Husqvarna 1600 vs modern savage accuracy
 

How does an older sweedish husqvarna compare to the cnc cut guns of today? I am looking for my first centerfire rifle after shooting 22 and 12 gauge only for the last 10 years.

I was all set on either an axis or 111 savage in 30 06, but then I stumbled upon the husqvarna 1600 and really like how they look and are finished compared to plastic stocked guns of today. So if I picked one with a very good bore, would I be giving up accuracy compared to new lower end savage out to 5 or 600 yards?

Thanks

It's hard to know until you bring it home and shoot it, but if you by a nice Husqvarna and don't overpay, you'll get your money back if you don't like it.

Weatherby Vanguard has to be the best value in economy class rifles, if you can find one with graphics you like. Wood stocks are more money. I got one in Kryptek Highlander camo that appeals to me. Don't care for the ugly grey stocks. Very accurate, very dependable.
Forget Axis... Ick.
Savage 111...ok.
Never had a Husky but hear they're good quality.

In my opinion the savage is not in the same league as the husky . Buy the husky and be happy . You won’t see to many husky owners switch to a savage !j

So you think th husqvarna is atleast as accurate as the savage?

Savages can be accurate but if you compare quality / workmanship not much to compare.
What kind of accuracy are you looking for ? Minute of moose , hunting accuracy,
target accuracy?

I have a Savage 111 I put a pre chambered barrel on and it shoots amazing. I have a Husky in 358 Norma I also really like.
Husky stocks do tend to crack.

It would be both hunting and target practice. I'm not looking for match grade sub moa one hole groups, but if it could keep close to 1that would be nice.

Don't matter what you buy. The ammo is the most important part of target shooting. You'll need to get into reloading if you're serious about it.

In saying that I bought a 1600 Carbine last year off trade ex and it's the best hunting rifle I've owned. It light, fits me well, and shoots half decent. Much better rifle then the Axis or 111, heck I like it more then the Tikka I owned.

Let me put it this way, I owned 2 savages including one axis, I sold both at a 50% loss and was happy to see them go. Just look at the B&S portion of the forum, there are lots of slightly used Axis's listed, there must be a reason so many people want to unload them.
I'm seriously contemplating getting a 1600 now.

I have had several Husky rifles in various calibers, they are a way ahead of any Axis.
Retained value is in favor of the Husky as well, and they are better made in every sense,

Huskys are generally great shooting guns. Have two, 308 and 300 Mag, both will easily shoot under 1 MOA. Have shot lots of others, only remember one that we couldn't get sub MOA. The modern Savages are very accurate but for a hunting gun, you aren't loosing a thing buying the Husky and in my books they are far prettier to look at. If I weren't left handed I would have a whole bunch of them.

Definitely want to glass bed the actions. Makes them shoot great, stabilises POI and gets rid of cracking behind tang and between mag well and trigger. When buy pay particular attention to these two areas to make sure they aren't cracked. If they are epoxy or a new stock can fix them but you want to drop the price a bunch to compensate.

I would take the Husky any day over a Savage for a hunting rifle.

The 1600 is a gem. Its a great evolution of the Mauser.

Its only shortcoming (if you can call it that) is because its a small ring 98 design that is neither a clone of the 96 or 98 it sometimes takes some rejigging to get other Mauser parts to fit like, triggers, stocks etc. but it can be done. Some dedicated 1600 parts have been produced but not nearly on the same scale as they have for M98/FN dimension actions.

I actually just back from South Africa where I hunted with a 1600 in 9.3x62. A wonderful and classic rifle.

I have owned Savages and still have a model 11 in .223. Its accurate but not a patch on the 1600 ITO my personal tastes in rifles, function and aesthetics. Its soulless. Those old Mausers have character and are well designed classics. I would take a 1600 over an Axis four ways to Sunday....

I completely disagree with ammo being the most important part and having to reload. I think it was Stinky Coyote who had a thread about whacking couple of coyotes at 5-600 yards with Federal Fusion ammo. Many accurate rifles will shoot most ammo well, and a POS rifle won't shoot anything well.

First off, there are many more models of Savage rifles than the Axis and done have excellent stocks .
Second, one does not have to handload to shoot targets, competition possibly but for fun plinking absolutely not .
If you want a detachable mag you will likely have to look at the Savage but s hinged floor plate is my favourite (Husky)
That being said , I would not have an issue getting either a higher end Savage Or a Husky1600 but I would bet you could pick up the Husky cheaper .

All things considered if I had both in front of me it would likely be the Husqvarna
Cat

Wrong... You'd look at both the rifles, and think that you need to build another custom rifle... lol

Nope, Nyet, uh-uh, nada, nein, ain't gonna happen- not on a bolt action anyway!!!:budo:
Cat

If you consistently want sub MOA the easiest way to get there is reloading. Because first you'll get the experience you need paying 50 cents a round vs 1.50-3 for good ammo. And second it's easier to find what your gun likes with a little experience.

While the gun is important, especially the barrel. Having a gun that consistently shoots any kind of ammo less then 1 MOA means that if you reloaded, it could probably be easily under .5 moa. Ive seen guns with 4" groups brought under 1moa quite easily with bedding, a trigger job, and reloading. They could get under 2 with factory ammo after the work was done.

So IMO being able to reload, do maintenance on your gun, and practice lots are the major things that make good shooters. Not the gun itself.

My advice to the OP. Buy a gun you want to hunt with. It should be light for carrying, short barreled(So your not catching trees, I'd try to keep it 22" or less), and have half decent accuracy(under 3 moa with factory ammo). Then plan to buy a target/varmint gun(buy it in 308) in the next year or two and use the hunting gun for targets until then. The Savage 111's kill deer, and the Huskys kill deer. Both aren't target guns, but you won't want to tote a target gun all through the bush.

I have shot two rifles in my life that I will not shoot again. One was a Remington that caused my arm to go numb from the recoil ( no wonder buddy was so famous for wounding game with it). The other was a Husqvarna. It might have just been that particular rifle but man that thing did not fit me at all and I could not hit the broad side of a barn with it. To be fair, my friend, who owned the rifle, could drive tacks with it. I guess it really is all about fit. I wouldn't give him a plug nickle for that rifle. I have shot and witnessed Savage rifles that can put two bullets in the same hole. Savage accuracy is very impressive. I have not shot a Savage Axis but I think that any rifle makers entry level offering is just that, entry level. Spend a little more money and buy a higher end offering. You will not regret it, it will save you money in the long run.

The OP didn't mention anything about a 1 MOA criteria , and as far as " target guns" go , unless a person is shooting a certain competition , ANY rifle can be used for shooting targets .
The only reason I would choose the Huskvarna is I like olde rifles .
If I was after a rifle to compete with I wouldn't be using either in factory configuration but would buy the Savage and build a competition rifle using that action - or buy one already made .
Cat

In post 8 he said he wanted to be close to 1 MOA. Which is why I responded with he should get into reloading. To get around 1 MOA he'll need to buy very good factory ammo with either of the guns he's looking at. He might get lucky with Federal Blue Box or Fusions but I wouldnt bet on it. If he's happy with 2-3 MOA both those guns will work fine for targets. But IMO he's better off buying a gun that will be his main hunting gun. Then saving up and buying a Varmint gun and reloading kit if he wants to get serious about targets and being around 1 MOA consistently.

He said he wasn't looking fir match grade accuracy but it would be nice .

1 MOA is not really that hard to achieve with the various factory cartridges offered these days .
Many Shooters however have a harder time shooting 1MOA consistently , but that is just my opinion .
I pretty much use the same guns for hunting as I do at the range except for my competition rifles .
I'd still buy the Husky if I had to choose between the two
Fir no other reason except personal bias :)
Cat

I own a 111, axis and a husky. The husky in 30.06 is a nicer rifle and very accurate. My 111 in 7 Rem Mag is lighter and more accurate but I would not ever sell the Husqvarna. And I like the hinged floor plate more as well!

But the guns you use at the range and hunting that get consistently around 1MOA probably cost quite a bit more then an Axis or Husky 1600, and are closer to the 6.5 calibre. My whole point is that he should buy a rifle that specializes in either target shooting(I'll put long range in here as that's what most guys want the rifle to do) or hunting if he's on a budget.

Dollar for dollar I dont think you can find a better hunting rifle then the Husky 1600 Carbine in 30-06, which is what I carry. Controlled round feed, drop plate magazine, it's light(I haven't weighed mine, but I'd be surprised if its over 7lbs with scope), and with the Carbine it's well balanced. Will it shoot sub MOA groups, probably if I reload for it. But Im happy buying a box of Rem CoreLokts every year and just going hunting with it as the accuracy is minute of deer.

The thing with the Husky is that it's so light with a heavier calibre that it will have a bunch of kick. I wouldnt want to shoot 20-40 rounds out of it in an afternoon. Which is why I think he should also plan on buying a target rifle. If he gets a heavy calibre in a light gun he wont be putting in much range time. I can almost guarantee he'll want to upgrade within a couple years(ask me how I know). He'll then want something thats a bit heavier and you can sit behind it all day, but its not going to be a great hunting rifle unless you stand hunt. I like my M305 with for a day at the range, but that takes a bit more to turn into a target gun. You can go buy a Rem or Tikka Varmint gun and pretty much be guaranteed to shoot right around 1MOA right out of the box IMO.

I guess what Im getting at is the two guns he's looking at are better off being hunting guns, that he'll want to upgrade down the road. If he wants a jack of all trades gun theres better options out there, but they will cost more.

I don't think you could ever go wrong with a Husqvarna. All you have to do is set a realistic budget for a high quality rifle that shoots.
Find a good Husqvarna, re-barrel it, spec the chamber and twist to whatever serves you best, do a good bedding job and you have a winner ... for less than $1500.00.
If that isn't a good deal, I don't know what is. There are no free lunches in the rifle world.

Love my Huskies!!!
 

Grab that Husky with both hands and never, ever let go! I've had 2 Husky 1600's. The first one in 30-06 shot everything I bought in terms of ammo into 1.5" at 100. Cheap, expensive, didn't matter. Sold it because well, you know the glitter of the Boddington latest whizzbang was obviously going to make my days afield sooo much better! Cut to the chase, my 2nd 1600 does the exact same thing as my first one did. Your chances of getting that one from me are less than zero, because I've told both kids that whoever inherits it can't ever sell it. Tradeex sells 'em for a damn good price, and I'd bet they all shoot like a hot damn. Once you've had one, (er, ok twice, I'm Ukrainian, what can I say) you won't ever need anything else.

My hobby (when I can afford the time) is to buy used older guns (like a Husqvarna) and tinker with them. I strip them down, clean them, tweak the trigger to between 2-3 lbs pull, free float the barrel, repair any cosmetics like stock finish/bluing, and work up a load for it. I have only had a couple guns pass through my hands that were not capable of shooting under 1 inch 3 shot groups, most of those would have benefitted from proper bedding (which I don't do) and probably would have shot well. Many would shoot closer to 1/2" off the bench. I don't put as much effort on the reloading aspect as I do with the work on the rifle, but I do reload for each. Put good components together and the gun will shoot in most instances.

I've owned a couple Savages over the years as well as a Husky. The Savages have been sold and the Husky is my go to rifle...

My Husky is comparable to the Savages in accuracy, in quality it is in a whole different league. If Husqvarna was still making rifles they would be well above the price range that the average prospective Savage buyer could afford.

The only Savage still in my gun safe is my Wife's "Lady Hunter", she loves that thing and it shoots well, but there are so many cheap plastic parts in that thing that I get a little nervous every time I pull the action out of the stock. It seems like one misaligned part or over-torqued screw and I'm going to break something... at this point I couldn't care how well that POS groups, if my wife didn't like it so much I'd get rid of it.

I don't have much experience with huskys, but, I do own a couple savages.

My 111 in 300 did not shoot anything whatsoever with any accuracy until I started to handload, and changed the glass (the weaver included with the combo is pretty crappy, I put a Bushnell Legend HD on, far far better glass)

The axis brand, you definitely want to look at a trigger job, or at least trimming the springs as they are excessively long in my experience.

I don't see much of anything wrong with the savage brand, you just need to do some upgrading to push them to their full potential.

I ended up buying an axis in 223 for a beater gun, the one with the new stock. Trigger pull from factory was 2.75 pounds so I think I'll leave it alone. So far all I have shot is bulk pack ammo and getting 2 moa off a bipod. Most are tighter then that but always a flyer or two. Would like to try some better ammo yet but its dirt cheap to shoot and accurate enough for what I want.