If i were to build a bench gun with a savage target action will it be competitive? Or would a trued rem 700 action be a better choice? I dont think i can afford to go custom yet as i am not even sure i will enjoy bench rest comps. never done it! What do you think? Lee
savage target action??
- Thread starter skeetlee
- Start date
Im definately not an expert at this stuff but my rifle club bought a custom rifle, with a savage 223 action, tru flight barrel,i think) and a mastan stock. A fantastic club shooter used it to see what it was capable of and he reckons that you cant miss the centre. A gun smith i was talking to the other day and he reckons remington doesnt sell their action?
Before you think about the Savage Action, look at Stiller Actions. The Stiller Predator is an awesome action and is much better than the Savage Target or a Re-Worked Rem 700 Action. The Stiller Predator will cost around $700 to $750. I paid $975 for the following items; Stiller Predator Action, Stiller 20 MOA Rail, Jewel Trigger, ADL trigger guard and over-sized recoil lug. Look at their site
+1 on the Stiller Predator,or PredatorV if you want RBLP single shot). If you don't have a donor action in hand, the Predator will not cost much more than a trued Rem or Savage, and will hold its value much better. Not to mention it looks a lot better, and you get to deal with the great people at Stiller Precision http://viperactions.com
Photo of my new PredatorV attached.
Toby Bradshaw
baywingdb@comcast.net
Photo of my new PredatorV attached.
Toby Bradshaw
baywingdb@comcast.net
I believe the Savage Target Action is a good value. I've only worked with one, but the receiver face indicated well under .001" out of square after being dialed in with a Gre Tan truing fixture, and the heavy recoil lug's thickness was also consistent.
While the AccuTrigger II may seem a little crude to those of us who've gotten used to Jewell & Kelbly triggers, it's a very servicable trigger - I applaud Savage for having the intestinal fortitude to supply a trigger like this on their actions. I think it's head & shoulders above Remington's X-Mark Pro.
Some of the M700 actions purchased from Midway a couple of years ago,when they still had them to sell) were very nearly true out of the box - much better than a few actions I've seen from donor rifles that were anywhere from five to 25yrs. old. But they still needed a better trigger & a custom recoil lug, and were nowhere near as rigid as the Savage target action.
I'm not knocking the M700 - I've got four custom rifles built on 700 actions, and am well pleased with all of them. But to be fair to the Savage, you've got to get past some of the old prejudices based on appearance alone. So what if you don't like the shape of the bolt handle, or the look of the barrel nut? Most guys don't think twice about adding a Badger Ordnance bolt knob to a 700; there are replacement bolt handles available for the Savage, and they're a whole lot easier to replace than a 700's. If you don't like the barrel nut, just buy a barrel with a large enough shank to turn a shoulder, then fit it just as you would a 700's.
I have nothing against custom actions - I own a Nesika K, three BAT 3Ls & a 3LL, and I've chambered barrels for customers' Stiller Predators & other custom actions. But in today's world, when a manufacturer takes the stance that Savage has taken when it comes to supplying accurate rifles built specifically for various precision competitions, I'm in their corner all the way.
While the AccuTrigger II may seem a little crude to those of us who've gotten used to Jewell & Kelbly triggers, it's a very servicable trigger - I applaud Savage for having the intestinal fortitude to supply a trigger like this on their actions. I think it's head & shoulders above Remington's X-Mark Pro.
Some of the M700 actions purchased from Midway a couple of years ago,when they still had them to sell) were very nearly true out of the box - much better than a few actions I've seen from donor rifles that were anywhere from five to 25yrs. old. But they still needed a better trigger & a custom recoil lug, and were nowhere near as rigid as the Savage target action.
I'm not knocking the M700 - I've got four custom rifles built on 700 actions, and am well pleased with all of them. But to be fair to the Savage, you've got to get past some of the old prejudices based on appearance alone. So what if you don't like the shape of the bolt handle, or the look of the barrel nut? Most guys don't think twice about adding a Badger Ordnance bolt knob to a 700; there are replacement bolt handles available for the Savage, and they're a whole lot easier to replace than a 700's. If you don't like the barrel nut, just buy a barrel with a large enough shank to turn a shoulder, then fit it just as you would a 700's.
I have nothing against custom actions - I own a Nesika K, three BAT 3Ls & a 3LL, and I've chambered barrels for customers' Stiller Predators & other custom actions. But in today's world, when a manufacturer takes the stance that Savage has taken when it comes to supplying accurate rifles built specifically for various precision competitions, I'm in their corner all the way.
I have to side with toby here. Something to consider is that when you say "true" a Remington action,you need to know what all is being done in that process. To do all that needs to be done to a Remington action to bring it up to near custom action specs should cost about $600-$700! Now add that to the resale value of your Remington...lets say $300. Now we're at $900-$1000 in a reworked factory action. The custom actioned rifle will outsell the factory actioned one by about double. The custom actions that we have available to us are of excellent quality and value. It really doesn't make good sense IMO to go with a factory action nowadays. Just my 2 cents worth.--Mike Ezell
If you can really get an action trued and a barrel fitted/chambered for $200, to benchrest standards, it is a great deal.
Considering how much needs to be done to bring a Rem up to the same specs as a Stiller, it's hard to believe that your smith is breaking even -- you might want to find out what's included in the truing operation. Sometimes "truing" just involves squaring the receiver face and the bolt lugs/abutments, leaving out other important,and time-consuming) jobs like single-point cutting of the action threads, reaming the bolt raceway and bushing the bolt body to fit, facing the bolt, bushing the firing pin hole, etc.
I would expect to pay $200-$250 for a complete action blueprint, and another $150-$200 for a chamber and fit, but it would be done by somebody I know can put together winning equipment.
Two suggestions:
1. Visit a benchrest tournament if you haven't already. Take a good look at the winning equipment. Many of the winners will have done their own smithing, or had it done by another shooter on the line that day. Somebody will probably let you shoot a group or two with their rig, to boot. You will quickly figure out why most dedicated BR rifles have loading ports on the opposite side from the bolt -- something not available on any Remington action I know of. And if you've never shot a 1.5-2oz trigger, be careful when your finger gets inside the guard.
2. If competition might be in your future, seriously consider shopping for a used BR rifle as a starter. You can pick up a really nice, custom-actioned, Jewell-triggered, ready-to-roll LV rifle,no scope) for $1500 or less, especially this time of year. It might have 500-1000 rounds down the tube, but it will shoot well enough for you to learn what those little wind flags mean. And then you can get a new barrel. Often such rifles come with dies, brass, and other stuff that is known to work.
I was in your situation once. I wasted a fair bit of money before I realized that a custom action is, in the end, the best value. My Borden-smithed 6PPC Panda/Hart/Jewell was worth it -- I did the stock prep, painting, and bedding myself to save money. Even won a little tinware with it,see photo), and it sure would shoot,see target at 300yd).
I sold that rifle,with brass, dies, and some 68gr Bruno bullets) to a guy in California who wanted to get into benchrest. He went to his local range and put the first 5 shots into a tidy 0.104" at 100 yards -- not bad for a "used" rifle, huh?
Toby Bradshaw
baywingdb@comcast.net
Considering how much needs to be done to bring a Rem up to the same specs as a Stiller, it's hard to believe that your smith is breaking even -- you might want to find out what's included in the truing operation. Sometimes "truing" just involves squaring the receiver face and the bolt lugs/abutments, leaving out other important,and time-consuming) jobs like single-point cutting of the action threads, reaming the bolt raceway and bushing the bolt body to fit, facing the bolt, bushing the firing pin hole, etc.
I would expect to pay $200-$250 for a complete action blueprint, and another $150-$200 for a chamber and fit, but it would be done by somebody I know can put together winning equipment.
Two suggestions:
1. Visit a benchrest tournament if you haven't already. Take a good look at the winning equipment. Many of the winners will have done their own smithing, or had it done by another shooter on the line that day. Somebody will probably let you shoot a group or two with their rig, to boot. You will quickly figure out why most dedicated BR rifles have loading ports on the opposite side from the bolt -- something not available on any Remington action I know of. And if you've never shot a 1.5-2oz trigger, be careful when your finger gets inside the guard.
2. If competition might be in your future, seriously consider shopping for a used BR rifle as a starter. You can pick up a really nice, custom-actioned, Jewell-triggered, ready-to-roll LV rifle,no scope) for $1500 or less, especially this time of year. It might have 500-1000 rounds down the tube, but it will shoot well enough for you to learn what those little wind flags mean. And then you can get a new barrel. Often such rifles come with dies, brass, and other stuff that is known to work.
I was in your situation once. I wasted a fair bit of money before I realized that a custom action is, in the end, the best value. My Borden-smithed 6PPC Panda/Hart/Jewell was worth it -- I did the stock prep, painting, and bedding myself to save money. Even won a little tinware with it,see photo), and it sure would shoot,see target at 300yd).
I sold that rifle,with brass, dies, and some 68gr Bruno bullets) to a guy in California who wanted to get into benchrest. He went to his local range and put the first 5 shots into a tidy 0.104" at 100 yards -- not bad for a "used" rifle, huh?
Toby Bradshaw
baywingdb@comcast.net
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