Lots of Savage Hate at Snipershide

[ivob]

I find Savages rifles good to go out of the box - my Axis isn't perfect (trigger/stock) but it shoots and that is what guns are supposed to do - at the range (100 yards) shot a couple .61 groups (including a flyer) could spend more for a cosmetically nicer looking brand rifle but why? I do own the recently bashed 10-FCP-SR which in my opinion is a great rifle - in the right hands and with out a doubt very accurate as gun costing twice as much. I own an original 93R17 non-accutrigger very good flat shooting rimfire - does have the plastic trigger guard but it shoots well. In the end if you rather be seen with a cool looking expensive gun that is your choice - I rather have something that shoots very good out of the box with little to no modifications. You will never get back the money you put into your rifle so spend as little as possible and the extra funds put it into reloading equipment. In the end to each their own and good luck to all that put $$$ into their rigs. It does not matter to the paper target or varmint anyway what holed them.

[chukarmandoo]

Well I haven't posted here for a while and I'm not defending SH but I've shot in quite a few matches with those boys and they are SHOOTERS and that's just a fact.
They are a great bunch of people that are serious about their shooting skills. I had a savage built by the custom shop just so could pretend to play the game with them. At my age I don't need to dump the big bucks on a real custom but I love to go to the matches and shoot. Nobody puts you down and you can ask anyone advise and they'll help you out. I have never been told that I need to buy brand x. They all say run what you brung and get trigger time and have fun. they come together to shoot and beat the other guy. I will say this one thing, the price of the guns they shoot is nothing compared to the time, money and dedication they put in to make them the best they can be. The Precision Rifle matches in fact should be called The Precision Shooters matches.
Anyway if you are young and end up shooting with these boys you'll ,in time, get the best to compete with. Until then just shoot what works for You!

[culpeper]

Pretend to play the game with SH by using a Savage? Just who and what are you talking about over there anyway?

[sjeccles]

Sniper hide is the reason I bought my first savage. They talked pretty highly about them back about 15 years ago . They built some 260s called the ghost dancers.

[sniperoverwatch]

I'm a member on SH as well and enjoy it, but I can tell I'll fit right in here.

Shooting is like so many other hobbies; the guy with the most quality range time (track time, flight time, etc) wins. With sites like ARFCOM and SH I'm always surprised at how little attention the shooting threads get. The MOA challenge thread is nearly dead, but the "Is Bushmaster garbage?" thread will run to a dozen pages.

[Matt52]

I just bought a Model 12 LRP in .260 remington mounted a Vortex Razor HD 5-25 to it and with my initial loading I'm getting .4 moa groups consistently and some .3 moa groups. I'm a "noob" in the precision game and have only been reloading a couple years. So I'll call that impressive!

[Russmerle]

People that rag on Savage rifles probably haven't spent much trigger time w/ nor let alone owned one.

The only Remington I've owned (700 SPS Tac .223) had feeding issues right out of the box, was immediately recalled for the trigger, terrible customer service and shot 1.2 MOA at best with factory match ammo. My Savage shot 1/2 MOA out of the box, reliable as any bolt action can be, and their customer service is top notch. So the one model Remington I had undershot the first savage I owned, was unreliable, and the manufacturer has bad customer service...

That's a tough decision but I guess (place inaudible sarcastic smirk here) I'll let the remy fans out there keep spending thousands of dollars in upgrades just to get their rifle to function. Ruger on the other hand, my SS Ruger Gun Sight Scout shoots MOA with iron sights and the bolt is saaaweeeet... No complaints on the Rugers.

[Russmerle]

Not to mention home built stock Savage bolted action rifles have won national tournaments... badoom

[stevenc23]

And it continues........

"I don't think the Savage Stealth is comparable to the RPR. It's just an ugly savage dropped into a ugly chassis. nothing "new" really."
"Fully agreed. lipstick on a pig."

[BoilerUP]

And it continues........

"I don't think the Savage Stealth is comparable to the RPR. It's just an ugly savage dropped into a ugly chassis. nothing "new" really."
"Fully agreed. lipstick on a pig."

They aren't wrong.

The BA Stealth is a stupidly low cost, low risk way to try and snag some RPR sales without putting any significant time or money into product development.

That isn't to say the BA Stealth won't shoot...but it is ugly and there really isn't anything "new" there - certainly nothing like the RPR.

[stevenc23]

They aren't wrong.

The BA Stealth is a stupidly low cost, low risk way to try and snag some RPR sales without putting any significant time or money into product development.

That isn't to say the BA Stealth won't shoot...but it is ugly and there really isn't anything "new" there - certainly nothing like the RPR.

Not sure how you can say that since the rifle and full specs have yet to be released. From at least one source it seems a lot of time and effort were put in to this rifle. https://www.drakeassociates.us/savage-history/

And who cares if it is ugly if it performs well for its intended roll. Personally I want a firearm that performs well and could give a hoot if some think it is ugly.

It may turn out to be a turd but at least wait until we get a hands on and put it through its paces.

[bedlamite]

The BA Stealth is only ugly because they want it to be. I've even talked to one who thought it was ugly before he had even seen it. You guys need to quit calling it hate and start calling it Savage envy.

[Russmerle]

And it continues........

"I don't think the Savage Stealth is comparable to the RPR. It's just an ugly savage dropped into a ugly chassis. nothing "new" really."
"Fully agreed. lipstick on a pig."

Some people should probably just stop thinking

[Rob01]

[LongRange]

now thats funny Rob...i wonder what Chuck Norris shoots?

[Rob01]

'MERICA!

[LongRange]

'MERICA!

Chuck Norrises razor...and it don't look like it was any match for his beard!!

[psharon97]

About the only nice feature of the RPR over the Savage BA Stealth, is the greater availability of magazines. Looks are a subjective matter and I like the minimalist approach of the LSS XL chasis that Savage went with. The rifle looks very similar to Mossberg MVP-LC. It looks like the Mossberg can be had for ~$1000 but isn't that popular, and is limited to 308win. At least, I don't know of many people talking about it. The RPR can be had around ~$1300, takes AR mags, and has the 243, 6.5creed, and 308win.

Savage will release this rifle in more calibers. 308win, 6.5creed, 300win mag, and 338lp. What I wish Savage will do is release the BA Stealth in left hand.
http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/tag/110-ba-stealth/

Gun prices were acquired from gunbroker.

[LoneWolf]

The stealth BA will still have the one Savage know weak point if trying to run it against the RPR or other high ends. That's feeding, extracting, and ejecting. Savage is my first choice for an accurate low end single shot or hunting setup. High end competition needs more reliable operation thanks the Savage design can offer. Show me a video of a Savage getting off 8-10 shots in 30secs without some sort of issue. Maybe there's a few out there that have a Savage Rifle that's capable, but in my experience the Savage design fails as soon as you need a fast repeater.

Other than that I always found them to be just as accurate as high end Rifles when using a high end barrel. Grouping well at 100yds and beyond is one thing, but consistent operation is another.

[Russmerle]

The stealth BA will still have the one Savage know weak point if trying to run it against the RPR or other high ends. That's feeding, extracting, and ejecting. Savage is my first choice for an accurate low end single shot or hunting setup. High end competition needs more reliable operation thanks the Savage design can offer. Show me a video of a Savage getting off 8-10 shots in 30secs without some sort of issue. Maybe there's a few out there that have a Savage Rifle that's capable, but in my experience the Savage design fails as soon as you need a fast repeater.

Other than that I always found them to be just as accurate as high end Rifles when using a high end barrel. Grouping well at 100yds and beyond is one thing, but consistent operation is another.

Thats a pretty stout statement... The only bolt action I've had fail to feed was my 700... Ruger does have practice with that Mauser action design so you could be right but that's a big could. According to Drake associates and savage, they've matched all Stealth components and blueprinted/lapped them for perfect fit and function.

[LoneWolf]

I've seen it with R700's, but mostly with Savages time and time again. Especially when desert sand is introduced. It's not that the guys running Savages can't shoot, it's simply in the environment and requirements of a high level Precision Rifle Match they spend more time dealing with feeding, ejection, and extraction issues than any other action I've seen. I ran a Shilen DGR thinking it would solve the issue, but it is the bolt head design that holds the system back. I'll stand behind my statement because I've experienced this with 3 different Savage actions as well as the Shilen action. This is why I now run a custom action. It was never a lack of accuracy, but reliable operation.

I don't hate Savages or the Shilen DGR I just understand their limitations after pushing them in an attempt to be competitive.

If you can't get your shots off within the required time limit you simply can't score enough points to compete.

[Russmerle]

Dang... now that is not reassuring. I'm going to do the ten rounds in 30 seconds now to see what I come up with. I've never run my rigs that hard so I'll have to see. Thanks for the heads up!

[WinnieTheBoom]

In a controlled environment (i.e. at the range), the chance of you experiencing an issue is far less than it would be during the rigors of tactical comps...

It has more to do with the potential for sand/dirt/debris getting lodged in the action. Pair those things with the heat from firing multiple rounds in a short amount of time (and as a result, the increased pressure of firing those subsequent rounds), it's not really a surprise why most guys shy away from Savages for that type of shooting.

F-Class/Benchrest is a different story.

[LoneWolf]

Good input Winnie! The end state for me was I just didn't have 100% confidence in my gear once I was outside of the controlled environment. After making the switch that all changed. I get up to the line and I'm fully focussed on shooting rather than trying to prep everything just right in order to try to avoid the inevitable.

Going back to the RPR. The 3 lug design and the way the bolt is contained is a solid place to start. Make a few upgrades and it only gets better and more reliable.

If I was starting over or just getting into the sport it's exactly where I would start. I ended up building on a Mausingfield M5 action built by American Rifle Company. My reasoning was to delete all the areas where I have seen other actions fail. So, far I can't complain. Only issue I've had was a new Alpha mag was a little tight when stuffed with a full 10rds and took a little extra effort to strip the first 2 off the mag. Other than that it's effortless to cycle.

[Russmerle]

I don't like where this conversation is going... My Remington sps tactical wouldnt cycle at the range without fixing (still not reassured it's 100%) and my savage LA and SA builds will probably fail when it matters most (not that I'm going into combat with them but still). My SIG SSG3K has had no problems so maybe just stick with her... Sad face