Another guy needing help

midmo

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2010
Messages
192
Location
Columbia, MO
I have a marlin xl7 in 30 06, i am looking to get another rifle but in left hand, I am looking at savage and a r700, i know sps comes in left hand, I do not know which to get, i know the sps will need a trigger job. I just don't know the good things and bad things about either companies rifles. If you have any advice please let me know.

thanks
 
Rifles are kinda user specific. Everyone has a favorite brand & or model. There are very accurate rifles from most major manufacturers out there nowadays. You always run the risk of getting a lemon, & getting stuck in the "customer service" game with no real end in sight.

Have you considered re-piping an old rifle? If you choose to re barrel & keep the bolt face the same its usually VERY cost effective. Approx the same $ as a brand new rifle of good quality. But you'd have a guaranteed accurate semi custom with a longer pipe for higher muzzle velocity, floated, and action bedded, tried, & squared.
I'm currently having one of my ol Winchester Model-70 XTR's done. It started life as an -06, but its being converted to a long action 300 WSM with a bit longer throat, longer barrel, fluted, bolt fluting, muzzle brake, extended mag, squared & trued action etc. This adds a bit to the price, but its built to MY specs, & guaranteed to be a shooter. & honestly I'm still only at about the price of 1 1/2 new rifles.

Just something to consider. Maybe you want to go to a local pawn shop & buy a cheap Win or Rem rifle as a donor.
There are some Top Shelf smiths, & sponsors on this site, & they're as good as it gets. Some even offer package deals. When you play in the L/R game, your gonna be around some of the best, & most demanding shooters in the world. These guys wouldn't be sponsors here if they weren't the best, & capable of catering to this crowd.

If you want to stay with factory store bought rifles, I'd highly recomend Weatherby Vanguard S-II, if you can find one with a kickstand on the wrong side:D
They're guaranteed sub MOA, & they're very affordable, have a good adjustable trigger, they're rebuildable, & Howa1500/Wby Vanguard has a pretty good aftermarket support for future upgrades.
 
the only bolt gun I have is my marlin xl7 in 06. I don't really need a out of box gun, I am looking for the best way to have a rifle for me. not many companies offer left handed models and some are out of my budget. if i could build one over time that would be best. Should I look for left handed models in pawn shops? i know it would be ideal but but not sure how many i will come across. I haven't looked in the weatherby yet but I will see if they have a lefty available. what models of the others you mentioned should I look for? sorry i am really new to this and don't really have anywhere else to go for this kind of information. I would like it to have great accuracy, although i know i will not be as accurate as the rifle. Thanks for the your response I was afraid I wasn't going to be getting any responses.
 
the only bolt gun I have is my marlin xl7 in 06. I don't really need a out of box gun, I am looking for the best way to have a rifle for me. not many companies offer left handed models and some are out of my budget. if i could build one over time that would be best. Should I look for left handed models in pawn shops? i know it would be ideal but but not sure how many i will come across. I haven't looked in the weatherby yet but I will see if they have a lefty available. what models of the others you mentioned should I look for? sorry i am really new to this and don't really have anywhere else to go for this kind of information. I would like it to have great accuracy, although i know i will not be as accurate as the rifle. Thanks for the your response I was afraid I wasn't going to be getting any responses.

Rem700, (NOT THE WALMART ONE! that's a one time use, & throw away gun, not buildable).
Win Model-70 push feed is cheapest to buy, & to build, controlled round feed costs more to buy, & to build. Pre 64' co$ts $$$.
Call a smith like Teds Custom Shop in Weatherford Ok. for example, & talk to him. See what he recomends, or likes to build for a budget build. I know he had an ol Winchester (Right hand), & probably has a 98' Mauser or two (don't know if they come in Left hand) but he's a wealth of knowledge. He's also building my rifle I mentioned earlier.

Maybe he'd be able to set you up with a nice rig, or point you in a direction.

Do you want a long action or short action?
What's your intended use? Wt. Deer only? or do you Elk hunt too?
How far away do you want to shoot said critters?
Do you handload? Do you want wildcat cartriges or something you go by ammo for?
What kind of performance do you want? Champaign taste on a Beer budget, or....?
If you handload, look in your manual at listed B.C.'s of bullets, & load data for different cartriges & run them thru JBM Balistics calculator. It's free.
If you don't have a load book buy one. They're about $28 & well worth every penny.

Example of stuff to look up on JBM:
Take a 30 cal, & let's say a 180gr bullet, & compare em in different cartriges.
A 308 win is a fine cartrige, but an -06 will do anything a 308 can do, & do it better, & faster, yet a 300 win trumps an -06', and a 300 RUM trumps that ballistically but now barrel life is dwindling rapidly..... There's always a trade off.
A big 338 that can launch 300gr pills at "holy crap speed" is the best thing going for LR, like Elk past 1k at the moment, but you prettymuch have to handload or buy 338 Lapua ammo, & that may require a second mortgage on your house.... It's all gonna depend on your expectations, intended use, & budget.
Good luck, & don't be scared off by high rollers shootin ferrari cartriges. There's plenty of room in the LR world for a budget gun too. You just need to figure out where you stand, so you know what direction to jump.

I'm not a Savage fan personally, but I know a lot of well respected LRH members, & shooters here that are. There's even a few threads about LR on a budget. Do s search for Tikkamike, & look for a thread he started about a super budget build on a savage if you want to go that direction. Savage had to earn thier accuracy reputation. It wasn't just given to them. For a cheap, ugly, rough as a cobb gun, they flat out shoot good. Bigngreen Loves em too. He's got video of him smokin an Elk at like 850 ish with his Savage 270 WSM.

Do some research, & call Ted. Good luck.
 
what is a good caliber to use. i use 30 06 now and i like it but not sure what else would be good to use. i was maybe thinking about 7mag, but not really sure what to choose
 
The caliber question is one that only you can answer. If you are recoil sensitive, I would consider a muzzle break. Craig Boddington said, " Choose the biggest caliber you can shoot accurately". Which means no flinching of course.

If your looking for a long ranger, the 338 RUM or the 300 RUM are pretty awesome. Brass is reasonable and there are lots of guys in this forum that have tons of great knowledge.

I have the collection of Ultra Mags and love each one of them like my children. They all shoot very, very well. The 7mm ultra, 300 ultra, 338 ultra, are .25 group at 300 yards. I do not have muzzle breaks on any of them.

Good luck on your quest!!
 
Team:

I have an opportunity to purchase a Savage 110 DL Series H 300 Win Mag. It is a gun safe rifle with perhaps 100 round through it. Would this make a good fist build rifle for LR shooting. I am very new to LR shooting so humor me, I will try to only ask questions that I can not find on the site.

Second, what is the H Series in 110 rifle?

Thanks for the input,

P51
 
I know nothing about Savage. I know that you can change the barrels pretty easily, and the triggers are a strong point. They are a very good priced rifle. Many people have them, and love them.

I love my Remington 700's. I have tried Sako, and Winchester, but have always gone back to Remington. My father just bought a Remington 700 300 Win Mag. We changed the stock, put a Vias break on, and doing some load development. Good Choice on the caliber. You will not know if you like it, unless you shoot it.
 
Thanks, recoil is not an issue, my short range brush guns are Marlin 336 30/30; Marlin 444S and my trusted Marlin 45/70. All wonderful to 150 yards. The 300 Win Mag is very versatile round, I reload, so will be able to create a load that should be perfect for the Savage.

I was just not sure about the 300 Win Mag round as a suitable LR caliber. The price for the rifle was $350.00
 
Great price.

If recoil is not a issue, I would go with a 338 RUM, 338 Edge, or 338 Lapua. If "price" is a issue, then I would stick with the RUM calibers. Like I said, you have tons of options, and brass is reasonable. 300 and 338 are my favorites.

The 300 win mag is great too.

One other caliber that is cazy fun is 30-378 and 338-378. These are made by Weatherby. They are pretty inefficent, but fun and fast none the less.

Lots of choices.
 
If the 300 Win Mag barrel shots accurately, would there be a need to change the Barrel to 338?


Also, I was looking for a technical stock that I could just drop the guts of this rifle into. Looked at Boyd s, S&K etc but did not find a tactical syn stock. Do you have a better source?

Also, is there a trigger fix for this rifle that will allow me to adjust to say 1.5 lbs? The current trigger is stock and I have heard that is is very heavy.

Thx again for the insight

P51
 
There is no reason to change the barrel if the gun is accurate. A 300 win mag is a very respectable caliber. Navy Seal Sniper Chris Kyle had the most confirmed kills with a 300 win mag. Remember, you can shoot as large as a 230 grain Berger now!!!

Check out Stockys stocks. They have from soup to nuts as far as stocks go. All of my stocks have alum. bedding blocks in them. They are very accurate. One of my stocks are H & S precision. The other 3 are Bobby Hart Thumbholes with the alum bedding block. They are very nice and accurate.

There are lots and lots of good triggers out there. You need to find one that has all the requirements you need. Timeny Triggers are the ones I have. They work the best for me and I can adjust them easily.
 
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