Best bang for the buck .243

[Erik Cortina]

I have been watching this and have 2 comments:

1. He asked for the best value. Value is measured by different people differently, but for the $ you cant beat the Savage. Rem. are nice rifles, and can be made to shoot excellent, but generally its more expensive for what you get. I own both.

2. I think its funny that I beat all the trued Rem. / custom actions 2 weeks ago at Camp Butner, NC in the 600yd F-class with my crappy $900 Savage(less glass)/ w Shilen Barreled 260AI. Good glass made the difference for me, but I still won. End of my 1st year F class. I believe it will be more of a regular occurrence next season.

When I get the $ I will get a custom Bat or something. But for the $ you can't beat a Savage.

Even a broken clock is right twice a day! LOL

-X3M

 

[jo191145]

The kids with the Green Kool Aide are really out tonight ;D
I'd like to consider myself a mature gunowner. I'll let you Remmy fans continue on your own. Put out the bon fire and return the keg and tapper in the morning OK


Sorry for this turn of events mattri. Hope you enjoy whatever you decide to buy.

 

[mattri]

Wow. Interesting replies. So the Savage vs Remington debate has turned into a Ford vs Chevy. Right now my choices are between a Savage 12 and a Rem 700 and to be honest I don't have a preference. Whichever I get the better deal on will be the winner. Thanks to all who replied, Matt.

 

[Vermin]

It may seam like a Chevy/Ford debate even though we know Chevy rules ;D In reality though it is old school vrs new and build it yourself vrs have a smith do it.
Its your $$$,time and satisfaction on the line. Make the sales rep at the counter earn his keep and drag every candidate out and run them through their paces. How does the stock fit you off-hand and on a bench (pull up a chair and use the counter if you have too) How smooth does it cycle? Do you like the safety system location? By all means don't listen to them as 9 times outa 10 they are going to fill you full of sheep dip to sell what ain't selling!

 

[long40shot]

I am a Remington man, all mine have never disappointed me. Some of my friends have Savages and they always have something to complain about. However, I have to say Savage's latest model does look like a great canoe paddle.

Giggity giggity giggity

 

[Erik Cortina]

Sounds like you Salvage guys spend more time working on your stuff than shooting it, not my case. And by the way, I do switch barrels in my basement anytime I want, my recoil lugs are pinned. I bet I can switch barrels faster than any of you guys can, my headspace is already set!

If you had a pretty woman (Remington) and an ugly woman (Savage) that could satisfy a man equally, which one would you rather take out and show off to your friends?...

I picked the pretty one! LOL

Sounds like a smith works on your Remmy a whole lot = money and time. Savage has pinned lugs from the factory.
I set my headspace tight to the lot of brass I intend to use in a particular barrel. No uneeded stretching during fireforming. Never shoot factory ammo so this method works very well for me.
How much does a smith charge to chamber and headspace a Rem barrel? Mine come out of the box ready to go. Shilen tube costs $290 ready to go.

How much to have your spare bolts fitted to your action?
Savages floating bolt head allows me to swap at will.

When you get right down to it I think your ''pretty woman'' has had a lot of expensive plastic surgery to make you satisfied. Seems she satisfied your gunsmith along the way too
My "ugly" Savages are faithful to me and me alone. Priceless.

So according to your logic, everyone driving a Ferrari should get a Honda because they are easier and cheaper to work on?

-X3M

 

[cliffy]

I went with a Remington 700 CDL in .243, yet I'd not be opposed to trying a Savage Model 12. I have no complaints, save the ridiculous trigger pull, so I corrected that toot-sweet. A two-and-a-half pound trigger pull seems PERFECTION regarding a SWEET 700. Still, I had recently fired a .308 Model 12 Savage, and found nothing to gripe about accuracywise. Still, I got what I got and I'm thrilled with its accuracy. Cliffy

 

[Rtheurer]

Gentlmen

I hope this great web sight isnt going the way of some I have seen in the past. It starts out with intelligent thoughtful answers to honest questions and then turns to Childish behavoir like I have just read in this thread.

Im starting to notice the leaders in the industry with decades of experience holding back on answering questions do to just this type of thread.



Did i Log into AR15 Dot com by mystake????


Another sign of this childish behavor is not putting you name at the end of your post. Kinda like hidding behind a mask or telling some one off over the phone.


Looking to be a sad day here on 6BR. Such a shame.

Shoot good, be safe and have fun
RussT

 

[Erik Cortina]

Just having fun! And no, I don't hide from anyone.

-Erik Cortina

 

[jo191145]

Gentlmen

I hope this great web sight isnt going the way of some I have seen in the past. It starts out with intelligent thoughtful answers to honest questions and then turns to Childish behavoir like I have just read in this thread.

Im starting to notice the leaders in the industry with decades of experience holding back on answering questions do to just this type of thread.



Did i Log into AR15 Dot com by mystake????


Another sign of this childish behavor is not putting you name at the end of your post. Kinda like hidding behind a mask or telling some one off over the phone.


Looking to be a sad day here on 6BR. Such a shame.

Shoot good, be safe and have fun
RussT

I agree Russ. This is one of the few great informative, dignified forums left. I'd like to offer my apologies to anyone who reads through this post for my part in it.
Debate is good, helpful and welcome. Fun is good also. This thread is no longer fun or informative for me anyway.

My Name? Joseph Hecht
Anyone have a problem with thier Savage? PM me and I'll do my best to work you through it. Good Day.

 

[cimarronvalley]

Best bang for the buck is the Savage/Stevens Model 200. Their not fancy but they are Dead A__ Acurate from the box. My .223 will put a 10 round group @ 110M that can almost be covered by a quarter using comercial ammo.
I've got 5 rifles in .243 Win: Howa 1500 Target, Rem 700 ADL, Rem 788, Rem R-25, and DPMS LR-243. Using Winchester standard factory loads, 85 Grn soft point, the most accurate, in order are:
- Rem 788
- Rem 700 ADL (About a three wat tie with the 788 and R-25)
- Rem R-25
- Howa 1500 target (may need to work up reloads for this one).

 

[long40shot]

We are all having a bit of fun going back and forth.


-Matt Horn

 

[mattri]

I've heard a lot of good things about the 200. In fact my boss has one in .223 that is very accurate.

How do they stack up against the Savage 12 series?

Also, if you wanted to modify the gun farter down the line, better barrel, trigger etc how hard is that?

I like the idea of geting into a accurate rifle at a good price and being able to improve it as I go, just don't want to shoot myself in the foot.

 

[Josh11]

I think either way you go, Rem700, Savage, Stevens or anything else, there are a lot of upgrades. There are a ton for the three i listed above. Stevens and Savage are (if not mistaken) almost the same. Part wise. Any way you go, if you put time in it, youll be happy with the results. I own a Savage 12 F-class and love it. Plus, they make drop in barrels for it. So after i shoot out my 6br, going to get a custom barrel. Hope this helped.

 

[jo191145]

I've heard a lot of good things about the 200. In fact my boss has one in .223 that is very accurate.

How do they stack up against the Savage 12 series?

Also, if you wanted to modify the gun farter down the line, better barrel, trigger etc how hard is that?

I like the idea of geting into a accurate rifle at a good price and being able to improve it as I go, just don't want to shoot myself in the foot.

mattri

The Stevens is a good low budget thin barrel sporter rifle. A truck gun if you will. Like any Savage it is upgradeable, at home by you, no smith needed.
For your stated uses I believe its the wrong choice. As a beater gun its great. Something to use in even fun competitions its the wrong choice. The thin barrel will heat up way to fast just like every sporter.
The plastic stock is admittedly a flimsy piece of plastic. Not even a good boat oar

Stevens is a ultra inexpensive offhand hunting rifle. You can get them as cheap as $250.00 brand new if you look real hard. (could cost a little more nowadays, I don't look for them)
Its not a shooter for bench work at long range with extended rates of fire. You want at least a varmint weight barrel with a laminated wood stock like the VLP series. Or even better models if you wish.

You made it clear the gun you were looking for was not for hunting. I took that to mean you were looking for something more suited to accuracy off a bench or bipod. The heavier barrels are suited for target work where more rds faster downrange are the norm.
In short the Stevens would need to be upgraded right out of the box to suit your needs
For your stated uses you would need to upgrade at least the stock and barrel right out of the box.

Savage engineers came up with the floating bolt head and barrel nut to save money in manufacturing costs. Turns out the floating bolt head is an aide in accuracy without the need for custom fitting bolt to action. The barrel nut allows them to headspace barrels without the need to custom cut the chamber for one specific action.
It justs turns out this ease of manufacturing allows any shooter with a wrench to rebuild his rifle in many configurations for CHEAP.
As cheap as aftermarket barrels are for a Savage you still can't beat factory prices. Spend a little more for a factory Sav designed for the type of shooting you want to do. Learn with it and upgrade it later after you get a feel for what you want.

Savage once was a not so good rifle. Lots of bad barrels came out of the factory. Thats where they got such a bad name. In the last 15 years they turned that company around 180 degrees and now IMO make one of the most accurate out of the box rifles on the market. Thier actions are not as smooth as a Remmy. The cost to have one timed and trued is considerably less than a Remmy(thats the general consensus anyway, I never felt the need to have it done) Might be a little clunky cycling the action but after the trigger is pulled they really shine. To me anyway thats what counts.

FWIW don't go by the manufacturers suggested retail you see on the Sav site. You should pay roughly $200 less than that from a dealer. I would imagine that goes for Remmy too. Not sure tho.

My original first Sav was a 12VLP in 204 Ruger. Learned to shoot and handload with that gun. Love the caliber for its extreme factory accuracy out to 200yds. I'm now on my fifth factory 204R tube.
My best scope is a Night Force 12X42 BR. It still sits on top of that factory 204 even though I have semi customs with Pac-Nor, Shilen and Kreiger barrels in various accuracy calibers.
Care to quess why

By the way, I'm not recommending the 204R for 600yd target shooting. Theres better choices for that.

 

[cliffy]

My .243 Winchester caliber Remington Model 700 CDL is all the BUCK BANGER required with 100 grain Speer Grand Slam bullets. Hodgdon H4350 compliments this bullet perfectly. At 3000 to 3200 fps, depending upon ambient temperature, whitetails or muleys stands NO chance of survival to 300 yards. Six Hundred yard shots are awful iffy regardless of caliber, due to recoil flinching and too many factors to list here. Cliffy

 

[CanusLatransSnpr]

Mattri

I own a Savage 12 VLP in 22-250 and it is an extremely accurate gun. It shot well with factory Fed ammo but it shoots extremely well with handloads. In my ignorance I purchased this gun in 22-250, nothing against the chamber or caliber, just alot more options out there in the 6mm bullets. By the way, don't get the repeater version because they are somewhat fussy about chambering handloads with out the factory crimp, the case mouth hangs up on the feed ramp. SSS offers a billet aluminum insert that should do away with that problem, I plan to get one myself. Great gun and I paid $903.00 out the door for mine. Also it is a heavy piece of machinery weighing 12# with scope.

 

[cmillard]

i would recommend a savage also. although i dont own one, i have shot them on many occasions and they were good shooters. sharp shooters supply is the guru of the savage rifle, so if you get a savage and want some improvements give them a call 419 695 3179

 

[mattri]

Thanks for the info on the 200 series. I deffinetely want as accurate a rifle as I can afford and won't be using it for hunting so a heavier single shot would be fine. Really sounds like the Savage 12 is the way to go. I have a 93R17GV and love it. I'll keep my eyes open for a deal.

 

[CanusLatransSnpr]

Mattri

I was doing some looking around last night and on Remington's website look at the Model 700 SPS Varmint in .243 Win. I has a 9 1/8 twist, 26" bull barrel, double sling studs for sling and bipod, beavertail synthetic stock, just lots of options. The blued versions MSRP is $665 and the SS versions MSRP is in the low to mid $700's. Just another option out there for you and priced right there with the synthetic stocked Savages.

Mike