Model 11 in 7mm-08

[jerkin]

Picked up another Savage today, thought it was too good of a deal to pass up. Model 11, synthetic stock, blued barrel, detachable box magazine, no accutrigger. The guy said he only shot 1 box of shells through it to sight it in and it looks like it, couldn't tell it from one right out of the box.

He said he thought it was the 1:9 twist but wasn't sure, I bought it anyways because the price was right, $250 without the crappy scope and rings. I paid $150 just for the parts to change my 30-06 over to a dbm so I wasn't going to pass this up. I was really surprised by how nice the trigger was even though it wasn't an accutrigger.

Anyways, I got it home and it turns out that it is the 1:11 barrel and I'm wondering what you guys think, should I start looking for a 1:9 twist barrel or spend the money on a bunch of different bullets and see if I can find something that shoots accurately out of it? I don't reload at this time but have been saving my brass because I plan to start some time down the road. All opinions are appreciated.

[powderburn]

My friend has a stevens 200 in 7mm08 and his shoots pretty good up to and including the speer 145 gr hotcore. To me the sweet spot for the 7mm-08 is the bullets weights of 140gr and below so I would shoot your rifle and not sweat it unless for some reason it has issues but I'm betting it won't.

[stangfish]

Yeah, It is not a target barrel but a very effective tool. Shoot 50 out of it and see if it is something you can live with. Those barrels on the stevens 7mm08 are perfect for their design. Hitting a target within 2 or three inches at 200 yds.

[LHitchcox]

I have one of these 1-in-11.5 barrels and it shoots sub-moa with 120-140 grain bullets.

[GaCop]

It really boils down to what the barrel likes. I have a 1/11.5 twist barrel and it shoots the 120 gr bullets very well but "patterns" with anything heavier. YMMV

[devildogandboy]

for that price you can't go wrong! i have an 7mm-08 barrel on the way and haven't any idea what twist it is, probably 1-11 but that's alright, i like to tinker around with different loads. unless you like the heavier bullets, shoot it and find what works best.

[jerkin]

Thanks for the opinions guys, I looked at some replacement barrels and they pretty much start out at what I paid for the gun :o. I guess I'll pick up a few boxes of ammo and see how it shoots after I put a scope on it. Not sure what to do there either though, I've heard the 7mm-08 has good ballistics and was kicking around the idea of putting a bit more powerful scope than a 3-9 I typically use for hunting so I could use it to shoot the 500 and 600 yard targets at my range but I'm not sure I want to spend the extra money if it won't be that accurate.

I bought it mostly for my kids to use for hunting, my daughter is 13 and has expressed some interest in going out and my boy is 7. I'm pretty sure he'll be a hunter, he's into guns and all the typical boy stuff. I suppose I will keep an eye out for a decent used scope to see how it groups at 100 yards then I can always upgrade without too much cost if I determine it can hit at further distances. I don't mind shooting the lighter ammo if that's what it needs but it would be nice to have options, lol. Thanks again.

[jerkin]

Just wanted to update this, I found a brand new take off 1:9 twist barrel on another site for $60 shipped so I bought it. I figured even with that I'm still only $300 into the gun, just need to find a scope now. I think I'm still going to try the original barrel with some light bullets and see how it shoots. Since it's mostly for the kids the reduced recoil will probably be a plus and now I have the option to switch barrels if I need to. I don't think I could lose with all I have into it and I'm sure I can get my money back out of the other barrel if I decide not to switch. Thanks for all the help.

[Three44s]

I bought slightly used 7mm-08 barrels here ......... a "9" twist and an "11" twist one each and I have something like 80 to $85 in both of them.

I like cast bullets for my 7mm TCU so my plan is to try the "11" twist and see how versatile it is in jacketed and cast and then play with the "9" twist on the same basis.

My guess is that the "9" barrel will end up swapin' on my Nephew's .243 and he'll be ready for elk with it ........... just a hunch!!

Three 44s