Savage rifle

[C S Fever]

Just a bit concerned about the 8 lb weight without glass I know the ultra lite comes in at 5 and some change but has a 22" barrel. Try to hunt off the beaten path and with my love of ice cream I try to make my gear as light as possible. Not in the shape I used to be in or want to be in!

I have an ultralight in 280 AI with a Razor HD LHT glass. It weighs in at 7.3 lbs. Wonderful to carry, nice to shoot especially with the Spartan bipod on. It's my go to rifle right now and my 700 mountain rifle in 280 is now my backup.

 

[ptb]

That's sounds like a winner!

 

[Oldtime Shooter13]

Hello. Ive got a factory model 12 with a cheap tuberware stock in a 6.5 creedmoor that will shoot140 gr. Eldm bullets into dimes. You wont be disappointed with a savage. One point i will make that no one has touched on is for whatever reason, its hard to fully customize a savage rifle. Barrel swaps and boltfaces are easy. Problem is aftermatket stocks. The options are limited because not many companies will inlet there actions like they will for Remington 700 footprint. Even if u find a company to do so, not every model stock they sell is an option. This just seems to be the issue i have ran into trying to make a rifle your own.

I have the same 12FV 6.5 Creedmoor dropped mine into Choate Tactical stock for $200 and it shoots good, but finicky. Which may be H4350 powder being temp sensitive.

 

[Oldtime Shooter13]

I have the same rifle as Greyfox and can attest to it's accuracy. I upgraded the trigger but other than that, it's stock and it fortifies the issue many people have with Savage rifles, they are accurate and inexpensive. I also have a bone stock 12FV (Cabela's special) in 6.5CM that shoots factory American Whitetail ammo like this.

Broke my 12FV 6.5 Creedmoor rifle in with 129gr American Hunter ammo, shot exactly the same. But, that bullet is not going to shoot long range. I have yet to find a load with 140gr. Bullet that will shoot consistently. One issue may be that I am using only Hornady brass?

 

[Buck Fever]

I have been fooling around with an Axis II XP.

I faced the front of the receiver for a traditional recoil lug, bought a bolt handle and bolt sleeve from Glades. The tolerance stack wasn't perfect so I bought a new bolt head baffle and filed it to fit (length). Surprisingly that has made the bolt lift light and the action is pretty smooth. The Accutrigger with a spring mod is nice and light, very nice for a budget setup.

The one negative about Savage is they don't want to sell replacement parts so it is hard to experiment with things like bolt lift kits, if you go there you might not be able to replace the spring you have to cut if you don't like it. Personally I like to keep the original stuff and buy new to modify so I can fully reverse mods.

It is going to be pretty cool when it is finished but Savage isn't making it easy.

 

[Sugar Shane]

I have the same 12FV 6.5 Creedmoor dropped mine into Choate Tactical stock for $200 and it shoots good, but finicky. Which may be H4350 powder being temp sensitive.

Try r-16

 

[Starlite]

Do any of the savage models come in a heavy barrel and 24"?

As @Highvoltage stated the high country has a mild-medium bull threaded 22" barrel which will be ~ 1K $. A cheaper (cost not necessarily quality @ ~ $500) option would be the new Overwatch which is lighter with a shorter barrel at 20" ( seems to be a mild-medium bull barrel too) although it has no muzzle break it does have a EGW full length pic. Rail. I have the 270 win overwatch; but as of yet have not fired it. It's just been too hot for any reasonable load development. If your looking for a rifle that's good for bush, mountains, and open fields (out to 500yds) the light overwatch might be a good choice. The stock is solid with pillared action screws. The bolt is smooth but doesn't hold a candle to my Sako 85. The trigger is crisp but I find it too heavy despite my adjustments.
FWIW I have a savage axis in 223 rem which will shoot 1.2MOA with my hand loaded ammo.

 

[Oldtime Shooter13]

Try r-16

Want to try RL16, have not been able to find in my area. As soon has I run across a lb or more going to buy.

 

[ptb]

Thank you!

 

[Highvoltage]

Broke my 12FV 6.5 Creedmoor rifle in with 129gr American Hunter ammo, shot exactly the same. But, that bullet is not going to shoot long range. I have yet to find a load with 140gr. Bullet that will shoot consistently. One issue may be that I am using only Hornady brass?

You need to try the 140 eldm in your 12fv. My buddies shoots lights out with a few different charges and powders. I believe he's running Reloder 17, hornady brass isn't an issue as long as you prep it. I would be surprised if those 140 eldm don't shoot for you. Best wishes

 

[Sandy Cross 4107]

Hello all. Looking into a savage rifle in 280AI. I don't own and don't know much about them, but have heard they are good out of the box production shooters. Any recommendations of a model that has treated you well. I have 2 tikkas, 2 Winchester model 70s and wanted to try something new that had good out of the box results. Thx in advance, Pete

I bought a savage 12fv varmint rifle with 26"heavy barrell in .308 in January and after a barrel break in ...can shoot
3/8 " group at 100 yards with federal 168 grain sierra match kings right out of the box....a great factory rifle!

 

[XSIVSPD]

Is changing out barrels on a savage a DIY project or does a smith need to get involved.

Takes me about 20 min in my garage with a barrel vise, barrel nut wrench, an Allen key for the stock screws and a torx key for the scope rail. If I cut the overhanging portion of my scope rail off (so it doesn't block the barrel nut) I could probably do it in close to 10 min.

 

[ptb]

Wow, that is impressive!

 

[ptb]

Do most after market barrels drop right in to the savage stocks or do they have to be modified? So if I bought one with a thin 22" barrel and upgraded to a 24-26" heavy barrel would anything need modifying?