Savage Scout 7.62x39 info needed

[amvet]

I have a chance to get a Savage scout in 7.62x39 at a very good price. I have a very large stock pile of steel case ammo and thought it would be nice to have a bolt action besides my semi auto guns to shoot it. Does anyone have any experience shooting steel case ammo in a Savage 7.62x39? I understand the difference in bore size of .308 and .311 and it's effect on accuracy. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[splithoof]

Can't say much about the savage, other than the examples I own in other calibers are all very decent rifles.
I can say that the CZ 527 in 7.62X39 is a very well made little rifle that is very accurate with many types of surplus, ball, and modern hunting ammunition I have tried in it. While not really "cheap", it is of very high quality. Everything composing working parts is steel, including the magazine and well for such. Stocks are wood, and very well fitted.
If you want something lightweight, compact, accurate, reliable, and fast handling, I would get the CZ. I liked it so much that we bought a second.

 

[ATCDoktor]

I have both the Savage Scout Rifle in 7.62X39 and the CZ 527 in X39 as well.

The Savage Scout will shoot anything I feed it and not balk.

It will shoot Wolf Russian steel case Hollow Point/Soft Point/FMJ's into 1.5-2 inches at 100 yards no problem.

That said, my CZ 527 chokes on Wolf steel case ammo and shoots it poorly (which is disappointing as I have about 20,000 rounds on hand).

 

[amvet]

That is interesting ATCDoktor. What I have read was the cz was designed to shoot the steel case stuff. Like you, I have a ton of the stuff and thought having a bolt action to shoot some would be fun. Nice to hear the Savage handles it well.

 

[ATCDoktor]

What I have read was the cz was designed to shoot the steel case stuff.

Like you, I heard the same thing but it is not the case with my specific gun. 3 inch groups at 100 yards with steel cased ammo (which isn't bad) but what a can't abide (with my specific CZ 527) is the extremely hard bolt lift on fired cases and having to clear multiple stuck cases per range session with the Wolf ammo.

My Savage doesn't have these problems and the accuracy (out of the Scout) with all flavors of Wolf X39 is exceptional.


It's an extremely sweet shooter and the accutrigger (on this one) is the finest I have on all my Savages.

The Scouts Magazines hold only 3 rounds but they have a generous "length" so as to load bullets of just about any length.

Mine wears a forward mounted Burris 2X7 Scout scope and the internal holdover marks match the trajectory of the Wolf ammo extremely close out to 300 yards.

IMHO if you can get the Savage for a good price (and it's not abused or has been left to rust after shooting corrosive ammo) I'd jump on it.

 

[amvet]

The gun is from an estate sale and appears unfired. Yours is the first info I have seen about how the Savage handles steel cases. Sounds good! have you had any difficulty finding magazines?

 

[ATCDoktor]

Sounds good! have you had any difficulty finding magazines?

On my original magazine, the rear tab broke fairly early on (I've had mine for a few of years) and used it like that for a long while.

It was still reliable (to a point) but the mag would pop down from time to time so figured I'd replace it.

I scrounged around all the standard internet distributors (Midway, Brownells etc) and couldn't find them anywhere (lots of Savage magazines but none for the X39 scout).

I finally called Savage and asked if they were still in production and they said that they were so I ordered a couple of magazines from them. and have had no issues Mag related since

In fact they only charged me for one mag as my original had failed and I believe it was less than 40 dollars.

Placed the order about 18 months ago and the mags arrived in a week or so.

 

[zb338]

Take the steel cases and trade them off to someone. Then
go out and buy brass cased ammo. It will be better for your
new gun in the long run.

Zeke

 

[splithoof]

Interesting, as my 527 shoots Wolf just fine; I too had a large stock of it, and bought the 527 to shoot it up.