Redneck Repairs

I have this ongoing obsession with a utility rifle .

Now i guess my definition of a utility rifle is in order ..

To me a utility rifle is the " leatherman tool " of rifles , its not hard to find a better tool for any job , but a tool that will do many jobs is worth having , and in fact what you are likely to have at any one point and time .

With this in mind Jeff Coopers scout rifle concept has facanated me , to the point i had a base mount custom made for an enfield .308 . This did not work as well as i had hoped , tho i still own the rifle . I looked and studyed some more on the entire utility rifle concept as i wanted it and found that cooper met most of my expectations/needs and then some stuff i really did not consider important.


What i consider important in a utility rifle are the following qualitys ..

1. 40" or less in length.

2. under ( preferably well under 8 lbs )

3. Ability to mount Iron sights ( for when the abuse it takes does your scope under ) and scope ( not necessarily at the same time )

4. rugged reliable action that can rattle around a trunk or behind the seat of a pickup for years and still work .

5. Of a caliber that is sufficient to your use , common to find , and light enough on recoil that you will actually practice with it .

6. some method of sling carry that is preferably also of use as a shooting aid .

Note now that absent are brand , looks , stock material , finish , optics price , and a host of other things .

My thoughts led me to the .308 win and a bolt action as a starting point tho others would work also but anything else would be a deal breaker for me .

Along came this Savage 10 " scout model " ( used but lovingly so due to overall condition ) with a host of " extras " from a new rifle , I also happened to have a CZ pistol that i had owned 4 years and not shot a couple of hundred rounds thro .. good pistol , just not my favorite . So i called the ffl and made the swap over the phone , all deals ironed out ( he had not even seen the pistol lol ) and we both were happy .. When i got back up there ( it took about a week ) to consummate the deal imagine my supprise when i got a " drag bag " ( a soft case with a shoulder strap ) a harris bi pod , and 100 rounds of winchester 110 grn factory ammo on the deal ( but no freaking sling lol ).

My carbine ( more correct than rifle when it comes to scout or utility definitions ) came pre equipped with a NC Star 2x7 pistol scope mounted ( not my idea or choice on a " scout scope " but functional and possibly a better idea than mine at least for plains conditions ) .

Yesterday i had a couple of hours , but on my place not at a range , so i shot abut 30 rounds or so of the 110s thro the rifle . I set out a gallon paint can and took 110 paces from it to start out , rifle was right on and reliably rolled the paint can from both off hand and seated postitions . Next was a pop can , it worked fine also if i held on the bottom of the pop can once it was knocked over and laying sideways ( so figure for me it was sighted about 2" high at a hundred yards ) . Recoil was noticeable ( was not like a .223 ) with the 110s but not bad at all tho i both look forward to and dread the trial of 180s . The accuracy shown so far fits well with the role i see for the rifle tho i have not tried any longer range shots or put it on paper .

To the gun its self ....

I have both Likes and Dislikes on this savage . It will never be a " bragging " gun ... its the gun at deercamp which gets set back in the shadowed corner since its cheap and i find the action ugly (which is ok since i can haul a pre 64 mod 70 to show off and " brag " on too ) However this little rifle is imho going to be boring , if you can see a target its likely you can hit it . I frankly like the loose as a goose bolt it has , and the oversized bolt ( full 90% throw makes working it a joy )that you can easily manipulate with the web of the thumb method , never actualy grasping the bolt or dropping the rifle from the sholder is great .

The synthetic stock is crap , you cannot properly sling up without pulling the stock over to contact ( i plan on fixing this by inletting and jb welding ( epoxy ) a length of 1/4 or so keystock into the forearm channel . The supplied iron sights are of iffy quality bening williams ghost ring peep , but hey you wont use them much , and they dont add bulk or weight . My rifle came with a b square base that mounts partly on the front reciever ring and leaves the scope occluding about a third of the load/ejection port which is not a handicap for me .. the foreward mount scope is not what makes a utility rifle anyway .. other usability issues do .

Another issue is have is cheek weld to see thro the scope , you have to " shoot trap " IE a heads up stance , now you can and in fact do get a good cheekweld , but it is not what you think of for rifle , more what you think of for shotgun . I plan to play with filler stuffed under a buttcuff ( extra ammo loops ) to try and fix this . It should be noted tho that as near as i can tell the savage stock is setup right for the iron sights , not a scope .

Any way IMHO the Savage rifle will make no one a pride of ownership bragging rifle .
What the little " scout " will do is give someone who shops for issues other than pure defense ( and some who shop for that also ) an entry price rifle which can be your " trunk gun " and your hunting gun at a cost of under even the cheap ar platforms . Its not a sniper , and its not an assault , It is a leatherman weapon ... from 25 yards out to where YOU can hold it it will do the job , others better and more comfortable , but like a leatherman tool on the belt , if this is all you have you are well armed over the person who has nothing .

P95Carry

Looks like you got pretty much the package you sought in that rifle ..... I think my own equivalent to that is probably my REM 760 'Gamemaster' .. it's a deer rifle primarily but, because shorter in barrel and quite light, it is very totable. Only 4 mag capacity but the pump action makes for pretty fast reloads.

My other possible choice in your approx category would always vere toward a lever. I have 2 '94's but they are pistol cal ... I do tho rather fancy a '94 in good ol' ''thuddy-thuddy'' .... even tho a weaker round.

Seems like your gun is pretty well dialed in ... just a 200 - 250 yard test perhaps and you are well set.

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Chris - P95
NRA Certified Instructor & NRA Life Member.

"To own a gun and assume that you are armed
is like owning a piano and assuming that you are a musician!."

If a BG dies as the result of pointing a gun at me, then he has merely succumbed to an occupational hazard of being a thug

BigEFan

It sounds like you found what you were looking for and got it on trade, which is always nice.

As far as a utility rifle, I'll go with Chris, I've chosen a nice Mod 94 30-30 for me.

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Lex et Libertas — Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus, et Fidelis!

"Not only do the people who put their lives on the line to protect the rest of us deserve better, we all deserve better than to have our own security undermined by those who undermine law enforcement." -Thomas Sowell

Travis Morgan

I wish they'd make a true "Mini-14"....... in .308.