Savage 111 300 WIN MAG

[jsmith]

A guy on Facebook is selling a Savage 111 300 WIN MAG with what I think is the original walnut checkered stock and Pentax 4-16 scope. No accutrigger. Looks like it is in good condition but it is used. How used? I don't know. He's asking $500. Any idea what this rifle is worth?

[WinnieTheBoom]

Really depends on the condition and how many rounds it has down the tube... If round count is unknown and the condition seems OK, offer him $350 and work from there. Depreciation really slows down/stops once you get to a certain point in a rifle's life, and depending on how it's been taken care of, they are usually pretty safe investments around that ~$200-400 range.

Worst case, you have a stock, a good action, and a scope that you can either sell or use as a foundation to build on.

[jsmith]

So I ended up offering 300 and he accepted it. It's a nice looking rifle, but needs some upgrades. I'm not real impressed with the trigger. Lots of creep. I might refinish the walnut stock for a flashier look.

[WinnieTheBoom]

Good deal for sure. For that money you can't go wrong, and if nothing else you have a good action for a build. Replace the trigger with a SAV2, maybe a nice barrel, refinish the stock, bed it, good mounts/optics, etc., done. You'll have a very nice rifle for not a lot of money.

[jsmith]

Thanks Winnie. Looked up the SAV2, but I don't really want to shell out a bunch of money on a trigger. I'll just being using it for hunting, so do you have any recommendation altering the current trigger. I just want to make it a little crisper. I'd rather spend the money on optics/mounts, than a fancy trigger.

[WinnieTheBoom]

You could always look at other drop-in aftermarket triggers such as Timney (for convenience), but you'll still be looking at spending $100+ for the assembly. There's some good information and how-tos for Accutrigger conversions if that's a route you would consider. Otherwise I would just take it to your smith and see what he could do. Then again, you're going to be spending just as much for those services as you would be for a new trigger that you install yourself.

[BarrelNuts]

$300 is a steal even if all you keep is the action; keep us updated on what you're doing with it and share pictures when you can!

[FEENIX]

Thanks Winnie. Looked up the SAV2, but I don't really want to shell out a bunch of money on a trigger. I'll just being using it for hunting, so do you have any recommendation altering the current trigger. I just want to make it a little crisper. I'd rather spend the money on optics/mounts, than a fancy trigger.

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f258/lara3ec/1024091042b.jpg

I purchased a new Savage 111F in .300 Win Mag in 1991 for $400 IIRC. I didn't do any upgrades until 2003 (RB trigger, Holland's QD MB, and B&C stock). I managed to shoot it well but have to admit, the hardest was the terrible trigger pull, it was at least 6 lbs. The current trigger was set as low ass 1.5 lbs but increased and maintained it at 2.5-3 lbs for hunting.

[jsmith]

nice speed goat, feenix. Thanks for sharing. I actually had time to tinker with it tonight. After adjusting trigger, I found that the trigger weight was turn way up. I turned it down and I have a MUCH crisper pull now. Very pleased. Going to strip the stock down and refinish it a little darker and put some nice optics on it. I'll post pictures of the progress when I'm finished. Thanks guys.

[FEENIX]

nice speed goat, feenix. Thanks for sharing. I actually had time to tinker with it tonight. After adjusting trigger, I found that the trigger weight was turn way up. I turned it down and I have a MUCH crisper pull now. Very pleased. Going to strip the stock down and refinish it a little darker and put some nice optics on it. I'll post pictures of the progress when I'm finished. Thanks guys.

Thanks! For some reason, I was not able to adjust the factory to a lower trigger pull safely but I was successful with the factory trigger off my Savage 110 to 2.5 lbs ... go figure.

I'm glad you were able to adjust yours to a more acceptable pull. Good luck and enjoy!