I have a chance to purchase a Stevens 200 in 25-06, with a Bushnell scope (4-12), and 50 rounds of ammunition. The rifle appears to be in excellent condition, including the rifling. The price is $300. I have read reviews on this rifle, and the Stevens 200 appears to be a reliable starter rifle. I was wondering if this deal sounds too good to be true, and if any members have experience with Stevens 200 rifles. The glass on the rifle will be replaced most likely. Thank you in advance.
25-06 Help & Questions
- Thread starter t_bball89
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Tikkamike
Well-Known Member
it is a very very basic rifle, its a savage 10/110 with a horrible trigger and an ugly stock. very upgradable though but by the time you upgrade you may as well buy a savage 110 or 111 in 2506 or even a tikka. $300 is not a great price, I have bought 2 of them and never paid over 200.
My very first deer rifle was a Stevens 200 in .25-06. I killed a ton of deer with it. Sure I've upgraded since and like my newer rifles better but as a starter gun, you can't beat it. Now my dad uses the rifle some and killed his first ever deer this year with it. They're not flashy or great but definitely a good starter rifle. It's also pretty darn accurate. I killed deer up to 250 yards with it without adjusting anything because it shoots so flat. How much you want to pay for it is your choice.
Best starter gun out there by FAR. Trigger is just fine if you are capable of 3rd grade level screwdriver twisting. That 25-06 for about $300 becomes a 7mm STW,300UM,338 edge. You wont find that in any other brand. Jerry Teo has written some good articles on it.
Think about this.
Buy the 25-06......$250 would be fine. Sell old stock, barrel, scope, lug on ebay.
Add a real stock.....B&C, choate, boyds all offer stocks under $200 (Boyds under $100) Or an XLR for 1k!
Add recoil lug ($35)
Work trigger(15 minutes reading time)
Bed ($10)
Add any barrel you want that isnt gibbs based for $300 give or take.
So now you have a gun in any caliber you want that SHOULD shoot around .5MOA for a grand total of $795 to $1795 without counting your ebay money. I would leave the 06 Barrel till I had the trigger squared away and stock and lug done. You may be happy with that....if not screw one of many prefits on it and rock n roll. I have 3 savages with about 20 barrels and 1/5 in cost of any other make and I dont have to rely on the most timely class of individuals on the planet...A GOOD GUNSMITH. I can have a savage in any caliber delivered to my house on monday. By sunday I will have every part I need delivered and installed which will normally produce a gun that will slip under .5MOA regularly. My gunsmith bill???? 0!
Think about this.
Buy the 25-06......$250 would be fine. Sell old stock, barrel, scope, lug on ebay.
Add a real stock.....B&C, choate, boyds all offer stocks under $200 (Boyds under $100) Or an XLR for 1k!
Add recoil lug ($35)
Work trigger(15 minutes reading time)
Bed ($10)
Add any barrel you want that isnt gibbs based for $300 give or take.
So now you have a gun in any caliber you want that SHOULD shoot around .5MOA for a grand total of $795 to $1795 without counting your ebay money. I would leave the 06 Barrel till I had the trigger squared away and stock and lug done. You may be happy with that....if not screw one of many prefits on it and rock n roll. I have 3 savages with about 20 barrels and 1/5 in cost of any other make and I dont have to rely on the most timely class of individuals on the planet...A GOOD GUNSMITH. I can have a savage in any caliber delivered to my house on monday. By sunday I will have every part I need delivered and installed which will normally produce a gun that will slip under .5MOA regularly. My gunsmith bill???? 0!
I dont know why you would say buy a 110 when most people will chunk the stock/lug/trigger and barrel. On savages buy the cheapest action you can. Its all you will end up using anyway.
I like rusty actions myself. I have 3-4 pawn and gun stores that watch for savages in shape so bad they wont buy them. One guy they sent me had run over a 110 with his diesel and shattered the stock and bent the barrel into an L. $25 cash. Now its a 6-284 that shoots UNDER .5 moa to 1200 when Im awake and I have about $475 in it.
If your not a tinkerer the nicer variants might be the way to go but if you are the stevens and cheap savages are the way to go. I dont like to buy a nice savage when I can build a badboy in a couple hours for less than the stock ones with a lot more caliber selection.
And did you know that savage will give you a free NIGHTFORCE? No one else does that...heres how.
A stevens/savage can be trued and barreled at home. None of my savages have had any lathe work done and with some fiddling will all go under .5 MOA. Yes some will need some fiddling to get there and MAYBE some will never get there but thats about what you get with any brand even customs.
The $1000 you dont spend at the gunsmith you now add to the $700 an average guy will budget for glass and VOILA....FREE NIGHTFORCE. All the guys at my steel range give me hell about 3 things.
1. Why dont you shoot a rem 700 like all of us?
2. You say you like savage cuz they are cheap to build and you are broke and then you always slap a nightforce on them. Makes no sense.
3. How do broke guys buy nightforces?
Thats for me to know and them to find out....cool part is most REM 700 worshippers wont switch even when they see why.....which with their calcutta money just makes good glass that much cheaper...maybe even free lol. ( I own the range duh)
A stevens/savage can be trued and barreled at home. None of my savages have had any lathe work done and with some fiddling will all go under .5 MOA. Yes some will need some fiddling to get there and MAYBE some will never get there but thats about what you get with any brand even customs.
The $1000 you dont spend at the gunsmith you now add to the $700 an average guy will budget for glass and VOILA....FREE NIGHTFORCE. All the guys at my steel range give me hell about 3 things.
1. Why dont you shoot a rem 700 like all of us?
2. You say you like savage cuz they are cheap to build and you are broke and then you always slap a nightforce on them. Makes no sense.
3. How do broke guys buy nightforces?
Thats for me to know and them to find out....cool part is most REM 700 worshippers wont switch even when they see why.....which with their calcutta money just makes good glass that much cheaper...maybe even free lol. ( I own the range duh)
