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New Barrel or New Rifle?

I was in a Dick's Sporting Goods and seen a Savage combo with: heavy barrel, camo stock, scope (don't know the brand/power) and it was in .243, for $499.

A while back I was considering the purchase of a heavy barrel for my .25-06, which has a 22" sporter barrel. The whole "want" issue is greater accuracy from the rifle I'll be shooting. I don't care about the weight, it's the accuracy that I'm after. An after market barrel is around $400, plus the gauges to install it would be another $50ish. I've already got a custom trigger and a nice Weaver scope on this Stevens, but it could be switched out to the Savage.

Would you purchase the barrel or the rifle?

Your opinions and experience is appreciated.
Thank you, Bowhunter57
 

MK111

"Happy Hunting Grounds in the Sky"
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New rifle. Then you have the option of selling a complete rifle not just a used barrel.
 
I would get a new barrel

I have changed barrels on my Savage rifle
Easy to do , probely a 10 min job
You will need a barrel nut wrench and a factory loaded round to use for head space

Reason I say get a barrel
You can get a great barrel and know you have the quality and a tight chamber
I know Savage makes good shooting rifles
But I have found the chambers tend to be on the looser side

Not a big deal if you reload and neck size
As my factory 223 has a large chamber , but my reloads shoot well less than 1" at 100 yds ( about 1" groups at 200 yds)

With a custom barrel you can get the length , taper and twist rate you want
As a good friend had a 20" varmit barrel put on his Savage rifle
Easy to move around while setting up and he only lost a few FPS

John

John
 

Hedgelj

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Mohicanish
Bowhunter do you reload?

What accuracy are you getting now and how much are you trying to improve it by?
 
Hedgelj said:
Bowhunter do you reload?

What accuracy are you getting now and how much are you trying to improve it by?
Yes, I reload for this rifle. I'm currently shooting a 75gr. Hornady V-Max @ 3400 f.p.s. with some IMR-4895 (I'd have to look at my reloading manual to say how many on the actual grains). From a bench, this Stevens 200 with a 22" sporter barrel will shoot a 5/8" group at 100 yards and 1 1/4" at 200 yards.

Perhaps I'm being to picky, but I had a Savage in .22-250 with a 26" varmint barrel that I had Fred Moreo (Sharp Shooter Supply) cut to 24" and flute it for me. I left 3 pieces of resized brass, from my die with him when he reinstalled the barrel. He installed one of his custom triggers in it too.
This rifle would shoot a 55gr. (moly coated them myself) Hornady V-Max @ 3855 f.p.s. (3 shot average through a chronograph).
Out of 5 shots: 1 hole at 100 yards and 5 out of 5 inside a dime at 200 yards.

I had no problem sending a groundhog straight to that big hole in the sky, out to 400 yards with that rifle. Do I kick myself for selling it, for an AR...YEP! :smiley_blackeye:

That's the accuracy that I'm trying to achieve with this .25-06. :smiley_blink: Perhaps I should buy a rabbit's foot and start rubbing it.

Bowhunter57
 
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Beentown

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Your chasing a ghost...

I don't think you would be happy with either. If a 5/8th" group at a 100 doesn't work for you I don't think you can be happy with anything but a bench rest rifle. Those don't come in a $400 format and not real handy to hunt with.

A rifle shooting 5/8th groups is doing better than most customs do.
 

Hedgelj

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Mohicanish
Your chasing a ghost...

I don't think you would be happy with either. If a 5/8th" group at a 100 doesn't work for you I don't think you can be happy with anything but a bench rest rifle. Those don't come in a $400 format and not real handy to hunt with.

A rifle shooting 5/8th groups is doing better than most customs do.

What he said.

You are already shooting at 1/2 moa to 200 yards.....

What groundhog is escaping that group alive?
 

yotehunter

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spencerville oh
Your chasing a ghost...

I don't think you would be happy with either. If a 5/8th" group at a 100 doesn't work for you I don't think you can be happy with anything but a bench rest rifle. Those don't come in a $400 format and not real handy to hunt with.

A rifle shooting 5/8th groups is doing better than most customs do.
I disagree I have a Savage 112 long action in a 250 that will shoot a dime size group with winchester brass at this time i dont recall my trim to length a CCI standard large rifle primer, a 50 grain v max and 34.5 grains of accurate arms 2460 ball powder that you could shoot a dime size group at 100 and not much more than that at 200 one ragged hole. And that is out of the box. My savage 223 in the 110 action is the same way. I don't know about the 25 06 but I do knows savage rifle is hard to beat out of the box. I wouldn't know why a 243 in a savage wouldn't be the same way if you worked up the right load.
 

MK111

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The next rifle if I ever buy one will be the new TC Dimension.
It's a simple barrel change design. To change calibers just buy a new barrel and it comes with the proper bolt head and magazine. And TC states 1" of accuracy between caliber changes.
Best of both worlds one rifle and several calibers.

Just how much accuracy do we really need?
 
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Beentown

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If Savages or any other brand REALLY shot .5" groups on average with whatever choice load you have...that is all that would be sold.

I have a couple less expensive rifles that shoot less than .75" with the right load. Had to go through quite a few to find them including three Savages. For inexpensive, HOWA is what was most consistent for me. RRA and White Oak for AR uppers are now where I go first in a semi auto. I will probably never buy a real high end bolt when a $500 example can shoot an inch or a little better. Going from an inch rifle to a 5 shot, one holer....usually takes one thing. Money. Trued, lapped, blueprinted, etc...

Pulled out my range book and started to transfer data. Not going to bore you with it. Basically, many rifles do around an inch. Very, very few will do an .5" average. Just mine and many I knows experience.
 

MK111

"Happy Hunting Grounds in the Sky"
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SW Ohio
If Savages or any other brand REALLY shot .5" groups on average with whatever choice load you have...that is all that would be sold.

I have a couple less expensive rifles that shoot less than .75" with the right load. Had to go through quite a few to find them including three Savages. For inexpensive, HOWA is what was most consistent for me. RRA and White Oak for AR uppers are now where I go first in a semi auto. I will probably never buy a real high end bolt when a $500 example can shoot an inch or a little better. Going from an inch rifle to a 5 shot, one holer....usually takes one thing. Money. Trued, lapped, blueprinted, etc...

Pulled out my range book and started to transfer data. Not going to bore you with it. Basically, many rifles do around an inch. Very, very few will do an .5" average. Just mine and many I knows experience.

The main reason Savage rifles don't sell better is what most shooters think the barrel ring unsightly.
Savage rifle in the past have shot great out of the box. The last one had to be bedded as it was loose in the wood. After bedded it shot less than 1/4-1/2" 5 shot groups at 100 yds.
I sold it to a friend when I went to custom AR's for PD shooting. A gunsmith friend told me that you don't sell accurate rifles like that. But it just didn't fit in to my outfit.
 
Thank you, for the replies, gentlemen! :smiley_bril:

I looked at a few different barrels and barrel companies. I gave some more thought to the rifle that I currently own and the one that I'm looking to purchase. At this time, here's what I intend to do:

I'm going to purchase the Savage model 11 combo, in .243. Take both rifles to Fred Moreo and have him switch the triggers. His custom trigger out of the Stevens and into the Savage. Then I'm going to switch my Weaver 4x16x40 to the Savage and put the Bushnell 3x9x40 from the Savage combo to the Stevens. Then I'm going to sell the Stevens.

I can not find this Savage combo rifle on Savage's website, so it must be a Dick's Sporting Goods exclusive. Since they have 0% financing for 6 months, this will make it easy to purchase.

Bowhunter57
 

GoetsTalon

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The savages are all action and little on looks. They just ain't purty like the 700 BDL's but like the other two posted i have a 112 long action in 22-250 that will shoot five shot groups at 1/2 inch with 38 grains of H-380 and 50 grain bullets. I always called mine the blue collar varminter.
 

yotehunter

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spencerville oh
The savages are all action and little on looks. They just ain't purty like the 700 BDL's but like the other two posted i have a 112 long action in 22-250 that will shoot five shot groups at 1/2 inch with 38 grains of H-380 and 50 grain bullets. I always called mine the blue collar varminter.

Yes they are no safe queens but they shoot.
 
Well, I had a lengthy conversation with a gun builder that told me to hang on to this rifle and be happy with its' accuracy. He assured me that it would be more than adequate for coyotes. He was kind of "middle of the road" with the information that I gave him about the rifle and its' reloads, etc....until I showed him the target. Then he told me to calm down and go kill some coyotes. :smiley_blink:

The center 3 shots inside the orange are at 200 yards. The center black block is one inch square.



Bowhunter57
 

yotehunter

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spencerville oh
Well, I had a lengthy conversation with a gun builder that told me to hang on to this rifle and be happy with its' accuracy. He assured me that it would be more than adequate for coyotes. He was kind of "middle of the road" with the information that I gave him about the rifle and its' reloads, etc....until I showed him the target. Then he told me to calm down and go kill some coyotes. :smiley_blink:

The center 3 shots inside the orange are at 200 yards. The center black block is one inch square.



Bowhunter57

Did that come from Fred?