Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting Stevens 200 action build??????

The Savage or Stevens action will make a low cost and very accurate platform to build on. Most fella's that bash them either haven't had the experience with one or are pissed off that a $1000 Savage can out shoot there $2500+ full custom build.
I've built a 6mm BR, 308 Win and a 300 Win mag off either a Stevens or Savage action and they just flat shoot! Plus it's a big bonus being able to do the work yourself.

Hilarious stuff.

You have your opinion and certainly ostracize the counter point quite vigorously. Bringing in the buzz words of kool-aid, cheap, junk, etc.

For my criteria, an old left hand "salvage" 30-06 factory, a douglas 30-06 barrel (used), a stock built in the back yard, and a burris FFII and I was into an long range (400-600 yard) gun that did all I needed quite "cheaply".

Not sure what criteria the OP has for long range, but you're opinion on the matter doesn't mean it can't be done economically.

I understand you wouldn't do it, but that doesn't mean it won't work...


Edit to add:

The only reason I got rid of my savage is that I spent so much time swapping barrels and working up new loads from 300WM, 30-06 and 308, that I wasn't spending enough time hunting. Seems I can't control myself when it comes to tinkering. My next bolt gun will be "fiddle proof" I hope.

Hey DW you kind of lost me with the part of the "fire form rifle for you 700" bit?

Dober

Why should anyone give a damn about what someone else likes to shoot?

David, the fact that you site accuracy $$ for $$ as you quailifier is my point. Go find the cheapest pile of junk you can find, and shoot it. It will be "x-brand is the most accurate for money spent", will it not?

Accuracy is not the only measure, but it seems to be one people default to. Design, quality of materials, fit and finish, asthetics, handling characteristics, and price, are things we all look for in a rifle. As we are all individuals, we are willing to focus more on some, and not so much on others.

I haved owned several Salvages. The rest of the rifles in my safe had a revolt, and threw them out.

Rem 700's, Howa's, Vanguards, Model 70's, hell, if you wait long enough, you can find practically anything used for the same price as a new Salvage. The fact that you site the money again is my point. That the rifle is cheap (not less exspensive), and performs well, for it's price, does not make it better.

R.

I got a big kick of of a Canadian's build shown on 6mmBR.com
He selected the Savage-made Stevens 200

His goal:

"I wanted to see if I could build a rifle with match-grade accuracy (1/4-MOA or better at short range and sub-MOA way out there) without spending a small fortune. This dictated using readily-available commercial products where possible. I wanted an economical, commercial action that could shoot accurately without a lot of expensive trueing or tuning. And I wanted there to be quality aftermarket parts (bases, triggers, and stocks) for this action."

"6.5 "Mystic" Barrel Block F-Classer
Jerry Teo's Stevens-Actioned 6.5-08 AI Showcases New Design Ideas
Other Guns of the Week >
Canadian shooter Jerry Teo has created an innovative rifle system that delivers very impressive accuracy (one-ragged-hole groups at 200 yards), with economical components. Using interchangeable block-equipped barreled actions, he can switch calibers in under a minute, with just a wrench. Jerry's radical rig has proven itself in its first F-Class competition at 345 yards (300m), delivering a 749-61X, out of a total possible score of 750-75X. We're proud to showcase the efforts of a creative home-builder, whose entire gun, including optics, costs about what you'd pay for a premium custom action with rings, trigger guard and scope rail."

Some of his ideas are great! It may be a little funky looking but he met his goal. Link for entire story: http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek075.html

My opinion is mine, but well founded in fact. Long range shooting is not a cheap sport. The more competitive you get, either with yourself, or others, the more exspensive it gets. I happen to be quite competitive, and want to do the best I can. There are lots of examples of people doing all of sorts of silly things with their money, both in the shooting world and out of it. The examples out of it make more sense. Why would a guy spend thousands and thousands of dollars customizing a piece of crap car, when he could have spent that money on a better car? Does a resonably good golfer play with the cheapest clubs he can find? I like this one the best, as it is the closest example to what we are speaking about. A good golfer, can play a round with cheap clubs. They work, and he scores a 96. Not bad for money! Now he plays the same round with better clubs, and scores an 88. A pro plays, with the best that is availble, and scores a 68. The good guy plays with the pro's clubs, and scores an 83. It's all relative, and at a point, spending money has diminishing returns.

Shooting is a precision sport. It is about putting the bullet exactly at the point aim, not getting it close. Getting something to mearly work, as opposed to getting it to perform, is not a criteria I would apply to much of anything, but everyone has to start somewhere. It's a shame to see a decent shooter invest in all sorts of equipment up front, that may handcuff them on the back. By invest, I mean both time and money.
With regards to the OP, will it work? Of course it will. Will it perform? Not as well as something better, for not a significant increase in price.

R.

A fellow on Predatormasters firearms forums, "Ugly Savages" doesnt seem to think it was a bad idea, Not like getting into a snowball fight with pitcher Randy Johnson, he shows a couple of very nice rigs on the Stevens action, They work, go for it.

Jerry is an interesting guy and makes his living selling stuff. I will refrain on commenting regarding the quality of his goods and price point that he sets towards his target market. He also spent a significant amount of time and money getting that rilfe to shoot. So much, in fact, that if those costs were factored into the build price, he would have not met his own critria. Anything is possible, if you get out you wallet. There really isn't any way around it.

R.

Savages are kind of like a not so good looking women, fun to play with but you wouldn't want your friends to see you with one.

Don't do it the Savage action is a turd. LOL Build on a rem 700..

Dober,

TMR is building me a Rem 700 SA in 243 ai in a manner's T1 with badger bottom metal for tactical matches

I'm building a Savage in 243 ai for fireforming brass. I hope to develop an accurate fire forming load, and wack varmints as part of the exercise.

I'm into the savage for under $500 all up. We'll see how she shoots

David, how did make out on your reamer?

R.

TMR has one and he's doing both barrels.

So you're gonna fire form rounds in one gun to use in another David?

Dober

I'm just curious - WHY did you throw out all your Savages (or why did your other rifles revolt?)
You write they are "junk" and "crap". on what is this based?

I have shot a couple Savages (not long range) and they shot great!

My impression is that the Savage guns (or just the actions) are, indeed ugly. That is probably why I picked a different gun when I bought my varminter several years ago - I just didn't want a boring Savage. when I buy my next gun - it WILL be a savage (or a 6mmBR based on Savage). Why, because I am not overly concerned that I'm with the prettiest girl in the crowd. I want a woman who will cook, clean, do the laundry, take great care of the kid(s)... and do it all extremely well - she maybe not cook as well as Emeril or clean like Mr Clean or do laundry like Billy Mays and his oxyclean, and isn't SuperNanny; but I can't afford all of them to come to my house) - and if I could fine ONE woman to do all that she would either be way out of my league -or even uglier than a Savage .

BTW, I AM married to the prettiest girl around in real life
and yes, she cooks, cleans, launders and is the best stay-at-home mommy in the world!

Mark, I think I know your concerns, but I have done this before. Both chambers were cut with the same reamer, by the same guy, back to back. It has worked well for me, and I am only slightly neck sizing brass, as I normally would. Is there anything missed?

R.

Dober

What rman said. Plus, with the savage I can headspace off of a fired rem round to get the chambers exact.

Pretty rifles don't like to hang out with ugly ones, so in order to prevent an uprising, I removed the ugly from the situation.

It is my opinion that they are a cheap rifle with a design that is based on bringing a rilfe to market with the lowest possible price. They are built the way they are for that reason, and that reson only, nothing else. The fact that they "shoot well for the price" is a testement as to how much money can be spent on polishing a turd. Like I said, anything is possible, when you get your wallet out. These are my findings based on the experiences I have had, with rilfes I have owned.

R.

"BTW, show me a better rifle, new or used, for the money."

I think that the Marlin XL/XS-7 is a better rifle than either the Savage Edge/Axis or Stevens 200 in terms of stock ergs and trigger for approximately the same $$. I think that it has a better stock design than the Savage 111/11FNS, the Savage rifle that it is most like, for about $100 less. For <$300, I don't know how you could do better in a new CF bolt gun than the Marlins.

That said, the Savage 110 series has been around for over 50 years, so there are lots of Savage after-market parts available. I think that Marlin could knock Savage/Stevens out of the <$300 retail CF bolt gun market if they would expend the cartridges being offered to include quick twist 223s and 22-250s in the XS-7 and the 7mm Rem Mag and 300 Win Mag in the XL-7.

JEff