New to me Savage 111 in .270 WIN. Thoughts on ammo and glass

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The_Eric

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I recently acquired a used Savage 111 in 270 but know little about the platform. Does anyone know what twist the rifling is and what weight would be ideal for it? I bought 150ish rounds of Hornady 130grn ballistic tipped ammo with it, so I'm guessing 130 works? Does anyone have experience saying otherwise?

Also I will need a mount and scope for it too - are there any ~$500 or less scopes out there worth having? I'd like to get out to as far as 400yds with it on occasion.
 
looks like 130 is popular with 110-150gr being available.

Plenty of scopes what magnification were you looking for?
 
Rand said:
looks like 130 is popular with 110-150gr being available.

Plenty of scopes what magnification were you looking for?
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Honestly I don't know? I've never had really scopes other than a couple of cheapies on rim fires. ( I have a 3-9 on an AR but haven't even finished sighting it in) What would be good? Better? I don't know if this matters, but my eyesight isn't what it used to be... Would I need more magnification then?
 
The_Eric said:
Honestly I don't know? I've never had really scopes other than a couple of cheapies on rim fires. ( I have a 3-9 on an AR but haven't even finished sighting it in) What would be good? Better? I don't know if this matters, but my eyesight isn't what it used to be... Would I need more magnification then?
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if you are shooting from a bench or somewhere stable it helps

I've never seen this model personally but its first focal plane and seems a good value @$450
https://palmettostatearmory.com/vor...mm-riflescope-with-moa-reticle-dbk-10028.html

If you want leupold might need to up the budget a bit.


@OVERKILL and @Astro14 both could give you a better recommendation.

My eyes are bad enough now that its 100% me and not the scope.. so not the best person to ask about scope and clarity of glass etc.
PVD with debris in my right eye still fun to shoot though.
Also found out red dots under 4moa turn into starbursts (ugh).
 
Savage rifles are some under the radar good deals imho.
.270 is a very good caliber capable of wide range of use and is good for that distance.
Check bore if you didn't yet before purchasing it, get a few diff makes of ammo you wanna choose from for your hunting and try them all, it's not just the twist rate but bullet profile and powder that will make diff. Pick what gives you best and consistent results. 140gn bullets are popular for the caliber.
For scope, think of reticle as that's what you are gonna see and turrets in case you will make adjustments rather than holdover.
I think MRAD may be a better choice rather than MOA, if buying a scope for a long run then choose one with best warranty and don't be super cheap. Some second hand scopes may be worth it like Vortex as they have unconditional lifetime warranty.

Vortex Diamondbacks are ok but you can get Venom for about same price, they are better. If hunting, consider size, weight of the scope and how much magnification you need out to 400 yards, I think 16x should be plenty.

Edit:
As far as scope tube diam, if you are gonna shoot in lower visibility weather/conditions, go with up to 50mm tube as it will allow more light in to improve visibility, esp. at 400 yards distance.
 
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will you be hunting with the rifle? I have had probably a dozen centerfire savages and a few in 270. Any off the shelf ammo for it will get you to 400 although for the 1:10 twist yours has, the 150s may be a little less accurate than 130-140s (in my experience). I built a 1:8.5 twist savage 111 270 specifically to get around this as it's my preferred cartridge. The vortex diamondback tactical and venom are great options under 500 but can be pretty heavy if you'll be lugging it around. Mine has a diamondback hp 4-16 that can be found for less than 250 and practice out to 500 with it.
 
dubber09 said:
Savage rifles are some under the radar good deals imho.
.270 is a very good caliber capable of wide range of use and is good for that distance.
Check bore if you didn't yet before purchasing it, get a few diff makes of ammo you wanna choose from for your hunting and try them all, it's not just the twist rate but bullet profile and powder that will make diff. Pick what gives you best and consistent results. 140gn bullets are popular for the caliber.
For scope, think of reticle as that's what you are gonna see and turrets in case you will make adjustments rather than holdover.
I think MRAD may be a better choice rather than MOA, if buying a scope for a long run then choose one with best warranty and don't be super cheap. Some second hand scopes may be worth it like Vortex as they have unconditional lifetime warranty.

Vortex Diamondbacks are ok but you can get Venom for about same price, they are better. If hunting, consider size, weight of the scope and how much magnification you need out to 400 yards, I think 16x should be plenty.
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What am I looking at in the bore aside from the obvious damage? It was a sight unseen deal, so I didn't get a chance to inspect. Externally, it's in good shape other than a couple of light blemishes on the stock near the butt, but I haven't even pulled the bolt yet .
 
HyundaiAbuser said:
will you be hunting with the rifle? I have had probably a dozen centerfire savages and a few in 270. Any off the shelf ammo for it will get you to 400 although for the 1:10 twist yours has, the 150s may be a little less accurate than 130-140s (in my experience). I built a 1:8.5 twist savage 111 270 specifically to get around this as it's my preferred cartridge. The vortex diamondback tactical and venom are great options under 500 but can be pretty heavy if you'll be lugging it around. Mine has a diamondback hp 4-16 that can be found for less than 250 and practice out to 500 with it.
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I'd really like to hunt with it, but for now I'm going to say no, it'll only be used to slaughter paper and gallon jugs.
 
Did previous owner reveal how many rounds went thru the gun? Barrels are not meant to see hundreds upon hundreds of rounds in hunting guns. Pull bolt, clean the bore, check with borescope if you have one for damage, rust, pitting, check crown for any damage too.
I have a Savage in 30-06 which I bought new about 16 years ago, I can shoot 3 rds at 100 yards with a dime touching all 3 holes, all with commercial ammo and a Nikon ProStaff 3-9x40 low end scope. Savage are good accurate rifles and yours should serve you well too.
 
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When pairing a scope to a rifle I tell people to think of it like a stereo system. You can have an awesome $2,000 receiver but if you hook up a $150 set of speakers it will sound like a $150 system. Same applies to a rifle and scope. A cheap scope will make an amazing rifle sub par.
A cheap scope you will see a mule deer. A good scope you will see the whiskers. A great scope you will notice the color of the whiskers.
 
As to the ammo........you will need to see what bullet weight and maker works best for your gun. No one can really answer this question truthfully, other than you at the range. Hornady makes some good options that are consistant.

As to glass, Vortex comes to mind in that price range and others. Their warranty is excelltent, and once you get a good one, they are good.
 
I'm old enough to require a scope with side focus. I won't even consider a scope without it now. Too much of a pain with other, or no, methods of focus. In fact, I do better with a modest side focus scope than some other 'water clear' glass that won't focus for me on both the reticle and target.

The 270 is a superb flat shooting platform and should be wonderfully accurate if the gun is good and the glass is up to it. 130 grain is the standard. Maybe it is just me, but half the fun of a good range day is 'test n tune' with different ammo. Figuring out what's best for the gun.

I chose the 308 for my target gun, mostly due to the wide variety of ammo. In the end, I settled on FGGM 168 BTHP. It simply works well for my range days. I'm not a hunter. I do appreciate a range day when I achieve good long range accuracy.
 
The old rule of thumb for the .270 was 130gr bullets for deer and 150gr for bigger game like elk and bear. With modern bonded or solid copper bullets you can probably handle just about everything with 130gr bullets.

For a scope, the first thing to do is think about how you'll use the rifle. A 3X9 or 4x12 are just about perfect for hunting over a bean or hay field.
 
You mentioned used. Before you fir a single shot I would decopper the barrel as you do not know about the rounds previously sent down the tube. I like WipeOut for this. The 270's I've owned in my life have shot the 130 and 140 weights well. If you load your own PM and I'll send you a load for SMK and Accubonds that have done well in numerous rifles.

Glass = Law of Diminishing Returns! I've found the Zeiss Conquest line to be great glass at a reasonable cost. Durable enough to seek used models. Lower cost and decent glass Vortex and Nikon do well besides other mentioned prior.
 
Nice rifle. The 111 is a "real Savage" Based on the classic 110 action. 270 is as good a cartridge for deer as exist and 130 is the preferred weight for that purpose. Get yourself a Vortex 4x12 scope (or something similar) and a decent mount and you'll be set.
 
BISCUT said:
You mentioned used. Before you fir a single shot I would decopper the barrel as you do not know about the rounds previously sent down the tube. I like WipeOut for this. The 270's I've owned in my life have shot the 130 and 140 weights well. If you load your own PM and I'll send you a load for SMK and Accubonds that have done well in numerous rifles.

Glass = Law of Diminishing Returns! I've found the Zeiss Conquest line to be great glass at a reasonable cost. Durable enough to seek used models. Lower cost and decent glass Vortex and Nikon do well besides other mentioned prior.
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I would love to reload - and will at some point. I have basically all the equipment (Dillon Progressive), including some dies, but no bullets, powder or primers. I have plenty of brass in the calibers I'm interested in and also lots of lead that I've melted into ingots, but haven't quite made the leap. I have a friend who will help me, but I have never made the time yet...

I will get some WipeOut and give the bore a thorough scrubbing and see how she looks. And that means that I now have an excuse to buy more goodies!
 
I have the same rifle except it’s the left handed version. Mine has a Leupold VX2 3x9-40 scope and I’m well pleased with the combination. I load my own ammo so I can’t really help with a suggestion there other than to say mine really likes the Nosler 130 grain Partition bullet.
 
dubber09 said:
As was suggested above, get good bases or rail and good rings of right hight.
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I've heard others talk about the importance of good mounts - what, in your opinion qualifies? What should I be looking for in a mount?
 
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