I've finally got a friend to agree coming to an AS (in the Ventura CA area) and is now looking at rifles. He's looking hard at a Savage and asked me what I think. Of course I told him the Ruger 10/22 are the most common and most familiar to me, especially since I own one. However I'd like to throw this out to the forum since I could only find scattered info from past posts.
SkyHawk,
Do you know what model the Savage is? I have a Savage 64; I shot rifleman with it, however, I also own a 10/22 and believe that the Ruger is a better choice for AS. After a 100-200 rounds through my Savage, the action gets clogged up with gunshot crud, etc. If not cleaned, the bolt has a hard time closing all the way for every shot, causing the firing-pin to not strike the primer hard enough to fire a shot. You have to manually push the bolt forward for each shot. Very frustrating on Stages 2 & 3 of the QDAQT.
If these are the 2 options (64 vs. 10/22), my vote is go with the 10/22.
---GF
I (eventually) shot my rifleman with a Savage 93XP in .22 WMR.
I love the rifle, particularly the trigger, but teaching myself a means of working the bolt without ruining my NPOA or Steady Hold Factors was tough. Also remember its only a 5-round clip.
I would suggest sticking with a mag-fed, sem-auto, the 10/22 being the most practical, then move on to more challenging systems (i.e. bolt action or larger caliber) as the comfort level under stage 2 and 3 time limits increases.
I'd say buy something that you can get Tech Sights for... if he wants a little bit cheaper alternative to the Ruger, he can get a Marlin 795. Also, Tech Sights now makes sights for the Mossberg 702 Plinkster, so that's another option. I haven't heard any feedback from appleseeders about how the Mossberg works as a liberty training rifle, but they get good reviews in general for reliability.
Thanks for the comments as they were all helpful! O0
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The Marlin 795 also comes with sling studs installed, unlike the Ruger or the Mossberg. One less thing you have to buy, and it's kinda nice for somebody who isn't a huge DIY'er and doesn't feel too confident drilling holes his new rifle's stock. Just buy a pair of 1 1/4" swivels, a GI sling, and either tech sights or a scope + rings, and you're good to go.