Savage or remington?

[tecumseh]

My brother is going to get a 300 WSM and I told him to look at the remington 700 sps stainless or the savage mod 16. He's leaning toward the savage for the accutrigger, Is one better than the other or are they about the same when it comes to quality?

 

[JD338]

You won't go wrong with Savage. Very well built and accurate.

JD338

 

[Guy Miner]

Now JD... What are your .280 & .338 rifles???

Hint - it starts out with "Rem..." :grin:

tecumseh - I'm a Remington fan, but JD338 is right - the Savage is a mighty good rifle, right out of the box. If at all possible, have him try both, just to see which one feels better to him. Chances are either one will be accurate and reliable enough for hunting.

Regards, Guy

 

[DrMike]

A "good" Remington is a fine rifle; but it can sometimes be difficult to find a "good" Remington. A Savage is a fine rifle and it is almost always good.

 

[Mountain Goat]

If one points or has a more natural fit and feel, then use that as a priority motivating factor. If not, then use some of these determining factors:

Barrel
Both are known for good accurate factory barrels with a slight advantage to Savage.
Fit and Finish
SPS rifles have a rough texture, a stock that might need some material removed and bottom metal that is not very durable. Savages are put together very well, have a free-floated barrel and choices on bottom metal configuration. Advantage: Savage
Bedding
SPS rifles are not bedded at all. Just an action in a plastic stock with a pressure point at the fore-end. Savages are pillar bedded in a little bit better quality plastic stock. Advantage: Savage.
Trigger
I don't need to elaborate on this one. Big advantage Savage.
I also think that the 3-position safety, bolt release and hinged floor-plate release of the Savage is a better design and in better locations. The SPS will have a bit better re-sale, but who intends on buying a new rifle to take hunting and make money on it? The SPS will be known as a "nice" rifle, similar to a good comfort food resaurant, while the Savage will be known as an "accurate" rifle not equally respected by all. He may or may not like the SPS after shooting it. He will like the Savage after shooting it.

 

[SJB358]

Great points Mountain Goat! I think getting a good Remington out of the box is a hit or miss proposition these days. I am more willing to bet my pay on a Ruger, Winchester or Savage these days, or even a TC. Scotty

 

[ScreaminEagle]

My brother is going to get a 300 WSM and I told him to look at the remington 700 sps stainless or the savage mod 16. He's leaning toward the savage for the accutrigger, Is one better than the other or are they about the same when it comes to quality?

Before a couple months ago I would have told you to buy remington, but I just bought a sps varmint in 22-250 and it has left a bad taste in my mouth! Let it be known that I own 4 rem 700's and love every one of them, but the were my father's and were all made before I was born. They are fine pieces of craftsmanship. This new one on the other hand is GARBAGE!

First the new xmark trigger is junk. Even after I adjusted it all the way it sucked!

Second the synthetic stock is junk. I took the buttpad off and it's full of styrofoam packing to keep vibration down I guess. JUNK!

Third the bolt felt like it had sand in it even after a good cleaning and oil

I fixed all this by replacing the xmark with a new timney trigger, polishing the bolt, and ordering a new stock. This isn't something I should have had to do with a new rifle.

My advice is unless you are buying a pre 80's rem 700 buy a Savage and don't look back!

 

[Hegland]

Chances are either one will be accurate and reliable enough for hunting.

+1.

ScreaminEagle and MG both raise valid points about the 700s. The X-mark is no feather, but I actually kind of like it for a hunting rifle. The stocks are very cheap, and the black coating on the SPS rifles makes the bolt awfully rough. However, if you're looking at a stainless action, it should be pretty smooth, similar to the 700s of the past.

Even with these perceived faults, the SPS I bought last spring has kept everything I've tried with it inside of 3/4", and it shot the first one-hole group of my life.

In the end, I don't think he'll go too far wrong either way. It really does boil down to which one he likes most. To reiterate Guy's point, see if he can get his hands on both and see which suits his fancy.

 

[tecumseh]

Thanks guys! We're going to go to a local shop this week and look at both,I think he's 99% positive about going with the savage.I think it's a good move but wanted to check with others first and get some feedback. I've yet to read a bad revue on the accutrigger.

 

[Guest]

I'll hrow a wrench in the works and suggest he also look at the Weatherby Vanguard. It's available in 300WSM and at a pricepoint in line with the Savage, for what I consider a better rifle out of the box. It is, at least, worth a look.

And I'll agree with those who have said that fit is a key factor.

 

[BK]

Good call on the Vanguard, the only hesitation I might have is it seems like the OP wanted a stainless rifle, and I dunno if Weatherby/Howa is making/offering SS rifles (at least in the Weatherby line. I'm pretty sure Howa does SS .300 Wizzums).

 

[SJB358]

I think there are new SS vanguards coming out. Good price on them also. Scotty

 

[kendog]

Just got a new Savage yesterday, freakin love the trigger so far.

 

[BK]

I think there are new SS vanguards coming out. Good price on them also. Scotty

Crap, now I remember the press release... they're called S2 or G2 or something, right?

 

[SJB358]

I think so. Can't remember. Those Vanguards are alot of good rifle for the money though. Scotty

 

[Mountain Goat]

I own a Vanguard too, but keep in mind that it has the Chevy Monte Carlo stock that isn't for everyone. I like the action, trigger and safety of the Vanguard better than the M700. The Savage 3-position safety is located where a safety should be. The M700 happens to fit me the best. I guess that's why I own all 3 models.

 

[TBASTIAN]

Here's the link for the Weatherby: http://www.weatherby.com/vanguardseries2

You can get them in SS and they're also guaranteed to shot SUB-MOA.

 

[cloverleaf]

Savage.... CL

 

[BK]

Scotty:

yep, I sorta have two of them... a Howa 7WSM in SS and a Weatherby Vanguard .223 in blue/synthetic.

 

[taylorce1]

My brother is going to get a 300 WSM and I told him to look at the remington 700 sps stainless or the savage mod 16. He's leaning toward the savage for the accutrigger, Is one better than the other or are they about the same when it comes to quality?

First the new xmark trigger is junk. Even after I adjusted it all the way it sucked!

Second the synthetic stock is junk. I took the buttpad off and it's full of styrofoam packing to keep vibration down I guess. JUNK!

Third the bolt felt like it had sand in it even after a good cleaning and oil

I don't currently own a Remington but I'm not a fan of the Accutrigger. Give me a SSS competition trigger on my varmint rigs and a NSS reworked 3 screw trigger for my hunting rigs. Never had a problem with the old style triggers either on my Remingtons that I used to own.

Savage has their injection molded stocks filled with styrofoam packing as well. The flex too much for my tastes but they still shoot as long as you aren't using a bi-pod. I don't think it has to do with vibrations as much as sound control, that way it doesn't sound like you are beating a drum walking through the woods if you happen to bump the stock against anything solid.

Had a couple of Savages that felt the same way as your bolt felt. I'm not saying the quality of Remington hasn't came down over the years. Savage has a well deserved reputation in the accuracy department, I'm just not sure the average shooter will tell the difference between the two brands.