111 7mm Rem Mag quick set up

[Trebono]

Hey y'all. I'm new here and could use a little help. Thanks in advance!

Traded one last shotgun for a 111 7mm Rem. Mag., Tupperware stock. Had a cheap Tasco scope and 100 piece rings and bases. Threw away the scope and rings, put some Weaver 2 pc. bases and some solid steel Weaver rings and a new Simmons scope on.

Picked up a few boxes of cheap Walmart Federal ammo, shot it with the old scope and rings and got crap accuracy. Swapped out the scope and rings and am shooting ok (2-2.5" @100 with the occasional flier out to 4") with the new set up with the same ammo, but I want more.

I'm on a super tight budget and can't afford to go out and buy 10 boxes of premium ammo like I used to and find out what this gun likes. I feel like the right, good ammo is all that's standing in my way between where this gun is and where I want it to be for hunting purposes. I would love to hand load, but that investment is out of the question right now.

Do y'all have some recommendations on one or two factory loads I should pick up and sight in on? I hunt in Georgia and Alabama (just in case the "y'alls" didn't give it away!) and while most shots are within 100 yards, I have 2 places I hunt a lot where 300-400 yards is very possible.

Back in the good old days I had $800-$1000 rifles and $500 scopes and the money and time to play around with different ammo and get my guns driving tacks at 300 yards. This new economy has forced me to liquidate everything and start over on the budget end of firearms. Have had to sell Benelli's and Browning's and Rem. 700's to pay the bills and pick up a Mossberg 500 and this Savage to still get the job done. I picked the Savage because, well, let's face it. If you only have a couple of hundred bucks to play with this gun is an awesome place to start to get the performance I've gotten used to.

I've played around with the adjustable trigger system a lot and have gotten it as good as I'm going to on my own. Some factory ammo expertise is what I need!

Thanks again y'all! :)

[ellobo]

Most makers have premeium grade ammo for sale. More expensive but I dont think you will be shooting lots anyway. Make sure the plastic stock does not touch the barrel. A Boyds stock for under $100 makes a good hunting choice (check thier website) when you can afford it. Savage barrels tend to copper up so add copper remover to your cleaning regimen to maintain accuracy. And definatly get better optics as soon as you can. I have a Pentax 3-9 on my tupperware stocked 7x57 I got cheap from a vendor here ($89), its what they call aa store modle I think, which means it has been handled by customers, not second hand or rebuilt. Works very well. Living on Soc. Security I can feel your financial pain. Good luck.
El Lobo

[Trebono]

In y'alls experience, is there one type or another that has suited this particular platform best? I've had a number of A-bolts in the past that all seemed to prefer Hornady Custom 154 gr. Interbond ammo. I was hoping someone has had some experience on this platform and could point me towards a round that has performed particularly well in this gun.

I've checked barrel clearances and everything is good, I've checked, cleaned, adjusted and tweaked all I can.

[ellobo]

From what I have seen on this forum over the years is that 165 gr bullets seem to be the most accurate for the twist Savage uses in thier .30 cal. barrels. It does in my .308.
El Lobo

[tacticalj]

I've got the same rifle and found that factory ammo, mine really liked remmington premier accutip 140grs. However, I started reloading and found that it seems to like 150gr Nosler ballistic tips. It also shoots AMAX 162gr very well also. I've got sub .5" groups at 100yds with both rounds, however, my rifle is not stock. The barrelled action is factory, but the stock has been replaced and bedded. I have also adjusted the factory trigger to just under 2lbs, added a bolt lift kit, and a tactical bolt knob. Alot of this stuff you can do in your spare time with minimal dollars or experience. If that's not an option, take your bolt apart and send/post some pics. I'll see what it is and see if I can make you a lift kit. This will help in the cycling of your action and being able to stay/get back on target faster and easier. Best thing you can do is find an aftermarket stock, then bedded the action (or have it done). Get good optics for it, because you can reach WAY out there with that rifle.

[Sponxx]

My rifle is a 110, also in 7mm Rem Mag... still factory stock. It likes Federal Premium (nosler partitions) in 160gr, but also shoots the 150gr Winchester super-X realy well too, so there you go, a premium hunting ammo and a cheap practice ammo. Didn't really try anything else.

I just started reloading for it and still working on a pet load, but 60-61gr of IMR4831 and 150gr Corelokts have definite hunting accuracy (the IMR4831 60gr with 150gr CL's group very close to the Federal Premium NP's 160gr) and all of them at 1MOA or less

[Trebono]

Thanks fellas. I got lucky, found a buddy who used to shoot a 7 mag who had about 6 different types of loads still laying around, about 8 or so rounds of each kind. I tried a few different ones, and found the Hornady Custom SST 154 grain shot super nice. After 2 shots to re-sight I was able to print a sub 1.5" 4 shot group at 100 yards sitting on the bench hand holding the rifle. I'll take that all day!