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Are Savage Single shot target actions any good

I am thinking about buying a brand new Savage Target action. It is one of those single shot Right port right bolt large shank with the accutriger 6oz. Are the any good Or do you still need to true them up. Or should I just do another Rem. 700 and the have it trued. Any experience would be great.
Brian
 
I shoot a Savage right now. I made High Master with it.
Would I buy another one? NO!
The action is accurate enough. Truing will help it a little bit. But all they really need is a PTG bolt head that has been lapped to the action. Reset the headspace after lapping.
The trigger is the downfall and aftermarket alternatives are just not out there.
The trigger is this Mickey mouse stamped sheet metal affair that releases the firing pin on the side of the bolt. Damn hard to come up with a safe alternative in the weights we want them.
 
Its the cheap way to shoot competitively. Buy the action and add a criterion barrel and you have a sweet deal for a sweet price. I have a 284 and the rifle shoots really good. If its your first semi custom rifle, you will love it. I dont regret buying mine at all. Now if you want the best out there, then this action is not for you. Yes, its not the smoothest action or the best trigger, but it is certainly good enough to shoot high master scores.
 
brianc74 said:
I am thinking about buying a brand new Savage Target action. It is one of those single shot Right port right bolt large shank with the accutriger 6oz. Are the any good Or do you still need to true them up. Or should I just do another Rem. 700 and the have it trued. Any experience would be great.
Brian

If you buy a Remington and re-work it to make it the way it SHOULD be, you are now on the heels of a custom action, $$$-wise. If you buy a Savage, you can make it what you want, except for the triggers. If you are limited in funds, you have 2 REAL choices: 1.) buy a good used competition rifle. This will give you a GREAT foundation to work with; or 2.) Buy a Savage and you will have a VERY competitive rifle. However, at some point, if you continue in competition(s), you WILL buy a full-blown custom. That is why I would prefer to buy a really good used competition rifle. You will have to spend A LITTLE MORE than going the Savage route, however, once you have the foundation of a custom rifle, barrels is about all you need to change from there on out. In the L-O-N-G run, since you will eventually buy a full blown custom anyhow, I think it would actually be cheaper to start out with a good used custom. There are some really good deals out there if you look for them.
 
ShootDots said:
... In the L-O-N-G run, since you will eventually buy a full blown custom anyhow, I think it would actually be cheaper to start out with a good used custom. There are some really good deals out there if you look for them.

^^^^^ what he said
 
I'm not sure why everyone seems to dump on the Savage target action Accutrigger. I bought a Savage 12 F-Class rifle a year or so ago, and I found it to be the nicest trigger I've ever used -- straight out of the box. Not a serious competitor in F-Class (or not yet) but I get the feeling a lot of the opinions you read on the Internet on these triggers are based on second-hand opinions, or opinions formed with older Savages, or maybe the standard Accutriggers, not the TARGET Accutrigger, which apparently adjusts down to 6 ounces (or is it 2 ounces?) All I know is that straight out of the box, my trigger had ZERO creep and breaks like glass, and is as light as I want it for now, and maybe ever. So I didn't touch the adjustment on the trigger. I also like the idea that I can change the barrel myself when I need to, rather than waiting for a gunsmith. I also like the floating bolt head of the Savage design, which I believe eliminates any need for lug lapping. Do yourself a favor, and take a look at one of these guns for yourself and TRY the trigger yourself before you make your decision. You get one heck of a lot of rifle for the money, IMHO. Mine is in 6.5/284 and I plan to get another one in 223 or 308 when I come up with the change. Good luck in whatever you decide.
 
I've had numerous target actions, a few Remingtons and a Barnard custom action(sweet trigger included). The target actions have been the best value by far and I haven't had one that couldn't shoot 1/4MOA or better with a quality aftermarket barrel and proper load developement. I always add a PTG bolt head. As mentioned, after market triggers are limited but I've found that the Rifle Basix SAV-2 trigger works very well if you use a standard Savage sear and not the Target Action sear. Adjustments are too sensitive with the Target Action sear and it's tough to get a decent trigger(take up, weight and over travel) without experiencing slam fires pretty easily. All that went away when I tried a standard sear. You can sell off your Target Action sear for a lot more than a standard sear is going to cost you, since they almost never come up for sale.

Just my two cents and I have a lot of experience and years shooting Savage Target Actions. Recently, helped my brother put together a .308 benchrest rifle with a Savage Target Action and a Shilen barrel from Jim and Northland. Honestly, with JLK bullets, as long as he does his part, he can put 3 shots in the same hole at 100 yards and that's with the factory trigger and bolthead. Not too bad for a complete rifle for under $1,100 that you can put together in your basement.
 
Good Morning,

If you are someone who enjoys building rifles the Savage Target Action is a good alternative for you. I recently shot my 6BR in a BR match and she shot a 1.7" 5 shot group at 600 yards with a Criterion Barrel. I ended up finishing second in score and third in group over all, shooting against all custom rigs. I refer to my Savage as Savage Trash, kidding of course. Its a great feeling for me personally to be able to compete competitively against the big boys shooting custom rigs with a rifle I put together myself. I don't always shoot well enough to take home any wood, but I blame the operator, not the rifle.

The main drawback I see with the Savage is the inability to run and gun. My Savage Target action is just to stiff to be able to do it. Also, I'm not a big fan of the Accutrigger. I replaced mine with a Rifle Basix Savage II, and have been very satisfied with it. I still drool over those beautiful Custom rigs, but I love my Savage Trash.

Ken
 
I'm pleased with my target actioned Savages. One is an out of the box 6.5x284 and the other is a 6br I put together myself. 12F target action, Shilen select match 1/8 barrel, RB Sav-2 trigger, 20moa Farrell rail and a Richards microfit stock.

It shoots a treat with the occasional 5 shot group going into the .1's

 
I have Savage Target Actions, and I like them. I enjoy changing barrels and calibers at will. They are all very accurate.
The stock accutrigger , Rifle Basics 4oz. trigger and Sharp Shooters Supply 2oz. trigger all work well.
My stock Savages shoot 1/2 MOA. With custom barrels even better.
 
Savage target actions have won more matches at our club the any others. The machining on the action is CNC done. The lugs are true .Trigger works at 6 oz with out de cocking. It has a very fast lock time.
I feel you must use a nut to put the barrel on. The reason being you turn the barrel 1 .17 for threading and the largest barrel without special order is 1.25 I don't like that small of tenon. I use a special over size lug and nut. The action does shoot as good as a custom. The bolt lift is excessive.
For $650.00 what do you expect. Remington trued and re worked is the same price as a custom, and you still have a trigger to buy. Larry
 
As far as I'm concerned, Savage makes the best and most accurate shooting OUT OF THE BOX rifle sold in today's market. Now it depends on what you intend to shoot, competition or just casual hunting/target in terms of what improvements you want to make. My Savage model 12 Benchrest rifle has been the most accurate shooting rifle since day one when compared to my Remington and Rugers. When I do my part, that rifle easily shoots in the 1's and less. And I've never had the action "trued" or even worked on. As Terry points out, you also have alternatives available for the standard trigger, which I am not in the least bit, fond of, AND which is why I have the Rifle Basix SAV2 Trigger which is set at 3 oz.

Alex
 
Just curious . . .

Are there any differences (performance wise) between a Savage Target Action, as discussed in this thread, and the action on the Savage 12 F-T/R rifle?

Thx!

Nando
 
As far as I am aware, the Savage Target Action is the same action that is on a Savage 12 F/TR. The designator of "12" means Target Action. The only difference would be the person pulling the trigger.

Alex
 
Syncrowave said:
I'm not sure why everyone seems to dump on the Savage target action Accutrigger. I bought a Savage 12 F-Class rifle a year or so ago, and I found it to be the nicest trigger I've ever used -- straight out of the box. Not a serious competitor in F-Class (or not yet) but I get the feeling a lot of the opinions you read on the Internet on these triggers are based on second-hand opinions, or opinions formed with older Savages, or maybe the standard Accutriggers, not the TARGET Accutrigger, which apparently adjusts down to 6 ounces (or is it 2 ounces?) All I know is that straight out of the box, my trigger had ZERO creep and breaks like glass, and is as light as I want it for now, and maybe ever. So I didn't touch the adjustment on the trigger. I also like the idea that I can change the barrel myself when I need to, rather than waiting for a gunsmith. I also like the floating bolt head of the Savage design, which I believe eliminates any need for lug lapping. Do yourself a favor, and take a look at one of these guns for yourself and TRY the trigger yourself before you make your decision. You get one heck of a lot of rifle for the money, IMHO. Mine is in 6.5/284 and I plan to get another one in 223 or 308 when I come up with the change. Good luck in whatever you decide.

What he said:
I'm having a custom built and while that is in the works I bought a Savage 12 F/TR in .223. I am new in competition shooting and just shot my first 300 yd match (max distance at our range) and shot a 443-23X with it. Going to a 3x600 match this weekend
 
The Savage LRPV, BR, F/TR and Palma all use the Target Action and 6oz trigger. They are all Model 12's. There are even some repeaters out there.
 
sparky123321 said:
Just to be clear not all model 12's are target actions though.

No, most of the M12 Varmint series aren't, the exception being the 12 LRPV (Long Range Precision Varmint) which uses the single-shot right bolt, left port version of the target action.

Generally, if it's model 12 and single-shot it's the target action with target Accutrigger except for:

the 12BVSS which was made as a single-shot at one time, but is now listed as magazine fed and which doesn't have the target action or trigger.

the 12 LRP (Long Range Precision) available only in 243 Win, 260 Rem and 6.5 Hornady Creedmoor) which comes with a detachable four (five?) round magazine. It retains the target action's other features including the target Accutrigger and relatively small port with a closed top to the receiver body.
 
I have 2 rifles built in the PTA. My FTR rig has been worked over by my self and that includes sleeving and lapping the bolt to the action, and I can run and gun it with no issues at all. Had it together for almost 3 years. I do not run the trigger lower than 10 oz as that is where I like it for my hold.

Cheap way to get into the sport. Then buy a custom action and use your savage as a backup or a practice rifle.

Never had an issue with either trigger but I do not shoot free recoil either.
 
From Sharp Shooter Supply as I asked them what they do.

chuck@ridgewaybodies.comSharp Shooter Supply Action Truing





When we true an action, it consists of a little more than just machining a few mating surfaces.

First, the lead in angles, (the ramps that lead in to the lug seats) are re-cut to a true helical cam. The factory cuts are made with an endmill and are not helical. A helical cam is like a spiral staircase. Fred has designed special tooling to specifically cut the lead in angles to engage the whole width of the bolt lugs.


The receiver face and the lugs seats are machined to square them up. The bolt head is machined and squared (front and back) and the firing pin protrusion is reset.

After this is done, the firing pin travel is corrected and timed with the sear and trigger. The cocking ratio is corrected to avoid over cocking and hard bolt lift. The cocking ramps are reground to the correct angle.

There are other processes that are done as well, such as reversing the baffle washer and installation of the bolt lift kit. But we don’t want to give away all of Fred’s secrets.

Lastly, the barrel nut is refaced for 100% contact.
 

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