first rifle: stevens 200 .308 or 30-06

B

beerandpizza

Inactive
hey everyone.

i think i'm going the way of the one rifle shooter. hopefully i can bag a hog one day, but before that happens i will probably be spending a lot of time at the range. and i'd like to work my way out to say 600 yds.

from what i've read, the stevens is a savage with a cheap stock. so, while keeping it sub-$800, i think i'm going to replace the stock with a choate tactical or maybe a B&C medalist. i still haven't done any research on optics so i'm open to any suggestions.

my biggest head-scratcher is deciding on a .308 or a 30-06. this being the only rifle i plan on purchasing, i'm hoping to make the right decision. i've shot a .270 but looking for a little more. never shot a .308 or an 06.

economically speaking, which one would you guys suggest in terms of cheap decent ammo, shooting pigs out to 600 yds, and longevity of the rifle as it relates to corrosion and wear from shooting? the .308 or 30-06?

anyone have any tips or warnings with changing out the OEM stock with a choate or B&C? should i do the detachable mag conversion like with SSS or CDI?
 
Either will do fine, but if you are going to shoot more at the range than hunt I'd go with the 06 (I meant to say .308). Stevens rifles are great if you are going to tinker with them. Other than that I'd just buy the Savage rifle you want from the start.

The two stocks you chose to put your rifle on are inletted for a varmint contour barrel. The Stevens is a lighter contour so you will have a lot of gap in the barrel channel. I think you would be better off buying a something like the Savage M10 Precision Carbine with Accustock than to buy a Stevens and start swapping parts out. With the precision carbine you'll get a much better trigger and stock to start with and by the time you upgrade the Stevens you will probably have spent nearly the same amount of money.

Stevens 200 .30-06/.308 AVG $300
B&C Medalist $230-250
Choate Tactical $220
Replacement Trigger (optional) $100
Replacement Barrel (optional) $140
Replacement recoil lug (optional) $20+
Replacement bolt handle (optional) $20+

So you'll be looking at around $550 in the Stevens by the time you just upgrade the stock. You can get around $20 for the Stevens stock which still puts you at $530 roughly. The bad thing is none of this includes a scope or mounts.
 
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thanks taylorce1.

i considered going with a savage for a bit, but the reason i want to build the rifle is for the tinkering. that probably doesn't create the cheapest scenario though.

total build cap right now is $1k including optics. i've never built a rifle before, but here's what i've got so far.

action & barrel: stevens 200 .308 (22" SA) or 30-06 (24" LA) ~$400 (includes tax+fees)
stock: choate tactical $220
trigger: timney or rifle basix $110 (the stevens 200 is basically a savage pre-accutrigger)
scope, rings, base: ? open to suggestions ?
bipod: harris (the choate has an adapter for the harris i believe)
recoil lug: keep it OEM?

and i might do the SSS detachable mag mod at a later date, which is catered for the choate stock.

i'm pretty sure there are holes in this build that i haven't accounted for yet. wha'ddya think?
 
I recomend the SSS competition trigger which is better trigger IMO. If you are going to get the Timney or Rifle Basix there is a cheaper option. The two triggers you mentioned are basicly Savage 3 screw triggers, you can pick up a tuned Savage 3 screw from Northland Shooter Supply for $50.

I wouldn't change out the recoil lug unless you are going to change the barrel either; with the stock you want to use I'd be swaping the barrel out real fast. That said the aftermarket ones are much better than the original factory lugs. I've used both the Stockade and SSS recoil lugs. The Stevens bolt handle is very short and I prefer to use either the Stockade or SSS tac bolt handle as well.

As far as bases go I've used EGW 20 MOA and Druasight one piece bases. The last base I bought before the EGW's was the Burris Tactical two piece. I ususally use Weaver or Warne QRW or PRW rings

Optics is up to your choice. I'd look at Vortex, Leupold or Nikon. That said the last scope I bought for my Savage LR .243 was the Weaver Tactical Grand Slam 3.5-10X40 with mil-dot reticle. It seems like a very good scope for the money as well, and it had good reviews over on Sniper Central.

Most Harris bi-pods will attach to the factory sling swivel stud.
 
.308 and.30-06 are for all intents identical, except for the '06s ability to handle heavier and longer bullets due to the added case length. .30-06 is more versatile in my opinion, but the deer or hog on the receiving end won't care to ask which you used. .308 rifles if built on a shorter action can be lighter, and you'll find "carbine" type rifles more often (a la' Remington Model 7 compared to a Remington 700).

Take your pick.... neither is a bad choice.
 
thanks for the input guys.

is swapping out the barrel a plug and play type of mod or will i need tools or have to go see the gunsmith?

i'm pretty hands on but i live in an apartment and only have basic tools. nothing specific to gunsmithing. i'll probably buy a book on rifle anatomy one of these days.

reason i'm so bent on the choate is due to the many comments on the 06's recoil. and the choate is supposed to be supple enough to kind of counteract that. but if you guys have any other suggestions on stocks i'm all ears.

if this ends up being too difficult or expensive, i'll probably end up shopping for a mosin nagant. but sporterizing that will probably cost more.
 
I reload for 30-06 and I personally think its more versitle therefore a better cartridge. You can get higher velocities across the board and shoot the heavier bullets better than the .308 can. If you reload I would go with the 30-06 if not, it really wouldnt make much diffrence.
 
As to caliber, I would recommend the 30-06, I think you will have a better choice in lead free bullets in that caliber but I could be wrong. Go to your local gun store and see how large a selection they have in each caliber (308 and 30-06).

I kind of agree on purchasing a Savage instead of the Stevens. You could look at the Savage Axis a bit cheaper than the Stevens 200 and can be had in Short action (308) or Long action (30-06) and since you are dropping a new trigger into it, the lack of the Accurtrigger in the Axis would not be a problem for you to replace.

I get the feeling this is going to be a long range rifle and not a hunting gun, not sure you will find any pigs exposing themselves to hunters at 600 yards in LA or the burbs.

Jim
 
Barrel swaps are pretty easy if you have the correct tools. You'll need at a minimum a barrel nut wrench and go/no-go gauges. Optional tools you'll need is an action wrench or barrle vise to help make your life easier. Go over to Savage Shooters Forum and you'll find all the info you need on doing a barrel swap.
 
I put a B&C Medalist on a Stevens 200 and it works fine, couldn't be happier with it. I put a Rifle Basix trigger on it and have been very happy with it until a few weeks ago. It started firing if you closed the bolt hard enough (started a thread on it, but never got to do the work on the rifle). My opinion on the trigger is currently in limbo.. haha. Yes, you will have plenty of space between the barrel and stock. Doesn't look bad, but doesn't look quite right either. The I bought the Stevens over a Savage so I could tinker.. it's been fun, but I haven't completed my rifle yet.

.308 vs. .30-06... flip a coin. They are so similar it's not a big deal. Also you could search here as this has been discussed in great length multiple times. I would recommend the .30-06 to you simply because you mentioned the .270 isn't quite enough for you as the .308 is a little less powerful than the .30-06. the .270 is enough to take elk at reasonable ranges, so I'm not sure why you feel its not enough, but that's neither here nor there.. To each his own. They are all great cartridges.
 
thanks for the replies.

it might sound cheesy but the main reason for going with a 308 or 06 over a 22 or 270 is the recoil and blast. correct me if i'm wrong, but if i can tame a 308, then shouldn't shooting a 270 accurately be that much easier?

this being a one-rifle situation, i want get as much exposure as i can, and i figure taming a beast makes it easier to tame lesser beasts.

the other reason is for pigs. i've heard and read that they are tough as nails, and either you have to be super accurate, which i am not, or you have to blast them with a cannon.

so right now i'm looking at a stevens 200 308 or 3006, a rem 700 sps tactical 308 20" bbl, or looking for a mosin nagant.

if i go the stevens route, then i'll probably be throwing another stock on there unless i feel the recoil isn't too bad. i've read the 700 tactical's stock is alright, and at roughly $550-650 plus tax and fees, it's around the same price as a stevens with an aftermarket stock. this is before the optics, trigger, or swapping out the barrel, bolt, recoil lug, or anything like that.
 
Just an FYI Thegunsource.com has the .308 Stevens for 303.00 and about 20 some bucks to ship. Mine came in 4 days and was factory direct. I know people have had issues with them but I have never yet.


+1 on getting a savage like the 10fp better stock don't need to change, fabulous accutrigger, thicker contour barrel. I bought a stevens but I wanted to be able to poop on it and not care. Save yourself some hassle and start with a solid platform.
 
You will kill pigs just as well with either caliber.
I think the real decision making issue is what is the biggest game you are likely to hunt? If pigs and deer are it, the .308 will do fine.
But, I am a 30-06 fan because of it's versatility. Cost of ammo is about the same with both. Although if reloading, the .308 requires a little less powder.
As for recoil and blast, wear proper hearing protection for either.
I am not very big and recoil from my 30-06 is not a problem. I'll admit though, the heaviest loads with the heaviest bullets like 220 or 240 gr. do make a noticable kick but those would only be used for some sighting in and hunting critters that can eat you.
 
Either one is really a great choice. I prefer the .308 and surplus ammo is certainly a bonus if you plan on shooting a lot.

Each round has pros and cons over the other but it really comes down to a personal choice as both are great rounds.
 
.308 and.30-06 are for all intents identical, except for the '06s ability to handle heavier and longer bullets due to the added case length. .30-06 is more versatile in my opinion, but the deer or hog on the receiving end won't care to ask which you used. .308 rifles if built on a shorter action can be lighter, and you'll find "carbine" type rifles more often (a la' Remington Model 7 compared to a Remington 700).

Take your pick.... neither is a bad choice.
Click to expand...

What he said. Flip a coin...
 
I am curious at why you think you have to shoot at 600 yards for hogs? Have you ever shot at this range in competition or on the hunting fields? If you have, you know finding a rifle with the all the mods, stocks and other things you are considering, including a scope under $800.00 is highly unlikely!

I am talking about field shooting, accurately that is humane to the animal, and not a stunt effort, but pure quality shooting. It is not that easy to do in the real world with the best of rifles ... Just wondering...
 
I see lots of new shooters who have this idea of longrange shooting right out of the gate. It just doesn't work that way. The biggest factor in long shooting is THE WIND. Trajectory compensating and range estimating is mechanical and range finders take most of the work out of the question.
A factory lightweight rifle is not going to be a consistent longrange hitter regardless of what stock or trigger you add to it later. I have several .30 caliber rifles capable of hitting small targets at very long range and none of them would be considered hunting rifles although I've used a couple of them to hunt with.
I don't intend to bust the bubbles of a bunch of newbs but consistent long range performance comes at the price of weight and expense of quality parts. When you and your rifle can consistently hit an 8" square a majority of the time over 300 yards, then it's time to step up to 400. You'll find it twice as hard to hit that same target @400 yards as at 300 due to wind and wiggle.
 
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