Well, the deal I posted was too good for me to pass up myself. I ended up buying not one but two of the Savage 12FV models that are exclusive to Cabela's. One is .223 (9 twist) and the other is 6.5CM (8 twist). At $319 each for a non- Axis Savage, it's just too good to pass. Savage kicks in some free swag to sweeten the deal, but I'm not feeling especially grateful for yet another poorly made bag and a Chinese-sourced T-shirt.
So what makes it worthwhile? These are real model 12/10 Accutrigger short actions. No bottom bolt release nonsense here. Which means you can actually find aftermarket goodies pretty easily. IMO, the barreled action alone is worth the price of admission.
Both rifles are 26" varmint barrels. They are front heavy and not something you'd want to carry in the woods.
Both have blind magazines and low-rent plastic stocks. The stocks have significant internal reinforcement and they are NOT the truly awful tupperware junk of yesterday. They are today's take on a very cheap and arguably junk stock. They have thick love sponge recoil pads, even though you probably don't want or need them for either caliber in rifles this heavy.
The actions are, shall we say, lacking refinement. They are Savages. Not Sakos or Tikkas or Bergaras or (insert custom action). They have both a good bit of play in them, and the 6.5 manages to find a way to add a tight spot to the play for the worst of both worlds.
I can't say I mind much, because unless it causes feed, extraction, or accuracy issues, it's kind of irrelevant. They'll work just fine and I'm sure the snug spot on the 6.5 will break in well enough.
Why are these fixer uppers? Well, they might end up being bad barrels. You don't often hear of Savages with major accuracy problems, but it happens. I'm expecting that one or the other will need a Shilen or something to shoot.
Also, the blind mag MUST GO. It's truly awful. Looks like Accurate mag DBM bottom metal is about $160. I'll be adding that to whatever stock upgrade happens. Might go cheap with a Boyd's at-one, might step up to GRS on one or the other. (The new GRS BiFrost looks like an absolute winner).
I'll update periodically with changes as they occur.
So what makes it worthwhile? These are real model 12/10 Accutrigger short actions. No bottom bolt release nonsense here. Which means you can actually find aftermarket goodies pretty easily. IMO, the barreled action alone is worth the price of admission.
Both rifles are 26" varmint barrels. They are front heavy and not something you'd want to carry in the woods.
Both have blind magazines and low-rent plastic stocks. The stocks have significant internal reinforcement and they are NOT the truly awful tupperware junk of yesterday. They are today's take on a very cheap and arguably junk stock. They have thick love sponge recoil pads, even though you probably don't want or need them for either caliber in rifles this heavy.
The actions are, shall we say, lacking refinement. They are Savages. Not Sakos or Tikkas or Bergaras or (insert custom action). They have both a good bit of play in them, and the 6.5 manages to find a way to add a tight spot to the play for the worst of both worlds.
I can't say I mind much, because unless it causes feed, extraction, or accuracy issues, it's kind of irrelevant. They'll work just fine and I'm sure the snug spot on the 6.5 will break in well enough.
Why are these fixer uppers? Well, they might end up being bad barrels. You don't often hear of Savages with major accuracy problems, but it happens. I'm expecting that one or the other will need a Shilen or something to shoot.
Also, the blind mag MUST GO. It's truly awful. Looks like Accurate mag DBM bottom metal is about $160. I'll be adding that to whatever stock upgrade happens. Might go cheap with a Boyd's at-one, might step up to GRS on one or the other. (The new GRS BiFrost looks like an absolute winner).
I'll update periodically with changes as they occur.