rem. 770 Sportsman Bolt Action .308 or Savage stevens Model 200 bolt action .308

[pbmaster2k89]

which one should i get? or should i get neither? my price limit isnt great, only willing to spend $400

[tpd223]

I have no experience with that model of Remington except that they are ugly as hell and feel cheap.

I have owned several Savage rifles over the years, and all of them were well made, accurate rifles that gave me no issues.

My most current deer rifle is an impulse buy Savage .308 that I picked up at Cabelas a couple of months ago. Was one of the package deals with a 3X9 scope, synthetic stock, like $399 IIRC.
With Federal 150gr SP from a sandbagged prone it's a 1 1/4" gun. Although folks like to talk sub MOA, I find it's rather rare in real life, and that a low cost-no special effort taken 1"-1 1/2" gun is actually damn accurate when all the BS is boiled off.

[orkan]

The 770 is a pile of crap. The stevens is better, but not much better.

Save more money.

That is all.

[carbinero]

For the Stevens 200, IIRC it's the same platform as a Savage 110, so you could build around it as you feel the need and have the dough. This seems to me a great starting point for someone on a severe budget.

However, I far prefer the 700, so I recommend shopping the sales and even looking for a gently used one, which you should be able to find for around $400. I got a camo ADL varmint with good bases, cheap rings and scope, from Di_k's last year for $450. Since then I've seen an SPS-V barely used for $450.

[ucrt]

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Remington should be ashamed of offering the 710 and 770 as "variations" of their 700. Calling them crap is being nice.

I saw a new Remington 700 with a cheap Remington Scope at Wal-Mart for $429 this past Fall. I'm sure it wasn't up to the Remington 700 of old but it was a 700.

I'd buy a used beat up 700 before I bought the 770. I noticed several different used Model 700's for <$400 at the past few Gun Shows I've been to. I'd wait, the next few months are the best times to buy a deer rifle.

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[pbmaster2k89]

The 770 is a pile of crap. The stevens is better, but not much better.

Save more money.

That is all.

is the stevens a little bit better cause of the way its made or because its more accurate?

i might have to go with a different gun than listed, maybe just wait and b patient. its not like i dont have the money to buy a really expensive gun, its cause i just got my BCM a couple months ago and i dont like to spend so much so quickly unless im buyin a car.

Lets put price aside, what would b the best .308 rifle for the money it is?

[Chameleox]

I've had Remington dealers tell me that the 770 was a mistake. Personally, I'd keep saving and find a used 700.
By the way, your intended use will help this forum find suggestions for you.

[pbmaster2k89]

i refuse to buy used but ive seen 700's for 550 new. my intended use is target shooting but may use it for hunting. either way i want somethin accurate

[mizer67]

Buy the Stevens if those are your two choices. It's a much better platform to build on.

When you have the money, buy a better stock. (~$200 - $750)

Then, later, when you have more money, buy a better trigger. (~$100)

Then, when you have burnt out the factory barrel, buy the tools to swap out the barrel (which is an easy DIY). (~$400)

Do those things, and you'll have a top notch budget rifle by the time you're done for ~$1,050 - $1,250 if you're judicious about part selection.

[MacA]

.....maybe just wait and b patient....

This would be my suggestion vs. the 2 options mentioned in your first post. Like others have said, there are good deals out there for the Remington 700s. Don't short yourself for the sake of low cost!!

[pbmaster2k89]

This would be my suggestion vs. the 2 options mentioned in your first post. Like others have said, there are good deals out there for the Remington 700s. Don't short yourself for the sake of low cost!!

will do. my decision has been made. im prob. gonna buy the remington 700. it doesn't seem to b too far over my original budget. lf someone wants to tell me otherwise, please do. like i said, if someone wants to suggest something worth paying for that is over my budget, please post ur opinion.

[chris914]

Everyone here has made some good points. You really didn't tell us what you are planning to do with the rifle. I have 5 Savages at this point and 2 Stevens rifles. I bought one from Bass Pro a couple of years ago for a donor action for a 260 build. It has worked out pretty good so far. Pulled the 06 barrel off and installed a factory 260 barrel. It has delivered good results with Black Hills match ammo usually around 3/4" at 100 yards. The Remington you refer to is not what you are looking for in a Precision Bolt gun nor is it in any way intended to be, just Big Green trying to get in on the lower budget rifles. Some may shoot decent but you are going to left with nothing to upgrade and make better. The Stevens/Savage rifles are upgrade ready and have a decent following. Do some looking over at www.Snipershide.com and you will find plenty of guys running them. Not that the 700 is not a great rifle but if I were on a budget I would stick with the Stevens/Savage. I have about 1K in my 260 including scope rings and base at this point and it shoots pretty well I think.

[okie john]

i refuse to buy used

That's funny--I refuse to buy new...


Okie John

[big honkin jeep]

The Stevens is an awesome place to start. I'm an admitted Savageaholic and simply have to chuckle at the big green or nothing crowd. The Savages are very accurate and many manufacturers are having to copy their factory rifle features just to keep up. Here are a couple of reasons why: The floating bolt head. Originally used as a manufacturing shortcut to build economy rifles actually allows full lug engagement without having to lap the lugs. The barrel nut (originally another economy feature) allows for easy owner barrel swaps but also allows for very precise headspacing. The Savage and Stevens both use dual pillar bedding and the stocks are easily stiffened if desired.(the crappy synthetics from big green are no better)
The old style 3 screw triggers (with the sear adjustment) are available for about $30 and easily adjusted to about 2# with no creep. There is a ton of aftermarket available. The Stevens 200s are often on sale at Acadamy sports for $200 or less. That leaves a pretty good chunk of change for ammo,glass or custom parts and accessories as your heart desires. Where factory MOA rifles with factory ammo used to be far between, in my experience most modern bolt rifles will provide this level of accuracy and Savage/ Stevens pulls it off much more often than not.

[pbmaster2k89]

thanks for all your help but i do have one more question.... what is more accurate, Savage Arms 10FP-SR or the Beretta Tikka T3 Lite Bolt Action Rifle?

[ucrt]

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The Sheriff Dept over here opens the range to the public twice a month. They have a volunteer at the 300-yd range that must people refer to as an old "codger". :) The "codger" says, for out-of-the-box accuracy, the Savages perform the best of all the guns he sees out there.

I don't know about the Tikka's made now but the old true Tikka's were very accurate. I thought Tikka was owned by Sako?

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