oppinions advice etc for newbie,

[detritus]

howdy all,

first off my appologies if this somehow seems disjointed,  i'm writing this at the end of a long day, and i'm not to good at " speaking of or asking questions about" something, till i've been around it awhile.


recently, in the course of looking for a new/closer to home shooting sport, after having to sell off most of my collection to pay medical bills, (i had been shooting SASS Cowboy action matches for about two years now but it's 90-120 min drive to the nearest matches, too close to overnight and a PITA to get up in time for match day, adn now my gear is sold off)   i stumbled upon High Power Silhouette (as well as "regular" NRA HP) at my local gun club.  

since it interests me, and the firearms used for the "hunter" class (i get that right??) are of a type that i'd either be buying anyway, or if i lost interest i could easily sell to a local deer hunter.  i've decided that i want to look into shooting the HP silhouette game.  
so i have some questions and more may come later.

first off,  is there any inherent problem with using a Savage "package gun" (the guns that are sold with a boresighted scope already on-board) as a "starter set"??  i know from past experience that the savage M-10/11/16 family ARE accurate guns, and once the lighter weight versions get the new "accu-trigger" they'll be even better (yes i've tried one out) .  But i don't know if the scopes and mounts are even worth bothering with, or if i'll get said gun home try it out once and strip it down and replace the sight system....

second is there any advice you nice folks can pass on??  i'm fairly open to mopst suggestions.  but will say that as far as firearms i shoot, in the "bolt gun" Dept, i stick with Ruger, savage, and occasionally Remington.

well thank you for your time.  any and all input is appreciated.

[eroyd]

I'm certainly a novice as far as high powered silhouette goes but I to am considering a Savage for taking up HP shooting. A hunter class rifle can be shot in both classes which would save learning two rifles. Asking about Savages, it seems that folks that don't own them pooh-pooh them but those that do own them are fairly impressed with there accuracy even with the so called crappy factory trigger, which I understand is on its way out, besides good after market triggers are available.
Savages tend not to be finished off quite as nicely as others but they are not as expensive either. I'd rather put money saved into a good scope and skip the package deal scopes. One thing I have learned from small bore shooting is that a decent quality scope with quality repeatable target knobs is a must.
A good deal on a short actioned Savage is certainly something I'd consider.

[detritus]

just to cover my bases....

for the various HP games i've become interesting in i fully intend to wind up getting 3 (yes 3  :grin: ) different guns.  A hunter class gun for Silhouette, a Service Rifle AR-15 for cross the course HP. and since i want to replace the one i had to sell last year AND my club has a 3x600Yrd match each month in which "F-class" (any rifle any sight system) is allowed, a Savage 10FP in either .223 or .308.

the Hunter class silhouette is really the only one where i'm not sure how i want to go gun wise.

just thought i should add that for clarification.   :-)

[Mutt]

Yes Savage will shoot! competed last several years with em and they'll perform much better than my ablility. Sharpshooter Supply is da man for custom setup on Savage actions, at very reasonable prices and times.
 Now for the 3-guns, hunter 7-08 shop used Savage! build a 10lb 2oz Savage for heavy class 7-08 of course and it will double quite nicely as an occasional 'F' class shooter one chambering one bullet at long ranges gives valuable experience with same load in both rifles. take $$ saved over custom Rem and buy used 24X get Premier .0067 dot or use to buy a Tubbs 2000.
 Have Fred at SSS tune up action at first, from then on a phone call gets you a new barrel which you can set up yourself, a real plus as we tend to go through a barrel every year or so and months waiting for a barrel job is a bummer.
 Good luck
ps. check out Sharpshooter Supply's new 4oz trigger for Savage, prepare to be impressed!!

[fwt1712]

If you're prepared to look overseas you will find that the Finnish Tikka and Sako rifles shoot extremely well and come with a stock that will often fit a bit better than other rifles. Another option is the Steyr pro-hunter but it has a stock that some find 'too different' from more traditional designs. Each of these have a solid following here in Australia, with some of our top shooters (including former world champions experimenting with using these in hunting class and heavy). They are all available in 7-08, 6.5x55 and good old 308, all calibres that will work.

regards,
Nigel.

[dave imas]

i'm with Nigel.  The Tikka or Sako rifles are, typically, superior to the out of the box Remington, Savage, or Ruger offerings.  They have a strong following in the states as well.  Excellent off-hand stocks, adjustable triggers, and box magazines that actually feed.  Certainly worth considering.
dave

[nomad]

1712's right.
Tikkas are the best dollar value on the market. You should be able to find one under $500.
The two I use will regularly beat 3/4 moa and the triggers are very good. FAR superior overall to current Remington and you don't have to replace the trigger ala Savage. At the last Texas state sil championships there were LOTS of Tikkas on line. Second only to Remington and gaining...
7-08 or (if you can find one in the states) 6.5x55.
They take Weaver #61 bases.
You need a good scope. Weaver, Leupold, Sightron, Bushnell 4200; anything in the 12-24X area will work. Mechanical reliability/repeatability of the scope is more important than the last Nth of optical quality.
Hunter class is 9 lbs. The Tikka Whitetail Hunter with a heavy scope pushes that. The newer T3 (with which I have no experience) is supposed to be lighter.
The package guns will not work -- the scopes aren't up to the job.
I think that, with careful purchasing, you could be set up for under $900 but I don't think that number can be beaten by much unless you luck into something used. (Reloading dies, etc., extra...)
That will let you compete in both classes and by the time you wear out your first bbl (If you compete seriously you'll put at least 1500 rounds downrange annually and silhouette is hard on bbls, especially in the warmer climates!) you'll have enough background to know exactly where (if?) you want to go with something custom.

[jbeckley]

It is true that the Savage rifle is very accurate out of the box.  The silhouette club that I belong to in Phoenix, runs a sight in service for hunters every year, and the Savage rifles are very good, but that is for hunting.  If you ask anyone that has been shooting silhouettes for awile, they will tell you to spend your money once.  Don't buy something that you'll shoot for a few matches and then sell for half of what you paid for it, by the way check the old forums in this particular section, and read what ever Dave Imas has to say, he has been shooting for quite awhile and he definetly knows what he talking about.

[eroyd]

I have seen a 6 inch group shot at 1000 m'swith a 7mm mag  out of the box Savage. They are indeed capable of accuracy but their triggers and finish leave a lot to be desired. I'd love to see one beat all those very expensive custom "hunting rifles".

I opted for an inexpensive Tikka WhT. two weeks before my first HP shoot. I guessed a load a few gr.s under max listed for the only match bullets I could find in town. I was very impressed with the rifles performance. The trigger is great and easily adjusted. I shot a 28 on my third hunting rifle match ever!
If you can live with the plastic parts and mag. I'd go Tikka.