Savage has had bad QC issues lately, I'd skip 'em.

Well the 4 month old MKII that I have has no QC issues. It runs very well, and after 2500 rounds down the tube I'm continually amazed with the accuracy of this rifle. This gun is much more capable of knocking down the iron than I am. IMHO, this game is more about the shooter than the equipment one uses. Go find a gun you like.....find the ammo it shoots best......and go have fun practicing.

Have fun!

Jim B.

JimBo wrote:IMHO, this game is more about the shooter than the equipment one uses. Go find a gun you like.....find the ammo it shoots best......and go have fun practicing.

Have fun!

Jim B.

You're partially right. Durability, to my grief, is a major variable in this equation since most manufacturers don't expect their customers to shoot 5,000 rounds a year and use their product in frequent dry fire drills. If the rifle has weak points, they'll show up within a year or so, so please let us know how the Savage holds up.

I agree, durability is in fact an issue. At the rate I'm going, this rifle will have more than 5000 rounds through it by the end of this summer. I expect it to do fine though.

Indeed I will report back as to how well this rifle holds up.

Jim B.

Well, I bought a Mark II FSS in December '06 or January '07 and it had several issues straight out of the box. I got a warranty replacement in August '07, and it had the same issues and more. I got another warranty replacement, looked after personally by their head QC guy, and it showed up as the worst of all three. Absolutely unbelievable. They gave me my money back, and I bought a CZ 453 Varmint. Happy ever since.

JimBo wrote:Well the 4 month old MKII that I have has no QC issues. It runs very well, and after 2500 rounds down the tube I'm continually amazed with the accuracy of this rifle. This gun is much more capable of knocking down the iron than I am. IMHO, this game is more about the shooter than the equipment one uses. Go find a gun you like.....find the ammo it shoots best......and go have fun practicing.

Have fun!

Jim B.

Sorry for your trouble Shorty. I can certainly see why you wouldn't recommend a Savage. If I had the the same trouble, I wouldn't either! Maybe we got lucky. My son has a BTVS and I have a BV. Both run very well and are very accurate. We've had no issues.

Jim B.

"We're all aiming for the X"

Exactly why I was so confused, because over on rimfirecentral there is no shortage of people very happy with their Savage rimfires. But mine came with crowns that were made by jamming the muzzle into a pile of concrete rubble and spinning it around from the looks of them, pits in the bore at both the muzzle and chamber end that were probably from worn out pilots on tools used past their useful life, dovetails for the open sights machined way off center so they were very canted, "stainless" barrel on the first replacement was rusty like crazy. It wasn't fun, heh. All three were from different production runs, so it wasn't like it was an isolated incident in one run of guns. And I heard confirmation of similar issues from other Savage buyers, so it seemed to be somewhat widespread. I just assumed that '07 was a bad year, since there were so many other owners that were happy with theirs. Who knows. I'd just advise against buying one sight unseen. Examine one before you buy it to make sure there aren't any glaringly obvious problems with it. I imagine they can be very good shooters if you actually get a good one. But, at least for a little while, it wasn't easy to get a good one. I don't know if they've improved since then or not. All I know is I'm extremely happy with my CZ, hehe.

Shorty,

I got to shoot a CZ a few weeks ago and was very impressed with fit and finish. What really impressed me though was the group size at 50 yrds. A CZ is next on my want list. For now though I need to check out my latest purchase, a Rem 504T LS HB. I'll have a good idea after I get to the range tomorrow.

Take care,

Jim B.

I know this gets repetitious, but if you're serious about shooting Silhouette you will eventually have an Anschutz - probably a 1712. Most other rifles will require constant maintenance and repair under the constant use, and you will become reluctant to travel with them without a backup. The only currently produced exception I know is one of the CZ 452 variants, but those need some preparation, usually trigger and bedding, to become really competitive while a 1712 is competitive out of the box - clean it, mount a scope, and go to the range.

True. But I've been happily competing now with the CZ, and somewhat frusratingly with the Savage for some months before that, for about a year and a half now. If I had chosen to wait and buy an Anschutz 1712 instead, chances are I could still be waiting. Naturally it makes more sense to simply buy the rifle that's best suited for the job in the first place, such as the 1712, rather than "wasting" money on something else. But economics isn't something that can always be ignored. I'm much happier shooting a CZ right now than I would be sitting at home watching TV while I slowly scrape enough together to get the Anschutz. I've got a line on a 1712 from one of the local shooters now, and I'm hoping to pick that up soon. But I'm still glad I have the CZ, and I'm more than happy with its performance. It's what I could afford at the time, barely, and it's done me well. Luckily finances are taking a turn for the better around here lately, and a good deal on a used Anschutz is making it look like it's no longer a pipe dream. In the grand scheme of things, the pricetag for an Anschutz really isn't a whole lot of money, but it's not exactly chump change, either. I think a CZ is a really good compromise, even if it's just a short term solution on the road to an Anschutz. It'll make an excellent backup/loaner once the Anschutz comes along, too.

_Shorty wrote:\It'll make an excellent backup/loaner once the Anschutz comes along, too.

That's definitely true. My CZ 452 has hooked at least four people on silhouette so far since I got my 1712, and is working on one more right now.

I'm hoping the wife'll come give it a try too, as she's been shooting with me a bunch of times. Just not silhouette yet. I think she'll like it.

Anschutz are a big chunk to bite off, and I'm fortunate to have one. Most budgets are stretched to do a CZ, and I would never tell someone "Anschutz or nothing" because they'd miss a lot of fun! Definitely start with whatever you have, get a CZ when you're ready and the Anschutz when you can.

My intro to the sport was last year, shooting a couple matches with an Anschutz hunter 64 action lent by a friend. I bought this simple classic rifle for a fair price, with the decent 6x18 scope that was on it.

This 40 y.o. hunter still shoots mighty fine and keeps me competitive in A class. In this case, buying used was a good call and not much money was involved.

i see the lack of repeat shooters as 2 fold one is low scores for folks who think they're great shots. second is sticker shock.

our sport is dying

we need to get new people back. if a marlin model 60 does the job then that should be great. the thread was where is a good place to start.i do agree that a 1710/12 is a good place to start and finish,but that is unrealistic.

the fact is most people ,who are not competitive or from a competitive background, when they think 22 rifle they think under 200 bucks at the local walmart .

when i told my deer hunting buddys i was getting a cz for 400 they thought i was insane.and these were long time shooters. moms and dads who bring junior or little miss to try it out will steer clear if it is going to be a 1k+ investment.

i would love to have a 1700 as a matter of fact my 13yr old is shooting one that my gererous mentor durant7 is loaning him.me?i shoot a cz varmint w/fx3 30x on top.it did need trigger work and some relief in the barrel channel. shoots better than i can of the bench so off hand it should be all me. fo me a 1700 will come after my sons collage and braces

we need to inform our sticker shock folks gently that a fine 22 IS worth it.people will pay 700-1500 for a rifle that they will shoot 40 or so shots a year if that. i have a little less than a year on my cz and 2 cases(10000) through it what is the cost per shot my lack of a 1700 is not due to lack of dedication

regards to you all

handsome dave