SmallCaliberCentral

ive been researching the .204 for awhile now, and its about time to buy a gun. ive had my heart set on the 12VLP, but now im starting to second guess. unfortunately, im chasing golf balls, blowing up clays at 200 yards (with the HMR,) or punching paper until i get my hunting license, so id still like to shoot ragged holes. ive heard great things about the 12FV, which is much more reasonably priced weapon. is the VLP worth the extra money? is the barrel even the same weight as the fv? or should i just say screw it and get a lrpv with the help of my tax return?
btw, i wont be reloading for awhile. i only have rimfires thus far

does the internal box help keep it rigid, or would the single shot be worth the accuracy when at the range? this gun will be my hunting rifle soon though. is there a real advantage in the field with 3 waiting to go?

The FV is the heavy blued barrel. The VLP is the heavy SS fluted barrel. I think their bolt guns shoot purdy darn good. If it were me,, and we know it's not,, I would get both!! Aahh I'm serious!! That would be your decision based on do you hunt anything where you will need a quick follow up shot?? Then the "3 to go" will be the one you're looking for. HTH

Single-shot rifles should be a bit more rigid than those with box magazines, making them more accurate. However, I'd be hard pressed to make my decision based on this factor. There are VERY few people in the world that would ever notice the very slight difference in accuracy due to this difference in rigidity.

Have you handled the FV, VLP and LRPV? If not, that would be my first piece of advice. Check them out and see what you like and dislike about each of them, then make your decision based on that.

As a hunting rifle, the LRPV is going to be very heavy (VLP is no lightweight either). The LRPV shines on the bench and will be the best "shooter" of the group, but isn't a good all-around gun in my opinion. It sounds like you want a versatile rifle, so I'd advise against the LRPV in this case. What kind of hunting are you going to do? If you'll carry the gun a lot, you might need to look at lighter choices than the three that you have mentioned.

My gun weighs almost 12lbs and I carry it all day. Im not bragging because I'm a 33 yr oldguy whos slightly small in stature. I dont have a problem carrying the weight so Im guessing that a younger guy wouldnt either. Its good advice to go handle all of them. That just might make your mind up for you. If you are going to do ANY kind of hunting I would suggest against the single shot. Unless you are able to hit EVERY target the 1st time there will often be another opportunity. IMHO

hey guys, thanks for the quick replys. the mag question was just something that popped up last minute. my hummer shoots darn good with a mag, but havnt been around the gun world long enough to know any better.

calling in coyotes is what intrigues me the most, but id also like to head to pdog town around here and have fun there also. im young and have a construction job, so a 10-12lb gun will be a walk in the park.

so i guess it all boils down to this, 12fv with upgraded stock a little down the road or the VLP. or are they so close that the better accuracy will come from the better shooter?

More info is good. If you get the repeater you will be better prepared for coyotes with a quicker back up shot. And for pdog shooting you can get a single shot follower for the Savage. Just remove it when you get back to hunting coyotes. Good optics will also make things easier. You can't hit what you can't see. Let us know what you end up with!!

I would go with the VLP. It's a solid rifle, and will surprise you with it's accuracy.As far as ragidity goes,I don't think the 204 has enough kick to make a difference. I lug my VLP with a 29 inch Harris bipod around,So if your a young Buck, you'll have no trouble at all.I think I'm unconsciously doing that so I can lug my LRPV around the bush (if I ever get it ) The VLP is great for the bench or the field.

I have two 12FV's - one in 223, single shot and the other in 204 with magazine.

I upgraded the stock on the 12 FV to a Choate Varminter - AWESOME stock. Liked the stock so much, I bought another for the 204.

You do not have to buy a stock right away, you can do some work with the cheap factory stock by adding some lightweight stiffening rods in the forend by epoxy or glass bedding them in. Works on a budget!

I primarily shoot paper and prairie dogs (prefer p-dogs of course). ALL rifles shooting either of these ends up as a single shot, it seems! LOL!

I also have the VLP which is a bit heavier than the norm. No issues carrying it in the field. A lighter sportweight model would be nice as a calling rifle, but I do a lot of prairie poodle-in during the summer and this is where the VLP really shines with the heavy stainless fluted barrel. I was going to buy another one in a lighter weight to use just for calling, but after using the VLP and lugging it around with no issues and achieving the unbelievable accuracy with it, I will just stick with my beloved VLP.

For what it's worth Chuck Hawks reviewed three Savage 12 series rifles including the VLP and LRPV and there was no measurable difference in accuracy between the three after a fairly extensive test under controlled conditions. Although there is certainly some theoretical advantage to the LRPV's accuracy, my guess is that you will never see it in the real world. Whatever slight advatage there is would certainly be outweighed by the magazine's advantage to deliver a follow up shot rapidly when needed. Trust me, one day you will be glad you can get a second one down the pipe in a hurry if you are using this gun for coyotes.

Chuck Hawks has a following, but I'm not in it. The LRPVs I've shot have been measureably better than the regular Savage HBs. Even more important, the heavier tube allows you to spot your hits better, if there's any recoil at all. The right bolt/left port is just handier than all git out, too. I heartily agree that it isn't for coyote hunting, though, but it's sure a dandy prairie dog rifle.

sounds like i cant go wrong with a VLP...any one have problems with the FV that would make you say "go ahead and spend the extra money, its worth it" or would you be willing to put it up against a VLP?

aloco, those stocks are sweet, i like the short action sniper. very nice.

its looking like monday is the day guys. all the bills are paid off and fridays paycheck will put me in a very good position to make my purchases. plan on getting a mueller eraticator also.

I have the savage12 fv and it shoots great! The stock is a little flimsy from factory.Having a little gunsmith knowledge I glass bedded this stock around the pillars. But the exciting part I also glassed the channel along where the barrel sits in the stock. I made sure not put to much so the barrel would still be floated. The stock was also ever so slightly touching on the left side. So I took the grinder to it when I was finished there is about 3/16" gap for free floating. This stock is as stiff or maybe even stiffer than my wood stocks. Any accuracy minded person needs pillars and glass bedding. This is easy for the do it your selfer check out brownells accu glass gel. If you are smart enough to handload you can use the brownells kit.It doesnt take a rocket scientist! MAKE SURE YOU USE THE RELEASE AGENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My friend got in a big hurry and forgot that step he now has permanet bond between barrel and stock.

Savage's stainless barrels seem to clean up a little easier than their blue barrels, for that reason alone, the stainless VLP might be more fun to fool with. (I just bought a new .223 barrel for my FV .223, and it's stainless, to replace the old wornout pipe, I expect it to be easier to clean, too).

I just bought a Savage Model 12 BTVS which you won't find on their web site (it's non-catalogued), but you can find on gunbroker.com or gunsamerica.com if you look around. It has a stainless, fluted barrel and a laminated, thumbhole stock. I really like the look and feel of this gun - the thumbhole stock seems to help control the gun a little better when you aren't on the bench and I really like the way it keeps my head and grip hand aligned when I am on the bench. This set-up may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I thought I'd mention it in case you like the set-up and didn't know Savage offered such a model. I came across it by pure, dumb luck (the best kind) and I'm glad I did as I far prefer it to their standard models.