Honest opinions on savage 111 fcxp3 30.06
I bought this savage,the 111 fcxp3,in 30.06.It's a affordable gun,but I've heard some mixed opinions on it's worth.(i know the scope is nothing special.)(comes with it)But the main thing im concerned with is accuracy.when i first got it,took it to the range,fired that first shot,and wham right above my eye the scope connected.(nice bump)so the recoil was too much for me,so i sent it to hollands guns to get the quick discharge muzzle brake put on.(i should be getting it back any day now.)I hope that takes care of the recoil.It should.what i wanna know is,why do i hear some gunsmith's saying"oh,you got a savage..."like it's a bad buy.is it?I've only got to put 14 rounds thru it before puting it away that day.(and the winds kicked up to 40 mph,so i left early.(besides,the recoil wasn't fun)opinions...please
sam rand
sam rand
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Hello from western Maryland,welcome to the forum.I don't claim to be an expert but the 30-06 caliber has been around a long time and your rifle,while not real popular,is still a good one in my opinion.The muzzle brake should reduce the recoil to make it comfortable for you.After you get used to shooting it,I think you'll like it.You didn't say if you reloaded ammo or not but I've found some really good loads for the '06.Good luck with it,Bob. 0 -
Actually, the Savage is a very popular rifle. In the opinion of the majority of shooters that I've spoken with (and with the majority of posts generated on Gunbroker's message forums about Savage rifles), Savage gives you an incredible amount of value for the price that you pay for their guns.
MISTAKE #1
You shouldn't have fired that rifle without having the eye-relief adjusted for YOUR PARTICULAR specifications. You and I could put our cheeks on different places. You should never have to adjust your cheek-to-stock weld in order to compliment the location where the manufacturer installed the scope. That scope should be adjusted to where YOU place your cheek on that stock.
We all react differently to recoil. The recoil of the .30-06 cartrige doesn't bother me much. I can shoot a few boxes of .30-06 and still feel comfortable. How experienced are you in the shooting sports? What other calibers are you experienced with?
MISTAKE #2:
You listened to a few silly gunsmiths who sound like "gun snobs" to me. They spend endless hours turning M.O.A. guns into 1/2 M.O.A. guns via all sorts of accurizing techniques etc... That's part of their job. Naturally they are going to badmouth your Savage. It's accurate out-of-the-box. It's a great utility gun giving good hunting-grade accuracy the day you pick it up at the store. Savage's are great guns. The only complaint about their guns that I ever hear is their heavy trigger pull. With the advent of the new Savage trigger, this complaint should go away soon.0 -
Actually,the gunsmith i talked to(one of'em)was kinda a snob on a few guns.so your probably right on that.The others,did ALL mention the trigger pull.(since i paid $400 for the gun)(including scope)i didn't expect it to be perfect.I went to the savagearms website,checked out their new trigger,and unfortunatley,it's not backward compatible.They even had a whole page explaing why they make the triggers so darn hard.safety laws.they even said,most people DO have gunsmith's fix the trigger problem.(voiding your warranty,of course.)but,if the trigger problem is the only thing wrong with it,guess i'll have to cough up some more cash for a trigger job.(just paid $150 for the muzzle brake!)but i havent even got it back yet,so,i dont know how much it's gonna make a difference.(ALOT from what i've heard)hope so!
sam rand0 -
I have a Savage 116 in 270. that I love. It shoots very well and cost under 300$ with a scope. Once you get used to the recoil I think you'll really like the gun. Whenever I fire a high caliber rifle for the first time with a scope I do it standing not from a benchrest. You can get a better idea about the recoil, and you lock the rifle into your shoulder better. Good luck with the new gun, and just ignore the people bad talking the Savage. They probaly paid 3 times as much for a gun that doesn't shoot half as well. 0 -
Im hoping to get comfortable with the 30.06 recoil.I have a remington 870 express shotgun,no real problem.('cept with magnum loads,ouch!)and i also have a 8mm mauser.Again,no problem.the reason that THIS gun's kicking my butt,is the scope.It's got a 3inch eye relief,so,not much room.Believe me,if i coulda lived with it,i wouldnt shell out $150 for a brake!(im too cheap!)But i want to enjoy what i got,and although most of the time when i shoot,i take my .22's.There cheap and fun.just the way i like 'em!My intrest has grown(obviously)to include the larger calibers.I still luv my .22's.Just wondering how big of a reduction in recoil it'll have.(its my first muzzle brake)it totally eliminates muzzle flip(so i heard)and brings down the kick to a .243.guess i'll find out soon.
sam rand0 -
I really appreciate you guy's input on this.When i first bought the gun,it was on the cheap.Then when the recoil turned me off,i had no choice but to get the brake.After hearing so many negatives,i wasn't sure i wanted to spend even more cash on the trigger.But you guy's have put my mind at ease,and i feel better about putting a few more bucks into it.thanks.
sam rand0 -
A 3" eye relief should be more than enough for shooting the 30/06. You didn't mention if you were shooting from a bench, prone, or what. The prone position is more likely to cause contact with eyepiece.
Mobuck0 -
Im on the bench.Wish i could put a harris bipod on it,but it's got the sling.And there's only 2 swivel studs.
sam rand0 -
For less than $200.00 you could have had a 22-250 bbl put on it and solved the recoil prob with the '06 bbl being saved for hunting.
For strictly bench shooting you should get a front benchrest and some sand bags. Cost is about the same as a bipod.
I wonder how feasible it would be to add some lead to the butt stock?? There are also some channels underneath the bbl that could hold some lead. A 12 or 14 lb gun don't kick nearly as bad as an 8 lb gun. When you are done bench shooting and are ready for hunting just take the lead out. You won't notice the recoil when hunting.
Be careful that you don't develop a flinch from anticipating the recoil.
For my 110 I currently have '06, 308 and 223 bbls. I would like to have a 7.62X39 and maybe a 243. I also have one of the inserts that allow use of .22lr in the 223 bbl. All this and I have not had the chance to shoot the gun yet[:I] !!! I could have gone yesterday but my arthritic neck wanted to lay down and now the weather is bad.[V]
Ray0 -
Hey,Ray thanks for your input.What you said does make sense.And yes,i did get a little gunshy(lol)after that first shot gave me a knot on my noggin'.The lead thing sounds good.Maybe thats why shooting my 8mm dosent bother me 1 bit.It's got some heft to it.Enough to make it comfortable to shoot.I appreciate the advice.
sam rand0 -
Contrary to what some will say, you have a fine rifle. Yes, the trigger leaves something to be desired;but, a few bucks at the gunsmith will fix that. As far as weather the gun is brand new you didnt say. Make sure to break in the barrel properly. There are millions of opinions on how to do this properly. In my opinion this is the one thing that should be done properly without fail because it has so much bearing on how the rifle will perform throughout its lifetime. A friend reccomended a website to me the other day that is done by a gentleman that has nothing better to do than shoot most of the time. Has a lot of good info on it. Have never broke in a barrel the way he states but am going to try it when and if my savage 12bvss in 300wsm gets here. To find his website do a search for varmintal. There is a lot of useful info on there.
welcome to America...now speak english or get the ****out0
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