T/C Encore vs Savage

[Kitchen_Duty]

I am a hard spot. I basically must decide if I want to buy a Thomson Center Encore or a Savage (preferably Stevens) Bolt action rifle.

Both are highly customizable and both have their reasons. This would be my second high powered rifle, my other is a marlin 336 30-30.

I would like to use it for harvesting game but with the potential of destroying paper at 300-400 yards. Benchrest competition would be fun if I had the patient skills of that kind of shooter but I don't know if I do. Please help.

And if you answer: other, please tell me why that is so much better than these two. My limit would be $600 (not including optics). I know the stevens is significantly less but to buy a trigger, new stock, yatta yatta, would run me close to that number. And no, I don't care about the barrel nut.

-Kitchen_Duty

 

[Shawnee]

Hi KD...

I went with "other", and the "other" would all be rifles, a la:

1st choice: a 22/250, and
2nd choice a .243, and
3rd choice a .7mm/08

to explain the 1st choice - you already have a good rifle to "harvest game" with so, because of your interst in "destroying paper" at 300/400 yds., the .22/250 is as excellent as the common calibers get. It won't teach you bad habits and it will teach you good ones - and it won't be too expensive to shoot often, especially if you reload. One of its' beauties is it will "teach you" long distance shooting with little wasted motion, so to speak.

to explain the 2nd choice - the .243 will do fine for you on targets and also be all the rifle you ever need for varmints, deer, antelope, wild hogs or black bear. It is a great caliber in the "teach good habits but not any bad habits" Dept..

to explain the 3rd choice - the 7mm/08 is the gun to get if you really expect to hunt game larger than deer/hogs/black bear. It will be all you need on this continent no matter what or where you hunt.

All three of the above "choices" are "short-action" calibers and give you more leeway in mounting various scopes. You may, or may not, need that leeway.
There are "long-action" calibers that would be perfectly fine substitutes for the 2nd and 3rd choices.
Probably the most common caliber that would be a good long-action sub for .243 would be the 25/06, but the .250/3000 and the 257 Roberts would work fine also.
The overall best common caliber to sub for the 7mm/08 is without question the .270 Winchester.

All boiled down - I'd say go for the .22/250 at this point.

HTH

 

[The Deer Hunter]

I have a T/C Omega .50 cal (muzzleloader). The gun itself is beautifully built, its rock solid and for the price, it is such a good gun. I don't know if they same craftsmanship is poured into the cartridge rifles but my rifle is real accurate and well made.

 

[skinewmexico]

I vote Savage. It's all about downrange performance to me. And Shawnee made some good observations about caliber. I would get a smaller caliber, that is fun to shoot a lot at one setting. The 243 is kind of intriguing. If you look it up on 6mmBR, it's got some pretty amazing ballistics.

 

[Quoheleth]

Savage. Great accuracy, accutrigger allows complete customization for your need, and action is OK, too. If you don't like the stock, then get a new one, but the factory would be a good starting one (or a good starter for a project if you want to glass bed it, etc...)

All for a great value.

Your call on caliber, but since it seems you're leaning toward a target rifle need, I agree with the smaller .22s.

Q

 

[Kitchen_Duty]

Ok, so I forgot one thing when it came to my selection: I already own an AR-15 in .223, so I have "way fun to shoot, easy on the should" down. The selection was a little slim but I picked up a Stevens 200 in .308 (only other option was .243) I felt that I would rather get something a little bigger (we have elk in this state). Thanks for the poll advice.

-Kitchen_Duty