Spontaneous purchase/buyers remorse

D

dooley

Inactive
I bought a deer rifle this weekend – I was at the shop talking to the guy about special ordering a left hand gun when he showed me a lefty Savage. It was the caliber I wanted, but the wood is not the greatest, the bolt is not as smooth as compared to other models, and I wonder about the finish (blued). He made the price too good to pass on (my wife even thought it was a good deal), so I made the purchase. I plan to use it primarily in areas that my other guns have gotten scratched/dinged up, so I will not cry too much when wear and tear sets in.

This is the first time I have bought a gun and not known much about it until now. I have not had the chance to take it to the range and sight it in, so I have no idea how it shots. The uncertainty is now causing buyers remorse.

Does anyone have experience with this rifle? What are the pros and cons? Is it possible to get another stock?
 
Savage 110?

They're fine rifles with good reputations. Stop fretting and go enjoy your rifle. If you're worried about scratches, you might consider a synthetic stock.

My uncle has a Savage in 7mm Mag, and he seems to love it. Right now, I'm looking at a Winchester 70 in .30-06, but I've considered getting a Savage in .270.
 
I have the Savage .270. Very aggresive rifleing and a real good shooter. I would recomend using a brass brush at cleaning. I tried to just use patches and after a couple of hundred rounds my groups started opening up. I broke down and cleaned with a brush and brought the groups back to less than MOA. I think it has something to do with that aggresive rifleing. If you get the .270, try Winchester Power Points. My Savage digests them well.

Nannuk
 
Nannuk, I had similar results with Hoppe's Benchrest 9 with the copper solvent; I merely used patches...

dooley, there's no reason you can't use very fine sandpaper or coarse steel wool on the stock, and then use one of the stock-finish oils or some other finish-coat. You can also use a Dremel tool with a buffing wheel and jeweler's rouge to polish the rubbing surfaces where the bolt rides.

Then you can go back and "neaten up" your other rifles. :)

Art
 
It is a 110 in 30.06.

The stock is one of the reasons I bought it - I wont care when it gets scratched up. My other rifle is a Browning and the wood is beautiful, but I am hestitant to carry it in thick brush.

I am feeling a stomach ache coming on, so I may have to leave work (and go to the range...). Thanks for the tip on using a brush, I would have used patches tonight.
 
What you've got is arguably one of the nost accurate rifles going, for out of the box. You'll probably want a trigger tune up or a new trigger, but that's common on all new guns.

For inexpensive ammo, Remington's CoreLokt seems to be the best. Try different weights to see what your rifle likes.

What sort of sights do you have on it?
 
Regarding the sticky bolt - - -

Many guys not really "into guns" try to prevent rust on their rifles, but use the wrong kind of oil. Three-In-One oil or cooking oil are entirely unsuitable for the job. I've had several arms on which the wrong oil has set up and thickened over time, to the point where a slide or bolt would barely move.

Before using abrasives or power tools, I'd just give the bolt and the receiver raceways a through cleaning. Regular Hoppe's Number 9 solvent will do a good job.

Use a tooth brush, or, better still, one of the little double-ended nylon gun cleaning brushes, and give it a good scrubbing. Birchwood-Casey Gun Scrubber is good, but brake cleaner from the auto parts store is plenty good, and costs far less. Be careful about getting this on the scope lenses and on the stock finish.

Once you have the gummed oil cleaned out, coat the metal with a thin film of Rem Oil, Break-Free CLP or other specific firearms lubricant/protectant. You might want to apply a THIN film of gun grease to the bolt raceways and outside edges of the bolt locking lugs. Do not apply grease to the rear of the bolt lugs or the surfaces on which they bear.

As to the stock--Even plain wood can be pretty attractive. If already scratched, do the sanding/steel wool process suggested by Art Eatman. You can buy a stock refinishing kit at the gun shop, or get finish removal and stain items separately and follow the directions. Once you get the wood bare and smooth, stain it, let it dry, and then start rubbing in boiled linseed oil or tung oil in thin coats. You can get these at Home Depot, sold for furniture use. Advantage of these is that they protect the wood well, and, if you get it scratched up, you can just rub in some more oil and cure the problem. For minimal time and effort, you can have a nice-looking stock that you still are not afraid to subject to rough use.

Synthetic stocks are available from Savage as replacement items, with the advantage of being "original factory equipment." If/when you order one from Savage, give the serial number of your rifle, in case there are minor changes.

Some very knowledgeable precision shooters say that the run-of-the-mill Savage barrel is superior to the "standard" Remington barrel, at least in recent years. I have been quite happy with my Savage Scout's accuracy.

Clean your rifle properly, take it out and shoot it. I imagine the buyer's remorse will go away quickly.;)

Best,
Johnny
 
Savage is a pretty damn nice out of the box gun. I have a 110 in 243 and love it. Like others have said you might want to have a trigger job done on it but other then that they are great. Also from the few people who have had warrenty claims that I know Savage has been great.
 
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