Savage 110 .223 value and opinions?

D

Dc777

New member
I have a remington 700 .243 with synthetic stock, Leupold 1 piece base with rings, and a Simmons 3-9x40 scope. It's in great shape and I've only put two rounds through it, but it isn't really my thing. I have it for trade locally and a guy has offered me a savage 110 .223 with wood stock and " barska" scope. I know nothing about savage guns as I've never fired one, and I don't know anything about barska scopes but a quick search on ebay showed me that I can buy them very cheap. Here's the deal. I'm an avid dear hunter and I shoot a .300 mag, but I like to have a backup rifle incase my scope gets bumped or something. I was actually walking to the shooting house once and my sling broke causing my rifle to hit the ground and ruin my scope, and ofcourse with my luck when I got to the food plot there was a deer standing in it..... 5 shots at him and he looked at me like I was crazy. Ever since then I have felt that I need a backup rifle incase I need it. I like the idea of having a .223 bolt gun do to cheap $6 a box ammo for having fun, but can it be used to take a deer without tracking for a mile? I have ar's but I've never shot an animal with that round. I'm a good shot, but I've shot deer with my .300 mag with great shot placement and they have still ran off. Is the .223 acceptable as a " backup" deer gun? The deer in south Alabama are small compared to the rest of the country. I also use my backup rifle to loan to friends when they come to the camp with me and don't have their own gun. Opinions on the round itself, and what is the value of it?
 
While my daughter uses a .223 with great success, the .243 is a better all around deer rifle than the .223 will ever be. If it is actually a 110 and not a 10 action it is an older action possibly an "intermediate" action my guess is the Savage is about a $300 rifle by the description you give. The scope is junk and shouldn't be considered in the value of the rifle.
 
Is the .223 acceptable as a " backup" deer gun?
Click to expand...

Not in my opinion. You are much better off with the 243, but again that is just my opinion.

The 223 is a great varmint round, but I wouldn't use it much beyond a Yote size target for hunting.

For an all around fun cheap target rifle it can't be beat.

JMO
Jim
 
The 700 is worth more probably than the 110, but if you have a need for .223 then do it only upgrade scope or you wont be happy with the rifle.
As far as .243 VS .223 for deer, the .243 winny rules, and makes a better long range caliber than does the .223.;)
 
If I truly need a .223 I have ar's and m4's. I do like the idea of having a bolt gun that I can shoot 20 rounds through for $6 just for having fun. I've only shot the .243 twice as I prefer .30 caliber rounds.
 
You'd be trading down significantly both in quality and horsepower.
BTW---THERE ISN'T ANYMORE $6 A BOX 223 AMMO.(unless you get a good buy on steel cased junk)
Given a choice between a 243 and a 223 with possible use on deer in the future, stick with the 243. I've shot deer with both(lot's of deer)and would NEVER chose the 223 over the 243 for this use.
No man portable firearm will guarantee that a deer won't run after being hit. Too many variables.
 
Wal-Mart around here has had some PMC FMJ for $6.95 a box. That's as cheap as I've seen non bulk brass cased ammo in a long time.
 
You want a back up deer rifle than stick witht the .243 WIN. You want to shoot AR ammo at a slower rate for whatever reason go with the .223 but its not a back up deer rifle simply put.

Now you are about to trade or sell a rilfe that you have only put 2 rounds through...........STOP.......... take some time and find out what kind of shooter it is first.

You might be the owner of a real tack driver and dont know it.

Just saying.
 
I have hunted Georgia and AL deer. Simply put, the .223 will kill 99.9% of the deer down there with a well placed shot and the right bullet (not exploding varmint bullets!). I would consider it the bare minimum for hunting deer, and even then only on small Southern deer. On the other hand, I dont know if its legal to use in AL. Some states outlaw it.

Fact of the matter, though, is that the 243 is a much better deer round and I would recommend you keep that. I really like Savages, but if you could give us a little more info on it, that would be helpful for a value. Does it have accu-trigger, accu-stock, etc? The Barska scopes are garbage and I would plan to replace it as soon as funds allow.
 
In all honesty the .243 most likely wouldn't be used as a true back up deer rifle for me... It would be used to loan to people that don't have a gun at the camp, or to let younger hunters use. At my main camp most food plots are under 100 yards and I would probabally use my sks if I truly had to use another rifle.
 
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