Hi guys, new member here (though i've already spent 6+ hrs browsing articles). I recently acquired a Savage 116 Long Range Stainless Rifle with heavy fluted barrel in 300 win mag for a heck of a deal. I'd like to build it up to be a real shooter so what would you guys suggest for initial modifications? I've got a Vortex Diamondback 4-16x44 that will go on it and ordered a DNZ Game Reaper one piece mount for it. Was thinking i should upgrade the stock (personally a fan of thumbhole style) and then possibly getting a thread on muzzle brake installed to tame the 300's recoil a bit. I'm newish to Montana and really long range shooting (250 was about the max i saw back in the midwest with my 270) but i'm looking to get into the sport. Any advice would be appreciated.
Savage 116 Long Range in 300 WM upgrades
- Thread starter jrfoltz89
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johnnyk
Well-Known Member
Welcome aboard!
Is that with or without Accu Trigger? If with, you're probably Ok. If it's an older model without, I'd suggest looking into getting an aftermarket trigger, such as the Rifle Basix. I have Accu Triggers on two other Savages and they work fairly well for what they are.
As you stated, a muzzle brake will go a long way toward taming the .300WinMag to a comfortable shooter. I initially shot 180gn bullets and not very many. About 10 rounds was all I could take per range session. After the MB and recoil pad install, I went to 212/215gn bullets and actually enjoy shooting the thing!
Not a fan of the thumb hole stocks but to each his own. Stockys has the laminate thumb holes on sale for $199.99.
I would definitely have the stock bedded, regardless of stock and pillars installed and bedded if aluminum bedding block was not an option.
The scope has sufficient MOA (85MOA) for LR depending on how much it takes to zero the rifle. If you end up with half the elevation MOA your scope is rated for you should still be able to get to 1500yds with the right load. Figures based on 212gn ELD-X @ 3076fps (69*, 84%RH, 29.97 BP @ 49' ASL). Long way past 250yds, for sure, but doable! :>{)
Is that with or without Accu Trigger? If with, you're probably Ok. If it's an older model without, I'd suggest looking into getting an aftermarket trigger, such as the Rifle Basix. I have Accu Triggers on two other Savages and they work fairly well for what they are.
As you stated, a muzzle brake will go a long way toward taming the .300WinMag to a comfortable shooter. I initially shot 180gn bullets and not very many. About 10 rounds was all I could take per range session. After the MB and recoil pad install, I went to 212/215gn bullets and actually enjoy shooting the thing!
Not a fan of the thumb hole stocks but to each his own. Stockys has the laminate thumb holes on sale for $199.99.
I would definitely have the stock bedded, regardless of stock and pillars installed and bedded if aluminum bedding block was not an option.
The scope has sufficient MOA (85MOA) for LR depending on how much it takes to zero the rifle. If you end up with half the elevation MOA your scope is rated for you should still be able to get to 1500yds with the right load. Figures based on 212gn ELD-X @ 3076fps (69*, 84%RH, 29.97 BP @ 49' ASL). Long way past 250yds, for sure, but doable! :>{)
It does have the Accutrigger and according to the seller it has the Accustock as well (still feels a bit flimsy to me though). I think the muzzle brake is going to be my first order of business after putting 20 rounds down range, got the bruise to prove it too. My main question is what brakes should i consider? I see a ton of variability in styles and price range, just looking to get the best bang for my buck! All i know of right now is to make sure the gunsmith knows what they're doing and that i want to be able to shoot prone so i only want ports on the sides. I saw the Stockeys sale, are those decent stocks then? I'm a researcher by nature (3 advanced degrees in Earth sciences) so I like to dig into the weeds of these kind of things and ultimately make things more complicated than they need to be haha.
Greetings from the Great Falls side of the Big Sky Country. Welcome to LRH (and Montana) and enjoy it! Where in Montana?
I have a few Savage rifles/builds and they are shooters and very DIY friendly. "I" am not a fan of your choice in scope or mount but that's just me. There are plenty of choices in well designed/effective and reasonably priced muzzle brakes. If your rifle is not threaded (5/8-24"), that would be the first thing I would recommend. The shop for a self-indexing muzzle brake with side ports (not a fan of radial). Check out @IdahoCTD 's brakes at https://muzzlebrakesandmore.com/. Below is my latest purchase from him ...
Below is a 4-port version on my .264 WM on a Savage 111F LA ...
If you like thumbhole stock, check out >>> https://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/boyd's-la-savage-111-red-thumbhole.238717/#post-1863720
Longrange hunting/shooting does not happen overnight, so take your time and enjoy the learning process.
Good luck!
Ed
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Also curious where in Montana you decided to settle. Might be able to meet up and chew some fat. I agree 1,000,000% with Feenix about Muzzlebrakesandmore.com. I have his 5 port beast brake on my 338 RUM and it's so tame that a 4 year old was able to shoot it. And the guys prices make you feel like you're robbing him
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Buck Fever
Well-Known Member
Your scope is the weak point of your plan. I have recently heard a few unflattering reports of DNZ mounts also. Leopold makes some nice scope rails in 7075 aluminum with very reasonable prices.
Before spending money threading your barrel, make sure it is accurate enough for you and not too worn out.
Also, make sure you are happy with how smooth the action runs. You can get a longer bolt handle to give you more leverage but if the action is rough, there are lift kits and "time and true" services that Savage gunsmiths do.
There are some cheap extractor and ejector upgrades that can solve some common issues that you may or may not have.
Then trigger work, the stock and bedding.
If you really get in to it, a new barrel will make the list, Criterion, Shillen and XCaliber are a few of the good but fairly low cost barrel options.
Savage rifles can shoot really well on a low budget if you spend wisely.
On the other hand, you will have a very hard time getting back the money you put in because even though Savage has a reputation for accurate rifles, their reputation for cheap rifles is more well known and custom Savages just have poor resale, probably worse than amateur gunsmith custom Remington 700's. If you spend too much money, it will be even worse.
Before spending money threading your barrel, make sure it is accurate enough for you and not too worn out.
Also, make sure you are happy with how smooth the action runs. You can get a longer bolt handle to give you more leverage but if the action is rough, there are lift kits and "time and true" services that Savage gunsmiths do.
There are some cheap extractor and ejector upgrades that can solve some common issues that you may or may not have.
Then trigger work, the stock and bedding.
If you really get in to it, a new barrel will make the list, Criterion, Shillen and XCaliber are a few of the good but fairly low cost barrel options.
Savage rifles can shoot really well on a low budget if you spend wisely.
On the other hand, you will have a very hard time getting back the money you put in because even though Savage has a reputation for accurate rifles, their reputation for cheap rifles is more well known and custom Savages just have poor resale, probably worse than amateur gunsmith custom Remington 700's. If you spend too much money, it will be even worse.
Deputy819
Well-Known Member
I too am NOT a fan of thumb-hole stocks. Have you considered putting that thing in a chassis? I recently bought a McRee's G7 chassis for a .300 Win Mag build and I absolutely love it. I'll agree with the other members by also recommending MBM brakes. I've purchased 2 of the 'Beast' series and they are outstanding.
First and foremost, shoot it first to see if there is potential for what it is. If it shoots well enough, do nothing. Learn how to shoot what it is so you can develop an opinion going forward on what YOU want to do with it. Maybe nothing but maybe complete rebuild or DANG get rid of it. You've wasted no money and still learned a bunch from it. You say you haven't shot much past 250 so why throw a whole bunch of money at a process that you still have to learn. You haven't mentioned a rangefinder that can read deer size targets past 500 yards consistently under any environmental condition. You cannot shoot distance without one so where do you invest first? You current rig will get you to 500-600 easily assuming it is a typical Savage that will shoot well enough for that distance.
Muzzleblast and recoil are an issue you say but that comes with the 300WM with big bullets. You should realize the 300WM really doesn't turn on until 200+ grain bullets and for LR you pretty much have to use them. But if you stay at 500-600 yards or so, 180-190 will work fine.
One way to lessen the perceived felt recoil is to improve bench technique and something that a lot of shooters overlook is ear protection. If you take the MB down to nothing, it can be amazing how much less the recoil seems to be. I always recommend Walkers Premium Passive muffs that have a NRR of 32 which is almost 50% higher than average muffs. These muffs are fantastic and comfortable. If you add in ear plugs, the end result is a poof report and not holy crap that was loud.
Muff Link: Walker Muffs
So burn some powder to see what it can do then sit back and think about what your needs are going to be. Maybe 500-600 is all you think you need will be which is much different decision.
Muzzleblast and recoil are an issue you say but that comes with the 300WM with big bullets. You should realize the 300WM really doesn't turn on until 200+ grain bullets and for LR you pretty much have to use them. But if you stay at 500-600 yards or so, 180-190 will work fine.
One way to lessen the perceived felt recoil is to improve bench technique and something that a lot of shooters overlook is ear protection. If you take the MB down to nothing, it can be amazing how much less the recoil seems to be. I always recommend Walkers Premium Passive muffs that have a NRR of 32 which is almost 50% higher than average muffs. These muffs are fantastic and comfortable. If you add in ear plugs, the end result is a poof report and not holy crap that was loud.
Muff Link: Walker Muffs
So burn some powder to see what it can do then sit back and think about what your needs are going to be. Maybe 500-600 is all you think you need will be which is much different decision.
A belated welcome to you as well.
Wow, sorry for the late replies guys and thanks for the welcomings! I'll try to answer all questions but let me know if i missed anything. I'm located in Butte as i work in the environmental remediation field and there's a century's worth of work to be done here. Thanks for the suggestions about Muzzle Brakes and More, I've been in contact with him and after a bunch of review looks like the Lil Beast Max Port will be the way i go. My next problem will be finding a reputable gunsmith in the area to install it so i dont lose accuracy (though i know point of impact will change). I dont handload (yet) but i've found a factory 200gr Norma load that will produce subMOA groups so I think she's probably worth building up.
Im not looking to make it into a $10k build or anything like that, just a rifle i can shoot 800 yds with if i have to reach out that far while hunting. Honestly as a recent college grad i'd like to keep the entire thing under 2000 if possible. The scope was a birthday present and decent enough that im going to use it for now but plan on upgrading when i see a good deal on something better. What have the negative reports on the DNZ mounts been saying? I looked into them and found the vast majority of reviews positive. A link to an article would be appreciated here.
I have a nikon 1000 yd rangefinder already and solid hearing protection, in addition to the recoil i'm looking at the brake to reduce barrel jump for follow up shots and to see where game goes after the shot.
Thanks again for all the suggestions!
Im not looking to make it into a $10k build or anything like that, just a rifle i can shoot 800 yds with if i have to reach out that far while hunting. Honestly as a recent college grad i'd like to keep the entire thing under 2000 if possible. The scope was a birthday present and decent enough that im going to use it for now but plan on upgrading when i see a good deal on something better. What have the negative reports on the DNZ mounts been saying? I looked into them and found the vast majority of reviews positive. A link to an article would be appreciated here.
I have a nikon 1000 yd rangefinder already and solid hearing protection, in addition to the recoil i'm looking at the brake to reduce barrel jump for follow up shots and to see where game goes after the shot.
Thanks again for all the suggestions!
I have no personal experience but https://precisiongunsmontana.com/ is in Whitehall. An hour south of you at Dillon is Alex Wheeler (https://www.wheeleraccuracy.com/contact). Alex would be my choice. He is also an LRH member (can't remember if he's a site sponsor too). Bigngreen is another excellent choice. It just depends on how far you are willing to travel or send your rifle. Muzzle threading should run you no more than $100.
Nathan at Muzzle Brakes and More already suggested Alex but unfortunately he wouldnt be able to do it before next hunting season. The price for being good i guess! I'll give precision guns montana a call and see what their back log looks like. I just didnt want to take it to someone who doesnt know what theyre doing and completely screw up the barrel harmonics. Thanks!
Any work on the muzzle or anything you put on the muzzle will change the barrel harmonics from its original state.
