I've got limited funds to buy a new rifle in . Can't afford a new Remington, much less a custom rig. Anybody got an opinion on a Savage 12fv with the accu trigger in .308? It's main use will be trying some long range,out to at least 600yds) and possibly deer hunting. Any comments are greatly appreciated!
looking for a .308 on a budget....
- Thread starter km71107
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It's a good rifle. Should shoot under 1 MOA without too much difficulty. I'm not a fan of the Savage plastic stocks, but they are very light-weight and will do the job for a deer hunter. For serious long-range work, consider getting the Tooley-style stock from Sharpshooters Supply. It comes already pillar bedded.
One trick on the Savage--check the injection molded ridges in the stock. My vertical tightened when I worked these over with sandpaper and a dowel. Also, run the action screws tight--as tight as you can get them with an allen wrench. Tighten front and back in sequence, a little bit at a time.
One trick on the Savage--check the injection molded ridges in the stock. My vertical tightened when I worked these over with sandpaper and a dowel. Also, run the action screws tight--as tight as you can get them with an allen wrench. Tighten front and back in sequence, a little bit at a time.
km71107 said:
Very nice rifles. I agree with moderator on the stock though. They are ok but somewhat flimsy for serious bench or bipod work. I do like the accutriggers, mine all break clean and has no overtravel in it.
I have a 12FV, 10FP, and a 110FP and they all shoot great. With match ammunition I can stay sub moa as long as I'm paying attention.
They are the only three rifles in my safe, when I want to change calibers, I switch barrels, bolt head if necessary and go.
I have become a huge Savage/Stevens fan. Great rifles.
I strongly recommend that you bed that action into the stock. The pillars are excellent but the 'inletting' is way too generous.
Pay attention ensuring that the action is not bent during inletting. When done properly, you will see just the tip of the pillars poking through the bedding. The rear may be covered completely by the bedding.
The recoil lug area should also be bedded so that the back, sides and bottom and covered. You may be able to put in enough extra so some ooze to the front of the lug. Securing the lug from movement is critical. Removal is still easy as you cannot 'lock' the lug in place. Suggest you chip the blob that is formed in the lug bedding from the gap in the recoil lug,will be obvious when you pull the action out of the bedding).
I will bed under the rear tang as I like the idea that the action is supported its entire length. I don't bother with trying to bed the sides in the mag well area. The bedding around each action screw area is plenty enough support.
Open up that barrel channel,1/8" gap is not too big) so that any flex will not hit the barrel. I have found these stocks to be very useable once they are bedded and the channel opened.
The new stocks are also made from a material that accepts epoxy very well. Just clean the surface with a brake cleaner/degreaser, rough up and the epoxy will stick.
I have attached a pic of a modified Stevens stocked 7 Mystic which I shoot in a local 1000m light rifle class. The stock has wood glued to the sides and plywood across the bottom. That forend is now as rigid as any aftermarket stock. Light too.
If you wanted, you could also modify the rear to ride bags better.
These stocks are readily available on ebay and dirt cheap. Make a great donor for modifying.
The bolt and trigger do need some break in and smoothing. However, once they smooth up, they work very well and you will like how crisp that Accutrigger pull is.
For match shooting, I perfer light triggers and have put in the Rifle Basix 2 set up in my match rifles.
We have a few rifles competing locally and they all shoot 1/2 MOA or better with handloads. There are 243 and 308's in use. I also have shot 7RM, 270 and 308 in hunting rifles that were all around 1/2 MOA.
Jerry
I strongly recommend that you bed that action into the stock. The pillars are excellent but the 'inletting' is way too generous.
Pay attention ensuring that the action is not bent during inletting. When done properly, you will see just the tip of the pillars poking through the bedding. The rear may be covered completely by the bedding.
The recoil lug area should also be bedded so that the back, sides and bottom and covered. You may be able to put in enough extra so some ooze to the front of the lug. Securing the lug from movement is critical. Removal is still easy as you cannot 'lock' the lug in place. Suggest you chip the blob that is formed in the lug bedding from the gap in the recoil lug,will be obvious when you pull the action out of the bedding).
I will bed under the rear tang as I like the idea that the action is supported its entire length. I don't bother with trying to bed the sides in the mag well area. The bedding around each action screw area is plenty enough support.
Open up that barrel channel,1/8" gap is not too big) so that any flex will not hit the barrel. I have found these stocks to be very useable once they are bedded and the channel opened.
The new stocks are also made from a material that accepts epoxy very well. Just clean the surface with a brake cleaner/degreaser, rough up and the epoxy will stick.
I have attached a pic of a modified Stevens stocked 7 Mystic which I shoot in a local 1000m light rifle class. The stock has wood glued to the sides and plywood across the bottom. That forend is now as rigid as any aftermarket stock. Light too.
If you wanted, you could also modify the rear to ride bags better.
These stocks are readily available on ebay and dirt cheap. Make a great donor for modifying.
The bolt and trigger do need some break in and smoothing. However, once they smooth up, they work very well and you will like how crisp that Accutrigger pull is.
For match shooting, I perfer light triggers and have put in the Rifle Basix 2 set up in my match rifles.
We have a few rifles competing locally and they all shoot 1/2 MOA or better with handloads. There are 243 and 308's in use. I also have shot 7RM, 270 and 308 in hunting rifles that were all around 1/2 MOA.
Jerry
Thanks for the help! I've head of a trick to stiffen the factory stock. I've heard of opening the barrel channel and burying 2 small metal rods in the fore end in epoxy then float the barrel. This supposedly will stiffen the stock. Anybody heard of this? If so does it make sense? Also the scope I plan to use is a Simmons Aetec 3.8x12AO that I aready have. Like I said, I have limited toy money :,. I do have basic gunsmithing skills and an imagination though! The base and rings, I'm not sure yet, but I do want weaver style.
Other ways to stiffen the foreend is to sub carbon fibre arrow shafts instead of steel. Will be just as stiff and 1/4 the weight. Unfortunately, these methods require quite a bit of epoxy so can add some weight to the stock.
Try and notch the ribs in the forend to hold the rods in place. If you have a 90deg dremel attachment, try and open a pocket in the recoil lug area of the stock and tie the rod into that. Just make sure it is low enough to not hit the recoil lug.
You can also glue in a piece of plywood. This has the added benefit of not just stiffening in flex but also in twist. Drilling holes in the piece will make it very light. 1/4" to 3/8" thick is plenty. Use less epoxy then the above method.
The new polyurethane glues may also work. They seem to stick to just about anything and 'swell' during the curing process which will help fill any voids.
Personally, I just open the channel enough so the barrel does not hit the stock. Under the weight of the rifle, the stock flexes very little.
I think you will quickly find that your budget rig shoots as well as rigs costing more. Gear cannot replace shooting skill when it comes to condition doping at longer distances.
The next thing to save for is a quality scope. This will improve your ability to hit much better then most rifle upgrades.
For bases, just use the Weaver bases available anywhere. They work, dirt cheap. For rings, the Burris Sig rings w/insers. None better with the added benefit of being able to shim the scope to gain elevation adjustment for LR shooting. Use the high set as you need clearance for your scope objective. I use the extra high on some rifles but you will need to raise the comb for proper eye alignment.
Pay attention to your ammo/bullets and you will be amazed at how far that Savage is accurate to.
Jerry
Try and notch the ribs in the forend to hold the rods in place. If you have a 90deg dremel attachment, try and open a pocket in the recoil lug area of the stock and tie the rod into that. Just make sure it is low enough to not hit the recoil lug.
You can also glue in a piece of plywood. This has the added benefit of not just stiffening in flex but also in twist. Drilling holes in the piece will make it very light. 1/4" to 3/8" thick is plenty. Use less epoxy then the above method.
The new polyurethane glues may also work. They seem to stick to just about anything and 'swell' during the curing process which will help fill any voids.
Personally, I just open the channel enough so the barrel does not hit the stock. Under the weight of the rifle, the stock flexes very little.
I think you will quickly find that your budget rig shoots as well as rigs costing more. Gear cannot replace shooting skill when it comes to condition doping at longer distances.
The next thing to save for is a quality scope. This will improve your ability to hit much better then most rifle upgrades.
For bases, just use the Weaver bases available anywhere. They work, dirt cheap. For rings, the Burris Sig rings w/insers. None better with the added benefit of being able to shim the scope to gain elevation adjustment for LR shooting. Use the high set as you need clearance for your scope objective. I use the extra high on some rifles but you will need to raise the comb for proper eye alignment.
Pay attention to your ammo/bullets and you will be amazed at how far that Savage is accurate to.
Jerry
Mysticplayer, you and I think along the same lines. I didn't want to lay out big bucks for a fancy stock either. I altered my factory Remington 700 stock. It started off as a synthetic / fiberglass varmint stock in black. I did a few alterations. On my band saw I cut away the lower portion of the for end leaving the barrel channel in tact. I cut back to 1/4" of the front guard screw .On the bottom of the for end I epoxied,and fastened with sheet metal screws a section I made from aluminum 2 15/16" wide and 10" long.I drew a center line from the center of the butt to the center of the forearm so I would be sure of good tracking.Between this section and the forearm I placed a section of 3/4" square aluminum frame stock.Now since I was building a heavy gun I filled the frame stock with a mixture of epoxy and #9 bird shot.:idea: The forearm was then shaped filled with fiberglass and a bit more #9 bird shot. As for the butt of the rifle I wanted a target style so I changed that as well. I'll let the photos tell the,as Paul Harvey used to say) rest of the story. My rig weighs in at around 28 lbs according to my bathroom scales. I shoot in the groundhog shoots and their rules state any gun over 15 lbs qualifies for heavy gun or heavy custom. My stock is solid as a rock and tracks very well.
I didn't want to lay out big bucks for a fancy stock either. I altered my factory Remington 700 stock. It started off as a synthetic / fiberglass varmint stock in black. I did a few alterations. On my band saw I cut away the lower portion of the for end leaving the barrel channel in tact. I cut back to 1/4" of the front guard screw .On the bottom of the for end I epoxied,and fastened with sheet metal screws a section I made from aluminum 2 15/16" wide and 10" long.I drew a center line from the center of the butt to the center of the forearm so I would be sure of good tracking.Between this section and the forearm I placed a section of 3/4" square aluminum frame stock.Now since I was building a heavy gun I filled the frame stock with a mixture of epoxy and #9 bird shot.:idea: The forearm was then shaped filled with fiberglass and a bit more #9 bird shot. As for the butt of the rifle I wanted a target style so I changed that as well. I'll let the photos tell the,as Paul Harvey used to say) rest of the story. My rig weighs in at around 28 lbs according to my bathroom scales. I shoot in the groundhog shoots and their rules state any gun over 15 lbs qualifies for heavy gun or heavy custom. My stock is solid as a rock and tracks very well.Attachments
That is a great looking stock. Love the paint job. Very smooth and glossy.
We better not yap too much about these mods or all these cheap stocks are going to dissapear
Awesome.
Jerry
We better not yap too much about these mods or all these cheap stocks are going to dissapear
Awesome.
Jerry
Used a similar paint,prismatic) on my stock. Goes from purple to a reddish copper. Neat stuff. Surprisingly easy to use.
Now to see all the other project stocks....
Jerry
Now to see all the other project stocks....
Jerry
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