Ugly barrel nut not so ugly anymore

[jim36]

Just thought it funny that peaple and other rifle manufactures use to shy away from that UGLY BARREL NUT.
Now when you look at a few of the different new rifles
, those that claim MOA, that rifle is wearing that ugly barrel nut.
In my many years of owning and shooting Savage rifles I never once considered that barrel nut as ugly.
I think that is the main factures in achieving an accurate shooting rifle.
I guess  some of the other companies have found out about this and are getting on board.
Just had to bring that up.
Headed out to the gun show this am, so I just might come home with an old Savage ( or new). I still love those old 110,s with the UGLY BARREL NUT.
                                        NEVER OWNED ONE THAT WAS NOT A GOOD SHOOTER.
 
                                                          Jim36   <")))><
 
 
 
 

[mechanic]

+1
 
Ben

[spruce]

Always struck me as being "distinctive" rather than ugly.
 
I think other manufacturers copying it just illustrates how often "new" ideas are just old ideas recycled for a new generation or for a new application. 
 
Reminds me of how the 10/22 rotary magazine was hyped as being "revolutionary" when it was first introduced, but Savage and Mannlicher had used rotary designs for decades!

[LaOtto222]

I have 3 savage rifles that take the "nut". All have after market barrels, all have been set at a minimum head space. All 3 shoot lights out. I think they are beautiful, but accuracy trumps any thing else and I can't see the barrel nut when looking down the barrel.

Here is two of them



a target from each at 200 yards





 They look pretty good to me!

I know Mossberg and now Remington has come out with their own barrel nut guns; must be something good about them.

BTW, I have a Savage target action that is waiting on a stock and barrel, it will make it four gun "nuts".

Good Shooting and Good Luck

[burntmuch]

I have a couple friends and a brother that shoot savage rifles. I tease them about them ugly barrel nuts. But that's all I can tease them about.  All of them are very accurate.

[Swampman]

Nut or not everything about a Savage is ugly.  They are no more accurate than rifles without nuts.

[ironglow]

I never considered the barrel nut to be ugly, in fact I figured it  to be a smooth transition from barrel to action...
   
 There used to be a saying among coon hunters about their various dogs.." The BS stops..when the tailgate drops!".
 
  There are some who try to 'bad talk' Savage rifles, but .."The BS stops, when the bolt handle drops!"...

[LaOtto222]

Nut or not everything about a Savage is ugly.  They are no more accurate than rifles without nuts.

I know you are a Remington man. I have a couple of 700's myself. One is custom and the other one is completely stock. Both shoot well, but not as well as those shown above.

I think you are more or less correct. Remington also has a reputation for accuracy. Many bench rest rifles are based off of modified Remington 700 actions. However, they do take more skill to set the barrel and not everyone has the skill or tools to do it properly. At the factory, setting head space on a Remington is way more difficult than setting a Savage barrel. I think that is why many people find that Savage guns in general are more accurate, when buying a cheap inexpensive rifle. They are just shocked at how accurate they are for little money.

Now even Remington has started to produce a rifle with a barrel nut, the model 743.

http://www.remington.com/en/product-families/firearms/centerfire-families/bolt-action-model-783.aspx

"Engineered for Accuracy" Those are Remington's words, not mine, with a barrel nut! I have seen where gunsmiths will convert a regular model 700 to use a, gasp, barrel nut.

To me, beauty is a tight group, not smooth lines. As always, this is still a free country and everyone is entitled to their opinion.

Good Shooting and Good Luck

[mechanic]

I bought the cheapest bolt I could buy, just to tide me over until I could buy a good gun.  A Savage Axis, in .223.  Now I don't know what I could buy that would be better, so I'm going to get another Savage Axis, maybe a couple more.  I could care less about the barrel nut.  This gun is sub moa without any work.
 
Ben

[ironglow]

  What's he going to do when Remington "sees the light" and goes to a barrel nut for all it's rifles?

[Swampman]

That's not going to happen because the new rifle they've developed is junk and more expensive than the Model 700 which is the best selling and most accurate production rifle in the world.

[Swampman]

 Savage makes a nice cheap rifle.  Those that my buddy owns give nothing but trouble.  I'd rather have a Weatherby Vanguard if I wanted a quality cheap rifle.

[Swampman]

Well it's not cute when the rifle doesn't go off when you pull the trigger.  That happens frequently with both of his.  Savage needs to dump the Accu-trigger and go back to a real trigger.

[SHOOTALL]

Barrel nut is a beautiful thing if one likes to switch barrels . A few tools and you are good to go. Try that with a 700 at home. I see more and more custom builders of long range rifles trying Savage recivers. How many out of the box rem 700's are built to  compete in F class ? Remington makes some nice and accurate rifles and so does Savage and others . Remington is the established good rifle , Savage is the challenger and doing very well it's neck and neck. The winner is the shooters as we have more accurate rifles.

[the jigger]

I generally try to avoid the threads that tend to deteriorate pretty quickly. That said beauty is in the eye of the beholder and perception is reality to the perceiver. When I bought my first Savage I didn't notice the "nut" until my gunsmith friend called it to my attention. I now have several Savage/Stevens rifles two of which are "Poor-Boy" customs that consistantly kill prairie doga out past 450yds. Those rifles are truly "BEAUTIFUL" to me.
GOOD LUCK and GOOD SHOOTING!!!!!!!

[Swampman]

I have an Encore if I want to switch barrels.

[gr8ful]

Man swampy you kill me.       BTW just got another Rem 742, it shoots 1/4 inch groups all day long and NEVER hangs up!

[Swampman]

My buddy has one just like it.

[james]

The barrel nut is a plus for me when I am shopping for a used rifle.  I know if its not accurate, I can swap the barrel and it will be.

[Swampman]

Even without the nut the Savage bolt guns are unattractive and those that have the Accu-trigger will misfire.  The Stevens 200 is a better option as it doesn't misfire.

[mcwoodduck]

I read this and was expecting to see a custom barrel nut on a savage that was smooth and had a spanner wrench hole or was engraved.  Not telling us that the old ugly is the new pretty. 

[Swampman]

The new barrel nut will not accept a spanner wrench.  It's still ugly.

[geezerbiker]

I got to experience an Accu-trigger for the first time yesterday.  I bought a Savage Rascal for my grandson.  It has to be one of the nicest .22 single shot beginners rifles I've experienced.  THe  Accu-trigger only makes it better.

[Swampman]

My buddies misfires constantly.  As long as you don't try to squeeze the trigger they fire most of the time.  A good hard yank works best.

[wareagleguy]

Many people look down on Savages and I was one of them at one time.  I have setup several rifles for people over the years and discovered how great these rifles can be.  So, I started my own collection.  I soon realized why so many (including myself) didn't like Savage.  It's not the nut but the price.  There is some kind of pride in something expensive.  Many see something that cost more must be better and so when a cheap rifle comes to camp it's instantly looked down on.  Folks try to find some kind of fault because, well it's cheap.  For the money it is hard to beat and over the last several years people are seeing just how well these guns will shoot.  This brings up demand and so the price goes up. 


The nut puts these rifles in a whole new deal for many shooters.  This is one rifle that with a little homework can build a custom.  No need to go to a smith and have him do work for you ....just do it yourself.   I have purchased 4 Savage rifles in the last few months.  All shoot very well!

[Swampman]

The Savage is more expensive than a Model 700 Remington.  No need to shoot a 4-5th tier quality rifle.  Just buy a Model 700.

[ironglow]

Better teach your buddy how to properly use a trigger, or he should send it back to Savage for repairs.  I have only 2 Savages with accutriggers, but both work properly and are smooth as silk..a definite improvement over any company's "lawyer approved" plain-Jane trigger..
  My new Ruger American accuracy trigger squeezed hard at first..so I took it back to my dealer and a slight adjustment by him, brought out a trigger which works as nicely as the Savages'.
  Both Savage and Ruger with the American have triggers which outperform the simple "lawyer"  triggers most  all basic rifles come equipped with (IMO).

[Frank46]

I have an old savage 110FP in 308. Precision shooting once did an article and the author really tested it out. Think I paid about $350 for it about 17 years ago. Wouldn't shoot well until I bedded the entire front of the receiver in the plastic stock. Then it would do 3/4" groups with some old 7.62 match I had. Ugly barrel nut may be one of the best secrets as well as the flexible bolt head. Frank

[Cuts Crooked]

Lawdog,

I would like to see the 5 reasons to stay away from Remington

No problem.  I aim to please.  Here are the SIX good reasons why NOT to buy NEW Remington rifles,

1.]  hideous safety

2.]  flimsy extractors

3.]  brazed on bolt handle

4.]  declining quality control

5.]  non existent customer service

6.]  a trigger group made from stamped metal

Lawdog
 

[SHOOTALL]

I tend to agree , I have seen bolt handles come off and the safety fall off.  Only on Remingtons.