Action: Savage or Remington

F/TR Action

  • Remington 700

    Votes: 22 53.7%
  • Savage Target

    Votes: 19 46.3%

  • Total voters
    41
  • Poll closed .

jsthntn247

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2009
Messages
887
I thinking about getting a F/TR gun built. Which action should I go with, I already have a Hevy Palma Bartlein to put on one of them. I have a 308 Remington that is my favorite hunting rifle that I would have trued up if I go the Remington route or my co-worker has a Savage F/Tr target rifle that I can buy for a reasonable price and have the Bartlein hung on it. I have a Jewel on hand for the Remington and a Rifle Basix target trigger for the Savage.
 
The savage target action I think is the better way to go. You would have to put more money into a rem 700 to make it shoot as good as the savage out of the box, action wise. I have two of the target actions and had nothing done to them other then take them out of the box screw on a barrel and what not and they just plain old shoot. The only way to do that with a 700 is to spend thousands of dollars on a custom action. The target accutrigger is a fine trigger and wouldn't need to be replaced unless you want too. I just built a 6.5x47 Lapua for my wife that will shoot in the .2's all day long. In the end which ever way you choose to go you will be ok. It will be just a matter of how much you want to spend to get there. If you go savage you will have more money to put towards better glass and still have your favorite deer rifle to use. You will not want to be lugging a 17# rifle around deer hunting for very long.
 
I guess I should also add this. I have a friend that is a gunsmith, so I will not be charged for the truing or chambering of either action (really nice guy). My real concern/question is: Is the target action stiffer and have bigger tennon to support a 7lb barrel floated to the lug resulting in a more accurate platform?
 
The savage is going to be a lot stiffer then the rem 700. The savage is solid oall the way around except the ejection port. The 700 as you know is open on the top. I have a 338 lapua with a 32" heavy barrel and break on it that is free floated to the recoil lug and shoots lights out. The smith that built it didn't use the barrel nut and headspaced it off of the recoil lug.
 
Stock VS Stock
I take the Savage all day!

Customized
I take the Remington all day!

if stiffness is a consern then stick a one piece steel base on the remington, A blue printed remington at worst is equal to the savage target action (I feel it's a little better)
But the JEWEL is the winner so go remington.
 
Build on the one that is built for accuracy from day one, only one of the two don't need major over hauling to bring it up to it's potential, rock the Savage gun)
 
If you have a gunsmith friend and services are cheap that makes the difference. There is a reason why 95% of custom actions on the market that the high end builders use for 5K plus rifles are all REMINGTON clones.

gun)
 
If you have a gunsmith friend and services are cheap that makes the difference. There is a reason why 95% of custom actions on the market that the high end builders use for 5K plus rifles are all REMINGTON clones.

gun)
I have been preaching this for years....But some people try to argue that the only reason is b/c the Remington 700 has been around since 62.....I think it's b/c it's the simplest, with the most potential for accuracy with the least amount of re-designing, was why most people chose to imulate the 700. It's virtually indestructible, and very tough and rugged.
 
I have been preaching this for years....But some people try to argue that the only reason is b/c the Remington 700 has been around since 62.....I think it's b/c it's the simplest, with the most potential for accuracy with the least amount of re-designing, was why most people chose to imulate the 700. It's virtually indestructible, and very tough and rugged.

Why exactly does a 700 action have "more potential for accuracy" then say an M70 or Howa? I'm not familiar with Savage actions so I won't comment on them.
 
I was more-or-less hitting on the fact of less moving parts in the receiver for ease of alignment and less room for error...

I'm just voicing my opinion, these are by no means facts, being that I'm not a gunsmith. Just to me, the fact that it's a simpler design than the M70 (Mouser K98 style action) with less moving parts I would naturally assume it would be easier to accurize? Like I said, I'm just posting my opinions, I'm not trying to step on any toes.

I had a Howa 1500 once, and it didn't impress me much. It was a .223 bolt gun.

I have never been a huge fan of the Winchester M70 rifles for some reason....I really don't know why? I have never had any issue with one, I just prefer the 700 action. It's partly the same reason why I don't do anything with my old Ruger M77 II tang-safety models, I am just not a huge fan of the Mouser 98 style action, so I leave them alone and they collect dust in the safe. I do take my 77 7Mag out to hunt every now and then when I know I'll be walking alot and want a lightweight rifle to tote.

I will never talk bad about any action, because they all have the potential for extreme accuracy, but everyone has their favorites.
 
Not sure what you mean by "moving parts", but I don't think the 700 is any "simpler" than the M70. To accurize an action on the basic level, the action is squared up and trued to accept a trued barrel. The bolt lugs are also lapped for good and equal contact.

Beyond that, the raceway is sometimes modified. With the 700, many (including myself) replace the stock bolt with a one piece bolt (safety and function issue) and upgraded extractor (function issue). They also replace the recoil lug with a heavier duty tapered lug and have it pinned to the receiver which a basic function issue that will affect accuracy if the lug starts to deform under stress, which does sometimes happen, especially with more potent chamberings.

The M70 and Vanguard/Howa both have integrated recoils that are made as part of the receiver.

The Howa/Vanguard actions have one piece, ported bolts with M16 style extractors.

Another thing about the M70 and Howa is they have flat bottom reciever which many believe are a better design than round bottom receivers because they better resist the twisting action that occurs when a bullet is sent down a rifled barrel.

Triggers. I have worked on 700, M70 and Vanguard triggeres. The M70 being the simplest and easiest to tune followed by the Vanguard. The (old style) 700 triggers were a PITA to tune and also a PITA to remove and put back. The Vanguard is the easiest to remove and put back - one screw. I was able to tune both my Senderos to about 2 1/2 lbs, the M70 to 1 lb and the Vanguards to 1.5 lbs. The new Vanguard trigger is a better trigger overall, two stage with 3 position safety, easy to tune - 1 screw and very crisp. Unfortunately, the one I got will only tune down to about 3 lbs. I might clip out a coil in the spring to lighten it or replace it with a Timney but for now it works well enough.

I just recently picked up a new Vanguard (the one referred to above) in 223 and it's a great shooter. 1/2 MOA

IMO, actions are probably the component that least least affect the accuracy of a rifle with the barrel and stock being the most important components. The bedding of the action is of course very important.

I've said before that any action can be made to function well in an accurate rifle. It's just a matter of how much time and $$$ you have to put into it. In my experience the Vanguard action have cost much less and the only thing I have replaced is the trigger - not out of necessity (already tuned to a crisp 1.5 lbs), but out of preference for a 3 position trigger for a hunting rifle.

One of my early rifles was an M77 (Tang Safety) 7mm RM. It served me very well as a short to mid range hunting rifle. With handloads, I got about 3/4 MOA until I burned the barrel out. Now it just sits here retired. If i do get it rebarreled it will be because of sentimental value and not because I like the action. The angled front action screw is a problematic design and recoil lug, although integrated is smallish. The scope mount design is a good one but does not allow for a one peice base unless you had one custom made. Also very limited choice of rings due to it's proprietary design.

Hope that helps the OP. Sorry I could not comment on the Savage action.
 
I like Savage actions. I also have a Rem action with a Jewell trigger. If the Jewell was not on the table, I would say go Savage, but I would not give up that Jewell trigger.
 
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