SmallCaliberCentral

i've kinda made up my mind to get my 204 in a savage fv . but i read that the stock just isn't stable enough and it flexes . so i started to research stocks and ended up at stockys gunstocks , looking at some mighty pretty laminated stocks and 200 dollars more ( are these drop in or do you have to do much work ?) . i don't know anything about the comp at all and i also went to savageshooters.com and didn't garner up much info there either ( they seemed to like choate stocks ) .
so i started to lokk into a remington if i'm going to pay 200 bucks more on a savage , i talked to one of the gunsmiths that works part time at one of the local gun shops and he said that he has sent a few to many guns back to remington for reworking things that weren't right , he feels the quality is going down hill a little bit .
so i questioned him about a ruger varmint of some type and he feels that their barrels don't hold up .
all right , just want some opinions on what in the heck to buy HELP

When I was looking a year ago for one of those Savage Thumbhole stocks (a Model 12 BTCS SS) I found the Remington 700 VLTHSS for a couple of hundred less than a Savage. Go figure. Anyway, my VLTHSS improved tremendously with both bedding job and a barrel free-float jobs. The laminate stock that came on mine is really nice. Now, at 200 yards "AND" if I do my part, it will shoot sub .25" groups 5-shot groups all day long until a cleaning is in order. However, it despises Hornady 40 grain V-MAX bullets. I can throw them down range and get a better group than "THAT" rifle will.

For Savage's, I have two, both are 17 HMR's. My son's, a Model 93 laminate stock, non-thumbhole and non-accutrigger (because they weren't available then) couldn't hit a bull in the butt with a base fiddle. After bedding, free floating and a Rifle Basix trigger (which I'll never buy again (another story)) the rifle shoots pretty decent. Rats are easy prey @ 200 yards and further if the wind isn't too bad. The other 17 HMR is a Thumbhole & Accutrigger Model 93 and it shoots good, right out of the box, though not as good as my son's, but not bad at all.

Do get a good stock, you won't be disappointed.

HTH,

Why not build what you want instead?

Buy a Savage action from Jim at Northlander Shooters Supply.....buy an aftermarket barrel that is prethreaded/chambered, buy the stock that YOU like....assemble it...and be done.

You can have a truly custom rifle for less than a grand....closer to 650 if you watch sales.

Or....the tried and true method:

Buy a used Savage or new Stevens (about $280 for new Stevens - sell new barrel/stock/trigger - subtract $80)
Buy a Timney or Rifle Basix trigger ($35-80)
New barrel (pick your brand - $250-350)
Stock (I like the B & C Tactical Medalist) - $200

So....

$200 for the Stevens action
$ 80 for trigger
$280 for barrel (stainless)
$200 for stock
Grand total of $760

Barrel nut wrench from McCree Precision - $30 shipped
Go Gauge - $40

Quagmire

...like quarry.... like quandary... im sure thats what you meant.

not Quagmire as in

acloco wrote:Why not build what you want instead?

Buy a Savage action from Jim at Northlander Shooters Supply.....buy an aftermarket barrel that is prethreaded/chambered, buy the stock that YOU like....assemble it...and be done.

You can have a truly custom rifle for less than a grand....closer to 650 if you watch sales.

Or....the tried and true method:

Buy a used Savage or new Stevens (about $280 for new Stevens - sell new barrel/stock/trigger - subtract $80)
Buy a Timney or Rifle Basix trigger ($35-80)
New barrel (pick your brand - $250-350)
Stock (I like the B & C Tactical Medalist) - $200

So....

$200 for the Stevens action
$ 80 for trigger
$280 for barrel (stainless)
$200 for stock
Grand total of $760

Barrel nut wrench from McCree Precision - $30 shipped
Go Gauge - $40

all that said you would come up with something like this

"Now, at 200 yards "AND" if I do my part, it will shoot sub .25" groups 5-shot groups all day long until a cleaning is in order."

Amazing. How often do you "do your part" to get those groups? About how many have shot like that all day long before you have to do a cleaning. If this rifle is that good I think I want one. How do you clean to get the groups back to the .25 at 200 yards?

I too, have a Savage 93 heavy barrel in .17 HMR and put a Rifle Basic trigger in it and it has not given me any trouble at all. Shoots good too. If you have time and don't mind would give us the "rest of the story" on the Basic.

Thanks,
Dew

Doobie, I tend to concur with your gunsmith about the Remingtons. Let me just tell you what I had to replace on my Remington 204 I bought last spring.

Firing Pin assembly- I was getting hangfires

Recrown the barrel- It shot all over the place

New Trigger- The pull varied from 3 1/2-almost 5 lbs.

Plus New Stock- the plastic stock was was too flexible.

My suggestion is to look at the CZ guns, as they shoot well out of the box and they have good triggers.