Savage F/TR or model 12 Palma for F/tr class

[wolley]

I started with a Savage F/TR in 308. $3K later it's a decent shooter.
The first barrel looked like it had been reamed with a dull bed spring. Shot like it too.

 

[ShootDots]

I started with a Savage F/TR in 308. $3K later it's a decent shooter.
The first barrel looked like it had been reamed with a dull bed spring. Shot like it too.

I love the humor in your statement Wes that only you could provide!! LOL!!! I can hear you saying exactly what you wrote!! Hehehehee...

 

[savagedasher]

And odds are the guys on TeamSavage aren't shooting factory-issue barrels.

If they aren't is the best kept secret ever. Larry

 

[DonnyJ]

Hey Clint. Did pick up your rifle? If so, what all came in the box?
I'm picking mine up later this month. It's pre owned so I had the chance to shoot it. For F T/R
I have a factory stock Remington 700 .308, varmint, 26" bbl. It shoots .5 or less all day long. The savage didn't like my reloads and so it was out about 1.0. Their was a guy on the bench next to me offered me some Atomic reloads. Well, it liked those and produced a ragged hole .5 or less. So, you never know what you got till you try different loads.

 

[diego-ted]

Hey Clint. Did pick up your rifle? If so, what all came in the box?
I'm picking mine up later this month. It's pre owned so I had the chance to shoot it. For F T/R
I have a factory stock Remington 700 .308, varmint, 26" bbl. It shoots .5 or less all day long. The savage didn't like my reloads and so it was out about 1.0. Their was a guy on the bench next to me offered me some Atomic reloads. Well, it liked those and produced a ragged hole .5 or less. So, you never know what you got till you try different loads.
[/quote

All day long!!!

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

And all the way to 1000 yards even.

 

[Pappy83]

Here is a simple and affordable option daughter just shot a 149 5x last night at the SW nationals at 1000yds. Buy a Savage LRP in any caliber for 950.00 sell barrel for 150.00, then buy a cbi .308 bull barrel and go shoot. total price should be around 1150.00 and it will shoot. She was high shooter on the Michigan F/TR team yesterday with a very simple and affordable rifle i would not buy a savage ftr or palma rifle. Just my opinion though

 

[savageshooter86]

My nee CBI barrel shoot a very good group today forming brass. 185 jugg and 44 Varget seated 15 off touch. 0.333" group

So far after break in the thing doesn't foul...I have high hopes for this new barrel

 

[Pappy83]

CBI barrels are great we have a few 7mm saums and they are hammers as well. I hope her barrel holds on for the weekend i think it has around 3400rds down it right now she needs only 100 more rounds. she brought a new barrel in case she has to change out but no load development for that one, hasnt been over 0 degrees much here in the past month. Jim at NSS is great and so is CBI to work with. She shoots 43.2 varget under a 215 berger in lapua brass it shoots that load great.

 

[Jdne5b]

CBI barrels are great we have a few 7mm saums and they are hammers as well. I hope her barrel holds on for the weekend i think it has around 3400rds down it right now she needs only 100 more rounds. she brought a new barrel in case she has to change out but no load development for that one, hasnt been over 0 degrees much here in the past month. Jim at NSS is great and so is CBI to work with. She shoots 43.2 varget under a 215 berger in lapua brass it shoots that load great.

Factory chamber, or has it been throated?

 

[savageshooter86]

My new CBI barrel is looking promising so far. Did barrel break in and now it appears it has stopped fouling. Will see how long it can go before fouling up too bad to lose accuracy. So far it has made it 18 without any signs of fouling. And today I was forming a couple pieces of brass to send off with my die and it shot a 0.333" group at 100 yards with a thrown together load(44gr of Varget with 185 LRBT seated 15 thous off the lands). Needless to say I was very pleased

Once again***own personal experience unfortunately*** you are taking huge gamble getting a factory Savage barrel. Buy the parts out separately from Jim @ NSS and get a barrel from him too. You will be way better off in the long run

 

[Dos XX]

Did you send the problem factory barrel back to Savage?

I know several people that shot or are shooting that rifle successfully with the factory barrel, including me. I know one shooter that had to send his back to Savage for a barrel issue. They turned it around in 3 weeks and it shot great when he got it back.

 

[savageshooter86]

Nope sure didn't. Don't have time to take another gamble of getting a bad one again. This is a competition rifle. Plus the Savage fouled pretty bad, even under 30 rounds would have copper so bad I would have to scrub and soak for hours.

Like I said, it is a gamble. You and some of the guys you know got good ones. I got a bad one. Along with a lot of others who have same experience as me.

So if the OP or anyone else reading is considering this Savage rifle...... Pay Jim $525 for the action, $385 for the stock, $57 for the trued barrel nut/heavy duty recoil lug, and $340 for a CBI barrel=$1307. So you pay about $200 more initially but will save in time and components getting it to shoot. Because if you get a bad one and have to turn around and buy barrel and all that, you will spend more than the $1307.

Just **my** personal experience and thoughts if going the Savage FTR way.

 

[Dos XX]

I agree that buying the components is a good way to go about it. I would likely have done that if I had known back when. My point is you could have a second barrel right now. Throat it out and you could shoot 185 s with it.

Also I would add to your list to have it bedded.

 

[savageshooter86]

I don't trust them at all. I wasted over 900 bullets and primers and several different powders trying to get it to shoot. Tried 3 powders, about 5 different bullets, and different loading methods and didn't get it to shoot. That is why I didn't want another Salvage barrel

Stock is going to be sent to Alex S to so the stock work and bedding.

 

[nosualc]

The Savage is a good place to start. It's not perfect, but it's a rifle you can buy off the shelf and shoot tomorrow.

The factory barrels are rough as a cob, but many will shoot pretty well. They are a PITA to clean.

The triggers can be annoying as heck and inconsistent, but will work for you until you know better.

For a starter, I'd get the Palma. It's got the adjustable hardware. It's set up for palma bullets (155gr), but I think that's a fine place to start. Eventually you'll want a new barrel; you can get that set up for the bigger bullets, once you know what you're doing.

Good luck!

-nosualc

 

[Pappy83]

Her barrel has the standard .090 freebore that CBI her coal is is 2.900. Her two new barrels have a little more freebore they just sent. Her barrel shoots the juggernauts very well also

 

[nastynatesfish]

I have the ftr rifle. I like the rifle, I don't compete, I just shoot for fun. the gun is plenty accurate for the load and off powder I decided to use(imr4007sc). I use 175 bullets not 155. the rifle is comfortable, I took the cheek piece off and like it that way. the only thinkg I don't like about the ftr is the short throat, I cannt load 2.800. if I was starting out I would buy a used long action savage from a pawn shop (300), go to gunshack.com and get a barrel(240) and go to stockystocks and get a bobby hart LRT stock(250) get a SSS trigger(100) and spend the rest on bullets, powder and primers. ive done 3 builds like that. I traded a 260 for my lrt so that's the only reason I came into 308 again. I just finished a 708 on a la savage action that was about 700 into it.

 

[CAU]

I started with a Savage LRPV in .223 with a 1-7" twist shooting 90 grain Berger VLD's. I learned a lot and actually shot some good scores but I eventually went to .308 because the .223 with 90's is so finicky.

Chris

 

[lal357]

I have the ftr rifle. I like the rifle, I don't compete, I just shoot for fun. the gun is plenty accurate for the load and off powder I decided to use(imr4007sc). I use 175 bullets not 155. the rifle is comfortable, I took the cheek piece off and like it that way. the only thinkg I don't like about the ftr is the short throat, I cannt load 2.800. if I was starting out I would buy a used long action savage from a pawn shop (300), go to gunshack.com and get a barrel(240) and go to stockystocks and get a bobby hart LRT stock(250) get a SSS trigger(100) and spend the rest on bullets, powder and primers. ive done 3 builds like that. I traded a 260 for my lrt so that's the only reason I came into 308 again. I just finished a 708 on a la savage action that was about 700 into it.

i like pawnshops i buy a used rifle as ruff as i can find (found a long action for 125.00) and start my builds from there you can find some great deals and can talk them down i picked up a lrpv in 223 for 750.00 out the door 4 years ago with scope (cheap), harris bipod . sold the scope put a used shilen select match barrel in it (150.00),sinclair f class bipod (250) and a sightron 10x50x60 lrir moa scope (1300) sold the barrel (-100) sold the bipod (-50)
total in gun without scope 950.00 with scope 2,250