my first rifle
 

Hey board,

haven't been on in a while. (Wife and I just bought our first house) Between the moving, painting, unboxing..still have some to do! Well, I have ordered my first hunting rifle. I went with a Savage Model 111 in .270 win.(It's a package gun w/ Simmons scope 3-9x40) It's a composite stock gun. I loved the accutrigger on it. I hope it shoots as good as it feels. Debated between the 270 & 30-06. Having never shot either, I went with the standard 270. Gun should come in today at the gun store. Hope I made the right choice. Next season, I will probably upgrade the scope to something better. (They hade a youth model of the exact gun on hand) The gun smith talked to me about the gun and showed me some things about the scope..it seems fine for starting out. Both of the gun smiths said the 270 was a flat shooting cartridge. I wanted to thank the board for all the advice on calibers. I'll post a pic of it later guys.

RE: my first rifle
 

Excellent choice. Although, I would say exactly the same thing, with equal conviction,if you had chosen the .30-06. ;)

Last time I was at the rifle range, I took a walk up and down the line to see what everyone else was shooting. The .270 seemed to be the overwhelming favorite, as half of the shooters were using it. The other half were dispersed among a variety of calibers ranging from the .22 to .300 mags.

RE: my first rifle
 

Shoulda gone with the "standard" 30-06 :D;)

RE: my first rifle
 

Congrats on your first rifle. I think you made good choices; both the brand and the cartridge. To be perfectly honest, though, I don't own either one. But you don't have to look very hard to find good things said about Savages. And it's pretty tough to find fault with a 270.

Congrats again on the rifle. I bet you'll enjoy it.

RE: my first rifle
 

Does it have the accu-trigger? If it does you're gonna love it!The simmons scope should zero and hold zero for awhile. Sooner or later the recoil could get to it. I think you made a great choice! Congrats!!!!:)

RE: my first rifle
 

What did that gun end up running you?

RE: my first rifle
 

I have a Savage 111270 Win. with the Accutrigger and it shoots great! You'll bepleased and well served with that rifle!

That said, had a 30-06 Spfd. been available when I bought the 270 Win, I would have bought the30-06 Spfd.instead.

Buy yourself a Ken Farrell one piece scope base, replace the cheap scope that comes on the rifle and you'll be set.

RE: my first rifle
 

Great choice. bought one in 243. I really like the trigger. The gun shoots excellent.
About the scope. At my first range session i found that I could not focus the scope properly. I sent it back to Simmons. they not only replaced it but upgraded the scope to a Pro Hunter model. I don't expect them to do that but it was a nice bonus

RE: my first rifle
 

Well,

Thanks for the comments. I went down to the gunshop to pick up the rifle. Turns out this particular model (Model 111 in a package (Scope, base & all--black synthetic stock) does not come w/ the accutrigger) I pulled the gun out of the box and wham..no accutrigger. The gun owner made a mistake. The guy was really nice (he said he would put a nice aftermarket trigger which broke at 3lbs. on it for free) What I decided to do was go with the Savage Model 116 in Stainless w/ Accutrigger for about another $130 (Total will be $580) I've been working hard at an extra job for this so, I'm excited to get it w/ the accutrigger. The guys said Stainless is more forgiving to the elements. I will be doing lots of walking on the public lands, so I think it's a good choice. Anybody shoot/own a Savage Model 116? When I get it, I'll post a pic.

RE: my first rifle
 

Even though you're getting the 116 stainless, MAKE SURE you keep a light coat of oil (Eezox, Breakfree or Sheath) on all themetal surfaces! Otherwise, even though it's stainless it can and willrust if you don't!

You will love your new Savage 116, especially the Accutrigger!

Which cartridge are you getting?

RE: my first rifle
 

Thanks for the info Dixie Rebel,

I'll do that. I decided to go with the 270 cartridge to start. I'll probably get other rifles through out my life.

RE: my first rifle
 

You did well sir; that will be a FINE hunting rifle!

FYI, Natchez Shooters Supply hasNikon Monach 5.5-16.5x44BDC scopes on sale for a great price ($289) while supplies last.

I love my Savage 111 270 Win. The onlydifference between yours and mine is yours willbe stainless (mine blue).

Post some pictures when you get it andlet usknowwhat bullet it likes.

Good luck this year, be safe and God bless.

RE: my first rifle
 

Great gun - I have the same in 7mmRM with a Redfield Scope. Does not mind the -35F in the north at all. Have shot this up to 600 yards with good success.

RE: my first rifle
 

Here is an excellent article and linkon which products best protect your firearms. Eezox beats them a all hands down!!!

http://www.6mmbr.com/corrosiontest.html

RE: my first rifle
 

Thanks Dixie Rebel,

Very interesting article. Yeah, I think I'll put some of that eezox on there right away. I got a call from the gun shop, the rifle came in. I'll be there in the morning. Thanks for the info. How would you suggest that I store the rifle for now? ( I do not have a gun cabinet or a safe) I am hoping to build a cabinet with my father-in-law this year.

Thanks

RE: my first rifle
 

You will love the 270, load it right and you can hunt just about anything (leaving out the big bears) in North America. For deer sized game I can't think of a better choice!

RE: my first rifle
 

I beieve you'll be quite pleased with both the Savage rifle and the cartridge. I used a .270 for three years in Alaska for everything up there except the great bears, and found it to be quite versatile! And effective, too.

RE: my first rifle
 

Swab out the bore with a cleaning patch saturated with Birchwood-Casey SHEATH, then rub all the steel surfaces with that patch. Then you can just put the rifle in an empty corner of a closet. You could also place it in one of those silicon-impregnated Gunny Socks they sell at Walmart for added protection against rust and light impacts of foreign objects.

(I note in that corrosion protection test they did not test SHEATH. That eezox may be better, I haven't used it. But the SHEATH protected my blued guns very well in coastal Alaska, which as everyone knows is the very WORST environment for guns on earth!)

NEVER STORE a gun in a soft gun case! They attract moisture and cause rusting!

RE: my first rifle
 

Thanks so much for the info. (I'm taking my Rem. 870 12 ga. out of the padded case as we speak) I will get2 of those gun sacks at Walmart today (one for the 870 and the other for the 270. Thanks every one. When I mentioned to my dad that I was working on buying a hunting rifle, he mentioned to me about doing some Q/A on some forums about the particular rifle. I said, "Dad, I already have, it's called huntingnet.com. They are really helpful on there." Now, anybody recommend some rain gear? and or using a range finder out in the field? Are they worth it (the range finder) that is.

Thanks A bunch,

RE: my first rifle
 

LOL The only bad thing about starting out with the 270 is that you sort of eliminated really needing anything else unless you start hunting stuff that bites. Great choice of gun and great choice of caliber. That was the first caliber of rifle I bought for myself as well.

RE: my first rifle
 

Doe Dumper said it well. I have a Savage 111 in .270 also. Love the gun. The only difficulty is that I also have one in 7mm mag that usually gets the nod as I leave for hunting. Six of my rifles are Savages and I am very happy with each. I don't have a 116 but I'm sure that the Savagebrand will not do you wrong. I believe you will be very happy with your purchase for years. The only upgrade I have doneto my Savages is I now have them scoped with Nikon scopes.

RE: my first rifle
 

Hey board,

Thanks for all of your great advice/input. I am pleased w/ the Savage 116 rifle. I do think a better scope is in the cards for next summer's job. Hey, if any of you guys duck hunt. I've posted a couple of questions over in the waterfowl forum. Just FYI. You guys have been very helpful. I did buy another shotgun for the misses for dove season. It's a Remington 870 20 ga. pump. I loved shooting it the other day. I'm having it custom fitted to her and having a limbsaver grind-to-fit pad put on it for her. (What I thought to be a factory recoil pad on it was nothing but hard plastic..so I hope the fit and pad do the trick) I think I may have a hunting partner!

Thanks again,

Mignolafan