Hi,
I am new to the forum, and I just purchased a new gun. It’s a Savage 111 FXCP3 in .30-06! I purchased it from Dicks Sporting Goods. This is my first rifle of my own, it’s a late birthday/graduation present to myself. There are several questions I have not been able to find answers to searching the board.
1. What do you do to a new gun before you shoot it?
2. If the plastic stock is not ‘heavy” enough how do I add weight to it to reduce recoil effect? the current gun is 7.5lb
3. The rifle did not come with “iron-sights” can a gunsmith add these for a reasonable price?
4. This gun came with a scope, but from what I can tell is pretty cheap. How much should you spend to upgrade the optics? I find it hard to believe that I paid $300 for a gun, and then I will have to put another $100 to $200 into a “decent” scope.
So what is a good scope for under $100.00?
Thanks
Mattb3901 in Maryland

welcome to the forum and to the ranks of rifle owners!

You'll get lots of opinions here...I'll answer your questions IMHO:

1. I hug it and hide it from my wife. Later I will shoot about 5 rounds thru it and clean it. Repeat an number of times, depending on how it's grouping. Some guys folow a rigid breakin regime, which you can search for on this forum. Others just shoot. I try to break in , but often forget where I am in the process. WHen you own a number of rilfes, as you eventually will, you'll see that it's easy to lose track.

2. 7.5 # is fine for an -06. You're young and tough (right?) and should not be bothered by the recoil, if you start with lighter loads and work up. The plastic stock makes your rifle muzzle heavy, which is desireable for a hunting rifle.

3. It can be done easily, but I doubt you will find it necessary after you get some good optics. IF this was a brush (short range) gun, there would be more need for backup iron sights.

4. I suppose there are "good" scopes for under $100, but probably not much better than what's on the rifle now. There are some very nice scopes for $200+/-. Save up and buy the best scope you can afford as you will probably be keeping it for a lifetime. You can get a 2-7x32 of good quality for less than a 3-9x40 of the same quality. For example, the Bushnell Legend at D&S Sports.

Good shooting!!

welcome to the forum and to the ranks of rifle owners!

You'll get lots of opinions here...I'll answer your questions IMHO:

1. I hug it and hide it from my wife. Later I will shoot about 5 rounds thru it and clean it. Repeat an number of times, depending on how it's grouping. Some guys folow a rigid breakin regime, which you can search for on this forum. Others just shoot. I try to break in , but often forget where I am in the process. WHen you own a number of rilfes, as you eventually will, you'll see that it's easy to lose track.

2. 7.5 # is fine for an -06. You're young and tough (right?) and should not be bothered by the recoil, if you start with lighter loads and work up. The plastic stock makes your rifle muzzle heavy, which is desireable for a hunting rifle.

3. It can be done easily, but I doubt you will find it necessary after you get some good optics. IF this was a brush (short range) gun, there would be more need for backup iron sights.

4. I suppose there are "good" scopes for under $100, but probably not much better than what's on the rifle now. There are some very nice scopes for $200+/-. Save up and buy the best scope you can afford as you will probably be keeping it for a lifetime. You can get a 2-7x32 of good quality for less than a 3-9x40 of the same quality. For example, the Bushnell Legend at D&S Sports.

Good shooting!!
Young and tough is a relative term...Is 32 young and tough? I was introduced to deer hunting later than most at 30 by a co-worker.
I bagged one deer and was hooked. I will do a search for break in routines.
thanks for the input
cheers mattb3901

Hi,
I am new to the forum, and I just purchased a new gun. It’s a Savage 111 FXCP3 in .30-06! I purchased it from Dicks Sporting Goods. This is my first rifle of my own, it’s a late birthday/graduation present to myself. There are several questions I have not been able to find answers to searching the board.
1. What do you do to a new gun before you shoot it?
2. If the plastic stock is not ‘heavy” enough how do I add weight to it to reduce recoil effect? the current gun is 7.5lb
3. The rifle did not come with “iron-sights” can a gunsmith add these for a reasonable price?
4. This gun came with a scope, but from what I can tell is pretty cheap. How much should you spend to upgrade the optics? I find it hard to believe that I paid $300 for a gun, and then I will have to put another $100 to $200 into a “decent” scope.
So what is a good scope for under $100.00?
Thanks
Mattb3901 in Maryland

Welcome to the forum Matt. Rules are simple, be nice and join in.

As to your questions.

1. Take the barreled action out of the stock and clean and oil all the places that you can't get at with the stock on. When you put it back in the stock adjust the accu-trigger per your rifle manual. Take the bolt apart and remove any gook in it and lightly lube it with graphite. Clean the barrel really well and lightly oil if your not going to shoot it for a while. Run a dry patch thru it before shooting.

2. 7.5 pounds is OK for a 30-06. When you put in four shells it will add some weight. If you really want to add more weight take off the butt stock and epoxy lead in hole in there or when you take the rifle apart to clean and oil it the first time you will often find some square holes under the barrel you can epoxy some lead in there. Where lead goes depends on how you want the rifle to feel. Personally I wouldn't put any lead on this rifle.

3. Iron sights can be added, but your probably looking at better than an hundred bucks. More and more rifles today do not come with iron sights.

4. I'd try the scope on the range before I junked it. My old shooting partner bought a Savage package rifle that came with an inexpensive Simmons 3 by 9 scope. He put a Burris on it and put the Simmons on his 22 rifle. It actually wasn't a bad scope. One of the best buys for the money I've found is Cabela's Pine ridge 2 by 7's or 3 by 9's. Great optics for the money and a warranty as good as Leupolds.

Again welcome to the board and good luck with your new rifle.

Savage's recommendations:
http://www.savagearms.com/cs_barrel.htm

How much should you spend to upgrade the optics? I find it hard to believe that I paid $300 for a gun, and then I will have to put another $100 to $200 into a “decent” scope.
So what is a good scope for under $100.00?
Thanks
Mattb3901 in Maryland[/QUOTE]

Matt,

The scope is the aiming device. Without a good aiming device, the best rifle can not be shot accurately. I would much rather than a cheap beat up rifle with a good scope than the best of rifles with a cheap scope. My Savage .22 rifle cost about one half of what I paid for the scope that sits on top of it. It will stay with my brother's much more expensive custom .22 sporters because he and I are both using good glass without regard to scope cost.

In my opinion, Leupold gives you the most bang for the buck although they fall into a higher price range. Their rifleman or VX1 line starts at about $200 at the big box stores or on line. They carry a full lifetime warranty, have good optics and reasonably repeatable adjustments.

My particular reason for liking Leupold is non-critical eye relief. Leupold gives you more eye relief than any comparable product of which I am aware. This results in two good things:
1. You have more leeway in shouldering the rifle and seeing through the scope properly; and
2. You are less likely to get that not so cool half moon cut over your shooting eye from getting hit by the scope during recoil. While that happening has a lot to do with not using proper technique look around a bunch of old shooters and see how many of those scars you see.

Better grades of Leupold scopes are better quality with additional features. My preference is the VX II models which are in the $250 to $450 range depending on the scope. They provide the features that I want at a price that I can live with.

There are other good scopes but in scopes you really tend to get what you pay for. I know of no good, cheap scope. I don't go to the scopes that are more expensive ($1,000 - 2,000) than the Leupold lines because anything technically better does not have the eye relief that I prefer. Scrap the idea of adding iron sights for now and use the money you would have paid the gunsmith for parts and labor to add to your scope budget. I have rigs where the scope did cost more than the rifle although that is not necessary. If necessary to stay in your budget. look at EBay for a used Leupold or go to a gunshow and check out the used Leupolds on dealer tables. You can save some money doing so. Check current new prices though because I have actually seen dealers price used scopes at a higher price than I can buy them new by shopping for prices.

Good luck and welcome to the frustratingly wonderful world of rifles and shooting. You have started with one of the few real bargains in the shooting world with Savage rifles as they shoot much better than their price indicates. Even so, they will only shoot as well as you can aim them. It takes good glass to do so. If need be, live with the scope that they provided with the package gun until you can save your money for something significantly better.

JWK

I have one of those in 7MM mag, recoil shouldn't be a problem. Iron sight would be expensive, you might want to give the no name scope it came with a chance, the one that came with my rifle semed to have pretty good optics but I put on a scope I had laying around so I couldn't tell you how it holds up to recoil. The Nikon Prostaff can be had for about $150.00 and is a good buy for the price as are some of the Bushnells if the scope is junk. Remeber most of the lower priced name brand scopes are made in the same Chinise factorys that the no names are, it sure looks like a Simmons scope. Clean the gun including the bore before you shoot it the first time, it will be filthy as just about all new guns are. As far as break in on a hunting rifle shoot it and clean it every 5 or 10 rounds for the first 20 shots, keep from overheating the barrel. Use a cleaner that removes copper. Unfortunatly your package gun doesn't have an Accutrigger but you can get a replacement 3 screw trigger if yours is terrible. 111 series guns are very basic with no frills but a fantastic buy at $300.00 that will often outshoot other rifles regardless of price.

Matt,

Whether you want iron sights or not depends on the kind of shooting you will do? You didn't say? If you're shooting in dense woods in rainy conditions or are likely to have to do some snap shooting, you may well find a ghost ring site is easier to keep clear of water and no harder to use than the low power glass you would want in close quarters.

Many of us here on the board prefer glass because of the presbyopia associated with loss of spring chicken status. You shouldn't be there quite yet. I carried a plain Jane M1A through Gunsite's 270 class, and used the iron battle site while many around me had glass optics. I was at no disadvantage. I was the only class member to clean my school drill target and I won the shoot-off against the other students at the end of the class. I was 42 at the time, so you should still have some iron sight time left on your clock if you choose to exercise it.

Savage is known for decent accuracy. As for scopes, don't sell yourself short. Yes, they are expensive and its not uncommon for the price to be equal or above the price of the gun. Leupold Rifleman would be the minimum where I would start. Couple of bucks more, and your into VX-1. And dont skimp on the mounts. Im not sure if they make them for that particular model, but the Talley one piece mounts are awesome. You'll have to get them online. For a hunting rifle, if you can keep the groups under 2" @100 yds, you're in business. You can probably do that with the scope that came on the gun, but the Leupolds are going to have better optics, more clarity, and more consistancy through power changes, and less likely to fog on you. If you must stay under $100, I would probably go Bushnell Banner. I used one for years on my muzzleloader and was pleased with it.

Wow lots of good advice! I will have to mull it all over while giving the gun a good cleaning before taking it to the range to site it in. Tomorrow after work I will be taking it over to the local sporting goods store (not a big box but local guy) to get it bore sighted.

As for my immedieate conclusions
1. optics are an area you should not cheap out on. So I will start saving for a better scope.
2. No this will not be a brush gun, most of my hunting opportunities will be in open field,or areas with good lanes of fire.
3. Its good to know that the gun should be hevy enough with out having to add any weight.

thanks
Mattb3901 in Maryland

i just put a new nikon monarch on my rem 700 that cost almost twice what the rifle cost. as for cheap decent quality scopes check out BSA optics and nikon prostaff line, they are pretty close to your price range and probably a big improvement over what you have on there now

I have a several year old Savage 111 with the plastic stock. I had single dovetail scope mounts - I think they were Redfield - but went back to Weavers after the windage screw got loose and the scope slipped in the rings. Weaver mounts work just fine to me. I have not tried the Burris rings with the plastic inserts yet but they will probably be what I try next if the current rings have any issue (Burris Signature, I think they are called). They do not mark you scope and you can get inserts to give you more elevation if you need it.

I have broken 2 under $100 scopes on my 30-06 but both went at least 100 rounds. If you use your gun strictly for hunting plus checking the zero a cheap scope may last you a long time. I broke a Simmons 44 mag (probably over $100 these days) and a Tasco World Class (cheaper now than when I bought one). The parallax went bad on the Simmons and the recticle broke on the Tasco (it is not completely unusable but is not on the gun). It wears a Burris Fullfield II in 3x9. I would have preferred the 2x7 but the 3x9 came with a spotting scope so I went that way. The spotting scope is not so great but I am still happy with the choice. I do not have another hundred full power rounds under the Burris but I am hopeful it will hold up.

I spent some time glass bedding my 111 and making sure the barrel clears the barrel. I get 3 shot groups around an inch with Nosler 180 grain partitions from Federal - factory loads - and with several handloads it likes. My favorite is 180 grain Hornady spirepoints over about 55 grains of IMR 4350 with a WLR in a Remington case. I have shot 3 , 3 shot groups that averaged 1/2 inch with this bullet and about this load (had to get a new can of powder and adjust the load a little). Two were shot consequitively but I cannot always do this, sometimes it opens up to around an inch but that is still good enough. All up my gun is about 8 lbs on my digital fish scale. I don't think I would want a 30-06 much lighter, at least for shooting from a bench.

My Savage bruised my shoulder when I first sighted it in. Some was me not holding it firm on my shoulder but some was a too short length of pull - for me. I am almost 6' 3" with long arms. I put on a 1" decelerator and it is more comfortable now.

Jim