Savage lightweight storm 7mm-08 review

[Newtosavage]

i got a lightweight storm in 6.5creed for my wife last year, and i have had similar results.... crazy accurate little rifle! she has killed a bull and buck with it so far, and hopefully another bull in a couple weeks

i was gonna buy myself the exact same rifle.... then they announced the ultralite, so i went that direction... absolutely love that rifle too.

My buddy bought the ultralight (which actually isn't any lighter than the Lightweight Storm, but it does have a much thicker and 2" longer barrel) in .280ai. I've yet to shoot it, but I look forward to it.

Savage is making some fantastic stuff right now.

When I got to Colorado, I headed to a public range to check zero. 1st shot with my 7mm-08 Lightweight Hunter at 200 yards was 1/2" from where I was aiming. Next three at 400 yards were all within 3". I called it good and went hunting. What a great little rifle.

 

[Loper]

These are little sleeper mountain rifles. I picked up the previous version (old style stock) several years ago for a song, also in 7mm-08. First Savage I'd ever bought or shot. I honestly hated the thing at first. Thought it was ugly, and kinda clunky, and just felt cheap.

I also thought the barrel looked weird with the full stock... so I cut it, reshaped it, and gave it a paint job. Ended up looking a lot nicer but I still didn't love the thing. Just didnt feel right, and I'm not a fan of the accutrigger.

All that aside, I carried it on a deer hunt this year and finally fell in love with it. It's crazy light, nice and compact, and shoots better than I can. 120gr Nosler ballistic tips are Mule Deer hammers! I suppose I'll keep it around

You did a great job cutting down and reshaping the stock. What did you use to reshape the forend? Also, did you smooth out the stippling/texture on the forend, if so, what did you use? How did you do it?

 

[letrbuck]

You did a great job cutting down and reshaping the stock. What did you use to reshape the forend? Also, did you smooth out the stippling/texture on the forend, if so, what did you use? How did you do it?

Thanks! I cut the forend off with a band saw then took off the checkering and did some shaping with a series of rasps and sand paper before painting

 

[Loper]

Thanks! I cut the forend off with a band saw then took off the checkering and did some shaping with a series of rasps and sand paper before painting

What kind of paint did you use? What was your process? How many layers? Any clear coat? Any issues like flaking or anything else? Thanks!

 

[letrbuck]

It's a rattle can krylon job. Made sure stock was completely clean, 3-4 light coats of the green (cant remember if I used primer, pretty sure I didnt), then the webbing spray followed by 3-4 coats of matte clear.

Been holding up good so far.

 

[Loper]

It's a rattle can krylon job. Made sure stock was completely clean, 3-4 light coats of the green (cant remember if I used primer, pretty sure I didnt), then the webbing spray followed by 3-4 coats of matte clear.

Been holding up good so far.

Sounds good. Thanks for the info!

 

[Newtosavage]

FWIW, I've owned and built a lot of Savage rifles now, and the new style stocks are a 100% improvement over the old when it comes to fit. I wouldn't even consider using one of the old stocks now that I have the new ones. Just my .02

 

[Loper]

FWIW, I've owned and built a lot of Savage rifles now, and the new style stocks are a 100% improvement over the old when it comes to fit. I wouldn't even consider using one of the old stocks now that I have the new ones. Just my .02

Are you referring to the newest accu-fit/acc-stock stocks or just any new stock that Savage uses now (including the Trophy Hunters) vs. the stocks from a decade or so ago?

 

[Trevorshus]

Looks cool. Thanks for the review.

 

[Newtosavage]

FWIW, I tried 140 grain Accubonds over 41 grains of IMR 8208 XBR yesterday. Three holes touching at 100 yards. This tiny little rifle is turning out to be one of the most accurate rifles I've owned.

 

[Newtosavage]

220 yards quartering away sharply. Hit him right where I was aiming and managed to slip the 131 Hammer Hunter right between each shoulder. He didn't take a step. Perfect meat buck. Love this rifle with the 3-9x40 tri-moa Leupy scope!

 

[Loper]

220 yards quartering away sharply. Hit him right where I was aiming and managed to slip the 131 Hammer Hunter right between each shoulder. He didn't take a step. Perfect meat buck. Love this rifle with the 3-9x40 tri-moa Leupy scope!

Nice job!


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[Newtosavage]

Nice job!


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Thanks. He walked straight away from me for 100 yards and I was like dude, just turn a little. LOL

 

[Hoodie]

I just picked up one these in 6.5CM a few months ago. I've got a little Leupold 1.5-4x scope on it. Plan to use it primarily as a thick timber rifle for still hunting that I can still stretch out to 300 yards if the need arises.

I sure hope your results are typical for the rifle. Those groups are outstanding.

 

[Ducknut]

How bad the muzzle blast with the 20" barrel? Recoil? Considering one myself. Thanks

 

[ianpadron]

I've got the predecessor to this rifle, the LWH.

Mine is ugly as hell, stock is possibly the shittiest stock ever made, BUT it will put 5 143grain ELD-Xs in one ragged hole at 100 yards. It's earned a permanent spot in my safe and is a great light option for beating the heck out of strapped to a pack.

Killed my first high country deer with it off-hand at 177 yards.

Savages are awesome.

 

[Newtosavage]

How bad the muzzle blast with the 20" barrel? Recoil? Considering one myself. Thanks

I'm sure it's worse than if it wore a 22" barrel, but I always double up on ear protection at the range, and always put in foam plugs before I shoot when I'm hunting whenever possible. It's been years since I've shot anything without some form of hearing protection in.

 

[Newtosavage]

I've got the predecessor to this rifle, the LWH.

Mine is ugly as hell, stock is possibly the shittiest stock ever made, BUT it will put 5 143grain ELD-Xs in one ragged hole at 100 yards. It's earned a permanent spot in my safe and is a great light option for beating the heck out of strapped to a pack.

Killed my first high country deer with it off-hand at 177 yards.

Savages are awesome.

They are. And you should upgrade that old stock to the newer version. It would be plug and play, and you'll love it. I am a big fan of these new stocks. The old ones, not so much.

 

[2-Stix]

I use a Savage Lightweight Storm in .308 for my mountain rilfe for blacktail and elk in snow and rain. Vortex Viper 4x14x44 on top. The fit and finish are a bit lacking. I love the SS and weight for sure. I had to get a shim to level the rail as the ring bases were racked. I want my rifle to work right. At the range, I ran out of windage because of this issue. I plan to send it back to savage and see what they say. I really want this to work the way it's intended. But like I said the weight and all stainless action is exactly what I was looking for.

 

[Newtosavage]

I use a Savage Lightweight Storm in .308 for my mountain rilfe for blacktail and elk in snow and rain. Vortex Viper 4x14x44 on top. The fit and finish are a bit lacking. I love the SS and weight for sure. I had to get a shim to level the ring bases. I want my rifle to work right. At the range, I ran out of windage because the action is not flat where the rings mount. I plan to send it back to savage and see what they say. I really want this to work the way it's intended. But like I said the weight and all stainless action is exactly what I was looking for.

I'm having trouble understanding what the problem is that you're having. I've owned and built a dozen or more Savage rifles now, and never have I seen an issue with the mounting holes or action that would affect how the scope bases were mounted. I don't know what you mean by "action is not flat." The top of a Savage action is round, not flat. If the two mounting locations are not level with one another (and I can't see how that's possible, but if they aren't) then it would be an elevation issue and not a windage issue. Can you post pictures. I'm genuinely curious now.