help me pick a new rifle

[rebs]

Looking for a new rifle in 223 for bench rest shooting at 100 to 300 yds. Which Savage would you guys recommend ? I was thinking a 12 FV from Cabelas or a precision rifle. But would like you guys opinion on these two and any other Savage in 223

[micky_blue]

If you really want a bench gun, I would build one on a target action. If you enjoy bench matches, a standard production rifle is a good intro but can not compete with a dedicated bench rifle. You will likely be money and time ahead to buy once and cry once.

[rebs]

The bench rest matches are at our local club and for fun. Everyone else has a Remington 700 or other brands of varmint rifles. No one has a dedicated bench rifle. That is why I am not looking to spend a pile of money on a dedicated bench gun. These matches are just for fun and bragging rights. lol

[lonestardiver]

The 12FV is a great rifle. You can upgrade it later.

[rebs]

what about the accuracy of the 12 FV in 223 ?

[GaryB]

what about the accuracy of the 12 FV in 223 ?


I can't speak to the 223, but I have one in 22-250 and it is crazy accurate with handloads. Can't imagine the 223 would be any different.

[big honkin jeep]

Plenty of Savage rifles fit the bill. How much do you want to spend?

Reminds me of a quote from Grease Rat in Mad Max
"Like the sign says, Speed is a question of money, How fast do you want to go? "

PS, If you don't hand load which is the cheapest most effective accuracy enhancement there is for any rifle, then forget about it. Rifles that shoot bulletholes in bulletholes with factory ammo are fairly few and far between.

[rebs]

I do hand load. I would like to shoot 1 to 1 1/2 groups at 300 yds. Will the 12 FV do that with hand loads ? What weight bullets will it shoot well ?

[Robinhood]

I believe the FV is a 9 twist barrel. For information only. Something between an 8 and 7 twist Shilen might do you some good.

[Bill2905]

I started out with a 223 Savage 10T-SR from Cabelas. Out of the box, it needs nothing added to it (other than an optic) to get you shooting for $600. I have achieved a 0.7 inch group at 200 yds with it and my skills are not very developed yet. My only complaint is I'm not too fond of the standard pistol grip which strains my wrist shooting off of the bench. I just picked up a new Savage 12 FV in 223 at Cabelas and put it in a Bell and Carlson Medalist stock. I haven't been to the range with it yet but the shooting position feels really good with this stock and I hope it shoots good. I also have a Savage 10 BA Stealth in 223 but I'm not sure I will ever learn to like it off the bags. It's a nice setup but I haven't clicked with it yet.

Good luck with your choice.

[NicfromAlabama]

The 12FV is a good rifle to upgrade. But, IMO, it depends on how much you spend on it. When the sales with rebates were happening, I bought mine with discounted Cabela's gift cards. So, I have very little in them. One I have put on a Shilen 6.5 Creedmoor barrel and is in a HS Precision stock. Shoots awesome, what little I have shot it. Another, a 22-50, I have sent the factory barrel off and had it muzzle threaded. It is in a new HS Precision stock and I am hoping it groups good with the factory barrel.

Point is, you can go ahead and spend about $1000 on one or spend $1000 on one later. The 12FV is fine, but if I had to drop close to $500 on one, I would think about just buying one already in a nice stock and maybe a target model if you just want to bench rest shoot. Point is, there are many routes you can take and it depends on how far you want to go and how much you want to spend. Try catching the 12FV on sale with rebate is the best thing. I wish they would bring back the discounted gift cards.

[Robinhood]

There is a nice Fclass 223 for sale on another forum. 1200 for a nice rifle with a nice stock.

[charlie b]

How serious a shooter are you? Do you expect 1/4 MOA out of the box? If you are serious about it then figure on a custom barrel and maybe a new stock depending on the model you buy.

FWIW Savage says that they expect less than MOA from their 'target' rifles and less than 1 1/2 MOA from their 'standard' rifles. You will see that many of us get better than that, some much better.

My Axis in .223 with a heavy barrel is consistently less than MOA after over 500rounds have gone through it. It frequently shoots half MOA but is not consistent at that level. But, I think my skill level is the issue now. I am not a serious bench rest person so the rifle may be capable of better than that at this point.

My BVSS (.308) has just over 100rds through it and is just at MOA now. I suspect it will get better as the barrel gets broken in more.


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[BB68]

The 12FV is a good rifle to upgrade. But, IMO, it depends on how much you spend on it. When the sales with rebates were happening, I bought mine with discounted Cabela's gift cards. So, I have very little in them. One I have put on a Shilen 6.5 Creedmoor barrel and is in a HS Precision stock. Shoots awesome, what little I have shot it. Another, a 22-50, I have sent the factory barrel off and had it muzzle threaded. It is in a new HS Precision stock and I am hoping it groups good with the factory barrel.

Point is, you can go ahead and spend about $1000 on one or spend $1000 on one later. The 12FV is fine, but if I had to drop close to $500 on one, I would think about just buying one already in a nice stock and maybe a target model if you just want to bench rest shoot. Point is, there are many routes you can take and it depends on how far you want to go and how much you want to spend. Try catching the 12FV on sale with rebate is the best thing. I wish they would bring back the discounted gift cards.

I was just thinking the same thing. When the sales/rebates are on and a person can get $200 off then I think they're a bargain. Out of the box compared to a heavy barrelled Browning I purchased, Browning wins hands down as far as grouping. I did end up putting a lighter trigger spring in the Browning, but no additional stock or barrel needs to be bought.

[Texas10]

The 12FV is quite capable of doing what you intend. I think I have a total of $750 into my son's including Vortex Crossfire II scope and laminate stock. Loaded with a 53 V-Max over IMR-3031 it'll shoot tiny groups, smallest measured were 5 into a .067 group at 100 yds. At 500 yds, he can pop 4 inch clays one after the other. I don't do as well with it but then his eyes are 40+years newer then mine...LOL

Of course, we may have been lucky and got a really good barrel, ya never know for sure, but my 12BVSS in 223 also shot much better than I could. The BVSS is in a laminate stock made for bench or varmint shooting. Both have 26 inch varmint wt. barrels.

I bought a target accutrigger off this site and put it on the BVSS. Very light, and helped with the small groups (for me). My son seems to do well with the varmint accutrigger as it came on the 12FV.

So if you're not too excited with the used but very capable $1200 F class Robinhood suggested, the out of the box 12FV will typically shoot well under a moa with decent glass and even in the plastic stock. A good solid stock with bi-pod and rear bag will improve it considerably, along with a properly tuned load, of course.

FWIW: There are three Accutriggers being currently produced. Standard, Varmint, Target. The Standard is the heaviest and intended for hunting firearms like the 10 and 11 series. The Varmint is factory installed only on Varmint models like the 12FV and 12BVSS intended for bench or rest shooting. The Target is lightest and only available on the large shank model 12 actions intended for bench rest and competition shooting.

There may be some variations to this, others here may add to this. You can repurpose a Standard Accutrigger into a Varmint easily by replacing the trigger spring. Aftermarket springs are marketed as "target springs" although they are not Target Accutrigger springs, nor do they transform a Standard or Varmint Accutrigger into a Target one. The red blade Target Accutrigger is a whole different animal but can be obtained complete and mounted on any model 10,11,12 current production action.

[J.Baker]

If you're wanting to local matches in factory class then the Model 12 Long Range Precision Varminter with 1:9" twist is the way to go. The 12FV is a good entry level varmint rifle, but you'll need to upgrade the stock and trigger for sure for benchrest. The 12 LRPV uses the Precision Target RB-LP single-shot action and Target AccuTrigger, is fitted with a very nice HS-Precision stock, and is 100% ready-to-run for factory class. Spend a little more up front rather than wasting time/energy/money trying to adapt something cheaper to fit your intended use.

[Stumpkiller]

I do hand load. I would like to shoot 1 to 1 1/2 groups at 300 yds. Will the 12 FV do that with hand loads?

Not in my hands. :hail: Maybe 35 years ago. ;-)

[South Prairie jim]

Looking for a new rifle in 223 for bench rest shooting at 100 to 300 yds. Which Savage would you guys recommend ? I was thinking a 12 FV from Cabelas or a precision rifle. But would like you guys opinion on these two and any other Savage in 223
For BR shooting I would choose a 6 Norma every time over a 223. Easy to load for and superb accuracy

[bsekf]

I agree with Jim, get the Savage BR or the Precision Varminter in 6 BR and you are good to go 100 to 1000.

[wbm]

For BR shooting I would choose a 6 Norma every time over a 223.

Yep.