Savage Build Advice

[mgd45]

Hey guys,

I just came into possession of a Savage 111 in 300 Win Mag for $150 bucks. Too good of a deal to pass up.....The rifle is in the cheap, flimsy, plastic Savage stock & it has the normal skinny sporter barrel. So far with factory ammo, it's shooting between & 1.5" & 2" groups at 100 yards. Which, truthfully is all I expected from a basic hunting rifle.

I was kicking around the idea of transforming it into a more accurate, precision rifle by making a barrel & stock change. I figured on getting a replacement Stainless Steel Match grade barrel from Shilen then dropping it into a McMillian A-3 stock.

I figured that after doing this I'd have maybe $850 or less into a good accurate 300 Win Mag. My only concern, is that after doing all this & the damn thing doesn't get much more accurate......I'd be pissed.

Should I just go ahead & buy a rifle system that will perform to my liking from the start? Has anyone else here done a build like this starting with a basic Savage receiver & bolt...? Thanks for any ideas or suggestions.

 

[Emilio]

Re: Savage Build Advice

I have a couple of Savage rifles that shoot bug holes. A good barrel and stock will go a long way.

 

[rwcathunter]

Re: Savage Build Advice

check out sharp shooter supply for all your savage wants and needs.

 

[mgd45]

Re: Savage Build Advice

Thanks for the heads up on the website.....

 

[One_Man]

Re: Savage Build Advice

You got a time tested 110 action for $150. Sell the stock and barrel and upgrade. It is a great starting platform, plus you can do the barrel and stock swap yourself with just a couple of tools.

 

[mgd45]

Re: Savage Build Advice

That's kind of what I was thinking & planning on. I was hoping that I could build a great rifle for under $900. I was planning on saving up and simply buying a Rem 5R....but then I came across this deal & couldn't pass on it.....

 

[pd721el]

Re: Savage Build Advice

I haven't seen many, if any, aftermarket stocks that you can use with the drop mag set up on your rifle. So you will most likely have to change that. I have a Lothar Walter 28" SS barrel on mine and it is great. I just shot a .3 3 shot group at 200 with it. Check out Sinarms.com for Lothar and Brux prefit barrels.

 

[jeffersonv]

Re: Savage Build Advice

I put an after market (A3) stock on my Savage. I haven't even bedded it yet. This weekend I tried 6 different loads trying to find one my rifle liked best. Other than my flubbed shots that I called, all of them were consistantly .25 to .6 inches at 100 with a 26" factory varmint barrel I bought here on the hide in .223 improved.

Not sure what load to go with yet. (?)
Oh yeah, .223 and .223 improved are shooting to the same POI at 100.

I used to call BS on this kind of post.

I'm thinking you can get that rifle shooting pretty good.

BTW, if you need some excitement in your life, try labor day at the range!

 

[Stork]

Re: Savage Build Advice

Your savage should be shooting better than that right now. My 30-06 consistently puts 5 shots under .75 all day with my reloads. This is with a flimsy stock and skinny factory barrel off of bags.

With a good barrel and stock you should have a real good shooter for cheap.

 

[TCA4570]

Re: Savage Build Advice

Start with trigger and work out.
Already have action.
Cool thing about barrel nut.
Easy to headspace.

 

[mgd45]

Re: Savage Build Advice

I was using some Factory Winchester ammo that I got with the gun purchase.....I'll be putting togther some handloads this week to see if tightens up any.....if it does, I might just keep it the way it is.

 

[jeffersonv]

Re: Savage Build Advice

Well, there might be a nut loose on the rifle or something, or it may be one of those ID-10-T things.

But yeah, Savage rifles present an interesting set of circumstances don't they?

 

[mgd45]

Re: Savage Build Advice

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jeffersonv</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Well, there might be a nut loose on the rifle or something, or it may be one of those ID-10-T things.

But yeah, Savage rifles present an interesting set of circumstances don't they? </div></div>

"ID-10-T" error huh? Your a funny guy!!

No, I'm pretty confident in my abilites at 100 yards! I used a front rest with a rear sandbag. I will check the stock for any loose nuts though. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[chadg]

Re: Savage Build Advice

Mgd45 you can work wonders with savage....Check for anything loose,then buy some top grade ammo until you start loading for it.Im pretty sure your groups will shrink tremendously...just my .02

 

[mgd45]

Re: Savage Build Advice

Thanks, I did some 300 Win Mag loads for a buddy of mine who owns a Rem Sendero...using 180 grain Nolser Ballistic tips. Easily shrank to .645 inch groups at 100 yards.

The Savage seems like a good platform, but not as many parts available as the Rem 700 action. Does Savage offer the new Accustock for sale?

 

[Queequeg]

Re: Savage Build Advice

I've started looking in this direction to upgrade a Savage .308 sporter. It has the accutrigger and is currently a good, light, accurate rifle, but not for sustained shooting. I too want to replace the barrel and have already bought a B&C stock for it.

I have some research to do as I am unclear about whether a long shank, or short shank, barrel is what I need. Given that I would like a very heavy barrel contour, does it matter what shank length I buy? I'd also prefer a 20 inch barrel as well. Once mounted, I'll bed the stock.

I'll buy a barrel nut wrench, a vice block for the action and go/no go guages. Oh, and a barrel...

 

[nelson34]

Re: Savage Build Advice

go over to savage shooters. they can tell you everything you need to know about upgrading a savage yourself. can get the barrel and stock on the cheap in their user and vendor classifieds too. since your into the gun for so cheap i would say take the money you would have had to spend on the gun normally, and invest in the reloading stuff for it. w/ 300 win mag it will pay for itself in no time and your accuracy is sure to improve.

 

[DMann]

Re: Savage Build Advice

QQ: Got to Fred Moreo's site here: http://www.sharpshootersupply.com/

Scroll down the left hand side menu to "Technical Information" and click on it. That should give you the info you need to determine which shank size, etc.

 

[sinarms]

Re: Savage Build Advice

Your rifle is the standard small shank. And building a Savage yourself is half the fun. And the new Accu stock is not available separate and all it does is replace the bedding system they used before and stiffen it a little. You can get a B&C duramaxx for under $150 that will be better than a factory stock.

 

[Queequeg]

Re: Savage Build Advice

Thanks Doug and Sinarms.

I also saved SavageShooters forum to favorites too and have started reading.

Crawling before walking...

 

[mgd45]

Re: Savage Build Advice

Great info...thanks!!

 

[CL1KKL4C]

Re: Savage Build Advice

Besides Freds stocks at Sharp shooters supply check out Kevin Rayhills site www.stockadegunstocks.com Ive heard nothing but good things about his stocks. They come included with the aluminum bedding block, the wait is about the same as the Sharpshooter supply stuff. The feedback on both companys is outstanding so you probably can't go wrong with either.

 

[HOGGHEAD]

Re: Savage Build Advice

Since you said you are a do-it-yourselfer you might consider a Richard's Microfit stock in either Walnut or Laminate. They make a great stock for a great price(they are slow). If you buy a laminate or Walnut stock you can first try the original barreled action before you rebarrel your rifle. If you deicde to rebarrel later to a heavier barrel all you need to do is take out a little wood. The stock you have now is pretty flimsy, and could be causing accuracy problems. Below is a 12FVSS I restocked with a Richard's stock. Tom.

 

[jeffersonv]

Re: Savage Build Advice

mgd45 - my last comments were not directed toward you. They were actually directed toward myself.

Thanks for being a good sport

 

[mgd45]

Re: Savage Build Advice

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jeffersonv</div><div class="ubbcode-body">mgd45 - my last comments were not directed toward you. They were actually directed toward myself.

Thanks for being a good sport

</div></div>

No problem! I don't mind taking a ribbing from my internet brothers!! After all, ya'll have no idea if I know how to properly shoot a rifle.....

What made me laugh about your comment, was just last week I was having some issues with my computer at work. When I asked our computer "IT" guy to help me out with it....he fixed it rather quickly.....then he told me it was a "ID-10-T" error & walked off. It took me about 10 minutes to finally figure out what he meant, before I started laughing my ass off!!

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: Savage Build Advice

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: HOGGHEAD</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Since you said you are a do-it-yourselfer you might consider a Richard's Microfit stock in either Walnut or Laminate. They make a great stock for a great price(they are slow). If you buy a laminate or Walnut stock you can first try the original barreled action before you rebarrel your rifle. If you deicde to rebarrel later to a heavier barrel all you need to do is take out a little wood. The stock you have now is pretty flimsy, and could be causing accuracy problems. Below is a 12FVSS I restocked with a Richard's stock. Tom.

</div></div>

that is beautiful...