Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Savage or Ruger?

Guys: I will be buying a .308 bolt action rifle this year for deer hunting. It will be scoped to complement my 'nasty weather' .308 (an iron sighted 99 Savage). I have narrowed it down (so far) to a Ruger 77 or one of the short action Savage models (the 6.5 pound weight of the model 16 is attractive). I would appreciate comments, recommendations, and experiences with either brand. Thanks for your time and thoughts.

If economy is any consideration you ought to look at the Stevens 200. It's getting good reviews for an economy model.

Otherwise it's a draw to me. I own both Savage and Ruger and like them equally. The Ruger is a better looking gun but the utility is about the same. Savage is doing a lot to catch up though and the accutrigger is great. My 12FV has a tang safety too which Ruger used to have.

Flip a coin I guess?

Depends on what you want...

Controlled feed = Ruger
Push feed= Savage

Floor plate= Ruger
Blind box= Savage

Quality metal finish= Ruger
Price= Savage

Both guns should shoot.

I have both Savage and Ruger, and they are both great guns, but Savage rifles always feel kind of cheap to me. Crappy stocks, rough metal work, plastic follower etc.

I agree with dogcatcher. Another big advantage of the savage is that you can buy the barrel wrench and extra barrels and quickly convert your .308 to a .243, 7-08, 358 WIN, etc. At a later date you can sell or trade in the Ruger more easily. I buy and sell a bunch of guns at gun shows each year, rent a table at about 6 per year and I can't GIVE AWAY a Savage, even though with the accutrigger and their excellent barrels they will nearly always out shoot a Ruger by a wide margin. I love the new Savages and in Varmint rifles they would still be one of my first choices, but for a big game gun this time I would buy the Ruger. Great looking, good resale, controlled round feed, Either will serve you well. Report back with what you bought!

I'm a huge Ruger fan, I'll admit that upfront, so no denying that.

I've heard much good about the Savage, but I've never had one, so will not comment on it. All I can say is I've had great luck and been very pleased with all my Ruger rifles over the years. All my sporters are M77's or M77/MkII's (one #1 in the mix) and they are very reliable and rugged guns.

I guess if I was going for a .308 I'd try the Ruger All-Weather stainless/synthetic short action with a compact 2x7 personally. Keep it as sleek and light as possible and being a Ruger nearly indestructible to boot.

I've got this same rifle except in 30-06 and the standard length action and I love it. It's the ultimate utilitarian rifle IMHO... If I had to pick a "go to" rifle that's the one I'd pick.

i like the looks of Rugers but i dont consider Savages ugly. i own Savages but have hunted with borrowed Rugers. personally i dont see the big advantage of CRf versus push for average hunting. ht e Savages i have are good dependable consistantly accurate rifles. great guns for the money IMHO. i do prefer the location of a Savages saftey, it makes more sence to me. basically it comes down to personal preferance. handle both and decide what fits you best.

get the gun that fits your body the best

A howa worth looking into too

Lot's of good advice here. I own both (my Ruger's are older models though). One minor point I would add is that you can get a Savage with synthetic stock and blued metal if that is your preference. Don't think that is yet available from Ruger.

My experiences with Rugers and Savages have been very satisfying as a whole. I'd go with the one that felt the most comfortable to me.

FWIW:

I shoot a 308 BLR for good weather/shorter range work (it has a peep sight).

I shoot a 308 Savage (Stainless) for Rainy days and long range (its shoots better than I can!).

The Browning is a 1-1.5" group rifle. The savage is a true MOA Rife and will reliably cut one ragged hole at 100 yards with match bullets (it will shoot even better with a really good shooter pulling the trigger!).

BMT

As for Ruger vs. Svage, pick up bith rifles, buy the one that feels right to your shoulder.

BMT

If you're into pretty guns, buy a Ruger. If you're into accurate guns, go with the Savage.

As big a Ruger fan as I am I must admit that the Savage is a good buy and with Mcmillan offering replacement stocks for them now that is no longer an issue. Both guns will work well for the caliber.
RufusG
I believe Ruger stopped making the blued/synthetic stock models, at the same time they replaced the scalloped stock with the regular run of the mill style. (which I personally like the heck out of.)
Still like the CFR style guns though.

MCS

If you want blued walnut, the Ruger untra light can be had in .308 and has a 20" barrel. It weighs in a 6.25#.

I just recently bought a savage 12fv varmint barreled .204 ruger. Thesynthetic stock is better than previous, but, could still use some improvement. However, the accutrigger outta the box was adjusted just fine. Smooth action, feeds well, great bluing, shoots veerrryy nice groups. Not the prettiest gun I 've ever handled, but I thought the action was smooter than the ruger, and that the accutrigger was well worth the step down in looks. As far as re sale . . . I have a hard time parting with a gun, un less it's a real pooch. Expect the boys will be fighting over this when my time is up. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I hunted with a Savage 7-08 16fss many a time and killed many deer with it. I've yet to see a Savage that didn't shoot. It had a 22" barrel and was very light. Ruger is more of a crapshoot as far as accuracy is concerned. I've seen both good and bad. One of the guys in our deer camp came in with a new ultralight 308 last year. It was SS/Lam model. I think the barrel was only 18.5". I really didn't care for it too much. Too small. For him I guess it's OK though, he only hunts a week a year, and sits in a gun shack. With 180gr bullets, the recoil was pretty bad for a 308, even with the laminated stock. At 100yds it shot 1.75" groups with factory loads. Again, for his hunting, just fine. I have a Sako Finnlight and a Rem Mdl 7 that weigh close to the same, they both shoot FAR better--2MG

You've got a bunch of really good advice on this one. I like them both. Both shoot well and both are rugged rifles. They each have their different features, so that might be a deciding factor. I've used Rugers for years without a hitch. I've also used Savages for a long time and am currently using three of them. I like 'em and the Accutrigger is a nice addition that puts them ahead by a point in my book. I also like being able to change barrels at the drop of a hat. I just built a .260 and a 7-08 in the Savage and they both shoot like lasers, with Savage barrels. I bought the barrels from Savageparts.com which sells factory new barrels. They are really amazing rifles and they satisfy my need to tinker, so that does it for me. I'd go back to using Rugers in a minute without any reservations, I just like to change, tune and tinker and the Savage is the answer for that.

Haleluja brother! The ability to change calibers in less than one hour is a great bonus! A few barrels, maybe a bolt face or two & ready for most anything...

Now I need to get a new Savage with the AccuTrigger.... Hmmmm, long or short, big or little...???

Pat

If 3 of us admit to preferring Savages, does that mean we have to leave this forum now before they ban us? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

There's a bunch of Savage lever gun lovers around the fire. You've got good company for likin' the bolt guns too.

Since Big Stick wandered off, Savage-fondlers now feel safe emerging from their hidey holes and openly proclaiming their fetishes.

Only explanation I can think of for this sudden Savage love fest.

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