 
I own a couple savages. Scoped packages. Decent accuracy right out of the box is nice. The price point is also decent on savage centerfires. They do have sort of a cheap look to them and fit and finish is not too bad but just run of the mill, nothing special. They are overall very adequate I think and decent hunting rifles, I don't mind banging around the bush with them and they are rugged and inexpensive enough that I don't mind if they go through their paces and get banged a little and tossed in the truck. Easy to clean overall anyway. The accu trigger isn't all that great but not bad when you get used to it and using it. Overall decent rifles in my opinion, not showstoppers but basic and accurate, decent hunting rifles in the hunting calibers.
 
I owned three, 3 shots in a new model 11 and a shell jammed in The chamber, unsatisfied with warranty service, new model 111 in 338 the magazine would drop out occasionally from recoil. I believe they are accurate but not durable, Better choices available for similar price Weatherby for example.
 
I like the accutrigger personally. Is it as nice as a high end, polished, worked on match trigger? Nope, but it's better than an out of the box low end rifle of similar price range from many other manufacturers.

For the stocks, the axis plastic stocks do feel like flimsy plastic garbage. The model 11/111 accustocks are much more rigid and feel a lot better, but the aluminum insert that makes them rigid also make them heavier.

I found the bolt throw is a tad long compared to some other rifles, which makes it tight squeeze between the bolt handle depending on your scope/ring choice, although it hasn't been a problem for me i can see how many people wouldn't like it.

They're not made to be a gorgeous, perfect, high end rifle. they are made to be reliably accurate with minimal work needed to make them accurate, for a relatvly low price. If that's what you're looking for, savages are great.

If you want something to display in your trophy case in between the season, you're probably looking for something else, but for the price, i don't mind dragging it through the woods and on the bike where it will get scratched or dirty, but it will still shoot just as well as it always has.
 
Grizz Axxemann said:
The Accutrigger. It's the only bad thing about the gun.
Click to expand...

Big JD-From the hills said:
allot of issues with mine with extraction and ejection. I have it fixed now but I don't trust it.
Click to expand...

I haven't had any issues with extraction but the other points sums up my thoughts on them. Because of this experience I won't buy anything unless its crf. Don't want to deal with the non ejection anymore.
 
I've had a lot of savage rifles over the years and still have a few in the safe. I like the 111's, I think they are excellent value in hunting rifle. The accutrigger is not the best trigger out there, but I find to be perfectly adequate for an economy hunting rifle. The stocks on the Axis line is very flimsy and super duper ugly, but they all seem to shoot very well. The recoil lug setup on the Axis is also a poor design. I just sold my last Axis a few weeks ago, I will never buy another one again. But I'll take any other Savage rifle any day of the week. Rimfire or CF.
 
From my limited experience with Savage rifles (Model 12 VLP), I am quite happy with them. I have no issue with the Accutrigger - it is better than many out-of-the-box, stock triggers but can't be compared to aftermarket ones. The accuracy is outstanding and I don't find anything to complain about in the fit and finish.

The only thing that I'm not happy about is the premature bolt-face wear and the lack of service and parts infrastructure in Canada. Parts are near impossible to source in Canada and some parts can't be easily imported from the US (Savage will only ship some parts to certified gun smiths).
 
Aesthetically they don't do it for me, with no cocking piece behind the bolt handle, and the ill advised Accu-trigger. What I consider much more serious though is the fact that the firing pin passes through a floating pin. As long as the rifle is cared for and kept clean as a whistle, there will be no problem, but if left exposed to the elements for an extended period of time, as might happen on an extended hunt in poor weather, typical of many parts of Canada in the fall, this feature is a failure waiting to happen. The bolt contains two springs stacked against one another where conceivably one would have sufficed just as well. I'm not sure just what the logic is there, but it adds additional complexity to what is already an unnecessarily busy bolt design.
 
I assume we are talking about the latest bolt action models . In my experience they work ok , shoot excellent and most are pretty ugly.
But bluedcanoed has got it right.
 
I have a nearly 20 year old Savage 111F. Love the accuracy and never had any problems with it if you
stick to commercial ammunition.

My biggest complaint is the bolt lift -- it is sometime quite hard to open. I practice flattening my right hand and smashing the bolt open...
 
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