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Did I make a mistake getting a savage 10 stealth?

M

mconder93

Private
Minuteman
Oct 16, 2019
16
7
Hey All;

I've decided to try and get into a bit of long distance shooting (up to 500 yards) and had been doing research on a good beginner rifle for the past couple weeks. With my local gander store closing i had the option to get something for 15% off advertised prize and had looked at several in-store options. I had my eyes really set of getting a 6.5 t3x and putting it into a KRG bravo or something similar; but then online they had a savage 10 stealth marked down to $720 and it seemed like a good deal for already being in a chassis. I decided to jump on the deal but after searching the forums for awhile it seems like every time a Savage is mentioned it kinda gets shit on... Did i make a mistake getting a 10 stealth and should i cancel my order before i pick it up from the store?

EDIT; well I decided to cancel my order for the savage and go with my original plan of the tikka; I was able to grab one in 6.5 for $540. I’m sure the savage would have been perfectly fine for what I was gonna use it for; but I absolutely fell in love with the tikka action.
 
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You will hear they are total crap from a lot of people. Some people have issues with them and the two things I read about most are extraction issues (which can be fixed for under $40 last time I checked) and the action not being smooth.

I personally have had zero issues. I don't run competitions so if and when i get the extractor issue I'll fix it. As far as the smoothness of my action....mine is crazy smooth. I guess I got lucky on that.

I think it's a great purchase (especially if it's in 6.5 CM) for that price.

I would focus on learning the fundamentals and having fun. Understand every single process that occurs from the time the round is chambering to barrel rifling and then all the environmental effects that occur until the bullet impacts.

Get a good rangefinder (just saw an add for a Kilo 2200 last week.....cabelas I believe) and the rest of the gear needed.

Once you get some rounds down the tube do some research on reloading and see if that's something that interests you.

You may want to consider a suppressor. There's a ton of options here.

Just spend time on here reading and learning.

Frank's (founder/owner of this website.....user name lowlight) videos on YouTube would be a great place to start. There's also John with 8541 Tactical mail call monday episodes on YouTube and then Kurt with the Precision rifle media podcasts. Go watch and listen to all those and you will be off to a good start.
 
I think you got a good rifle at a great price and should just put a decent scope on it and enjoy it. I'd ignore the Internet chattering classes.
 
Yes, 720 for a Savage. Too much, you could get into something decent for that kind of money. You might have bought it cheap enough to unload it on some poor sucker, without loosing too much. Don't fall into the trap of putting more money into it, you can't make silk out of a pig's ear.
 
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It’s not where I would have put my money but have no doubts that you can still very much enjoy it.

Go into it with an open heart, hopefully you have zero issues and get nothing but pleasure from it.
 
do you feel like you made a mistake ? shoot your gun have fun , get good with it enjoy your purchase save buy another shoot both buy another scope repeat till you have a gun for all seasons and no wall space to hang any more , then buy another . another gun collector is born .regret is a terrible thing to waist . so is unused floor space creates of ammo fix that one .
 
Savage extractors can't be "upgraded". I tried the Sharp Shooter Supply bolt upgrade kit and it did nothing. I kicked the Savage rock down the road for years and wasted more money than I want to discuss. If you want to just shoot the rifle and accept its flaws than go ahead. If you want a rifle with few problems than you chose poorly.
 
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I’ve got 4 Savages. 2 I shoot regularly 1 I’ve only shot a few time and the 4th I bought really cheap used in 300WM planning on screwing a barrel on it. I have no complaints.
One I bought in 22-250 almost 20 years ago and no problems and it’s smooth. The other is a 223 9 twist I bought used 11 years ago and it was worth the money. There’s no resale on them but I don’t tend to sell unless I absolutely have to. I’m actually thinking on buying an APO chassis for one of them.
Whatever floats your boat.
 
Well after the extreme mix of comments I definitely don’t feel to confident. But for the $700 I think I could get rid of it without much loss if it doesn’t work out but the least I could do is put a couple boxes of factory ammo through it as see how it does... it may make 1 hole at 100
 
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Best advice after buying a Savage, don't ever use a Tikka or Sako. You will find out how a rifle should be built.

That being said I'd take a Savage over remington any day for an out of the box rifle. I've played the 700 and Savage game, finally settled on some Tikka's and wish I would have done that years ago.
 
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Shoot it. See how it shoots. If it shoots well, learn off it, but don't drop much money into it. Eventually you'll want something better.

Savages are a coin toss. 50% chance you'll get something that is accurate and without problems/50% chance you'll get something that's accurate but has problems.
 
You will get mixed reviews on the Savage. All four of mine will shoot .5 MOA with hand loads and some factory ammo. They are some of the most accurate rifles out of the box. The bolt lift and smoothness are not great but for a hunting rifle it works. In competition, that is a problem. I love my Savages for what they are. I currently have a Savage 110 Hunter. My MDT LSS stock arrives today. Next for the rifle is a timney trigger. Then a magnum bolt head and 300/6.5 PRC Criterion barrel. Three for one.
 
Well I just cancelled my order... I’ll be getting a t3x lite for $530. I think the savage would have been sufficient but u had the option to cancel now before it was to late so I figured I’d take it. A tikka was my original plan and the savage seemed like a good deal so it was hard to pass up and I guess I got anxious but general consensus is go with a tikka if it’s an option...
 
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The internet is the worst place to come to feel good about a Savage purchase... Snipers Hide possibly at the top. Www.savageshooters.com is a good place to see people that like them.

If you have doubts, stop now, you don't want that monkey on your back. If it fits your budget, get it and shoot the barrel out. If you plan on competing, maybe get a different rifle.

Bottom line is Savage is a shooting good rifle. A few have issues in occassions and all are a little rougher in high speed situations like competition. They shoot and the Accutrigger is the best factory trigger, IMO. The standards of guys who do this a lot and are on this page are high. Probably higher than they need to be. I love my customs, but Savage is where I started and I still have one.

Frankly, I am put off by the chassis of the stealth more than any other issue.
 
Hey man, remember there is a lot of conflicting opinions out there. Dont be swayed based on hate. I know a few people who swear by savage. Their rifles are very accurate and precise. Im glad you ended up getting the rifle you wanted, but don't pass up a good deal because a bunch of people don't like a brand. If im not mistaken, someone just broke a record with a brand new stock savage rifle.
 
hereinaz said:
I see you switched to Tikka. Solid choice.
Click to expand...
I... like you had mentioned.... also wasn’t crazy about the chassis the stealth was in but mainly just the buttstock which is a easy swap but nonetheless another $150. The tikka was my original choice after I felt the action... a similar situation to when I picked up my sig 1911. The smoothness just screams quality
 
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Go to the store and feel the actions on both guns. I have 2 savages. A model 10 fcp and a 12 LRP. Really like both of them. Actions are actually smooth, triggers are good and the LRP is a tack driver
 
Longshot85 said:
I read about most are extraction issues (which can be fixed for under $40 last time I checked)
Click to expand...

The Sharp Shooter kit fixes some but not all. The real bad extraction issues historically where mainly on the Savage 338. The issues showed up mainly for those of of that used softer brass and loaded hot. Factory ammo shooters didn't seem to see the same issues. I had such a problem it needed a new barrel.

In general, the reason some bag on Savage is the QC on assembly has been spotty. Their barrels really seem to shoot, but I have personally seen barrels completely loose, bases come loose and action screws. All super easy user fixes if your not a new shooter. That said, I've bought a 700 with barrel that barrel could brake and inch at 100.. That same 700 went to Spartan Rifles and came out a 1 hole gun.. But I was not planning on spending the extra $$

Many shooter buy a base gun and upgarde the stock or Chasis to one of their choice. The Savage does not get the huge aftermarket focus as the Remington foot print actions; in turn, you generally will not see as many used stocks or bottom metals if thats the way you buy. I think with Savage looking more seriously at selling with a better stock/chassis like the MDT the above may not be as much of an issue.

If I had a Stealth I would either get a new Chassis of sell and start over, I would NOT invest anther $150 200 on a butt stock. That chassis looks cool but the forend is way to short for good bipod placement and the back end loose .. But that's just me.
 
You made the right choice. I have owned them all (just about) and for a factory out the box rifle a Tikka is very hard to beat for the money. With that said I just recently bought a Ruger American Predator rifle 308 and it has been pretty solid.
 
I've shot a Savage 10fp action for about 10 years in .308. The factory barrel was very accurate, as well as the Shilen that I re-barreled it with. 1/4 MOA with Berger 175 OTMs and Varget. This rifle has hurt a lot of feelings in some F-class matches!
 
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I see you cancelled, but I own a Savage Stealth in 6.5cm
I can shoot 1/2 groups to 3/4 inch groups with it at 100 yards with federal gold medal match 140's

I have shot it a good bit at 600 yards, and can hold less than 6" groups
I shot it once at 1000 yards and had no problems hitting 24" by 24" steel targets

but YMMV, maybe I just got a good one.

The biggest reasons I purchased it was I like the way it feels when I hold it (comfortable) and I got mine for a good price. I have about 600 rounds through it now no issues
I like the accutrigger as well
 
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Cancel the Tikka as well. Take your time. Save your money. Make some friends and get something you won’t replace in a year. One-off and less popular rifles are that way for a reason. If nothing else, you are gonna be fucked when it’s time to upgrade parts. Nobody buys a Savage/Tikka/Ruger etc because they actually want the rifle. They buy them because apparent economics force the bad decision. If it does not take 700 compatible parts and stocks, move on.
 
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The savage was a fine choice, I bought one to start out shooting, it's not as smooth as a custom or even a Tikka but it still will shoot as well or better as my custom 6.5 CM rifles with over 2k rounds down the barrel. As to those that say don't buy a Tikka either I'd guess they haven't shot one as my Tikka's are almost as slick as my impact action. Buy a decent scope and shoot it a lot with the money you saved for ammo.
 
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hereinaz said:
Bottom line is Savage is a shooting good rifle. A few have issues in occassions and all are a little rougher in high speed situations like competition. They shoot and the Accutrigger is the best factory trigger, IMO. The standards of guys who do this a lot and are on this page are high. Probably higher than they need to be. I love my customs, but Savage is where I started and I still have one.
Click to expand...
Both the Accutrigger and the Tikka need a replacement spring to lighten the pull. The "safety" on the Accutrigger shoe is annoying as hell. Had both, kept the Tikka.
 
19Scout77 said:
Cancel the Tikka as well. Take your time. Save your money. Make some friends and get something you won’t replace in a year. One-off and less popular rifles are that way for a reason. If nothing else, you are gonna be fucked when it’s time to upgrade parts. Nobody buys a Savage/Tikka/Ruger etc because they actually want the rifle. They buy them because apparent economics force the bad decision. If it does not take 700 compatible parts and stocks, move on.
Click to expand...
Have you seen the Tikka thread and how many pages it is at now? Guess I am an anomaly, as I have a custom SAC AI clone AND specifically chose a Tikka for a trainer rifle. Had nothing to do with cost.
 
Bully for you...likewise there are a small group of guys who swear by AMC and spend a fortune building Javellins.
 
The Tikka is a much better choice for any kind of longevity and you’ll be much happier overall.
Don’t listen to the “700 footprint” folks, if the 700 action was that good, why are there so many custom actions on that pattern ?
It’s the most popular because of the hunters, etc.
The manufacturers look at marketability for sales and modify the actions from there.
Tikka had a much cleaner sheet of paper and less design restrictions when they started and a whole bunch of years to watch what improvements were that were being made.
 
My first foray into long range was a Savage. I've had full customs built by shops like GAP since that first Savage that have come and went. I still have the old Savage and probably shoot it more than anything else. It came in a Mcmillan A3 that I bedded, I upgraded the trigger to an SSS way back, and eventually switched the barrel to a Shilen that GAP chambered. It's true about the extractor; they wear out quick and are kind of janky. They only cost $4 though and I can change one out in under a minute. Would I spend $700 on a Savage today instead of a Tikka? No, it is 2019 and there is a lot more budget friendly rifles today than back then.
 
19Scout77 said:
Cancel the Tikka as well. Take your time. Save your money. Make some friends and get something you won’t replace in a year. One-off and less popular rifles are that way for a reason. If nothing else, you are gonna be fucked when it’s time to upgrade parts. Nobody buys a Savage/Tikka/Ruger etc because they actually want the rifle. They buy them because apparent economics force the bad decision. If it does not take 700 compatible parts and stocks, move on.
Click to expand...
I am not restricted even a little bit financially. I have a few aftermarket actions (i dont consider any action as being custom) and i like my Tikkas every bit as much. The trigger is perfect for my uses and the action is slick. Using factory ctr bottom metal, it is almost too slick as you can not feel if a round is picked up or not. Tikkas exctract and eject strongly. The actions will accept shouldered prefits. What more do aftermarket actions offer? Changeable bolt heads is all i can think of which does not appeal to me. If I want something different, i will buy another rifle. I do the same with AR rifles. If I own an upper, you can bet your ass its on a lower and ready to shoot.
 
I cant wait to get out and try out the Tikka, ill make an updated post when i put my first shots on paper... now to find a decent scope. I have a good friend that has a 700 given to him by his father in law ( A former DEA and local city SWAT sniper team) and he is upset with himself when he shoots anything more than a .4 group at 100; the thing is an absolute definition of tack driver. But even he was the first to tell me it would be a mistake to go buy one of the shelf from the local stores.
 
DOA said:
Both the Accutrigger and the Tikka need a replacement spring to lighten the pull. The "safety" on the Accutrigger shoe is annoying as hell. Had both, kept the Tikka.
Click to expand...

Without changing the trigger I can get it to about 2 lbs and crisp on the tikka, buy a 6 dollar spring and it's easy to get to about 16 oz.. On the Savage I treat the accutrigger like it's a two stage, I've got my .223 about 12 ounces and it shoots as acurately as a custom, the 6.5 was about 20oz and I could run the bolt as fast as I wanted without dropping the accutrigger. On a custom you'd need to buy a trigger, which you could do on the Savage or Tikka but you don't have to do it now do you? Buy the rifle, put it in a chassis and you're about the cost of a custom action. :)
 
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