Background: I had a really good friend of mine relocate to Whitefish, MT a little over a year ago, and he has started throwing around the idea of doing a guided Elk hunt in the Bob Marshall Wilderness (Fall 2016). Given that this would be my first Elk hunt, my thoughts are to utilize my Savage 116 SS that is chambered in .30-06. As it stands, the rifle fits me really well and has proven to be very accurate out of the box, but I'd like to look into a few upgrades (lightweight stock, better glass, etc).
The rifle was purchased new in 2006 and is a pre acoustock model with a blind magazine and staggered feed, but it does have the accutrigger. As far as stocks go, I've noticed that Bell & Carlson and McMillan tend to get the nod. In looking at the two, the Hunters Edge from McMillan really stands out to me a great lightweight option. Does Bell & Carlson offer something comparable weight wise?
With respects to scopes, the rifle currently wears a Leupold VX-II 3-9x40mm Duplex, which admittedly is a great setup for the money, but I'd like to explore upgrading to either a VX-III (2.5-8x36mm) or something else in the $500-$700 price range. Keeping in mind that 11-12oz is a very attractive figure to be working with on a lightweight setup.
I like the accutrigger. My guess is that there are a few aftermarket replacements, but does it make sense to spend the money or should I just put time into tuning the stock trigger?
This would be venturing into new territory for me, so I'm curious what other parts are worth looking into as far as weight reduction and accuracy improvement go?
Any help, guidance, feedback, or links to similar builds or literature that walks through the anatomy of a lightweight rifle would be greatly appreciated.
Oh, and if there is any additional information that I can provide please do not hesitate to ask.
Thanks in advance!
Paul
The rifle was purchased new in 2006 and is a pre acoustock model with a blind magazine and staggered feed, but it does have the accutrigger. As far as stocks go, I've noticed that Bell & Carlson and McMillan tend to get the nod. In looking at the two, the Hunters Edge from McMillan really stands out to me a great lightweight option. Does Bell & Carlson offer something comparable weight wise?
With respects to scopes, the rifle currently wears a Leupold VX-II 3-9x40mm Duplex, which admittedly is a great setup for the money, but I'd like to explore upgrading to either a VX-III (2.5-8x36mm) or something else in the $500-$700 price range. Keeping in mind that 11-12oz is a very attractive figure to be working with on a lightweight setup.
I like the accutrigger. My guess is that there are a few aftermarket replacements, but does it make sense to spend the money or should I just put time into tuning the stock trigger?
This would be venturing into new territory for me, so I'm curious what other parts are worth looking into as far as weight reduction and accuracy improvement go?
Any help, guidance, feedback, or links to similar builds or literature that walks through the anatomy of a lightweight rifle would be greatly appreciated.
Oh, and if there is any additional information that I can provide please do not hesitate to ask.
Thanks in advance!
Paul