CFJunkie
07-25-2021, 08:14 PM
Savages aren't considered pretty among the cognoscenti but I have 7 of them and they all shoot as well as rifles costing 2 to 3 times as much.
From what I can tell, Savage barrels are accurate right out of the box.
All I needed to do was learn to shoot them.
I agree with you that Savages get the job done that they were intended to perform and, to me, that counts more than how they look.
I have one HS Precision stock and find that it does not need any modification at all to perform extremely well.
It is on one of my best shooting rifles.
I also have 3 Accu-stocks in 3 calibers (.308, 6.5mm CM & .22-250) that perform very well.
All three of the hidden mag Savage stocks have been replaced with either a Bell & Carlson Adjustable match stock on one of my .308s or with an Oryx chassis on a .223 and 6.5mm CM.
I would recommend that you experiment with different bullet weights to see what the barrel prefers. You may be surprised.
By the way, I believe that you will find that your rifle may not perform best with the bullets or bullet weights that others tell you will be best or that you expected would be the best.
Only your own barrel can tell you what it prefers.
I have two Savage .308s, both 24-inch barrels.
One shoots 155 grain TMKs better than anything else but also shoots 168s SMKs and TMKs almost as well.
The other shoots 175 SMKs and TMKs best but also shoots 195 TMKs just about as well.
Of the two, the one that favors 175 grain bullets and heavier at would be my preferred long range shooting rifle since 175 loads with muzzle velocities of at least 2450 fps will stay supersonic out to 1000 yards. 168s probably won't stay supersonic past 800 yards.
All of my hand loads out shoot factory ammo in all my Savage rifles.
Factory ammo is almost always loaded for velocity - since that is what sells.
If you are an accuracy nut, you will find that you really do have to tune your loads to what the rifle shoots best.
None of my Savages, in any of the calibers I own, shoot the most accurately at factory ammo velocities.
Here is a link with the powder-bullet combinations that work best in each of my .308s.
https://www.savageshooters.com/showthread.php?69118-Summary-of-results-with-different-powders-and-bullets-for-two-Savage-LE-308s
Unfortunately, none of the .308 loads are with factory ammo.
If you are so inclined, you might look into hand loading when you get more familiar with your rifle and want to take it to the next level of accuracy.
From what I can tell, Savage barrels are accurate right out of the box.
All I needed to do was learn to shoot them.
I agree with you that Savages get the job done that they were intended to perform and, to me, that counts more than how they look.
I have one HS Precision stock and find that it does not need any modification at all to perform extremely well.
It is on one of my best shooting rifles.
I also have 3 Accu-stocks in 3 calibers (.308, 6.5mm CM & .22-250) that perform very well.
All three of the hidden mag Savage stocks have been replaced with either a Bell & Carlson Adjustable match stock on one of my .308s or with an Oryx chassis on a .223 and 6.5mm CM.
I would recommend that you experiment with different bullet weights to see what the barrel prefers. You may be surprised.
By the way, I believe that you will find that your rifle may not perform best with the bullets or bullet weights that others tell you will be best or that you expected would be the best.
Only your own barrel can tell you what it prefers.
I have two Savage .308s, both 24-inch barrels.
One shoots 155 grain TMKs better than anything else but also shoots 168s SMKs and TMKs almost as well.
The other shoots 175 SMKs and TMKs best but also shoots 195 TMKs just about as well.
Of the two, the one that favors 175 grain bullets and heavier at would be my preferred long range shooting rifle since 175 loads with muzzle velocities of at least 2450 fps will stay supersonic out to 1000 yards. 168s probably won't stay supersonic past 800 yards.
All of my hand loads out shoot factory ammo in all my Savage rifles.
Factory ammo is almost always loaded for velocity - since that is what sells.
If you are an accuracy nut, you will find that you really do have to tune your loads to what the rifle shoots best.
None of my Savages, in any of the calibers I own, shoot the most accurately at factory ammo velocities.
Here is a link with the powder-bullet combinations that work best in each of my .308s.
https://www.savageshooters.com/showthread.php?69118-Summary-of-results-with-different-powders-and-bullets-for-two-Savage-LE-308s
Unfortunately, none of the .308 loads are with factory ammo.
If you are so inclined, you might look into hand loading when you get more familiar with your rifle and want to take it to the next level of accuracy.