Savage 11 vs. Browning A-bolt III. Which is more reliable and durable?

I can't offer anything about today's rifles, but here's some advice from the distant past. I had a savage 110CL back in the early 80s. Didn't even get through a single box of ammo, and a chip broke out of the extractor. Murphy at work.

Not wanting to put up with the hassle of sending the rifle back, I just wanted a replacement extractor. In those days, Savage parts weren't "everywhere" and it took the gunsmith two months to get one, so I could put it in!

I hear that's not the case today, and parts are "everywhere". Ok, but Murphy is still on the job, and its not impossible that if/when you do need one, THAT part will be "out of stock", everywhere.

If you get the Savage, order a couple spare extractors, and stick one under the buttplate, so its there if you have a failure in the field. Put the other in a WELL MARKED envelope/baggie, and tuck it in your spare parts/tool kit. Odds are good that if you do that, you will never need it. But, if you don't?

Murphy is still on the job, you know...

Now, as to...
including running steel-cased ammo through it.
Click to expand...

It's simple. If you shoot crap ammo in a budget rifle, you have crap. If you shoot crap ammo in a high dollar match gun, you still have crap, but the rifle looks better...:rolleyes:

Not saying all steel cased ammo is crap, and there is crap brass case ammo too. The point is, if you shoot the cheapest stuff (and I admit there is a time for it in recreational shooting) expect the cheapest results. If you get some that does shoot well, & accurately, be happy Murphy is looking the other way, and buy a bunch more of it. :D

I'm a reloader, and I don't shoot steel, or berdan primed ammo by choice, but that's just me....
 
bricz75
I saw a Youtube video of a fellow using a measuring device to find which Tula rounds will be fliers. He puts those aside for plinking/practice and keeps the good ones for when accuracy is paramount.
Click to expand...

On the 6.5Grendel forum, some shooters had measured a number of Wolf steel cased bullets at .002 too slim for 6.5 mm. The flyers are inevitable with that level of quality control.
 
bricz75,

I have 4 Savages including a 11 VT in .22-250. Two others are model 10s in .308, (a FP with hidden magazine and a FCP-K with a removable mag) and one is a 12 Long Range Precision model in 6.5 mm Creedmoor. All have accu-triggers that were easily adjusted to my preferred pull weight. The 10 FCP-K and the 11 VT have accu-stocks. The 10 FP and the 12 LRP don't.

I got the model 11 VT on sale at Dick's for a price that I couldn't pass up. It is a light hunting rifle but has a bull barrel and has a plastic mag that works fine for the 200 rounds through it so far. I prefer the steel mags in the FCP-K and 12 LRP better - they feel more sturdy but I haven't experienced a problem with the plastic mag on the model 11. Other than that the model 11 is a very accurate rifle, with average group sizes with its favorite bullets in hand loads just slightly larger than the average group sizes from the precision 12 LRP. However, that is a bit misleading since I have only shot loads with target bullets that have worked best in my other .22-250, a Remington 700 so I haven't tried a wide variety of bullet weights in it, like I have in the 12 LRP.

My two Savage 308s are well used.
The 10 FP is my oldest Savage and has a hidden mag. It has over 9,500 rounds through it (I had Savage replace the original barrel with a target barrel at 6,500 rounds).
The hidden mag on the 10 FP has never had a failure to feed so I would question the statements about the Savage hidden mags being unreliable. The only thing that I don't like is that there is no opening mag floor on the Savage hidden mag that can be used to unload the hidden mag. Each round has to be extracted by the bolt, although Savage has a 3 position safety that allows the bolt to be operated in the middle position with the trigger safety still on to make extraction safe.

The 10 FP is a very accurate rifle with all the groups shot with all bullet weights and loads averaging under 0.36 with the new barrel. It is most accurate with bullets from 150 to 168 grains. With the 10 FP, I already had the loads it should like and the new barrel seemed to like the loads the old barrel liked, but just shot them more accurately.

The 10 FCP-K has the same barrel as the 10 FP new barrel but the 10 FCP-K has a muzzle brake. It has over 3000 rounds through it and the removable mag works fine. It also has never had a failure to feed. It is also very accurate and averages just at 0.39 with all the groups shot to date. Part of the difference in average accuracy versus the 10 FP is that I shot a lot of rounds through the 10 FCP-K experimenting with powders and bullet weights from 150 to 200 grains and that tended to increase the average. The 10 FCP-K likes heavier bullets than the FP and is most accurate with bullets from 168 to 175 grains and even shoots 195 and 200 grain bullets very accurately.

The 12 LRP is a new rifle and has a precision trigger and a standard steel Savage removable mag. No problems with it at all in over 600 rounds.
The 12 LRP is scary accurate and its average with all its groups to date is 0.10 smaller than the 10 FP with the new barrel.

The model 11 hasn't been used all that much because I also have a Remington 700 in .22-250. So far, the Savage model 11 VT .22-250 outshoots the Remington 700 by quite a margin.

I hope this helps you make your decision.
I would second the recommendations that you handle both rifles before you decide. They should both be good hunting, plinking rifles.

Personally, I avoid steel case ammo.
I have never shot steel case ammos that shoot accurately, not because of the steel cases, per se, but because they use bulk bullets and questionable powders. I have pulled bullets from some of the bargain steel case ammo and I was hard pressed to conclude that they were loaded with any powder I could recognize. Some on this forum have reported similar experiences.

Also many steel case ammos, at least in .223 and .30 caliber, use steel core bullets and our range won't allow them. Most of the steel case ammo vendors don't identify the core material so you have to use a magnet on the bullets to find out that they have steel cores. On the Labor Day weekend, the range officer checked steel case ammo that a shooter brought to shoot in his AK and found that it was steel core. Fortunately, the shooter brought another caliber rifle to shoot or else he would have gone home without firing a round.
 
I don't usually use my magazines as I bench rest shoot.

I did load up the 111 last week.

Getting the rounds into it was annoying, maybe with separate scope mounts it would have been easier.

Feed was ok, had to be sure to really bring the bolt all the way back to pik up the next round. That could be an issue with the need for a follow up shot.

I think my brother has a 6.5 and its iffy with round feeds.

Probably not a deal breaker. Random reports of that. Feed lip adjustment seems to fix.
 
I have had an Browning AB# for two years.It is a solid ,well built rifle.It is the Browning budget rifle but there is nothing cheap about it I bought it over the Savage and the Ruger.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top