Rivrdog asks about a rifle he's considering.
Need advice, and I'm betting you can give it to me, PawPaw. I want to work up a rifle for long-range plains hunting. The caliber I want to use is 300 Win Magnum, but I would settle for 7mm Magnum. I have a WIN (Post-64) M70 in .243, and love it (but .243 is too light for elk), and there are quite a few of those around in those magnum calibers, and the prices are not too bad.
Is the Savage 110 any better? Better trigger? I will probably restock the rifle into a heavier composite stock. A longer barrel is a plus.
If you were looking for such a rifle (shots to be taken at out to 500 yards), what would YOU be looking for?
Thanks for asking. Let's see what we can learn.
I'm no fan of the .300 Winchester Magnum, but that is purely personal prejudice. I'm told that the .300 Win Mag is one of the top ten of cartridge sales every year and I know that it's been used by the military, the police, and lots of sportsmen. Lots of folks love the cartridge and lots of folks consider it the very best cartridge for elk hunting. If you're looking for a plains elk cartridge, the .300 Win Mag is a good place to start.
However, I am a fan of the Savage 110. I am convinced that Savage is the best bang for the buck in centerfire rifles. The Accutrigger is the best factory trigger in the market today. When Savage came out with the Accutrigger it took the firearms industry by storm. Other companies started work on better triggers and a couple (Marlin, Remington) came out last year. Triggers are getting better across the industry because of Savage. Savage was the first to offer factory stocks that were pillar-bedded. Savage rifles made a reputation for themselves based on accuracy, durability and cost.
There is no doubt that I'm a cheer-leader for Savage rifles. Unabashed, I put my money where my mouth is. I've bought four since 2003, in 7mm Mag, .30-06, .243 Win, and .308 Win. I kept the -06 and the .243 for myself and gifted the 7 Mag and the .308. I've got a couple of Savage rimfires in the cabinet also. I'm always on the look out for other rifles, but I'm not so blind to Savage that I overlook the other brands. I'm also a fan of Ruger rifles, Winchester, and Howa rifles. I think Howa is another brand that is often overlooked by those who buy rifles on a budget.
However, back to Savage rifles. This year, Savage came out with a new innovation.
The Accu-Stock. It's the first factory stock offered with a full aluminum bedding channel. Folks have been offering full metal bedding for several years now, but this is the first time a factory has offered it, out the door.
I'd look at the Model
111FCNS In .300 magnum, it carries the Accu-trigger and the Accu-stock. MSRP at $656.00. Or, there's the
116FHSS, which is the stainless version. It also has the accu-stock and a list price of $755.00. Either of those would be fine rifles. Before I put a laminate stock on a rifle, I'd check the weight. Laminate stocks are heavy, and while that weight is a good thing sometimes, it's also a bad thing sometimes.
However, you asked what I would look for in an elk rifle, and I have no experience hunting elk, neither on the plains nor in the mountains. I'd be a poor counselor if I tried to give advice on that matter. We'd have to go to the literature, or seek the advice of people who have experience.
I'd probably just take my Savage 110,
in .30-06.