Savage Model 111

[jdg0724]

I am just trying to get some feedback and see if anyone on here has any experience with the Savage Model 111. I have been a dedicated pistol shooter up to this point but I am now looking to get into long range rifle shooting. I am thinking of either a 308 or 300 WIN Mag. I know this is probably not the best rifle out there, but I was thinking at this price point with the scope included from the factory, it would be a good place to start.Any suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated.

 

[billmyn]

you probably wont get the kind of accuracy with the savage 111 , its a decent enough hunting rifle but repeatable accuracy wont happen , i would recomend putting a little more to it and get a remington 700 or a savage model 10 in .308 , varmint barrels and a decent scope 3-9x40 will work for around $200.00 the rifle will cost around $600 unless you can find a used one . either of these rifles will give good accuracy . and plenty of after market barrels that you can upgrade to later . would stick with .308 for availability of good ammo at a reasonable price point . after your hooked you can move up in scopes , bedding jobs , aftermarket stocks . but if it goes bang and your having fun then it will get you going in the right direction

 

[42769vette]

if your seriously wanting to get into long range shooting take the factory mounted scope off day one and sell it. the factory scope will be fine at less than 150-200 yards but it will not work for long range.

for what its worth i would forget about the 300 winny aswell. being a new long range shooter you need to pratice, pratice, pratice. the 300 winny ammo is more expensive, and much harder on the sholder. go with the 308 and dont look back. ballistics dont matter near as much as pratice

 

[jdg0724]

Thank you guys for the quick feedback. So now I know I should go with the 308. I will check into the 700 and the Savage Model 10.

 

[DRob]

Practice is a key

If your're serious about loooong range, I'll share two tips from guys I know who regularly shoot 1 mile. One of them has a confirmed prairie dog kill with a .20 caliber rifle at 1K yards. For the record, they aren't shooting anything you can buy over the counter. High dollar custom guns with March or Nightforce scopes are their game so it's obvious money isn't a concern. What they advise is the ballistic coefficient of your bullet is more important than the caliber. These guys typically shoot long bullets in 6 or 6.5 MM rounds and are way beyond anal in their loading practices. Second, as previously stated, they advise the most important thing is practice, practice, practice. Of course, they have an advantage. Practice is easier when the 1 mile range is right outside your back door!

 

[kludge]

jdg, What is your definition of "long range" and what are your expectations of the rifle? Do you handload? Will you hunt with it or just shoot paper? Match shooting or informal?

 

[jdg0724]

jdg, What is your definition of "long range" and what are your expectations of the rifle? Do you handload? Will you hunt with it or just shoot paper? Match shooting or informal?

The farthest that i would probably use the rifle would be about 300 yards out. I am just looking for an entry level rifle that will shoot decent groups. For now I will just be shooting paper with it. Within the next few weeks I am going to be investing in some reloading equipment, so I will probably be handloading most of the time. I just want a rifle I can go out and be somewhat accurate with. Although 300 yds is the max range I would have access to at this point, I would like a rifle that has capabilities out to at least 500 yds. I definitely wont be doing any match shooting for the moment. I am just now starting to get into rifles. I have a 12 year old son who is wanting to start shooting long range. I just bought him a Browning BAR in .243 a few weeks ago.

 

[42769vette]

The farthest that i would probably use the rifle would be about 300 yards out. I am just looking for an entry level rifle that will shoot decent groups. For now I will just be shooting paper with it. Within the next few weeks I am going to be investing in some reloading equipment, so I will probably be handloading most of the time. I just want a rifle I can go out and be somewhat accurate with. Although 300 yds is the max range I would have access to at this point, I would like a rifle that has capabilities out to at least 500 yds. I definitely wont be doing any match shooting for the moment. I am just now starting to get into rifles. I have a 12 year old son who is wanting to start shooting long range. I just bought him a Browning BAR in .243 a few weeks ago.

the savage will be fine for 500 yard shooting. but as mentioned earlier the factory scope will not work very well. you dont need to spend a fortune with your requirements but a upgrade will defintally be nessessary

 

[kludge]

Agreed.

At 300 yards a round like the .223 Rem will be fine, and is viable out to 500-600 yards, but you'll be on the edge of it's capabilties. Cost for shooting and reloading for the .223 Rem are minimal, so it's a great place to start.

The .243 Win and .22-250 are a step up, having less wind drift at longer ranges. The .260 Rem and 7mm-08 are another step up. The .260 is getting a lot of attention from long range shooters as is the 6.5mm Creedmoor. The .308 is another good option, but the .243 and the .260 will have notably lower recoil, and IMO, the .260 and 7mm-08 are just as good if not better than the .308 at ranges longer than 600 yards. But at 500 yards, any of them would be fine choices.

If paper punching is your goal and hunting is not an option, then I would go ahead and get a heavy barrel and a 24" barrel... or longer, but 24" are common.

For match shooting, know what the rules are for your particular discipline and choose your rifle accordingly. For instance F-Class can use any caliber up to .35, but if you want to shoot F/TR (Target Rifle) then you are limited to .223 Rem and .308 Win.

There are a lot of other options if you are wanting something "custom" but the ones I listed can be had in an off-the-shelf Savage 10/11/12/16. And if this is going to be a dedicated Target rifle then I suggest a Savage with the Target Action/Trigger.