My guess will be that unless you're going to to some really rough hunting in some seriously bad weather, the scope that comes on the Savage will be just fine. I've got what is probably a low-cost Bushnell on the Remington 710 I bought 3 or 4 years ago and it's been fine. Of course, I have about a 100 yard walk to my treestand from the truck and have only had to endure rain maybe 1 time during those 3 or 4 seasons. If I'm lucky, I get to deer hunt maybe 10 to 12 times during a season (counting morning and afternoon hunts on the same day as 2 times), so my rifle doesn't have to endure too many extremes.

Comes down to cost vs benefit for me. Taking into account the amount of hunting I get to do, how much money am I willing to spend on whatever it is I want to buy? You (sometimes) get what you pay for, but I think many folks overbuy. Sort of like buying a high-end computer to do email and surf the web. Sure, you've got that 400 gig video card in there "just in case", but you're fooling yourself if you think you'll actually ever need it.

Case in point....my wife bought me a Nikon laser rangefinder for Christmas a couple of years ago. In the stand of woods where I hunt I'm lucky if shots are beyond 50 yards. Just haven't ever told her that the rangefinder was a waste of $250. It's a nice gadget for the kids to play with while we're waiting on a deer to wander by, but nothing I would have gotten my money's worth if I had bought it. However, it does have "Nikon" on the side. That's gotta make me look like a cool hunter.

Remember, your skill as a hunter is directly tied to the brand of the equipment you use and how much money you parted with.

I'm unlucky owner of a Simmons 8-point. Biggest peice of crap scope ever, I even have a few Tascos- at least they hold their zero . I could never reccommend a friend to buy a Simmons.

Yup... I picked up a older (1997) Savage 110 in .308 that came complete with a Simmons (unknown/no-name) 3-9x32 scope. Check it out...

The rifle is awesome and a real sweet shooter. However, the scope leaves a lot to be desired.I mean, it works and is dead on, but seriously needs to be upgraded. I compared it to a Mueller scope (buddy has one), a Nikon Pro Staff, and a Bushnell Elite, and you could instantly tell the difference. The clarity of the "package gun scopes" speaks for itself. They are the low of low-end scopes. [:'(]

I bought the Savage 300WSM package deal from BP 2yrs ago and the setup works great for me.

That was one of the reasons I chose the 710 over the Savage or Stevens (before I knew any better and joined this website) is because thier scope had better clarity. I was told that it was a Bushnell Sportsman, but I have since bought a Sportsman for my Winchester and it is totally different. All in all though, the Savage is a much better gun.

xd9x19, I couldn't agree more with what you said.

ButchA, if the scope "works and is dead on", why does it need to be upgraded?

I think for many hunters the name on the product is directly proportional to the ego boost. I have a few friends who play "the name game" and spend high dollars on products but HAVE NEVER harvested a thing. Many of us good ole boys on the other hand, on blue collar budgets and Jack Daniels tastes have harvested a many a animal. And my Simmons 3x9 sitting atop my Winchester model 70 has pulled in a fair share and never let me down. Leupold and all those fancy names might impress, but they don't guarantee squat.

(BTW, I'm going to BPS to buy that 3x9x40mm "Rifleman" by Leupold to see what $189.00 looks like compared to $40.00. I doubt that I'll see $150.00 difference.

Savage makes one of the most accurate out of the box rifles, but toss the scope.

The generic Simmons scope is bore sighted and accurate on the range at 100 yards. BUT... the quality of it and the clearness of the glass compared to other models, makes it look pretty bad in comparison.

Go with a leupold. He cant go wrong.If money is an issue the VXI is a good bet.

I have no first hand experience with Savage rifles, but from friends that have them, they are very accurate out of the box.

In my opinion, buying a "package" gun and tossing the scope is kind of silly.

Instead of buying a "package" gun, I would probably look for a good used Savage rifle (if that is what you have your heart set on) and scope it up as you see fit.