Long Range Rifle On A Budget, by Jerry Teo

[TBDAugs]

Now that I knew what to look for I just ordered Karsten's adjustable "A" model for $59 bucks.

Thanks to all

GooglAugs

[Chas1]

HRStretch, Why did you choose Millet scope and how do you like it? I have a friend who was just given one...not even mounted yet and we're wondering what to expect ie-quality of glass, turrets etc.

[kd5det]

Jerry,

Thanks for a great article for a do-it-yourselfer tight wad like myself. I'd like some advice for a build I am contemplating. I want to build a fur-friendly predator rifle. I have tentatively settled on .17 Remington. (See: The Coyote Gods: The .17 Remington )

I have only one hand (my right) and a left arm to the elbow. For this reason I prefer light weight guns. In a perfect world, I would get a CZ 527 Carbine. Alas, it is only available in .223. CZ-USA -> CZ 527 Carbine It weighs a little less than 6 lbs. It also has an 18" barrel, making it easy to swing. The single set trigger looks nice too.

I could buy a CZ 527 Varmint in .17 Remington CZ-USA -> CZ 527 VARMINT and cut off 6" of the barrel. That would take the weight down from 7.2 lbs to maybe 6.5 lbs. Still not as light as the Carbine.

If I try to build a Stevens 200 based "copy" of the CZ 527 Carbine, what barrel taper and length would you suggest? Would I be better off with a thin taper longer barrel, say 22', or a thicker barrel in 18".

I don't think I will take shots longer than 200 yds. (Not quite "long range hunting").

Do you have any recommendations?

Thanks,

Dan

[noordinaryjoe]

Excellent article and discussions! I am already a Savage fan, so the Savage/Stevens info was particularly interesting.

Along those lines, for those that don't have the 'smithin' skills, or time, or ambition, I just spotted that savagearms.com now has their 2010 catalog and products up online. Of course I had to read through the whole thing, and HEY, Savage now has 2 Long Range Hunter Models listed in the model 11/111 hunter series!


Savage Arms Firearms > 11 Long Range Hunter


Savage Arms Firearms > 111 Long Range Hunter

Accustock, accutrigger, adjustable (on/off) muzzlebrakes, adjustable cheekpiece, fluted barrel, 8.5 (ish) lbs, sub-$1000 MSRP in cool variety of calibers!

I'm just a Savage fan (love my 'mid-range hunter' 10 Precision Carbine), not a PR guy for them, but I would love to hear what y'all think of the concept and to hear your reviews when folks start to get their hands on them!

-Joe

[Mysticplayer]

Originally Posted by kd5det

Jerry,

Thanks for a great article for a do-it-yourselfer tight wad like myself. I'd like some advice for a build I am contemplating. I want to build a fur-friendly predator rifle. I have tentatively settled on .17 Remington. (See: The Coyote Gods: The .17 Remington )

I have only one hand (my right) and a left arm to the elbow. For this reason I prefer light weight guns. In a perfect world, I would get a CZ 527 Carbine. Alas, it is only available in .223. CZ-USA -> CZ 527 Carbine It weighs a little less than 6 lbs. It also has an 18" barrel, making it easy to swing. The single set trigger looks nice too.

I could buy a CZ 527 Varmint in .17 Remington CZ-USA -> CZ 527 VARMINT and cut off 6" of the barrel. That would take the weight down from 7.2 lbs to maybe 6.5 lbs. Still not as light as the Carbine.

If I try to build a Stevens 200 based "copy" of the CZ 527 Carbine, what barrel taper and length would you suggest? Would I be better off with a thin taper longer barrel, say 22', or a thicker barrel in 18".

I don't think I will take shots longer than 200 yds. (Not quite "long range hunting").

Do you have any recommendations?

Thanks,

Dan

I had a Bruno Fox which was the precursor to the rifle you are talking about. What a lovely rifle!!!!

I don't think you can make a Savage SA as light and trim as the CZ and the cost to do so would be high. The basic Savage action is simply too heavy when compared to the CZ.

now you could just load down a 223 to suit your needs or switch the bullet to get the same ongame performance as the 17 Rem. Making a 223 act like a 22 hornet is easy and this would be very fur friendly.

At the distances you are talking about, a 40gr 22 cal at 2500fps would be a very nice combo indeed.

But if you want a 17 Rem, then I would suggest you rebarrel a CZ and live happily ever after...

Jerry

[Mysticplayer]

Originally Posted by noordinaryjoe

Excellent article and discussions! I am already a Savage fan, so the Savage/Stevens info was particularly interesting.

Along those lines, for those that don't have the 'smithin' skills, or time, or ambition, I just spotted that savagearms.com now has their 2010 catalog and products up online. Of course I had to read through the whole thing, and HEY, Savage now has 2 Long Range Hunter Models listed in the model 11/111 hunter series!


Savage Arms Firearms > 11 Long Range Hunter


Savage Arms Firearms > 111 Long Range Hunter

Accustock, accutrigger, adjustable (on/off) muzzlebrakes, adjustable cheekpiece, fluted barrel, 8.5 (ish) lbs, sub-$1000 MSRP in cool variety of calibers!

I'm just a Savage fan (love my 'mid-range hunter' 10 Precision Carbine), not a PR guy for them, but I would love to hear what y'all think of the concept and to hear your reviews when folks start to get their hands on them!

-Joe

Savage is leaving no stone unturned and I congratulate them for that.

Only downside is and will always be the factory barrel. Some shoot, others don't. When you need decent accuracy at extended distances, barrels matter.

If you get one of these rifles and the barrel doesn't do what you want, it is a simple matter to just swap out with a better aftermarket. You already have a solid base to build from.

Jerry

[noordinaryjoe]

Originally Posted by Mysticplayer

Savage is leaving no stone unturned and I congratulate them for that.

Only downside is and will always be the factory barrel. Some shoot, others don't. When you need decent accuracy at extended distances, barrels matter.

If you get one of these rifles and the barrel doesn't do what you want, it is a simple matter to just swap out with a better aftermarket. You already have a solid base to build from.

Jerry

I know you are a fan of the Savage product in general, so I'm not trying to stir the pot here...it's just that my experience and observations (anecdotal as they may be) would lead me to change that quote to, "Most shoot, a seldom few don't."

Of course they can't *all* be gems, but over the last several years it seems that Savage has really stepped up their game (and price) and it is really hard to find ANYONE with a recent Savage that isn't a fantastic shooter right out of the box. I would even go so far to say that you'd be quite unlucky should you buy one that doesn't drive tacks.

Then, of course, an obvious strategy here would be to buy your Savage rifle NEW - if it's not a shooter your odds are far better of finding it for sale used, (and gotten rid of) then taking the *slight* chance that you get a new one that doesn't make the grade...

...and then, as you clearly said, a barrel swap is a simple and relatively painless affair. I just haven't seen that it will be warranted very often these days.

2 more bits,
-Joe