Remington SPS Varmint or Savage 12FV

S

SRB

New member
I realize this is the whole chevy vs. ford deal but... it looks like remmy has the varmint sps to compete with savage what with the price point and new trigger.

If you were looking at these two knowing that aftermarket parts for either are available, which rifle do you expect to have the best quality and accuracy?
 
Oh oh, here we go again. I love my Savages, but if I couldn't have them I'd buy a Remington. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif Bought my 12FV at Impact here in Ogden Utah ($389.00) , they just signed on as one of this sites advertisors. They were blowing them out and bought the last .204 last year. Sportsman will sell the 12FV for $439.00. Top it off with a nice Nikon and walla, you have a killin machine /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
 
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Oh oh, here we go again. I love my Savages, but if I couldn't have them I'd buy a Remington. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif Bought my 12FV at Impact here in Ogden Utah ($389.00) , they just signed on as one of this sites advertisors. They were blowing them out and bought the last .204 last year. Sportsman will sell the 12FV for $439.00. Top it off with a nice Nikon and walla, you have a killin machine /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif



LOL! yup, stirring up the pot!

Reading savage shooters, one would think savage is as good as a custom. Typically it seems remmy gets the nod for quality fit/appearance. Realistically, it seems Savage has a design and process that creates more inherent accuracy with a looser manufacturing process... My .02.. I thought I'd ask the dept. of redundancy dept. if there was a clear winner yet! Guess not, I'll have to handle both and see!
 
Hey there SRB. I have had experiance with only one SPS. It is a stainless 300 Ultra Mag. Paid $475.00 for the rifle on sale locally. Now, I didn't just bring it home and shoot it, so my findings may not be the norm. First I fire lapped it. This took a couple days of free time, as I clean it squeaky clean between shots. Then I JB welded the double dove tail rings and lapped them in. I had a fellow benchrest nut / gunsmith buddy of mine work the trigger down to 2 lbs. Then I worked up a couple loads and let me tell you, this thing will SHOOT! I bought it with the mind set that I would restock it. I figured what I saved between it and a BDL, would put it a nice aftermarket stock. I wouldn't pull it out of there now for love or money. I don't particularly like the orriginal stock, but don't fix what isn't broke. I have had considerable experiance with Savage. Bot rimfire and centerfire. I have never tweeked one. They have all shot very well out of the box. But, I see the prices are starting to climb. There will come a time when they will have to pick up the pace in the looks dept, i.e. metal finish / blueing , and an upgraded stock, to stay attractive. I have personally owned 2 mod 12s, one 223 and a 22-250. One mod 10 in 243. And a couple rimfires. They are a meat and potatoes, accurate, and for now, well priced rifles. If you don't like to tinker, go with the Savage. If you do, then you might try the SPS. Just my findings.
 
Go with the Savage 12FV. I have it in 22-250, six shots from 102--325 YRD'S six dogs down dead. The extra weight helps me steady the gun for those long shots off of the sticks. Rifleman2
 
In case not everyone was aware of remmy's new offering, here is a link with the sps varmint... The rifle is not on remingtons site yet, have to download a PDF file for it... Looks like a new model to compete head on with savage.

I'm not surprised to hear most folks prefer savage. Savage has done a great job with a low cost rifle that gives everyone a run for the money in the accuracy dept. I'll probably buy the 12FV in .243, but I will look at the rifle in the below link for the sake of it...


http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=63807676
 
Thanks for the link SRB. Right off the bat I see the stock won't be very cross stick friendly. If you use sticks. Probably designed more for bi-pods. I never liked the added weight of the bi-pod, but I know lots of people that do. Other than that, she looks like a good one. Personally, I would hang on to see one of the new Savage Predator rifles up close. I have been drooling over the Kimber 84M, but now I see a bunch of bad press on them. The Savage Predator may steal a sale from Kimber if it feels right to me. You will be happy with the mod 12FV you are looking at I'm sure. I have never heard of a bad one. The Savage trigger is a huge step in the right direction also. Good luck and good shooting,R.J.
 
You may be correct Dogwood, I did not see the stock at first design closely at first, but if you are right then I would choose the 12fv just for that alone. I only use a bipod at the range. in the field I use a stick or something handy.
 
I've got a Savage 12FV in 22-250.

I've put a new Bell&Carlson DuraMaxx stock on it and lightened the trigger pull, all in all, just over $100 in mods ($99 for the stock and $1.95 for music wire for the new trigger spring). Nothing else done. Might do a bedding job in the new stock just for giggles... haven't decided yet.

If I do my part, it will shoot 1/2 inch groups at 250 yards with my handloads. It's a sweetheart of a rifle to me, and I don't find it "ugly" at all. I bought it as just a knockaround pickup truck rifle, and it has become my favorite rifle behind my Ruger 77VT in 22PPC.

The last Remington SPS I saw did not impress me one bit. Looked kinda like it got drug behind a pickup truck for a mile or 2 then parkerized. I'm used to Remmy's that are things of beauty like the old Wingmasters and BDL's...
 
I'd have to argue with the "if you don't like to tinker...go with a Savage".

I think a lot of hunters/shooters don't realize what's out there for Savage aftermarket goodies. Sharp Shooters Supply offers oversized bolt handles, extra thick recoil lugs, competition trigger groups, and nice laminated target/varmint stocks as well as smithing services. Bell and Carlson makes the Duramaxx varmint and Medalist tactical stocks...not to mention hi-end stocks from McMillan and HS(HS tactical stocks for the Savage are supposed to be offered this year for separate sale). And there are a few companies carrying Lothar Walther "pre-fitted/drop-in" match grade barrels in numerous calibers....Tactical Dynamics comes to mind as one.

It seems every year there are new products coming out for the Savage rifles. IMHO, the Savages are a dream to tinker with.
 
I agree whole heartedly Ballistic trep. I didn't mean there wasn't anything to tinker with in regard to Savage. I am a regular on the Sharp Shooter Supply site. I was just refering to the out of the box performance of the Savage. If you want to clean it, scope it, and shoot small groups, buy the Savage.
 
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I'd have to argue with the "if you don't like to tinker...go with a Savage".

I think a lot of hunters/shooters don't realize what's out there for Savage aftermarket goodies. Sharp Shooters Supply offers oversized bolt handles, extra thick recoil lugs, competition trigger groups, and nice laminated target/varmint stocks as well as smithing services. Bell and Carlson makes the Duramaxx varmint and Medalist tactical stocks...not to mention hi-end stocks from McMillan and HS(HS tactical stocks for the Savage are supposed to be offered this year for separate sale). And there are a few companies carrying Lothar Walther "pre-fitted/drop-in" match grade barrels in numerous calibers....Tactical Dynamics comes to mind as one.

It seems every year there are new products coming out for the Savage rifles. IMHO, the Savages are a dream to tinker with.


AMEN! Don't forget Stockade makes a great after market stock as well for the Savage rifles. Full aluminum bedded
& priced RITE!
 
Until Remington begins using button rifled barrels (which isn't likely) they'll never have the inherent accuracy of the Savage.

Notwithstanding the Savage's floating bolt head (which makes bolt lapping unnecessary), the button rifled barrel of the Savage is key to its amazing accuracy.

You would need to go with a Remington 40X from the custom shop to get as nice a barrel as the Savage will have.

This said, the Savage barrel should be broken in by someone who knows what he's doing. If you read of a character who says his Savage barrel was so rough and full of copper he couldn't get the rifle to shoot, it's very likely he hasn't a clue as to how to break in a barrel. The Savage barrels are not hand-lapped, and will often need a proper break-in when new. Do it right and no other factory rifle can compete with it in the accuracy department...

Dan
 
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Until Remington begins using button rifled barrels (which isn't likely) they'll never have the inherent accuracy of the Savage.

Notwithstanding the Savage's floating bolt head (which makes bolt lapping unnecessary), the button rifled barrel of the Savage is key to its amazing accuracy.

You would need to go with a Remington 40X from the custom shop to get as nice a barrel as the Savage will have.





This is what I thought regarding the savage design, I didn't know what the differences were. Inherent feature and design advantage.

The duramaxx and stockade stocks look great. The tupperware on the savage I don't like. I have McMillan on my other varmint rig and that is the arrangement I would want with the savage. Nice to know the aftermarket is there to allow me to create the rifle I want...
 
RileyLake,

Will it do it "all day long"?

You ought to be in the Benchrest Hall of Fame.

BS FLAG waving

Clayman

Yes the Savages do shoot well, but give me a break, dude.
 
Well, it might if you're shooting it. Obviously you know more about it than I do /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowingsmilie.gif.

As for me, maybe not all day long. But, who shoots coyotes "all day long"? 3 shot 1/2 inch groups at 250 isn't that hard to do if you have calm winds and a good steady bench to shoot from and good handloads the rifle likes.

For what I use it for, I'm much more concerned with what it does when the barrel is cold than what it will do putting round after round down the tube.

And don't start the rap about "3 shot groups"... we've all heard it before.

So take your BS flag and do with it what you will, maybe you have a warm dark place for it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
1/2" groups even 3 shot repeatable ones at 250 yards are possible with a benchrest gun in an underground range.

Shooting above ground there may be 20 people in the US who can do it under good conditions. Which one of the top competitors are you???

Jack
 
You guys must all shoot Remingtons! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Did I ever say it would do it "all day long?" No.

Did I ever say it would do it every single time? No.

Did I ever say that it happens regularly? No.

I said, "If I do my part", with calm winds and a good steady rest, the gun will do it.

How often do "I do my part"? Not nearly as often as I'd like. That doesn't mean that it hasn't happened, and that it's not possible. Maybe the group that I got was a fluke? The gun still did it. I wasn't trying all that particularly hard when I shot that group, maybe that's why it happened... wasn't all tensed up, trying to be "perfect"... I just "let it happen".

Isn't the world record 1000 yard benchrest group somewhere around 3 1/2-4 inches? Does that shooter shoot groups that small "all day long"? Surely not. Was this world record group a fluke? Possibly. You could make the case that the winning group of any contest is a fluke. But his rifle did it, so obviously, it's capable of it.

So, even though he holds the world record, by your standards, he can't claim it because he didn't do it "all day long".

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif

You guys need to lighten up a bit...
 
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