SAVAGE RIFLES=ugly??????????

[Willyp]

Why do people say Savage rifles are ugly? Is it their own thoughts or are they just going along with some one else's opinions?
What is ugly about these guns????

[blackbike]

I just bought a 99, and have to amit they just have to grow on you a little bit.
If John Wayne carred one, everone would want one.

[gmsharps]

I'm just speaking my mind about Savage rifles. Quite some time back Savage had to make some decisions on how to stay in business and one way was to cut the cost of the stocks and they put on I guees they are birch. Not very good looking compared to walnut but they are still functional. Another way was to put a cheaper finish on the metal with having to do all of the buffing. The third was puttingthat lug that secures the barrel cutting time for headspacing. Thenof course everyone had to have the libility trigger to satisfy the lawyers. The rifle was less expensive and a great starter rifle. they shot fine just didn't have all of the cosmetics. Of course today with the accu trigger and synthetic stocks Savage is getting on the band wagon and with some of their laminated stocks whats not to like. Now Savage 99's are a different story the old ones are mighty fine lookers and shooters. It's all about business what to cut without sacrificing shooting and reliability quality. Just my 2 cents worth.

gmsharps

[Lloyd Smale]

the bolt guns have an ugly looking action compared to a win, ruger or rem. Also the stocks are about as cheap as they come on most models. The 99s, well they have some cool factor because theyve been around so long but bottom line is to me anyway there about the homeliest lever gun that was ever made. I have to agree with gmsharps though. Some of the newer savages with laminates and flutted stainless barrels do look pretty sharp.

[jlchucker]

The bolt guns have, for decades, had an ugly look to them compared to other makes. They also seemed, to me at least, pretty bulky-feeling. I never really understood why. If Savage would have used a cord or two less wood in some of the 110's, and if they skipped the pressed-in, Post 64-Winchester-ish impressed checkering, they might have sold a whole lot more guns. Too bad, because Savage rifles have long had a reputation for great accuracy.

[Hardcast416taylor]

I didn`t think anything hideous was present with the look of Savage arms, until lately. Their "New" model 24 and the other plastic renditions they are turning out makes my stomach rumble!Robert

[Finnmike]

It's a matter of taste over function. Us older guys grew up on real wood; the laminates never appealed to me. I'm still impressed by the great walnut on my Krags, Swedes, and Springfields. The younger crowd grew up with black rifles, so plastic/composite stocks seem natural to them. I must admit my new Savage 10 FCM is utilitarian, but attractive in it's own matte way. And it shoots great!

[GabbyM]

There Light Weight Hunter is a good looking gun. But then it coast the same as a Win M70 Featherweight.
May be to much to ask an economy grade Savage that sells for $350 looks as good as a $750 Win M70 Sporter.
Savage makes there economy grades shoot as good as rifles costing twice the price. Then Savage offers better looking rifles for more money. Todays rifle market is full of great values.

I personally think Savage rifles look better in person than in photos. 3D vs 2D.
Black plastic stocks on bolt guns need an appointment with a can of spray paint, IMHO.

[starmac]

I guess like the saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I like the old ones better that the new ones (looks wise) and the M99 is about like comparing a fine tuned swiss watch to a briggs and stratton compared to other levers. lol

[1Shirt]

Never had a sav that didn't shoot better than I could. If looks were everything, so many of us wouldn't be ugly!
1Shirt!

[double8]

What's not to like about an old 99 in 35 Remington?

[starmac]

What's not to like about an old 99 in 35 Remington?

Or 358 win, or for that matter 30/30, 300, 250/3000, 375,308 whatever.

[alrighty]

It is all in personal tastes but I do not much care for the barrel nut on their bolt rifles.However about all of them shoot as well as anything for twice the amount.
I always liked the looks and handling of a 99 , wish I had liked them before the prices went high.I just picked up a Savage model 170 pump 30-30 not a beauty queen in anyone's eyes but they serve the purpose and they are still reasonable.

[wch]

You may say that they look ugly, and I will affirm that they shoot "pretty"!

[starmac]

Is them the same barrel nuts that ruger and marlin has copied???

[alrighty]

Is them the same barrel nuts that ruger and marlin has copied???

Sure is , it seems Savage was way ahead of the times when it came to cost cutting.They were also ahead of the times when it came to a trigger system that the lawyers and shooters could live with.Just like the rest of the rifle the Accu-Trigger is not pretty but it is functional.

[jonas302]

I don't get that either my savages are defiantly not ugly but I sure do think that plastic and camo is hideous its all in the eye of the beholder I love the barrel nut as do most savage enthusiasts But not talking anybody into buying one as long as they stay affordable and shoot good I will have them

[RPRNY]

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa272/LRDG/image_zps96194f56.jpg (http://s203.photobucket.com/user/LRDG/media/image_zps96194f56.jpg.html)

Savage 340B 222 Remington Nice enough wood in my view. And that's a .70" group at 100 yards with a Williams aperture sight. Took me a few to dial in with new load ( 52 gr Speer HP and 22.2grs N133) but once on, it was ON. Pretty? Not really. Pretty good? Clearly.

[starmac]

I have a good friend that is a certifiable gun nut. He won't give a savage a second look (but always calls to see if I am interested), Yet he owns numerous boat paddle rugers. lol

It is a personal taste thing for sure.

[nekshot]

A little creativity goes along way with savages! We don't feel to bad carrying these in the field and they shoot as good as they look.
75188
top-340 middle-111 bottom stevens 200

[starmac]

Neckshot, that 111 even has the bolt on the right side.

[HighHook]

Yep they are super Ugly and Cheep junk!


don't tell people they are good! the price will go up.:twisted:

[wch]

A few years ago I was sighting in a number of out of the box rifles for other folks who didn't want to do it for themselves. (No matter how often I told them that my sight setting wouldn't be the same as theirs.)
The Savage bolt rifles with that big ugly nut consistently proved to be the most accurate arms I shot (even with factory ammo), regardless of caliber.

[gandydancer]

"Savage" You mean there's another kind?? Zoweeee.

[uscra112]

Yep they are super Ugly and Cheep junk!


don't tell people they are good! the price will go up.:twisted:

My sentiments exackly !

[gandydancer]

I wonder how good they will be when the new owners take over savage??

[kbstenberg]

Gandy who is taking over Savage?

[Lloyd Smale]

what stock is on that 200. It looks like an older rem adl.
A little creativity goes along way with savages! We don't feel to bad carrying these in the field and they shoot as good as they look.
75188
top-340 middle-111 bottom stevens 200

[JesterGrin_1]

Yep they are so Ugly only a Mother could love them. :) Yes I did replace the scope rings for a lower set lol. :) .358 Winchester.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v453/SHAKERATTLEROLL/savage1.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/SHAKERATTLEROLL/media/savage1.jpg.html)

[gandydancer]

Gandy who is taking over Savage?

http://www.masslive.com/business-news/index.ssf/2013/05/savage_arms_in_westfield_sold_to_defense.html

Savage Arms in Westfield sold to defense giant ATK | masslive.com
www.masslive.com/.../savage...westfield_sold_to_defense.html Cached
WESTFIELD-- Defense contractor ATK, also known as Alliant Techsystems, announced Monday it has entered into an agreement to acquire Savage Sports Corporation in ..

[richhodg66]

I own three Savage 110s. The most recent is a .308 package gun for my son who is a lefty (Savage was the only one who made left handed youth rifles at the time). Anyway, that darn thing shot great the first time at the range and never let us down. I thought I'd ate the accu trigger, but it's great.

Savage makes a pretty grade of the 110 I am strongly considering getting one in .250 Savage. I looked at one on 7mm-08 the other day and they are as nice as anything Remington, Winchester or Ruger offer now.

[colt1960]

I never liked the looks of the lever guns. I have owned a 99 and thought it was the most ugly lever rifle I ever owned. swapped it off and got a marlin 1895 45-70 and love it.

[nekshot]

Lloyd, good eye indeed. My son wanted wood instead of plastic and using the original front hole in the stock for the savage it went well. Not exactly a drop in but with a little fitting and glass the action, a little off the mag box and its a done deal. He loves it and it sure feels good in the hand when you handle it. Shoots cast with a real good atitude.

[Plastics Savage]

To make a savage look better try looking trough the hole where the bull use to be.

[richhodg66]

I guess tastes vary. I love Savage 99s and think they're gorgeous. They were also way ahead of their time. Considering they came about the same time as '94 Winchesters and the equivalent Marlins, they are much more advanced, better rifles than either.

[Suo Gan]

I think there is no question that the Savage 99 has a loyal following, and is an extremely wonderful piece of engineering and machine tool work. They don't make them today for a reason. No one could afford to buy them in the numbers necessary to remain a financially viable proposition for Savage. My guess is that they would be about $2,500 to start. Anyway, on the 10 and its variants. They are a rigid action, they are the 180 of a 99 in costs to manufacture, but they are equal in accuracy. If you were in the manufacturers shoes, what would you want to do? Sell 1 Savage 99 or 100 Savage 110's? This is not rocket science.

You get a lot of bang for your buck in a 10, but a wonderfully beautiful rifle in form it is not. It is a tool, and that is the means to its end. It has been a wildly successful and brilliant rifle that far surpasses the goal of its makers ever dreamed possible. The Savage 99 made Savage a household name, because of the 99 folks trusted the 10, though the 10 rides the 99's coattails, it has far surpassed the 99 in sales. Savage was on the forefront of this movement of economics over ergonomics.

So ugly or not, I wish that I had all the greenbacks that the 10 has brought to Savage. It is a good rifle in every sense of the word.

[hound_dogs_01]

They're ugly as sin, but man are they shooters. Ive never seen one that wouldn't shoot.

[RustyReel]

nekshot -- The Stevens stock is nice, but I'm way more impressed with the stock on the 340. Where did that come from???

[10 ga]

I've got 4 Savage rifles.

A really nice SS 22WMR with heavy barrel that shoots lights out.

Then 3 of another "way ahead of the pack rifle", The Savage MLII. The first commercial "smokeless muzzleloader". Have one of the MLIIs in original condition but the other 2 have been upgraded stocks, pillars, bedding and barrels changed. Yeah, that barrel nut makes switching out barrels on those guns real easy, gunsmith and expensive specialty equipment not necessary. I did all the work myself, barrel and stock stuff.

OH Yeah, what is more important then hitting your target? The Savage rifles do that better than any other everyman American rifle off the rack.

10

[nekshot]

Rusty, the stock is a win 670 I bought years ago for next to nothing. The 340 action was purchased about 4 years ago in bad shape. I cleaned up the action, looked at the 670 wood which has a blind bottom and said between my chisel, dremel and acra glass I can make this work. I still did not know if the barrel had any life left in it but it rewarded me with alot of moa shooting at 100. It really is one of my favorite woods rifles simply because how ugly the action looked the day I purchased it and how it can make a bad hunting day more enjoyable. Gun as you see it with scope only cost me about 175.00! I remade the scope mount to sit on center of bore.

[RustyReel]

Very nicely done..........

I have a 340 with factory walnut stock in nice condition and it is a fun rifle. I also picked up the Springfield version in 222. It was rusted in and out with a ratty hardwood stock. Cleaned it up and put a Boyds on it. Has a big ole chunk of rust in the barrel that won't go away but it still shoots quite well.

Never really had an interest in buy any more, but after seeing what you have done I may have to pick up another one if I can find one at a decent price.

Again, very nicely done.


Rusty, the stock is a win 670 I bought years ago for next to nothing. The 340 action was purchased about 4 years ago in bad shape. I cleaned up the action, looked at the 670 wood which has a blind bottom and said between my chisel, dremel and acra glass I can make this work. I still did not know if the barrel had any life left in it but it rewarded me with alot of moa shooting at 100. It really is one of my favorite woods rifles simply because how ugly the action looked the day I purchased it and how it can make a bad hunting day more enjoyable. Gun as you see it with scope only cost me about 175.00! I remade the scope mount to sit on center of bore.

[hound_dogs_01]

Savages are hands down the most accurate rifles right out of the box... Anshultz makes their barrels...

[fouronesix]

The OP asked about Ugly. Obviously, all that is in the eye of the beholder. For the most part the bolt guns are pretty accurate from what I've witnessed. I've owned exactly one Sav 110 in 223- bought it new. Butt ugly, clanky, low grade wood and it did NOT shoot well at all. Got rid of it and never looked back. Sorry, from a clean engineering view (even looking past their "odd" aesthetics) I just can't get in to the accu-trigger thing, barrel nut and a bolt design that looks like it belongs on a stove.

[Love Life]

Savages look gross. Kind of a bummer because they are accurate for cheap(ish).

[Rio Grande]

I didn`t think anything hideous was present with the look of Savage arms, until lately. Their "New" model 24 and the other plastic renditions they are turning out makes my stomach rumble!Robert

Ain't that the truth. Why on earth couldn't they just keep the 24 looking like before? It can't be any cheaper to turn them out the new way. Who designed the new 'look'? Who approved it for manufacturing? Politely show them the door.

I'm not anti-plastic. That new 24 is just downright ugly.

[JesterGrin_1]

Yup, it sure is. It looks like it has a tire iron for a bolt handle.

Ya wanna buy a (broken) rock? <G>

Ok Ok so when I built the Bolt Handle I went a smidgen overboard lol

And No on the ROCK lol.

[starmac]

That would be one of them TEXAS sized smidgens. lol

[JesterGrin_1]

That would be one of them TEXAS sized smidgens. lol

Is that not Mo better. :)

[Hunter]

One thing is for sure, they are about the most accurate out of the box rifle.

[Lloyd Smale]

looks pretty sharp.
Lloyd, good eye indeed. My son wanted wood instead of plastic and using the original front hole in the stock for the savage it went well. Not exactly a drop in but with a little fitting and glass the action, a little off the mag box and its a done deal. He loves it and it sure feels good in the hand when you handle it. Shoots cast with a real good atitude.

[Curlymaple42]

Or 358 win, or for that matter 30/30, 300, 250/3000, 375,308 whatever.

Or 284Win!

[nanuk]

I own a 340, a 325, and have a barred 340 action in need of some TLC..... I would like a nice stock for it, but DANG the 340 stocks seem to fit me nice.

as for the most beautiful Savage, that would be the 219 (not the L) hands down. Sleek, smooth, and handles like an extra arm.
I now have 4 of them, and a 220 combo.

the 110 style has something missing from the tang area when viewed from the side, making it look like a hump back something...

but then, there are custom single shots that have that same void... Ugly? sure, but they grow on you.
kinda like mold!

[GP100man]

Yrs. ago I mounted a scope on a 110 in 243win ,it was a sons 12th BD present .

Dad said it was to feel out if his son was gonna be a hunter or not so everything was cheap as we could find .

Long story short ,after mounting scope & bore sighting that rifle cut 1 hole at 50 with 2 shots , I moved the hairs to the hole & went to 100 3 shots in 3/4" !!

Dad was mad because the 110 out shot his A-bolt LOL!!

Couple of yrs later we camoed the birch stock with a base of drab green & fogged on brown thru fern leaves.

The son has grown up now & still hunts the 110 , calls me or e-mails me `bout the kill with it every openin day!

[Rick Hodges]

I own two Savage 110 era bolt rifles in 223R. A med action sporter and a long action heavy barrel stainless. Both are pre "accu trigger" but both triggers adjusted safely to nice crisp 3# pull. Both rifles are scary accurate. The heavy barrel averages just a tad over 1/2" at 100 yds. (average of 5 5shot groups) and is a prairie dog/groundhog killing machine.
The sporter weight averages 3/4" groups and has accounted for scores of coyotes. I think they are beautiful......appearance be damned.

[swheeler]

Ugly? not especially, accurate? more so than some, economical? yes.http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg234/kmw3291/072413_170801_zps1929693d.jpg (http://s249.photobucket.com/user/kmw3291/media/072413_170801_zps1929693d.jpg.html)30-06 Ack Imp, light, accurate and filled six doe tags on first outing, seems like 4 were head shots.

[swheeler]

To me that piece of walnut is nicer than what is on Win M70 XTR 264 mag, which isn't ugly by anyone standards.

[nekshot]

yessiree, that savage gets my attention! When my daughter is back to help me post a picture I'll put up a picture of my personal savage. I get a kick outa dressing up homely looking stuff. My cousin took a amx and put a 427 in it just for kicks . I did see a top of the line savage in BassPro last week and I could get used to that gun real fast.Real nice wood and cal257roberts.

[swheeler]

Yep they put some decent wood on the 114 models, nice cut checkering too, sharp.

[blackhawk4545]

Mine has many, many miles on her, not very purrty, but I've grown to love her. Never let me down and has provided many tasty meals for me. Yep, my wife and Sav. 110 are my babies.

[Jack Stanley]

I don't mind the birch stocked rifles even as homely as they can be . The 110 I bought someone had already glass bedded it so at least I didn't have to work on that one . Unlike the plastic stocks I don't like working on . I don't mind the cheap looking but really ...... they shouldn't make them flimsey or is flexing the proper term .

If Savage wanted to go back and make the 219 right , I'd likely get in line with money in hand but I doubt that will happen in my lifetime . Sell one good 219 or five hundred Axis rifles ??? ...... you know the bean counters got that under their thumb . Probably a reason some call them "Salvage" instead of Savage . I will give them credit though , they have considered lefties as buyers too .

Jack

[LeftyDon]

At least they make them for those of us that were reverse engineered, they don't look so ugly when you're a Lefty! Any port in a storm! My Mark II BTVLSS with thumbhole stock is real sweet looking to me.

[Jack Stanley]

Regardless of how ugly my axis is , it bolt on it is smoother to operate than any other Savage I've had a chance to run . So rapid firing from the shoulder is just piles of fun with it . I've compared it to a left hand 110 and a right hand Stevens model two hundred both in two two three Remington . The one ten groups the best of all but is the clunky(est) one of all . The stock on the Axis flexes more than the Stevens did so I'll have to ask the gun plumber which epoxy he used to stick to the plastic .

I guess I don't mind the ugly but it is just wrong that I should have to work on the rifles to make them right . If I had wanted a factory assembled do-it-yourself kit there are other rifles to buy . .

Jack

[GabbyM]

Way they attach bolt handle to rear of bolt body may not be the sleekest design. But after having a glued on Rem 700 handle snap off on me I like the idea of a mechanically secured handle.

Rem 700 handles are supposed to be silver soldered. Mine was a used gun when I acquired it so maybe someone did a bubba on it. Regardless it fell off.

[Shooter6br]

The old 'Salvage " may be ugly to some but shoot beautifully.Also easy switch barrel.