Savage 223 varmint rifle

Z

zachattack2

New member
I want to get a bolt action varmint gun that I could shoot a lot. 223 ammo is really cheap especially if you reload. I was wandering if the FV Bolt-Action Varmint Rifle is a sturdy gun for the price and please tell me if there had been any known problems for this gun.

Thanks,
Zach
 
I have the .223 10FP heavy barrel model. Excellent sub moa shooter if you handload, the 10FP's come with a 1-10" twist barrel which favors lighter bullets. I handload and found the best accuracy with 52 gr SMK's , the 69gr SMK's work very good as well. I take 69gr SMK's all the way out to 600 yds with about 2 moa accuracy. Dam good for a box stock rifle paired with a good optic.
 
I am new here and dont want to hijack this thread or over step and ask too much. But; it would be ever so helpful to this member if links to savagearms.com would accompany recommendations or accuracy claims. I cannot even find a model 10. There is no model 12 FV per se. I found FCV with 1/9 twist. Seems kinda fast twist for varmints.

The better grade Savage guns seem to rang from 900 to 1600 an that is real money and real difference for totally unknown gains.

This link is a varmint left port match (red)trigger. Probably not relating to this question. an example where a link makes it clear. It maybe asking a lot, but really seems like Savage model designations change very quickly and just saying FV is unclear.

http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/12LRPVLEFTPORT

This ultimate(?) varmint (small critter) top of the line savage is 1/12 twist in 223 and big dollars.
 
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I sold a friend a Savage heavy barrel .223 (new). Five or six years later he came back to trade it for a 22/250. The leade was eroded .25-.5" up the bore and the rifle was no longer acceptably accurate(for him). He freely admitted he'd shot at least 10K rounds. I had the action re-barreled on the cheap with a Remington .223 HB and it's still shooting. I don't know how long the action will run since I don't expect to ever wear it out.
Used .223 rifles are seldom worn out but even if it is weak, a Savage is the easiest re-barrel out there. There are opportunities to buy a used rifle with a slower twist that is quite suitable for varmint shooting (lighter bullets) that the original owner is selling to buy a faster twist rifle(for the highly overrated "long range" shooting).
 
The caliber choice depends on the intended use and if you will be reloading your own ammo.
For general purposes, it's hard to beat the huge variety of .223 factory ammo.
But check the ballistic tables to help choose for your specific needs.
 
I would like to use it for varmint. The 22-250 has better ballistics but the 223 is fine for coyotes and and groundhogs etc. And the 223 is cheaper ammo and I'm going to reload it and at the range I go to there are so much 223 brass on the ground I could get brass for basically free. And my brother has a ar15 and if we go to the range we only have to shoot 1 Caliber.
 
I have the FVSS, Over 17000 rounds down it now and still very much a sub MOA rifle. Kind of Heavy for a carry rifle, but whatever you chose. I put mine in a Thumb Hole Varmint Stock and have never looked back.
PS- If you get one- Send me an e mail. I can give you a load that will knock your socks off for Accuracy in that baby. Ya I know-They are all different, but this load has worked in counntless rifles and every Savage that has tried it. It's a fluke load that just shoots great.
 
I am new here and dont want to hijack this thread or over step and ask too much. But; it would be ever so helpful to this member if links to savagearms.com would accompany recommendations or accuracy claims. I cannot even find a model 10
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The model 10 series are listed under law enforcement. The 10FP is the last generation, unfortunately it looks like there is no current equivalent. The closest would probably be the 10 FCP McMillan or the 10/110 FCP HS Precision, both come with a better stock. Neither come in typical varmint calibers. For a .223 the model is the 12 FCV.

Interesting that Cabela's still lists the 12FV for sale, which also comes in .308, with a street price of $420. That is a lot of rifle for the money, and it is also listed as available in .308, which would be a good entry level long range rig. http://www.cabelas.com/product/Shoo...-12-FV-Bolt-Action-Varmint-Rifles/1994604.uts

I would take the .223 over the .22-250 or .204, because of ammo price and barrel life.
 
"...find a Model 10..." Model 10/110. Top of the right hand column under Package Series. Big time improvement in the quality of the included scopes in recent years. Hard to beat any Savage for out of the box accuracy.
"...we only have to shoot 1 Caliber..." Re-think that. What shoots well out of one rifle won't necessarily out of any other rifle.
 
The model 10 series are listed under law enforcement. The 10FP is the last generation, unfortunately it looks like there is no current equivalent. The closest would probably be the 10 FCP McMillan or the 10/110 FCP HS Precision, both come with a better stock. Neither come in typical varmint calibers. For a .223 the model is the 12 FCV.

Interesting that Cabela's still lists the 12FV for sale, which also comes in .308, with a street price of $420. That is a lot of rifle for the money, and it is also listed as available in .308, which would be a good entry level long range rig. http://www.cabelas.com/product/Shoot...es/1994604.uts
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So it is not just me. This is now called FCV and list for $718. The Cabelas price is 46% off. Dang! Maybe I need 1/9 twist after all. That left port list $1600. Do they really get $1600 or is it more like $800.
 
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New respect for Savage...

My shooting buddy just recently bought a Savage mod 12FV in .223 & this just happened about a month ago.

I am not a big Savage fan & with that plastic stock I didn't think much of his new rifle. I could even see daylight in some places looking down along the side of the inletting. But, I became really impressed as he started shooting about .5 MOA with just about every load! I have rifles that cost twice his & won't shoot that good!

He was trying a new load when he did the unthinkable & left a cleaning rod in the barrel about 2" up from the chamber & fired the gun. Some gas hit his face but thank God he was ok. The bolt & cleaning rod were solidly stuck but he was safe & we were both sure that rifle was history.

Later at home he got the bolt out & with my help & much gyrations we got the brass case out. The cleaning rod snapped off at the threaded tip while trying to pull it out. Using a steel rod & a hammer we were able to beat the bullet/rod-tip, which were fused together in a 2" plug, out through the muzzle. The extractor was damaged but easily put back in place. Slow passing a tight patch through the bore did not indicate any bulges or rough spots.

Then back to the range & after a couple of safety shots from the hip, back on the bags for accuracy shooting. Long story short, all was back to normal & .5 MOA without breaking a sweat!

Is that a good rifle for the money? I'd say so!

...bug :eek::eek:
 
ZACH:
I bought a Savage 112 FV (long action) in the mid-nineties from W-M and did nothing to it except replace the inexpensive 3-9X40 which came on it with a 6-18X50 Bushnell.

.5" are the norm with an occasional .24-.25" group when the stars are in alignment.

If you reload, the sky's the limit. The best load for me has been the NOS. 64gr. P P Bonded with IMR 4895 in (believe it or not), surplus LC brass.

70gr SPEERs work magic on whitetails too.

WILL.
 
One very strange aspect about my .223 Savage 10FP is the fact that mine is an older model (no accutrigger) and it's a .223 that's based upon a long action.
 
One very strange aspect about my .223 Savage 10FP is the fact that mine is an older model (no accutrigger) and it's a .223 that's based upon a long action.
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I had that rifle 20 years ago.

The long action, and consequent long bolt throw were one of the things I disliked. I thought the magazine could have been better. What I really couldn't warm to was the trigger.

However, it was very accurate. With the right ammunition and a good rest, it shot clover shaped groups at 75 yards.
 
Years back Jerry's Sport Center a gun distributor I do business with had Savage make a special run on a bolt action rifle for them.

The gun was a Savage model 10 with synthetic stock, accu trigger, 20 inch varmint weight barrel, 1 in 9 twist, 223 caliber, they called it a "4x4 truck gun".

It was just what I was looking for at the time, after shooting the gun I'm sure glad I bought one.

This gun shoots 5/16 inch groups at 100 yards all day long as long as I do my job, I've dropped a good many coyotes with it.

It's just what it's name implies "4x4 truck gun" I keep it with me in my truck most of the time.

If prefer the 1 in 9 twist in a 223.
 
I have a Savage 12FV in .223 1/9 and it is a nail driver! Extremely accurate rifle. Scary almost.

They do not make the FV model anymore, having replaced it with the FCV which has a detachable box magazine. The FV had an internal magazine.
 
Do you guys know any scopes around $100-$170 that will make the gun a "nail driver" and get 1/2 MOA at 100 yards? I do like Nikon but I am up to any suggestions.
 
fourbore, you need to understand how Savage models are listed. They are all basically the same and many use interchangable parts. 2 number models are short action, 3 number models are long action, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16 all specify different action features and calibers that are geared toward a specific purpose wether it is hunting (11/111), competition (12/112), or LE (10/110), and there is a lot of overlap. The letters specify other features like stock material, sights, and type of magazine:

AK - Adjustable Muzzle Brake
NS - No Sights
B - Laminate Stock
P - Police
BT - Laminated Thumbhole Stock
SS - Stainless Steel
C - Clip (Detachable Box Magazine)
T - Rimfire Peep Sights
F - Synthetic Stock
V - Heavy Varmint Barrel
G - Hardwood Stock
XP - Package Gun
H - Hinged Floorplate
Y - Youth model
L - Left hand
ML - Muzzleloader
SR - Suppressor Ready barrel (Threaded)

The difference between the 12FV and the 12FCV is that the 12FCV comes with a detachable magazine and the 12FV does not.
 
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