Hello out there, rare poster here but follow from time to time. Wondering if anyone has feelings strong or otherwise considering these two rifles, is the Shaw barrel "better" or not, it looks like they use the Savage action. I'm not fond of plastic stocks, they just don't blow my skirt up and a rifle is supposed to have some esthetics in my book. As with other hunters, I've been through lots of calibers and I seem to be settling in, had many that were fun and different (06 ACK, 6.5 Swede, 35 Whelen, 30/40 gov, 300 Sav, 405 Win) but I've trimmed down to 300 Holland, 358 Win and looking for a smaller rifle, the 260 seems to be what I'm thinking. Any thoughts on the Savage or ER Shaw.
Thanks for any comments.
Steve k, carp

I've only shot two Shaw rifles extensively, but both were VERY accurate. Have also shot at least a half-dozen other Shaw barrels extensively, and all but one were accurate, and that one had been fluted by another gunsmith.

Savage rifles are also normally accurate, sometimes very, but Shaw barrels have smoother bores than the typical Savage barrel, so don't foul as much. However, I've found the fouling can be prevented by installing Dyna Bore Coat in Savage barrels.

I find Savage bolt guns and their E.R. Shaw cousins lacking in aesthetic qualities. While they aren't as ugly as a pile of dog vomit, they aren't too far removed either. The discontinued Marlin X guns were, IMO, the current peak of Savage 110 series aesthetic development.

Years ago I use to go over and watch the guys who did a 1000 yd shoot every other month...

Like anything there was the regular crowd guys who always love to dominate the competition...

However they cursed when two different guys would show up, as they regularly beat the "REGULARS"...

ONE was a shop teacher, who built himself a 6 BR with a one in 7 twist....

The other, was a young 18 yr old kid, whose dad was one of the regulars... the kid was from Alaska like his dad, and was an Eskimo....

He use to beat the regular crowd also... he worked part time for $8 and hour and was still going to high school.. he bought the one gun he had saved up for during a summer of mowing lawns etc....

A plain jane Savage in 260, a Model 11....paid $300 for it brand new, when that was the list price on them...or close to it...He'd clean the clocks of the others whenever he came with his dad... He liked my load data I shared with him a lot...

The "REGULARS" hated him for that rifle he had.. a real cheap factory off the shelf Savage.....

I think what pissed them off all the more was tho his optics... once again, "all he could afford".. a $75 Tasco World Class Plus in 4 x 16....

The Rifle did its job, so did the Tasco, and being young and with good eyesight, a lot of the older guys didn't...

I don't think I ever saw the kid lose...to "The Regulars"...

and between him and the High School Shop teacher.. it usually was nip and tuck, and a coin toss who would win.. when both of them showed up...

No flies on the Savage...

ER Shaw

just buy a SS Tikka......

Not a big Savage fan in either iteration, but when I checked out the Shaw rifles online, it looked as though you get pretty good value for your bucks. Lots of cartridge choices too, if I recall.

I can't answer your first question as to which is better. I recently bought a Remington 700, second hand, that has an ER Shaw barrel. It is a 7-08. I took it to the range last weekend just to site it in with loads for a different rifle. I took two shots to zero. Then, I shot a three shot one whole group. My 4 .284 bullets (intended 3 shot group on the second zero round) made a hole the combined size of a .308 bullet. I shot a total of 20 rounds through the rifle and never had a group larger than m.o.a.

I've installed a few ER Shaw barrels over the years. They had quality control issues, many years ago.

I think they are better than Savage, no doubt. Even though I've heard a lot about Savage accuracy, I'm not impressed with the rifles! My cousins bring their Savages up for our annual PD shoot. I am not impressed with Savage.

While I still think the Savage is a good buy for what you are looking for,

it still doesn't mean I wouldn't suggest the ER Shaw barrel in 260...

This is a pic of the target of an ER Shaw barrel in 260, that I put on a Model 70 action... this was just sighting in the new barrel...



No flies on it either...

You missed the bullseye.

Stag uses ER Shaw barrels on their model 6 AR and they gaurantee 1/2" at 100. I've shot/seen 3 of them and none will be going back.

Sounds like a tale straight out of Peabody's Improbably History.

Bugger,

I remember some of those older Shaw barrels. Put one on my first .338 in the late 1980's. It shot OK but fouled like crazy, because it was pretty rough inside.

They completely retooled in 2000 and the quality immediately went up a LOT, both in accuracy and smoother bores. They've kept it up since: My latest is the .250 Savage barrel I purchased from Midway a year or two ago, and screwed onto my Savage Axis. Not the most classic-looking .250-3000 in the world, but it shoots well!

Appreciate the conversations all, in the end you gotta be happy with yerself. 2x4 that shoots good, tonka toy plastic magizenes, or plastic stocks that melt in the pickup on an early fall hot day, I guess the newer rifles shoot well but miss the old world charm, I've got time to figure it out, nursing a new knee joint back to health so I need a winter project. ER has a wait time of a year for a built gun MKVII, but the price is still less than a grand, or an over the counter Savage, Ruger, Tikka right now, that's the question.
Ya'll take care, thanks again
Steve or carp.

One thing to keep in mind if you like to tinker, the ER shaw rifle will remove the barrel nut. Not an issue if you never plan to tinker with barrel swaps.

Dang only one bullet hit the paper! 😁

If you can find a pawn shop Savage chambered in any of the 308 family or chambered in any of the '06 family you can pull the barrel and re-barrel it when the 260 comes in.

Youtube has a couple videos for re-barreling a Savage.
Savage's aren't sexy but they work well.



Link here too

CBI pre fits from Jim Briggs are a step above the Shaw barrels

MD

I agree that their (ER Shaw's) quality is much better than it was. I think that their qc is much better along with as you've stated machinery. I won't go into details of the early problems. Because that was many years ago.

If I were to rebarrel or build today, I'd look at ER Shaw.

Now if only they only had 9.3. 😛

No 9.3 barrels. What are they thinking..

I wasn't aiming at the bulls eye... there was this fly that had landed right on that one spot....

Well it might... but it wasn't...

but one can take it or leave it as they please...

Shhhhhhh! Don't tell anyone.. it'll just be our secret...

As Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote for his most famous character over 125 years ago; "How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?".

Occam?





P

What is Occam?

Occam's Razor: Among competing hypotheses, the one with the fewest assumptions should be selected.

And it WOBBLED

Jerry

Yes it did....you'd think an 85 grain Sierra HP would be stabilized with a one in 8 twist, wouldn't ya?