Savage Model 11 Hog Hunter- Review

Hey Everyone, hope you enjoyed your Easter weekend!  We took a day off from posting yesterday, but are back at it with another rifle review from Ryan.

Make & Model: Savage Model 11 Hog Hunter

Caliber: 223Rem, 308Win, 338Win

Specifications:

Weight: 7.25 lbs

Overall Length: 40.5”

Capacity: 4+1

Rate of Twist: 1-9

Features: Adjustable Accu-trigger, Medium-Contour Bull Barrel, Threaded muzzle, drilled and tapped receiver, factory fiber optic sights, OD green stock.

Review: If you are in the market for a do-all style rifle, then perhaps the Savage Model 11 Hog Hunter is something that should be on your radar. While the name denotes a specific animal, this rifle is far more capable and can be a practical rifle for anything from coyotes up to elk. The model tested for this write up was chambered in .223 Remington and put up remarkable results when grouped at 100 yards. Savage leads the market with their out of the box rifles, and this one is another winner. The Model 11 features their adjustable Accu-trigger which for my purposes was set down to 2.5 lbs. This specific model also comes standard with their medium-contour carbon steel bull barrel that is finished off with a threaded muzzle for your class 3 sound suppressors (where legal). The action is remarkably smooth and it comes with an over-sized bolt handle for easy and firm cycles. Additionally, one of the many features that are no longer available on today’s hunting rifles is a set of “iron” sights. This rifle comes standard with a very nice set of fully adjustable fiber optic sights for those that want to hunt in brush or at closer distances.

Results: For the range day with this rifle, we took it to a local range on a foggy, rainy day with about a 5 mph wind. After firing a few test shots to season the barrel, we cleaned it and loaded the 4 round internal magazine with some Black Hills 52 gr Match Ammo. It was fitted with a set of weaver bases, weaver medium height rings and a CenterPoint 4-16x40 scope (please stay tuned for a review of this scope coming soon). At 100 yards the rifle grouped 3 shots in a clover shape the size of a dime. The actual size of the group was sub .5 MOA.

Negatives: Savage really hit the nail on the head with this rifle. With that being said, there are a few things to consider before purchasing this rifle. The weight is certainly something to keep in mind. The factory weight of this rifle is 7.25 lbs before you add optics to it, so a long hike may leave you feeling more fatigued. One thing to remember about this rifle is it is not chambered for the NATO cartridges. Therefore, in the .223 model you cannot shoot 5.56 and in the .308 model, you cannot shoot the 7.62x51 round.

Final Thoughts: If you are in the market for a multi-purpose rifle that comes standard with features commonly found on rifles over the $1,000 mark, then this is the rifle for you. This rifle, with its smooth action, nice trigger and match grade accuracy make it ideal for hunters or precision target shooters that demand excellence. 

Ryan