using a bipod

i am currently looking to buy a savage bolt action in .308. as i was searching the web i came across several articles saying that a synthetic stock in the foregip usually has enough play to throw off the accuracy when using a bipod. something to do with the weight of the gun pushing on the bipod and causing the fore grip to touch the bbl. anyway what are your thoghts on usinf the 11 fnhs. it's in my price range and i would think any savage with accustock should do better than without accustock. i am a new member by the way and am really pleased to have found this sight .

thanks for any info

Welcome to the forum, roland. I don't currently use a bi-pod but many do. My opinion a Savage will shoot just fine off a pod, as well as any rifle anyway. I've never seen a rifle that is so inexpensive that shoot's as well.

Welcome aboard, i'm not much of a bipod fan with any rifle. The model 11 with a plastic stock will work as well as any rifle with a bipod, yes they do have some flex but not any more than most bipods themselves have. I would use sandbags over a bipod when possible. blue

Welcome to the site.

I think you have your alphabet soup mixed up. Savage does not show a 11fnhs, but it is probably a 11FHNS. The "F" stands for plastic stock. "H" I believe is for accu-stock, and "NS" is for No sights.

The Achilles heel of the lower end Savage/Stevens rifles has been the plastic stocks. They have horrible flex in them, and it is amplified with use of a bi-pod. Sure, great groups can be shot off of one but it just wears out out doing so. (Takes a lot of concentration, and fight.) Unfortunately the accu-stock did not fully fix the problem. They stabilized the the forearm, but they still have the same flex in the wrist area. I am not a big fan of the accu-stock's bedding system either.

I would recommend a wood stock gun over the accu-stock, they are just so much more stable. You may want to look at the model 14 classic, or the 10GXP3. If you want a black stock just paint it.

The easiest way to check is to put your rifle down with a board on top of a sandbag and let the forward sling swivel rest directly on the board. Get behind your gun in the prone position and have a friend (or if you're like me and have no friends, some stranger at the range) slip a dollar bill between the barrel and the forearm and see if the barrel is still free floated.

You can also have him slowly pull the bill out while you fire and see if the bounce causes the barrel and forearm to pinch the bill on the way out.

I have to disagree that the plastic stocks are horrible. Yes they do flex but on mine it isnt enough to cause problems unless I put a lot of stress on the forend, a condition not normaly seen in most shooting situations. I dont use a bipod but I can see where one would cause enough stress to overflex a forestock. I understand your money situation, so go for the plastic and later when yu have the cash, get a good laminated stock from Boyds for little money if the plastic stock is giving problems. Swap to the plastic stock if you hunt in foul weather and back to the laminate for other uses, like target.

El Lobo

I am still trying to decide what particular Savage features I want in a new .223 Remington. I am considering the accustock, thinking it was rigid enough for a tripod. Now I see 82boy's comments about the accustock still being too flxible in the wrist. But, is that a problem with a cartidge like the .223, since the recoil is minimal. I want to be able to carry this gun around, yet shoot tiiny groups, too. So, weight is an issue.

Thoughs or suggestions?

SL1

I shoot most of my savages off a bi-pod. My 2 Model 12FVs (22-250 and 308) do very well. They both have the "Tupperware" stocks with the nicer rounder Varmint forearms instead of the squared off forearms like on the Stevens 200 (just to name one model). My Stevens 200 in 30-06 unfortunately still wears the factory Stevens stock and it has a noticeable amount of "wiggle" in the stock, and I hate it. But it did make a .75" group at 100yds. off the bi-pod last time out :-\ . My 243 and 223 both have wood stocks and they are like a rock off the bi-pod. I say, get the Tupperware model and upgrade to wood or laminate later.

PS- Welcome to the site. You'll love it here.