Does anyone here have one? Most savages are a bit on the "junky" side but they do tend to shoot. Would appreciate the input of someone who owns and shoots one .I have several custom long range guns but no 6.5x284.Seems like a pretty economical way to go as opposed to a build considering the financial state of things in OUR country.

I don't know what you consider "junky" but I've been looking over a couple of 114s at a local shop over the weekend and they were some NICE rifles. Walnut stocks had fantastic grain, actions were very smooth, fit and finish were as good as I've seen on a production gun. My brother has been shooting a model 11 for years, been a solid rifle, taken many whitetails with it. Savage makes some great stuff, they just get a wrap for being cheap because their entry level stuff has a very low price point.

low price point isn't a favor to the consumer , however im not trying to knock them as im thinking of buying one.

i have a new savage predator hunter max-1 .223 that is by far the better built and more accurate then any of my rem 700s i have. i hate saying that because i've always been a remington guy.

There's one for sale here at the local ace hardware.

I can't believe it is still there.

Layne Simpson did a writeup on that rifle when it came out. Seems like his hovered right around 1moa or so. You shouldn't expect much more for that tariff. And Pacnor's ready with a better barrel when you are. All you need is a barrel nut wrench and a barrel vise. I'd really like to hear from someone who's tried that Accu-stock and how it works shooting from a Harris bipod.

I too have been thinking about a LH SS 6.5 X 284 seeing thats the only game in town for that caliber. Would like to know how they shoot also and velocity!

Hodgdon H4831SC 51.5 F210m Sierra 142 3050 fps
Hodgdon H4350 49.0 CCI BR2 Sierra 142 2975+ fps

something around there.

6.5-284 is a good one. In my Krieger/M-70 sporter, the best load is:

140 SST's in Lapua brass and 52.3 Vv N165 with Fed 210 at 2,950 fps.

This rifle will shoot 4 1/4" at 600 yds. on a bench with decreasing groups all the way back to teens and two at a hundred.

I've been impressed with the Savages I've worked with, although I don't own one.

DF

currently own two stevens and even they shoot sub moa. It's a sturdy action.

I had one savage 110 that I traded to a guy who later told me it was the most accurate rifle he owned. I'm keeping tabs on that rifle in order to get it back. I was young and stupid when i traded it away, it was my first rifle.

i can't get over BCJR's avatar pic, it reminds me of my dogs scuffling on the carpet. lol

just struck me funny when i saw him laying there like that.Came into rattling , my buddy shot him with a muzzle loader.Was his first whitetail.would still like to hear from someone who has one of the above mentioned savages? Wife shoots a 260 the bullet crossover would be handy

The Savage LRH in 6.5x284 is one of the best bargains

and LR rifles on the market today....I have buddies with 'em

and with good handloads they kill game at very long ranges..

Yea the Savage is ugly with the barrel nut...

buy they are kicking Rem/Win/Rugers azz........

I have a 111 LRH in 6.5-.284
Initially it fouled worse than I expected so I used the Tubbs system to fire lap the barrel. It moved the throat out quite a bit, but fixed the fouling issue.

At the range Saturday I shot 15 test loads at 100 yards, three shot groups.
139 grain Lapua Scenar
neck turned Winchester brass
CCI200 primers
49, 49.5, 50, 50.5, and 51.0 grains H4831SC
avg group size .720"
best group .578"
avg velocity 2856 fps
ES 30 fps

Today at 100 yards.
139 grain Lapua Scenar
neck turned Lapua brass
Federal GM210M primers
51.0 grains H4831SC
Avg group right at .500"
best group .352"
avg velocity 2845 fps
ES 19 fps

The wind was going crazy when I shot 200 yards.
Group #1
Horizontal 1.920"
Vertical .911"

Group #2
Horizontal 1.687"
Vertical .436"

I have never fired this rifle off of a bench rest. Everything has been prone, with Harris bipods and rear sandbags. Muzzle brake closed.

I am going to move on to playing around with seating depth now. All of the above loads are seated for .015" jump.

I think I want one in 7mm Mag now too....


Hope that helps.

Got that right. Got to give credit where it is due

for me it is cheaper to rebarrel a remington 700. 300 donor action, 300 krieger barrel, 150 chamber and thread. 200 stock. pour some powder, crunch a bullet on it . .5 inch group after group. getting a factory gun $750 and fuss around and maybe get something. too much of a gamble for me. too much time , too much laping. i have two 6.5-284s. i shot a coyote aT 419 yards last january.

You are luckier than I if you can get said "donor action" to shoot .500 groups without having the threads squared. Most need to be trued with bushings that I have seen. The floating bolt head on the Savage seems to make up for this. Good thing too. Now those of us in squalor can have a rifle that shoots well out of the box.


To the OP.

If you don't buy a Savage, get a Tikka.

I've seen many of the stevens 200's shoot rediculously accurate out of the box. That says a lot for savage. I've even seen the cheap azz savage edge shoot great. Example: My friend only buys savage rifles and his shoot less than 1 moa conasistently. Just hard to deny the fact that for the most part they are a damn accurate factory rifle.

My buddy had one. With Norma ammo 5/8" all day long. Great value.

I think if I were going to get something for long range competitive shooting though, I'd go with the 6mmTubb, or the 6.5 Creedomore, as they just as good, accuracy wise, at long range, as the 6.5-284, and don't shoot the barrel out as fast. Look it up on some of the shooting forums. 6.5x284 probably #1 on shooting a barrel out. Will loose target accuracy in as few as 600 shots. Have had hi-power long range shooters say they got longer (30") barrels on their, so they could be set back and rechambered a few times, to save money. I think most long range shooters, now using a 6mm of some sort.. Look at Dave Tubbs site. I believe most of the 6mms or something like the 6.5 Creedmore, will go 2,500-3000 rounds before a new barrel needed..I use a Savage 112 in 308 for long range shooting. I've had my rifle for like 10 years, so when I said, if I were going to get, meant, if I didn't already have this 308..

Last year, 2010, Sheri Gallagher, won the national matches shooting a 260 Remington.

Sheri Gallagher won with a .260 remington caliber. but she did not use a savage action and barrel

Correction:
I noticed when updating my load data log and running the JBM calculators that my jump is only .010", not .015" as previously stated.

In my neck of the woods, it hard to find a donor 700 action for less than $400 and that isn't always easy. I agree that the action needs truing when a good barrel, like the Krieger, is fitted. That would raise the ante to around $300 plus the $300 barrel. Pillar bedding with glass is also warrented, although I do all that myself. If outsourced, the price would take another bounce.

You may have put one together on your budget. But, I don't think it's something that could be counted on over time. I think $1,000 is a more reasonable figure before the stock is figured in. Good aftermarket stocks, like the McM, can run in the $500 range. That kicks it up to $1,500.

DF

i bought a used 700 varmint synthetic 22-250 ( had been advertized on the internet for a year or more ). (it has the h-s precision stock) $500. added a barrel 300+ 150 (6mmbr 8 twist). i just got it back from the gunsmith a week ago. i shot it in phoenix friday, 115 degrees. two three shot groups and a 6 shot group. the biggest was .287.

At 115 degrees, you must have been really motivated to get out there and try out your new gun.

Sounds like you got a good one.

DF

Salvage, uglier than a turd in a punch bowl but they can shoot!

Found a used 7 Mag LRH in 95% for $639 might pull the trigger on it.

On the other hand, SU35 has all the necessary data on the 6.5x284 to make me want one.

DF- more like dumb. the low at my house was 51. but the benches in phx are cement, and more stable than my portable bench.

Most probably aren't square to within .0005" but most of them can shoot just fine with a new barrel if the original barrel is not up to the task. I haven't had a lot of 700s but the ones I have had, have shot nearly as good in untampered form to convince me that I won't ever true another one unless I am just looking for something to do. I did an experiment one time. I paid one of the more renowned accuracy gunsmiths in the country to square the action, recut the threats, recut the locking lugs, bush the bolt, bush the firing pin, surface grind the recoil lug, and install a special firing pin and spring and on top of that, have the whole damn thing cryo-treated.

My accuracy was improved from about 1.4 MOA to about 1.2 MOA. I had a third barrel installed and got it down to about 3/4" MOA now. The other 700 family rifles I have will all shoot about that good with factory barrels on them.

If you are trying to build a competitive benchrest rifle out of a 700, you might want to do all those things to wring that last 1/8" out of it but for a sporter weight hunting rifle, it's like buying a 400 HP diesel pickup to get your groceries, sure doesn't hurt, but hardly effect use of your resources.

If I really want a tack driver with a heavy barrel, I buy a custom action and start from scratch- have way better luck that way than polishing a turd.

The most accurate rifle I own (sporter) is a long action Savage in 22-250. It is an honest 1/4-3/8" rifle with most good bullets. I once won a club BR shoot at 500 meters with it and it had the factory tupperware stock and only upgrade was a Timney trigger.

I think that most of the Savage's inherit accuracy comes from the floating bolt head which makes up for a lot of the other short comings.

She may not be the prettiest girl at the prom, but she is the best kisser!

mine shoots great. i use 140 berger, 57.5 grns hodgdon retumbo seated to 3.10 norma brass n cci 250 primers.

I saw one for the first time yesterday. But all the salesman talked about was long range competition shooting. Would you guys fill me in on the cartridge and rifle for hunting?

What is it best used on? Do heavier than 140 grain bullets accurate? Are critters heavier than 400 lbs appropriate with a 140 grain bullet?

And I see that Savage has a wood stocked hunting rifle with a 20" barrel. Is that too short for the cartridge in your opinions?

Probably good pick for deer but not for heavier game. I shoot 142 grain bullets and they come out at 2875fps/sec with primers starting to ridge in a 30 inch barrel. 20 inch barrel don't sound like a long range unit. The Lapua brass hold out well for many reloads with annealing after 10 useage. Some fellas are having good luck with TSX in hunting purpose , can't comment on accuracy but the 142 sierra are deadly accurate in my Savage 12F. Although not recommended for hunting, I've blasted coyotes and they didn't go far after lung shots.

The longrange hunters have 26" barrels

The 6.5s are perfectly fine for shooting up to and including elk. In fact, I wouldn't have a problem shooting an elk out to 800-900 yds with a 140 out of a 6.5-284.

Look how many elephants have been killed with 6.5s and how many moose the Finns and such kill.

I have shot horses with 130 AB with perfect results. They are as big as an elk and bigger that most.

As for using bullets heavier than 140 grains, I don't see why. The canadian test that was posted on here a while back showed no improvement with the 150-160s over the 140s. There isn't anything in North America that I wouldn't intentionally hunt with a 6.5-284 pushing a 140 Partition excepting a brown bear.

I agree on your post, I was speaking about the 142 SMK and after shooting coyotes with it wouldn't recommend for any hunting application, same as Sierra warns. TSX or other brands will no doubt be great choices. Personally I use fatter/heavier bullets with more hitting power for long range hunting. Each is own I guess.

0.4" @ 212 yards
140gr SST 2920fps
H4831SC
easy, all day long