Stevens 200 Upgrade

[Mosin-Me-Nagant]

I'm currently enjoying shooting a 30-06 Stevens 200 bolt action. I understand that it is a Savage Axis action combo'd with a budget stock and scope. It is surprising how accurate the gun is. This is my first non-surplus bolt action.

But, I'm looking to trade up for a little nicer rifle. I am looking for something that I can slowly build up into a nice bench rifle. 300 Yards is about the longest that I will get a chance to shoot it at. I have decided .223 will be the best choice for me because it is cheap to shoot and fine for 300 yards. I've owned 7.62x54R and 30-06. I see no reason to have rounds that are designed for 1,000 yards and beat you up after about 50 shots. Also, $1 a trigger pull is tough to keep doing.

I've got it narrowed down to a Remington 700 ADL. This seems like the perfect action to get started on a target rifle. I've looked at Savage's lines as well. The Hog Hunter 11 is really catching my eye as well.

My head is stuck on a bolt action bench gun, but would an AR-15 meet my needs? .223 is the native round and I know you can build accuracy into an AR. The last CMP High Power shoot I went to had everyone but one guy shooting an AR at 300 yards. Would the cost to get into an accurate AR be more than a bolt gun?

 

[fireball168]

I'm currently enjoying shooting a 30-06 Stevens 200 bolt action. I understand that it is a Savage Axis action combo'd with a budget stock and scope.

Your understanding is incorrect, your 200 is the same as the Savage 110.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Yes. Remington 700s tend to be very accurate right out of the box and will give you a lot of room to grow. To get equivalent accuracy in an AR will cost roughly double if you build it yourself and know what you are doing and more if you buy factory.

A caveat though, the 700 has a 1:12 twist rate which limits how heavy a bullet you can use. I tried 77gr in mine just for fun and couldn't even find them on the paper at 100 yards

 

[Disposable Heart]

I have a Savage model 11VT that I try to sell here and there. 1:9 twist, stabilizes 75 and 77 grainers (no Amaxes though), great rifle. The more and more I hold it, the more I want to keep it. Nothing wrong with the savage action or barrels. Remmys are a bit more accurate, but likely not on a scale a new bolt shooter will notice and can't grow into.

 

[shawnba67]

I have thought about upgrading my 700 adl some. The bdl has a magazine floorplate and there are a lot more stock options and detachable magazine options. There are still alot for the adl, just more for the bdl. Savage uses a barrel nut and is end user barrel swappable, can have a new caliber for under $300 if you get tired of your 223. I guess i bought the cheap walmart adl and have wished i had bought a bdl more than once.

 

[nate77]

The Stevens 200 is an excellent base; like stated above, it is a Savage 110, not an Axis. Nice aftermarket trigger, and stock; you'd be good to go.

You could buy a lot of 30-06 ammo for the price of a new Remington 700.

 

[Mosin-Me-Nagant]

The Stevens 200 is an excellent base; like stated above, it is a Savage 110, not an Axis. Nice aftermarket trigger, and stock; you'd be good to go.

You could buy a lot of 30-06 ammo for the price of a new Remington 700.

Thanks everyone for the excellent information. Maybe I am just looking for a "grass is always greener" solution. I did not realize that the Stevens was based off of the 110 action. That makes sense as to why it shoots so well. I never thought to sink any money into this rifle because I thought it was made from their low end action. I may reconsider now and look at upgrade options, but I really do want to get out of 30-06. It just isn't the caliber for what I like to do.

 

[nate77]

I like .223 better too.

Does Savage even make the Stevens 200 anymore? I remember when you could pick them up for $279 with a scope. Then the Edge/Axis, came out; that seems to be the only thing you see now.

 

[Mosin-Me-Nagant]

I saw them in their current product Catalog. I paid $200 to a fellow INGOer for this one. I think they are around $350 new with a cheap scope. I also got a sling, hard case, and buttstock ammo sleeve.
Savage Arms

I didn't really know what I was getting at the time, but $200 for a Savage sounded pretty good. Probably going to pull the trigger on buying that 700 though.

Are all of the 700 models the same action but different barrels, stocks, and such? I was assuming that up until you get into the multi-thousand dollar target models.

 

[IUprof]

I have a Stevens 200 in .223. I changed the stock and many install a new trigger at some point. They are a solid base to build upon as already mentioned. A lot of information available at the following sites:

Savage Shooters

Sniper's Hide Forums

Sharp Shooter Supply - The Savage Specialists

As well there are very knowledgable folks on this site on the topic of precision shooting.

 

[avboiler11]

Yes, Savage still makes the Stevens 200 and it is based on the 10/110 action.

A S200 in 30-06 is a long action. With a Savage long action, you can convert to a 223 with a standard short action .378 bolt head and a firing pin stop kit thingie (I forget its actual name) from Sharp Shooters Supply. You'll be relegated to single-feeding however, unless you do something like a CDI Precision Savage LA/308 DBM and run AI polymer 223 magazines.

It'd be cheaper & easier to sell your 30-06 and buy a 223. The 11VT, 12FV and 11 Hog Hunter are good options for a 1:9 223 and the 12FV I previously owned was a no-joke sub-half MOA shooter with 24.0gr Varget and Hornady 75gr HPBT and an 11 Hog Hunter barrel that, shooting the exact same load as the 12FV (ie. not tuned to the gun) was about 0.8 MOA.

You might also skip both the Savage and Remington and see if you can hunt down a Tikka with 1:8 barrel.

The average Remington is NOT more accurate than the average Savage, and contrary to what one might read on the internet, the average Savage is probably NOT more accurate than the average Remington. Both are good rifles, both solid platforms to build off off for the future. The Remington will likely have a much smoother-feeling bolt throw and eject brass better, the Savage is less expensive to buy and cheaper/easier to DIY as you can change from a 204 to a 338 Edge with a bolt head and barrel swap.

Here is a link to my 110 long action 223 Ackley Improved.

 

[Mosin-Me-Nagant]

Thanks to the last 2 posters for the great Savage info. I would look further into improving my Stevens if I had any money in it. I've pretty much decided on getting a 700. I've been scanning the classifieds and watching online to get an idea of prices and models. Can't wait to start pulling the trigger on one in February. Starting the fun part of looking for a stock now.

 

[roadrunner681]

Yes, Savage still makes the Stevens 200 and it is based on the 10/110 action.

A S200 in 30-06 is a long action. With a Savage long action, you can convert to a 223 with a standard short action .378 bolt head and a firing pin stop kit thingie (I forget its actual name) from Sharp Shooters Supply. You'll be relegated to single-feeding however, unless you do something like a CDI Precision Savage LA/308 DBM and run AI polymer 223 magazines.

It'd be cheaper & easier to sell your 30-06 and buy a 223. The 11VT, 12FV and 11 Hog Hunter are good options for a 1:9 223 and the 12FV I previously owned was a no-joke sub-half MOA shooter with 24.0gr Varget and Hornady 75gr HPBT and an 11 Hog Hunter barrel that, shooting the exact same load as the 12FV (ie. not tuned to the gun) was about 0.8 MOA.

You might also skip both the Savage and Remington and see if you can hunt down a Tikka with 1:8 barrel.

The average Remington is NOT more accurate than the average Savage, and contrary to what one might read on the internet, the average Savage is probably NOT more accurate than the average Remington. Both are good rifles, both solid platforms to build off off for the future. The Remington will likely have a much smoother-feeling bolt throw and eject brass better, the Savage is less expensive to buy and cheaper/easier to DIY as you can change from a 204 to a 338 Edge with a bolt head and barrel swap.

Here is a link to my 110 long action 223 Ackley Improved.

or if your a glutton for recoil like i am, you could go up to 7mm Remington magnum or 300 win mag with your current rifle, unless there rules you have to go by. my savage 111 is going up to 7rem mag when i get all the parts. i think a 260 rem savage would be awful hard to beat as well.

 

[IndyGunworks]

there is NO reason to switch to a 700 unless you just plain want to. the action you have will be just as accurate as any off the shelf 700 action, and I would bet on it. Don't listen to anybody that says you need to have a 700 in order to have an accurate rifle.... remingtons have a slightly smoother bolt throw, eject brass a tad better, and have better aftermarket triggers.

for the savage, they are cheap, accurate and reliable. you can do ANYTHING to you want to them right from your living room floor. want to change calibers? ok, bolt barrel and headspace gauges, and you can change the barrel in about 10 minutes. a Remington would need to be sent to a gunsmith.

the stevens 200 IS a savage 110, minus as quality of a barrel, as nice of a stock, and the accutrigger.

 

[fireball168]

for the savage, they are cheap, accurate and reliable. you can do ANYTHING to you want to them right from your living room floor. want to change calibers? ok, bolt barrel and headspace gauges, and you can change the barrel in about 10 minutes. a Remington would need to be sent to a gunsmith.

All but one of my 700's are now sporting barrel nuts.

 

[.356luger]

just shot my stevens 200 in 223 at three hundo and really it did pretty well for me using hold over instead of sighting it in.

 

[dhamby]

The fact you don't have much money into your stevens 200 is all the reason to build it up instead of buying a 700. Don't get me wrong the 700 is an awesome rifle and I do own one. But save money and build the 200. Use what you would spend on thr remington and put that towards decent optic. Then swap out the barrel, stock, and trigger and you'll have yourself a damn nice rifle for a lot less that will likely shoot better than you can.