Plinking Savage rifle... with or w/o Accutrigger?

[Greg]

I'm looking to pick up an inexpensive .22LR for plinking & occasional varmint blasting. I like Savage rifles and I've been looking hard at their .22LR's and I'm quite interested in getting one with the Accutrigger, but I don't know that it's worth the additional expense, compared to one w/o it.

I can get a .22LR with Accutrigger for $160 and one without it for $125. $35 isn't much in the long run, but when comparing the price difference of the 2, it is. I could get a rifle w/o it and use the extra money for a good scope or ammo.

Any thoughts on the Accutrigger? Is it not really that big of a deal for a .22?

 

[Spork]

I've only messed with the demo accu-trigger display at Gunnies and it did reduce trigger pull, I guess I would want to know what the trigger is like without it...

interesting thread, just out of curiosity where are you looking at them?

 

[Greg]

I've only messed with the demo accu-trigger display at Gunnies and it did reduce trigger pull, I guess I would want to know what the trigger is like without it...

interesting thread, just out of curiosity where are you looking at them?

Yeah, it would be great to do a side-by-side field test and see how each one felt while actually sighted up on a target. Probably not the most feasible thing though.

I'm looking all over... I found the one w/ Accutrigger here, but the price is before shipping which adds $20, so $180- http://www.wholesalehunter.com/product.asp?ref=gb&productid=42405

Walmart has them in stock w/o Accutrigger for $126, didn't ask if they could order the same gun with it.

I may do some more looking around tomorrow.

 

[Stephen]

I've thought about Savage guns since my Dad's 10/22 was stolen a few months back. The price is quite competitive, but I've never known any one who's had one. Not meaning to jack the thread, but what are peoples feelings about Savage?

 

[GEEPAHOLIC]

hey greg i have one of the savage 22lr's from wal mart w/o the acu trigger and i love it i dont think it would make that much of a difference on a duce duce i would take the extra 35 and find a decent scope for it . i paid 107.99 for mine on sale like 4 years ago . my only complaint is lack of after market for it hope i helped

 

[Caleb]

I've thought about Savage guns since my Dad's 10/22 was stolen a few months back. The price is quite competitive, but I've never known any one who's had one. Not meaning to jack the thread, but what are peoples feelings about Savage?

I have no personal experience with the Savage guns but I've always heard they are a pretty nice gun for the price. I've heard especially the MKII with the accutrigger. I've been looking in to a 17 hmr or a .223 and everything I read on them says to get the accutrigger.

 

[DAA]

Disclaimer: I'm a trigger snob. Most of my rifles have triggers that cost a lot more than the entire rifles you are considering.

Now, with that out of the way...

A good trigger matters. Period. In some ways, it matters MORE with a .22LR than with a centerfire. All depending on what you intend to do with it and what you're expectations are, of course. When I say the trigger matters, I'm assuming at least some regard for precision. If being able to hit a pop can at 25 yards is "good enough", then actually, I guess the trigger really would not matter.

So, all that said... I like Savage rifles in general. They have several unique features that lend themselves to accuracy from a mass produced, off the shelf rifle, at a reasonable cost. But, I (the trigger snob) am NOT a fan of the Accutrigger. When I had a couple rifles with the Accutrigger I turned them into non-Accutriggers. But, when comparing the non Accutrigger rimfire rifle to the one with Accutrigger, and assuming that there will be no replacement or tuning of the triggers, I would take the Accutrigger without any hesitation.

Just my opinions though, of course.

- DAA

 

[rholbrook]

Disclaimer: I'm a trigger snob. Most of my rifles have triggers that cost a lot more than the entire rifles you are considering.

Now, with that out of the way...

A good trigger matters. Period. In some ways, it matters MORE with a .22LR than with a centerfire. All depending on what you intend to do with it and what you're expectations are, of course. When I say the trigger matters, I'm assuming at least some regard for precision. If being able to hit a pop can at 25 yards is "good enough", then actually, I guess the trigger really would not matter.

So, all that said... I like Savage rifles in general. They have several unique features that lend themselves to accuracy from a mass produced, off the shelf rifle, at a reasonable cost. But, I (the trigger snob) am NOT a fan of the Accutrigger. When I had a couple rifles with the Accutrigger I turned them into non-Accutriggers. But, when comparing the non Accutrigger rimfire rifle to the one with Accutrigger, and assuming that there will be no replacement or tuning of the triggers, I would take the Accutrigger without any hesitation.

Just my opinions though, of course.

- DAA

Good advice given from a man who spends every waking moment(wife willing) with his eye looking through a scope and his finger on the trigger.

 

[jackjoh]

It depends on what you want it to do. Plinking - no accutrigger, target - accutrigger. Savage is as good as any off the shelf except maybe the 10/22. IMO

 

[Grim]

i love my Ruger 10/22's , and there are a lot of options for their triggers, (even do it yourself)

 

[Greg]

Thanks for all the input guys!

While I do have a combination of uses that this rifle will see, I do want a gun that will be accurate at distance, while being inexpensive to shoot at the same time. While I will be plinking often, I also want to do a fair amount of target shooting and occasional varminting.

I ended up ordering a Savage from WalMart today. I looked at Sportsmans Warehouse and a few pawn shops as well, but went with Wally World due to the price. That's about the best options we have here... at least until Cabelas opens up this Spring.

I ordered a Bolt action Savage Mark II FV with Accutrigger, a heavy, blued barrel and a black synthetic stock. I think the heavy barrel will be a valued addition and I spent a little more for better accuracy at distance. I paid a bit more than I originally wanted to, but I think I got a much better gun. Price was $220, it had to be ordered and should arrive in less than 2 weeks.

I also picked up a scope while I was at WalMart. I did some reading before I went down there and found some great reviews about the CenterPoint 4-16x40mm scope. It's a bit of overkill for a .22, but it has a bunch of handy features for a good price.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/CenterPoint-4-16x40mm-Scope/10248654

Also picked up 300 rounds of .22 LR for $12... I think this will be a fun gun! I'll update this thread with pics once I get it in my hands and mount the scope.

 

[DAA]

You'll enjoy that rifle Greg.

Since you mention target shooting and accuracy, I'd strongly recommend trying as many different types of ammo in it as you can. Rimfires are finicky that way. With an accurate rifle, you'll easily see the difference between different brands and even different lots of the same brand. The more accurate the rifle, the more differences you are likely to see.

I like to find one inexpensive type of high velocity hollow point for plinking and general varmint plunking, then another (usually) more expensive brand the rifle likes if I want to do any precision work with it. You ought to buy just one box of the pricey target stuff, just to see what the rifle does with it. You might be really surprised at the difference in accuracy between high velocity hunting type ammo and the standard velocity (sub sonic) target type ammo with that rifle.

Years ago, when I was half way serious about rimfire accuracy, I'd go so far as to test different lots of the same type of ammo my rifles liked and then buy a whole case (5,000) of the best lot. I haven't done anything like that in years though. Anymore, I'm satisfied just finding the accuracy potential and knowing which brands the rifle likes, but don't bother trying to hoard a particlular lot. In fact, it's been probably ten years since I bought any .22 ammo. I have so much still on the shelf I might very literally never need to buy any again for the rest of my life - even as much as I shoot.

- DAA

 

[Greg]

Thanks Dave! I think it will be a great rifle for what I want to do.

Great call on the ammo, I picked up a bunch of the cheap stuff and I'll buy a few boxes of different brands & types to see what the gun likes the most. It's going to be fun to figure out what performs the best.

Amazing that you have that much rimfire 22 ammo! Once I figure out what the Savage likes, I'd like to pickup a few bricks of the good stuff.

 

[Greg]

My special order came in today! I picked it up this evening after work, took it home and added a couple goodies. I mounted the scope and added a bi-pod. It needs a larger clip, since the one it came with only holds 5 rounds. I did some searching and my only option is a 10 round clip. I think I'll have to find a few of them, to facilitate a decent amount of time between reloading.

Anywho, here's the pics of my 'WalMart' gun... since it & all the accessories came from Wally World.

 

[Caleb]

I like it.

 

[Greg]

I like it.

Me too! I'm going to take it out tomorrow and sight in the scope, then have some fun with it. I really hope all the snow we've had out in the desert makes things extra green this Spring and promotes an over abundance of rabbits & gophers.

 

[RockMonkey]

Sweet! I love shooting my 10/22. The aftermarket for it is amazing, but the only thing I've added to it is a small scope and some higher capacity magazines.

Anyone ever done this?

[YOUTUBE]udqDe_QfOF0[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Greg]

Sweet! I love shooting my 10/22. The aftermarket for it is amazing, but the only thing I've added to it is a small scope and some higher capacity magazines.

Anyone ever done this?

[YOUTUBE]udqDe_QfOF0[/YOUTUBE]

There doesn't seem to be a lot of aftermarket for the Savage, but I don't think I'll need much more than a few 10 round clips and I should be happy.

That fully-auto 10/22 is insane! So that was what, about $10 in ammo?

 

[I Lean]

That guy needs a 100 rd barrel magazine.

 

[mbryson]

THAT is SWEET. I might use my Ruger a LOT more if it was like that.