Future plans - Savage 111 FCXP3 30.06 Muzzle Brake and more... (now Hunter XP?)

Hello All from Northern CA,

Great site!

New to the sport, I recently inherited a number of firearms and also picked up my first rifle Savage 111 30.06.

I've only been able to take her out once thus far and put about 5 rounds through her (was with some friends).

So i haven't had a lot of range time with her.

However i'd like to put an inexpensive muzzle brake on her to reduce the recoil.

Couple questions, i've read while searching around various sites that while muzzle brakes reduce recoil about 30% they also increase the sound of the rifle to the sides of the gun? true? yes/no? Is this something that people in general frown upon? say are people gonna be pissed at me if i plop down next to them at the range with my 30.06 muzzle brake? I assume there is a certain amount of acceptance that hey we are at a gun range it's gonna be loud... (the thing is already SO loud... lol)

All that being said...

Can anyone recommend Muzzle brake more on the inexpensive side? say under $100

My plans for the rifle short term and long term...

I picked up 100 rounds of the cheap russian bear 30.06 stuff from CTD.

I'm planning on going through the 100 rounds and hopefully really getting a feel for the rifle and shooting a rifle in general. My father in laws hunts and i may go with him sometime as i'm also getting ready to take my hunter's ED course.

The hunting part is of course a maybe... i'll more likely be picking up a shotgun and going for some turkey's

I don't have a range nearby with any distance longer than 100y (that i know of)

This rifle will probably spend most of it's time at the range.

SO

My thinking is...

Because i can't find any decent ammo under .63 cents

I'd like to get the muzzle brake for the 30.06 barrel...

then perhaps a new trigger from http://www.sharpshootersupply.com/

At that point... depending on my initiative and weather i've found a longer range or am going after bigger game hunting... I'll go for some new glass.

OR... if i find i'm not hunting... and spending more time at the range... i'd like to rebarrel to .308... (cheaper ammo from what i've seen)

I've read over and over how versatile 30.06 is.. but if i'm not hunting and only spending time at the range plinking away and paper... why not get some cheaper ammo.

I have a daughter on the way so budget is the most important.

In the long run i'd like a nice little shooter where i can hunt with the 30.06 and plink with the the .308 (hopefully doing the smithing myself)

IS it possible to get all this done... for under $1000?

Also would like a suppressor and new stock at some point.

I have more questions but i'm sure they will come up with replies.

Thanks!

No. 1; yes those at the range will throw you out. Plus your earmuffs wont be enough to quell the noise, put ear plugs in your ears under the muffs. Get a better buttpad like a Pachmeyer decelorator to quell recoil.
No.2; yes you can rebarrel to .308 but it may or may not feed from the magazine. Changing barrels is easy enough with the proper tools, like an action wrench and barrel nut wrench. You can get them from Midway USA or Brownells. You will need headspace guages.
No.3; If you have what is called the "3 screw trigger" it can be adjusted to a decent pull wgt. Tutorials on how to do it are here on this sight. There are several makers of aftermarket triggers available. All are good. SSS is the best.
No.4; Aftermarket stocks are availble From Boyds, Stocky's Stocks and some others. Midway USA has some.
No 5; You will not get great accuracy from factory loaded ammo. If you get 1 1/2 inch groups with that ammo consider yorself lucky.
No 6; Make sure the barrel is free floated as well as the tang (no contact with the stock.) Check the barrel for copper overload, Run some patches soaked in copper remover to see. If they come out blue you have to get the copper out. Follow instructions that come with the copper remover.
no. 7; once you have settled on a new stock glass bed the action into the stock. If it has no pillars, install them When you rebarrel add an aftermarket recoil lug. Tutrials on glass bedding are on this site.
No. 8: Make sure all scope mounting screws are tight. If your shots are all over the target, suspect a bad scope. Try another one if you have an extra.
No. 9: yes, under $1000 is very achavable. For under $300 a model 200 Stevens (cheaper version of the Savage) in .308 would be the way to go. If under $1000 another new Savage model would be a much cheaper alternative. Some good models under $500 are avaialble, Dheck the Savage website or get a catalog from a dealer.

Stand by for more suggestions from other people on the site. Beware of those guys who try to talk you into thier favorite calibrs. Your .30-06 will handle any game you care to go after. There is a eason why it has been one of the most used cartridge for hunting in almost hndred yrs.

El Lobo

I'll offer my 2 cents. First, I've never seen a paying member be thrown off the line for having a muzzle break. I have a 30-378 with a muzzle break, never been asked to leave once. I've even had fellow members chatting near by who refused to put on their hearing protection. After shooting a string they asked why I made such a fuss about them needing to put on their 'ears'. Turns out guys hanging around firing ranges expect things to go 'bang'. The recoil pad advice already given is pretty good, but also pay attention to your shooting position. The straighter you sit up, the better, when you lean forward, your body tends to resist movement, so you perceive more impact to your shoulder and your cheek takes more of a whack. Sitting up straight allows your whole bode to rock back and your cheek stays out of the way of the stock. Having said that, there are some pretty good breaks out there too, not sure what's available for under $100 though. PAST shooter pads are pretty cheap if you want to wait and save up for something like a muscle break.

Also, while I would never attempt to dissuade someone from buying a new barrel for their savage, I'm not sure that the economics work out (at least in the near term). Assuming you buy something like a CBI barrel, go gauge, barrel nut wrench, etc, you'll probably need to shoot 1500 rounds or so to make the new barrel pay for itself. I'm not making a recommendation here, only you know how much shooting you plan to do. Have fun either way! On terms of economy, consider investing in reloading equipment instead. You can roll ammo much cheaper, heck, you can roll premium ammo for less than what standard ammo is selling for these days. You can buy a rockchucker kit for about the same price, and roll even cheaper ammo and pay for the kit in about 1300 rounds (assuming $0.25 savings per round based on actual costs, could save a lot more if you shot lead bullets, but that's another thread).

Anyway, all that said, you can't go wrong with that ever you decide. Have fun and shoot straight!

Thanks for the replies!

I think it's also helpful to note, I currently don't have a garage or anywhere where I can safely reload my own ammo.

ellobo:

Will the Pachmayr Decelerator pad fit a 111 i searched around and it says for 110?

Is there a tool "set" with everything needed for barrel changes? or do you need to purchase each tool by itself?

Is the 3-screw the accu-trigger? i have a non accu-trigger

Are you suggesting that i pick up a cheaper rifle that is already .308? I thought my 111 was on the cheaper side already... where does it fall on a scale of 1-10 as far as bargin rifle to high end rifle?

warthog97:

I think my position may have something to do with it... the range i was at los altos gun and rod club... seamed to have really low benches... at least they felt that way to me... i'm 6'2... i don't imagine that has too much effect... Thanks for those tips

Barrel wise i was thinking of one from http://www.savage-barrels.com/ for around $270

I'd like some more opinions on muzzle breaks at the range...

Also... if i were to stay with the 30.06 for everything... i'd probably want a supressor sooner than later are there any economic options?

Thanks for all the feedback much appreciated.

OK, while I have never seen anyone thrown off a range I have heard a lot of comments about the noise, especially on our totaly covered range where the report from guns with muzzle brakes is terrific. I can see where an uncovered range wouldnt be that bad but in a covered range it is ear shatering even on our 50 position covered range at just about any position. The decerator pad will fit just about all Savage models with a factory stock. I have never seen a "tool Set" available. The three screw trigger is an older design, it is not the accutrigger. I was not trying to disuade you from getting an aftermarket barrel, what I was saying is to give the Savage barrel a try first then decide.Many people are getting fantastic accuracy with thier factory installed barrels. It is what Savage is known for. As for costs, sometimes the Stevens can be had for under $300 on sale at places like Cabelas. That is the low end. Some Savage models go for over $1000. Many are in the $6-800 range. Check thier website For the cost of a new barrel like the better makers, Pac-Nor, Shillen, CBI etc and the tools to do a swap you could have a rifle in .308 for your plinking.
I reload on a small bench that is 4 ft long and 2 deep in my basement. Its a Rockchuker model complete with dies and other stuff I bought for $45 new 40 yrs ago. For pistol rounds I use a Lee progressive I have loaded at least 50,000 rounds on it the 20 yrs I have had it.
Someone else will have to give you data on a muzzle brake, I never used one.
El Lobo

I'd go the recoil pad before I look at a muzzle brake. Put one on my 30-06 for this past weekend. I'm not a small guy either, only about and inch shorter than yourself. Recoil before the pad had me wanting to stop after just a few rounds (15 or so). This past weekend, after the recoil pad, I thought I was shooting my .243. Pachmayr and Limbsaver are both great recoil pads. I went with Pachmayr for this latest one. Just don't ask me why I waited over 20 years to put one on my 30-06. ;D

I say do both. I have a brake on my 30-06 and love it, cut recoil down to 243 levels. Switched from the thinner factory pad to the Savage P.A.D. and noticed another huge drop in recoil.

A good pad and brake together will tame some of the nastiest rounds. My 458WM has a brake and P.A.D. and it is quite pleasant to shoot. Knocked it down below 30-06 levels of recoil.

The noise level didn't go up enough to keep me from enjoying the gun and I've never had anyone complain. I do try to shoot as far away as I can, but when I get next to that guy with the AK and Hi-Cap mag that decides to sit on my left and spray brass at me I don't worry about it as much, and the slightly elevated noise levels of the brake doesn't seem to slow their rate of fire. ::)

Thanks again for the replies.


I still need to look into the "3-screw" trigger... but if it's from an old design i'm guessing that's not what i have. (purchased nov 2011)


Looks like i will go with a pad first... i wasn't able to find the "Savage P.A.D."

I did find the Pachmayr http://pachmayr.com/home/prefit-pads.php

I'm assuming that this one --> 110 Synthetic Stock 01724 $ 41.98

Will fit my 111?



As for Muzzle brakes, can anyone recommend a clamp on model?

Similar to (but less expensive)

http://www.webshop.roedale.de/index....531fcec51ea3df

or

http://shop.grizzlygunworks.com/Clam...-Brakes_c3.htm

I'm wondering if i could pick up one that's a clamp on, so if i did switch out barrels back and forth i could bring the brake with me...

Or is it more economical to just have both barrels threaded? Are there down sides to clamp ons?


Getting a complete new gun in .308 has got me thinking though...

I wish i could reload... i'm just not sure it's feasible with me not having a work area...

I live in a place just shy of 1000sqf 2bed 2 bth, I do have an outdoor patio... but i'm on the third floor and it's uncovered...

Is there a FAQ on re-loading i can take a quick look at for the do/don't on a area that is considered safe?

Thanks!

For information on how to reload look at any good relaoding manual, like Hornady or Lyman. Very detailed.

El Lobo

Find someone with a bench vise that lives close by. Get the idea for some wooden barrel blocks on this forum that will fit your vise. Buy a barrel nut wrench, buy a 308 or other barrel from gun shack. Get a 308 and 30-06 go gauge. Have a local smith break the nut loose for you. Interchange barrels.
If you are recoil sensitive you might consider trading someone out for a lesser caliber. All of the 308 based or 30-06 based cartridges will fit your gun with no modifications.

If you get it from midway you get the wrench and the g/ng gauges.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/637...tainless-steel

Thanks for the midway link... I think i may go for that...

looking into reloading too.

What do i need to know to purchase a brake... how do i know what brakes will fit my 30.06 barrel and possibly fit a new barrel?

thanks

I just had a shrewd brake installed on my 300 win mag. Bought it from brownells and had local gun shop install it. Total cost was $155. Took the rifle to the range today for first time with the new brake and it shot great. Recoil is similar to my 308. The 308 is a model 111 and the 300 is a 116. I put the side by side and fired a round out of each one after the other and could not tell the difference. A friend came along with his new Browning 300 win mag and after shooting both 300s mine was not much louder than his. After he shot several rounds from my 300 he made the call to get his done. I am quite happy with the results of the break. The shop that installed it turned it down a little to blend with my stock barrel and squared the shoulders it fits so nice that you think it came from the factory. there is no visible line where they meet. 2 week time period for the job was well worth it.