Savage Questions

[centershot]

A few basic questions.
I know that two digit numbers are short actions.
Three digit numbers are long actions.
Are all short actions small shank barrels?
Are all long actions large shanks?
What about the action screw spacing.
Can you build a short action cartridge on a long action, ie a 6br on a long action?
Are the long actions the long spacing and vice a versa for the short actions?
I am asking this because I am considering building a Savage slave action and playing with different barrels. Have a vice, action wrench and nut wrench.
Thanks for your input.

 

[rjtfroggy]

What you think you know, you don't.
Todays 3 digit numbers are either or.
10, 11, 12, 14, 16 are short action s.
110, 111, 112, 116 are long.
This is for older actions.
All small action are not small shank, and not all long action are large. And yes some small action magnums are large shank.
Action screw spacing varies from different years only way to know is to measure.
With a little research and time spent over on www.savageshooters.com you can get answers to all things Savage.
Some advise from experience don't waste your money trying to make one a competitive bench gun, much cheaper to buy a custom.

 

[C.E.Smith043]

I love savages yet hate them. They have one of the most screwed up numerical/action sizes of anyone in can think of.

 

[centershot]

What you think you know, you don't.
Todays 3 digit numbers are either or.
10, 11, 12, 14, 16 are short action s.
110, 111, 112, 116 are long.
This is for older actions.
All small action are not small shank, and not all long action are large. And yes some small action magnums are large shank.
Action screw spacing varies from different years only way to know is to measure.
With a little research and time spent over on www.savageshooters.com you can get answers to all things Savage.
Some advise from experience don't waste your money trying to make one a competitive bench gun, much cheaper to buy a custom.

Not looking to make a bench gun. I have two of them, not Savage. Looking to make a fun gun. For instance, there is a .264 Magnum barrel for sale including the brass and dies. I could take a long action, buy a new bolt face and have some fun! When something else comes up, I could buy that and either sell the old stuff or hang on to it.
Right now I would probably look into a target 12 and a long action. Nice thing about Savage is that you can do a lot of it yourself. As of now, I have two Savage 12 but they are my prairie dog guns.
Hope you all can see where I am going with this.
I will look into the Savage web site.
Thanks for the info.

 

[Big Mc]

A few basic questions.
I know that two digit numbers are short actions.
Three digit numbers are long actions.
Are all short actions small shank barrels?
Are all long actions large shanks?
What about the action screw spacing.
Can you build a short action cartridge on a long action, ie a 6br on a long action?
Are the long actions the long spacing and vice a versa for the short actions?
I am asking this because I am considering building a Savage slave action and playing with different barrels. Have a vice, action wrench and nut wrench.
Thanks for your input.

rjtfroogy Is spot on. Tommy Mc.

 

[6MMsteve]

if you can find a F12 Palma 3.4 spaced 3 screw action buy it...it is the best action Sav makes

 

[Taildrag15X]

I love savages yet hate them. They have one of the most screwed up numerical/action sizes of anyone in can think of.

Since the "reinventing" in 2002 you are correct, prior to that they made sense, 3 action lengths, 3 bolt spacings.

 

[coldboreshot]

Not looking to make a bench gun. I have two of them, not Savage. Looking to make a fun gun. For instance, there is a .264 Magnum barrel for sale including the brass and dies. I could take a long action, buy a new bolt face and have some fun! When something else comes up, I could buy that and either sell the old stuff or hang on to it.
Right now I would probably look into a target 12 and a long action. Nice thing about Savage is that you can do a lot of it yourself. As of now, I have two Savage 12 but they are my prairie dog guns.
Hope you all can see where I am going with this.
I will look into the Savage web site.
Thanks for the info.

It does afford the opportunity to be "your own gunsmith/mechanic". If you can do it safely then go for it.

 

[coldboreshot]

This is pretty much how gunsmiths got their start, tinkering. Though I suspect that some that I know, based on their skills and their quality level, may have arrived here one night and landed their ship in an open field from worlds beyond and just "went to work".

 

[std7mag]

Not looking to make a bench gun. I have two of them, not Savage. Looking to make a fun gun. For instance, there is a .264 Magnum barrel for sale including the brass and dies. I could take a long action, buy a new bolt face and have some fun! When something else comes up, I could buy that and either sell the old stuff or hang on to it.
Right now I would probably look into a target 12 and a long action. Nice thing about Savage is that you can do a lot of it yourself. As of now, I have two Savage 12 but they are my prairie dog guns.
Hope you all can see where I am going with this.
I will look into the Savage web site.
Thanks for the info.

If you can find a Savage 111 in a Magnum cartridge, you'll be good to go, AS LONG AS the barrel is a small shank.

My wife has a 110 FP in 223 Rem.
Whomever at Savage thought that a long action would be good for a 223 Rem should be sent down range to hold the target for ya!

 

[K9TXS]

I have a Savage model 10 SA that I just rebuilt the entire rifle from 308 to 6BR. I also have a Tikka and a couple of Remington 700's. Since I got the Savage for free, I choose it to rebuild to the 6 BR. If I wouldn't have gotten the Savage for free, I would have made the Tikka a switch barrel. Both of my Remington 700's are switch barrels. Have shot all three rifles at the range one after the other, I like the Tikka & Remingtons better.

 

[centershot]

If you can find a Savage 111 in a Magnum cartridge, you'll be good to go, AS LONG AS the barrel is a small shank.

My wife has a 110 FP in 223 Rem.
Whomever at Savage thought that a long action would be good for a 223 Rem should be sent down range to hold the target for ya!

I thought the magnum, ie long actions, would all be large shank?

 

[std7mag]

Nope...
I have a 111 in 7mm Rem Mag, and my friends 111 in 300 Win Mag are both small shank.

For some reason the WSM cartridges tend to be large shank.

 

[jdh47]

When they went from the staggered magazine in the short action to the stacked mag. the screw spacing went from something like 4.275 to 4.4. Stocks won't interchange. I bought a short action once and built it. Found out the hard way. It's gone now. Savage makes a decent rifle at its price point. I'm not a fan of the trigger and some other stuff but that's just me. They have a huge following. If you don't do threading and chambering the barrel nut system allows you to change out barrels pretty easy.

 

[DogBuster]

Years ago...Savage built some SA M12's......4.27"...non Accue triggers

They were large shank...24" heavy blue & SS barrels & solid bottom s/shot

I believe they were left over actions from the ML rifles

S/N prefix was always 'M00xxxx'

Had several back then & set 'em up for dog guns

 

[DogBuster]

Large shank SA repeater series were the WSM's calibers

Never seen a LA 110 magnum repeater action large shank

 

[DogBuster]

I remember wayy back when.......

Bought a LH FP series police rifle in 260 Rem

Now that was an odd ball....small shank

Savage guys ? Remember 'Effie Sullivan' from Savage C/S ?

Sure was pleasant to deal with !

 

[SKWERLZ]

Large shank SA repeater series were the WSM's calibers

Never seen a LA 110 magnum repeater action large shank

Yep
The fatness of the WSM(and RUM’s) leaves the tenon and straight shank thin enough to worry some to not using a common 1.06 tenon and straight shank.

I’ve ran a few small shank 7 saum prefits without issues but I’m pretty confident I’m within pressure limits or just barely over.

 

[M-61]

Action screw spacing varies from different years only way to know is to measure.

This post is dead on.
I love Savages. However the action screw spacing was/ is based on the square root of the winning lotto number on the third Saturday of the month in Cambodia.
A child’s school ruler is all you need. There is NO way by serial number or year to determine it.
Even backwoods gypsy mysticism doesn’t work.

 

[STOMP442]

Savage is was their own worst enemy. If they would just pick a dimension already and stick with it, they would likely have much more aftermarket support and thus a larger following.