My Shorter & Lighter / Savage .50

[Deleted]

I'm putting the finishing touches on my winter project.... I came to you guys after my first 5 mile walk-in hunt this year. My 11lb + Savage about kicked my butt, way before I got back to the truck.

My goal was to knock a couple of pounds off my Savage and still have an effective 200yd + shooter. I took a little lead from everybody on this board and added some of my own reason and this is what I came up with.

Started out with....
Savage .50 Stock Blue Barrel...24"
Laminate Stock....Bedded
Bushnell Elite 4200 4-16x
Weaver Grand Slam Bases and Rings
Solid Aluminum Ram Rod....Spinjag
Limbsaver Recoil Pad
Metal Trigger Guard

Ended up with....
21" Blue Barrel...Re- Crowned
Action re-designed... Looks like a long action now
Bolt Handle Drilled out.
Drilled and Tapped for Third Action Screw
Talley Light Weight Bases and Rings
Laminate Stock....Lightened and Shortened....Drilled out






I think I'm going to stick with my 3-9x Nikon; it's only 2oz heavier than a 32mm scope. When hunting I'll replace the solid aluminum ram-rod with a hollow rod and replace the metal trigger guard with the original plastic one. That will more than make up for the extra weight on the scope.
This rifle is going to come in under 9lbs. Now if I lose a little weight off my mid-section before next year I'll be in good shape ;D.
Now the fun begins...Working out a effective load for a 21" barrel is going to be the second half of my winter project.
Thanks for all the ideas...Zen

[Deleted]

Good looking walkabout....Bill

[Dave W]

Turned out very nice Zen, looking forward to seeing some groups.

[jims]

Will you be replacing the recoil pad?

[Deleted]

Jan 17, 2009 18:34:55 GMT -5 jims said:

Will you be replacing the recoil pad?

Factory Pad 3.40oz
Limbsaver Pad 4.15oz

I keeping the Limbsaver!!!
I figure I'll need all the padding I can get. ;D ;D
Zen

[jims]

If I was not going to use a recoil pad I think I would restock it in soft pine and not a hardwood. The gun looks good.

[ET]

Panhandle

Looking real good.
Glad to see the cutout has nice size radius when a directional transition occurs. Also the outer sharp edges have been rounded. Nice finish to stock.
The crown appears to have a chamfer that shouldn’t shave sabots.
Be surprised if you loose more than 100fps on loads. When I cut off the QLA on my original barrel (1-1/2”) I only lost 30fps from my 4759 book load.

Yep I am looking forward to hearing how she shoots.


Ed

[Chris Champion]

Nice work Zen. Can't wait to see how it shoots.

[Richard]

Very nice work Panhandle!
Richard

[bigmoose]

Very nice, have great luck with it.

[sw]

Looks very professional.

[fowlplay]

Zen, Very professional looking work. The radius in the stock hole compliments the gun well.
Steve

[dave d.]

:)panhandle very nice job...

[encoreguy]

Very nicely done!

[youp50]

It is impressive,

I have wondered for some time, how do you get the venisonr out of those hills?

[pposey]

Hey man thats great, my shortie 45 now has a big .50 cal brother

[dpoor65]

not bad looking so how much weight have you shaved off so far?

[craigf]

Panhandle, that is a great looking job! Congradulations on meeting your goal. Now go shoot that thing!

[Deleted]

Thanks guys for all the encouraging words. As soon as the wind quits blowing 50mph I'm going to give her a run. I think I'll start with my most accurate and consistent loads that I had when it had a 24" barrel. 67gn H4198 / 67gn RL7 / 60gn N120 / 57gn N120. All with 300gn BO or 300 Rem.

youp50: To answer your question about how I get the venison out of the hills.....It's not easy....Backpack/ Drag it out/ Deer cart/
The easiest is to get my young son-in-law and his young buddies to help.

elkboy65: I think I've shaved off 2lbs 3oz. It's right at 8lbs 14oz.

Thanks again guys, for the advice and the encouraging words.
Zen

[joe21a]

That is a very useable looking rifle, and looks great also.

[edge]

Very nice work, will be looking forward to your load workups.

edge.

[DBinNY]

Zen, that is a thing of beauty. I hope it shoots well for you. You may start a new trend for the .50 guys.