110 Storm in 7mm-08

[JoeJoe]

I've been looking at the 110 Storm in 7mm-08 as of late......at first glance, this looks like a nice hunting rifle for the farms I hunt. Wanted to poll the group and ask if there are any quirks with this model? I intend to replace the stock with a Bell/Carlson, so not worried about the stock....but anything else the experienced folks here can bring up that I should watch out for (ie, plastic parts, etc)?

Thanks!

[jpdown]

IMO, the Savage 110 Storm is the best, out of the box rifle for hunting yet released by Savage Arms. This is because you don’t need to replace a cheap, flimsy stock. The Accufit-Accustock is a premium stock that gives you the flexibility to adjust the stock for the perfect fit and feel. It comes with metal bottom parts. You don’t need to bed the action. Just torque the action screws front and back in 10 lb. increments until the front action screw is 35 lbs. and rear is 30 lbs. Spray on a little Krylon webbing paint and the stock will look like a custom stock costing much more. If you think a Bell & Carlson stock is more to your liking, you could easily sell a new take-off Accufit-Accustock for a premium to fund the BC stock.

[Robinhood]

...and the 7mm08 is a dandy cartridge. Almost 270 energy from a short action.

[JoeJoe]

Thanks Folks....I appreciate the insight. I think I'll be giving my local shop a call today. I used to have a M700 .243, but when my daughter started hunting a couple years ago, it seems to no longer be available for my use, thus, the need for a new hunting rig

[Minooka]

If your determined to change the stock buy a cheaper model

[Orezona]

If your determined to change the stock buy a cheaper model

Like the 110 Hunter. You will be happy with the B&C medalist. i paid the little extra for the Dark Forest and it is nice!

[JoeJoe]

Just placed my order......sounds like I owe it to myself to give the accufit stock a try (comments here and at the gun shop were quite positive), but I sure have my heart set on a Desert Tan B/C, lol, I think it will look reeeeeal nice against the stainless.

[jpdown]

[QUOTE=Minooka;466244]If your determined to change the stock buy a cheaper model[/QUOTE

The cheaper, lighter, “little brother” to the 110 Storm would be the Light Weight Storm. But buying the cheaper model means you not only are going to replace the stock, but also end up buying a metal trigger guard, metal DBM frame assembly and metal magazine bottom cap to replace the cheap plastic bottom parts. And you’d be lucky to get $25 for a Savage plastic stock whereas a new take-off Accufit-Accustock is currently selling for $150 or more on EBay. In the end, the cheaper Savage model ends up costing more. But I have to admit, the LW Storm with FW 20” 7mm08 barrel in a BC stock with SS metal bottom parts would make a dandy looking little hunting/truck rifle. Of course JoeJoe’s daughter is going to want to trade back that hard kicking 270 when all is said and done.

[jpdown]

Just placed my order......sounds like I owe it to myself to give the accufit stock a try (comments here and at the gun shop were quite positive), but I sure have my heart set on a Desert Tan B/C, lol, I think it will look reeeeeal nice against the stainless.

Congratulations. Don’t lose heart. A spray can of Duracoat in Woodland Tan and/or Krylon webbing paint will make your Savage Accufit-Accustock look like a custom stock.

[JoeJoe]

Congratulations. Don’t lose heart. A spray can of Duracoat in Woodland Tan and/or Krylon webbing paint will make your Savage Accufit-Accustock look like a custom stock.

Very nice!!! How's the durability of the paint job?

[jpdown]

Duracoat is several steps above regular spray paint. Very durable and resistant to gun oils and solvents. I’ve not had a problem with it chipping or flaking off. Stock prep and degreasing are very important. The Krylon webbing will wear off over time in grip area. If needed, I remove the webbing paint with acetone and respray the stock.

[Robinhood]

Plus 5 on Duracoat. Aluma-hyde is not bad stuff either. Nozzles and shelf life are an issue but the first spray is awesome and worth the coin.

[JoeJoe]

Picked up this rifle this afternoon......initial thought.....this thing is light as all hell! I'm so used to lugging around a rifle with a heavy barrel, grabbing this rifle was quite the shock.

Overall, I like this rifle. Everything appears to function properly, and I really like the matte stainless finish. If I had to complain about one thing so far, I'd say needing to depress the bolt release to remove the rear action screw is a bit goofy......seems there should be an engineer that could design that a little better......however, it worked like it should, so I can't complain too much .

If all goes as planned, I should be able to get to the range Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning......hope it shoots well.

I'm still deciding what to think about the accufit stock.....it's much thinner than what I'm used to, and currently the barrel is touching the left side of the channel.

[RobfromME]

Hi JoeJoe,

I bought that exact rifle back in October! It's a gem. When I first got it, I put a brand new Nikon M-tactical on it. During sight in, I couldn't get any consistency, with some groups as big as 8" at 100 yds! I was so discouraged, but hadn't ruled anything out. Turns out it was the scope. I put a known good scope on that I had, and come to find out with Nosler 120 grain BT (factory) and Federal Premium 140 grain Nosler BT (factory), the worst it shoots is 0.63" 3 shot groups at 100 yds!!! (and 0.422" with the 120 Noslers). Needless to say, I'm tickled to death. My other Savage, a 10 FCP in HS Precision stock, is the same way....incredibly accurate.

I think you made a GREAT choice. I love mine. I'd rather have the bolt release up on the side, but other than that, I'd change nothing, and that's only a small complaint.

All my best,
Rob

[JoeJoe]

Hi JoeJoe,

I bought that exact rifle back in October! It's a gem. When I first got it, I put a brand new Nikon M-tactical on it. During sight in, I couldn't get any consistency, with some groups as big as 8" at 100 yds! I was so discouraged, but hadn't ruled anything out. Turns out it was the scope. I put a known good scope on that I had, and come to find out with Nosler 120 grain BT (factory) and Federal Premium 140 grain Nosler BT (factory), the worst it shoots is 0.63" 3 shot groups at 100 yds!!! (and 0.422" with the 120 Noslers). Needless to say, I'm tickled to death. My other Savage, a 10 FCP in HS Precision stock, is the same way....incredibly accurate.

I think you made a GREAT choice. I love mine. I'd rather have the bolt release up on the side, but other than that, I'd change nothing, and that's only a small complaint.

All my best,
Rob

Awesome! I hope mine is similar. I picked up a couple boxes of Federal Fusion (not too much 7mm-08 factory ammo around here), but will work up a load with 139gr SST bullets soon. Glad to hear yours is a shooter!

BTW....my other Savage is a 10 FCP in Bell/Carlson....

[RobfromME]

The only ammo it didn't like was Hornady Superformance 139gr. 4 1/2" groups were the best. I won't buy it again.
Can't wait to reload for it!
Im sure it will be a great gun for you!

[tobnpr]

and currently the barrel is touching the left side of the channel.

Likely will cause accuracy issues and need to be addressed, guess you're about to find out this weekend
I would remove and replace the barreled action, re-torque the action screws to see if it takes a different set.

[JoeJoe]

Got out to the range today. Shot 40 rounds, lightly cleaning after every 5 shots (don't know if that matters, I read so much contradictory info about barrel break-in).

Shots 1-30 returned groups of roughly 3" with Federal Fusion ammo. All of those fired cases were scratched all to hell when ejected from the rifle. Shots 12-23 had a significant dent in the shoulder of the fired case, but those before and after did not (almost wonder of a sliver of brass wound up in the chamber for a short time). Shots 31-40 returned groups right around 3/4", and had little to no scratches on the cases. It was sort of like it just needed 30 rounds to get "worked in", and then it was ready to go.

I'm excited to work up a hunting load for this rifle, and I'm ready for next fall so I can take it to the deer woods.

I'm still undecided on the Accu-fit stock......gonna need a little more range time to decide if I like it or not.

One interesting thing....I bore sighted this rifle by eye, by looking through my kitchen window at the neighbor's back porch light......first shot was at 12 o'clock, 1" high

[Orezona]

Got out to the range today. Shot 40 rounds, lightly cleaning after every 5 shots (don't know if that matters, I read so much contradictory info about barrel break-in).

Shots 1-30 returned groups of roughly 3" with Federal Fusion ammo. All of those fired cases were scratched all to hell when ejected from the rifle. Shots 12-23 had a significant dent in the shoulder of the fired case, but those before and after did not (almost wonder of a sliver of brass wound up in the chamber for a short time). Shots 31-40 returned groups right around 3/4", and had little to no scratches on the cases. It was sort of like it just needed 30 rounds to get "worked in", and then it was ready to go.

I'm excited to work up a hunting load for this rifle, and I'm ready for next fall so I can take it to the deer woods.

I'm still undecided on the Accu-fit stock......gonna need a little more range time to decide if I like it or not.

One interesting thing....I bore sighted this rifle by eye, by looking through my kitchen window at the neighbor's back porch light......first shot was at 12 o'clock, 1" high

My 10 Precision Carbine in .223 did the same scratching of cases at first. I thought it was the lips on magazine judging from the location of the scratches.

[Orezona]

Double post.

[papa45]

OK, I'll cast the minority vote. I bought a new 110 Storm in 7-08 this past February. After trying dozens of different combinations of bullets, powders, charges, seating depths, and scopes, I could not get groups smaller than 2.5-3" I checked the bore with the help of a local gunsmith and found some strange rifling images. I sent it back to Savage. They sent it back to me with a note saying they "polished the chamber" and the rifle is shooting 3/4" groups. Going back out to the range, I could tell no difference, so I asked Savage what they used to test the rifle. Their answer was Winchester 140 gr Ballistic Silvertips. I bought a box (rather pricey) and they shot a little under an inch. I loaded some Nosler BT's (same bullet, except for the black coating) and they shoot 0.8 to 1.0" I have since tried other bullets and factory loads; the only bullets that shoot well are Nosler BT's in 120 or 140 gr, neither of which would be my first choice for a bullet. I will try some Accubonds as soon as I can find some on sale.

After I got off the bench and started loading the magazine with multiple rounds, I found that rounds were jumping up out of the magazine and jamming between the top of the bolt face and the chamber. I posted the problem on this forum and got a suggestion to squeeze the lips together a bit, but could not fix the problem. Savage sent me a new magazine, which behaved exactly the same way. A short time later, the catch on the rear of the magazine broke off, allowing the magazine to drop slightly and prevent feeding the next round.

I have an older model Savage that has served me well for over 15 years and is largely responsible for my decision to buy this new Storm. It looks good and feels good. I'm trying hard to love it, but I'm not feeling the love in return.

[JoeJoe]

I checked the bore with the help of a local gunsmith and found some strange rifling images.

Did the images make you think the rifling was cut poorly?

[papa45]

Did the images make you think the rifling was cut poorly?

Yes.