What’s the real deal with Savage?

[Evan]

Here's a bit more direct experience compared to my earlier post:

I've had a Remington 700, a Savage 12, and a Ruger precision rifle, in that order in the not terribly distant past. All were honest 1/2 MOA guns but all of them had something wrong too. The 700's timing was all messed up and cycled very poorly. The Savage fouled the barrel badly and I didn't care for the trigger; it was light enough but it broke differently every time you pulled it. The RPR was the best of the lot but the firing pin fit was so sloppy that it craters all but very mild loads. It also cycles choppy - a lot of hitches as you open that bolt.

 

[Burnt Powder]

There’s nothing I personally like about any of the Savage firearms. I guess I’m a snob? I haven’t bought a rifle in probably over 15 years. I’ve got Sakos, Winchesters, Rugers, Remingtons, and probably a few others and I wouldn’t trade any one of them for a pickup load of Savages. Many of them shoot pretty well, some have pretty good triggers, but the one thing common to all of them is they’re ugly and nothing like running the bolt in any of the rifles I do have. I guess if I was wanting a cheap, get’er done rifle I’d take a closer look. But so far I’ve not been tempted to own one for any reason.

 

[vonb]

I purchased a cheap Savage 12FV to try a Criterion barrel and try my hand at bedding a B&C stock. The gun shoots amazingly well at 1K+ yards. I have to convince myself that this is an experiment hence the reason I own it. I keep going back to it as it treats me well in the accuracy dept. Things I can't stand about it are the trigger, bolt release and heavy bolt lift. Savage is at the bottom of my list as far as future purchases due to their fugliness.

 

[Bill K]

Savage, for the most part, shoots very good and accurately for a out of the box rifle.
As for complaints about some parts on them, they like anything can be tuned or a after market part can be added, if you want.
Also as for some of those complaints, how often to you see and hear the same people adding after market triggers, etc to their rifles of every other brand including the likes of Cooper, etc.
So go ahead get the savage you are looking at, play with it and see for yourself. Then you will have a better idea of what and which way you want to go. You can always trade or sell it if it does not live up to what you want.

 

[jonbearman]

I just picked up a 30-06 rem savage 110 all polished with bluing that looks pretty nice. My plan was to tear off the barrel and hang my pac-nor 7-08 medium barrel on it. I cleaned it because it was used lightly for 300.00 even. After cleaning I scoped it and was amazed at how nice the bore is and now until I fire it,it isn't coming off. It is hit or miss. Remington is no better as I see horror storys looking into them as well. I don't like hammer forged barrels.

 

[gman47564]

Heres some pretty ugly savages.. they been worked on by me but their pretty ugly!!!

 

[Madang185]

Bought a Savage LRPV some 10 years ago in 22/250. It averages 0.51 of an inch over 7 different loads. Best factory rifle ever. Untouched still.

 

[Retired Grunt]

I have a 12LRP in 6.5CM, It shoots better than me. I can hit the 10 and sometimes an X at 500 Yards. I shoot with 40 other participants, but compete against myself. The highest score I have shot in a match is a 193, unofficially a 195 in practice. This is a bucket list thing for me and I do it for the relaxation, the process of brass prep to firing the shot and starting the prep over again.

 

[newbieshooter]

Friend and I both have Savage 12F (6BR). They don't have the best trigger and the bore isn't pretty. But they shoot pretty well.


above target are results from doing this.
ymmv

 

[JB10]

• I have 2 savage rifles. Bought my 1st one a year ago. Something cheep to try and steel shoot 1,000 yards and under. It shot so well i bought a 12fv 4 months ago in 223. Barly tested with it but its under .5 at 100 yards. This group was a 4 shot group at 100 yds with a 110 tactical 6.5 creed on the target #10

 

[Treerat-sniper]

I have several & I consider them kit guns. I like testing out different calibers & they are perfect for inexpensive switch barrel rigs. They can shoot remarkably well for what they are. I have had fairly good luck with the ones I have owned. One or two needed to be cleaned up to make them shoot. My model 16 .473 rig responded to squaring the receivers face & lug area. A few barrels have responded to a simple re-crowning. One of my friends scoffs at them & calls them "salvage-rifles." He say's "yeah they can shoot but they're about as refined as a bathtub still!"

 

[varget204]

Have 4 Savages, M12,M10, M 110, 204 rugers,6.5/284, All will shoot Bug Holes,They Do Not lookas Good as my Krieger or Criterion barels, But they shot, just as good or better. A Good triger, a Bolt Lift Kit, 35 usd a New Extactor kit 20 usd, JARD Now Makes 6 OZ Triggers, for Top & Bottom Bolt Release Guns

 

[std7mag]

I currently own 2 Savage rifles (my wife owns the 3rd ).
From the factory, the lawyer triggers are horrendous!! (note, none of ours are Accutriggers)
But are fairly easily adjustable for use as hunting rifles.
My wifes 110FP in 223 Rem being the only one NOT a hunting rifle. (i'm still wondering who thought a 223 in a long action was a good idea?)

My "cheap" Stevens 200 in 7mm-08AI consistantly held .78", five shot groups at 100 yards. I took a doe with that rifle at 413 yards.
I also used it for my first F-Open match at 600 yards scoring 173, 173-1X, 173-2X.
My first time shooting that far, 3rd time shooting prone, trying to learn to read the wind.

My 111 in 7mm Rem Mag was smiled upon by the Gods one calm day, and with 150gr ABLR was able to do a 3 shot group at 600 yards in 1.5". (I doubt i'll ever be able to pull that off again!)

The largest complaint i have with Savage is their stocks, and should be the FIRST thing to go!!

 

[BoydAllen]

Some years back I had a single shot long action with a laminated stock, in .220 Swift. With no bedding and only a trigger adjustment, i was able to shoot honest five shot groups that were carefully measured at .500 using the best ammo that Winchester and Federal made, their best stuff. The 40 grain Hornady stuff shot a smaller group, and since I was going to a benchrest match, I took it with me and had the official scorer measure it. It was .440 for five shots shot with no flags. The varmint weight stainless barrel showed a little blue when it was cleaned for the first 200 rounds and then it stopped. I am not saying that they are all like mine was, but if you want the best chance, I suggest one of their heavy stainless barrels. I have seen that they break in better, while the chromoly barrels seem to be more resistant to smoothing out.

 

[fatelvis]

Thanks for the replies guys, very interesting. For the most part, it sounds like they all shoot pretty well, but everybody agrees they won’t win a beauty contest. That’s fine by me, I’m pretty much a utilitarian minded guy.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

A tip for anyone that is going to keep the plastic stock on the rifle, is to take the action screws out and try to slide the barreled action back and see where the recoil lug catches the stock compared to the action screw holes in the stock. I have a trophy hunter package 22/250 that wouldn’t shoot consistently till I figured this out, recoil lug wasn’t making contact. It actually had enough space behind the recoil lug that I cut a half moon shaped piece of sheet metal with a notch that matched the back of the recoil lug for a spacer. The Savage turned out to be a decent shooting truck gun after that modification.

 

[wbm]

but everybody agrees they won’t win a beauty contest.

Not everyone. Model 14 Classic for example looks great to me.
"Ugly", "Tupperware", etc. are just memes people pick up (like shooting "pills" out of "tubes"etc.} and repeat when Savage rifles are the subject.

This what beautiful look like.

This what ugly look like!

 

[300_whisper]

Not everyone. Model 14 Classic for example looks great to me.
"Ugly", "Tupperware", etc. are just memes people pick up (like shooting "pills" out of "tubes"etc.} and repeat when Savage rifles are the subject.

ugly is a meme? I’ve been using ugly my entire life to describe a lot of things. I think savages are ugly, but then again I like fat chicks so beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

 

[centershot]

Two ears ago at the Shot Show, someone asked Jack Krieger what the best factory barrel was and he said Savage. There was a video on here interviewing Jack. Go figure.

 

[Loudcherokee]

My first rifle was a Savage 10FLP in .308 with a 24" barrel. Shot great from the factory but I wanted more. I put the barreled action in a devcon bedded Bell and Carlson Medalist stock, barrel is free floated all the way to the barrel nut, and the rifle will shoot .5 MOA at 100 yards all day long, with factory GMM and reloads. I bought it because it was a readily available left handed rifle. Love my Savage.

LC