i just pick up a Savage Stevens model 200 at academy for $179.99. I read some reviews and they say its a good gun for the money. If you have any imput on this rifle please let me know.

Apparently, folks are using them to build really accurate rifles out of them since the're built by Savage and their QC seems to be really good these days. I'm not 100% sure if they're ditching the barrels, I would think they would, but I know they do like their actions.

I equate them to the Norinco 1911. Cheap but still regarded as one of the best deals for the money and can be modded to perform almost as good as rifles that cost 20x what they do.

Iv got the same rifle/cal..I put a nikon 3-9x40 bdc on it and i handload but it has been a really good shooter, iv had it about a year now and have taken mule deer, hogs, and wt deer..It has quickly become one of my favorites especially to carry, and it shoots as good as anything i own

Sounds like a good deal. For the price you can't beat it. I'm going to let my nephew use it in this coming years season. Hey if he likes it I might give it to him after the season.

For reasons unknown, Savage went with an unconventional 1:11.5 twist with their Stevens 200 7-08's, and some have reported lousy accuracy with the 140gr or heavier bullets.
They dropped the 7-08 from the 200 lineup, and the standard Savages retain the standard 1:9.5 twist barrels.
I still have one in my safe (unfired), as the $180 deal was too good to pass up, plus I bought one in 270W as my "keep out of the safe" rifle, for the surprise coyote or hog that shows up. It's loaded with some light .277 bullets (compliments of my 6.8SPC).
The Stevens have the type of trigger that allows some adj of the pull weight, though the sear engagement often is rough as a sidewalk (creep).
My 270W trigger responded to some adjustment and polishing, so all is good.
I have two other 7-08's, so who knows if I ever actually shoot that Stevens.
The Academy unit has the flimsy tan stock (grey on other models), one of the most flexible forends I have ever seen. Some have stiffened it up by epoxying an aluminum or steel bar into the forend.

Do they still have that sale going?

I was at the Academy on william cannon yesterday evening and they still had 2 left in 7mm08 for 179.99

I am planning to pick one up in 7-08 for a build. Adams & Bennett bull barrel 22-250 will go into that one with custom wood stock. Got one in .270 for the wife yesterday. Topped with a Bushnell Elite 3200 3-9x40 that's also on clearance and with all the accessories included I think it came to less than $340 for the whole package. Can't beat the value for a cheap deer/hog rifle for wife or occasional visitor who wants to hunt with me.

Rings and bases, less than $10 total, I picked up from Cabela's clearance room. One thing though, even the wife complained about the "plastic" stock but if that's the case, Bell & Carlson has replacement stocks for $130.

So are the 7-08 not really good shooters in this model due to the barrel twist rate? Maybe another caliber would be better?

I don't shoot factory ammo, but am guessing the majority of 7-08 ammo is 139/140 gr?
Not having shot mine, I have no personal experience. A friend of my son's has one, and I am scheduled to do some reloading for his, so that will educate me if it's an issue. He has no interest in shooting anything heavier than 139-140 gr pills, and I will likely try some of the Speer 130's, and a couple of 120gr choices.
If you want to avoid any possibility of the twist in the 7-08 being an issue, the 270W is a good option (same price, if available).

I shoot nosler 140gr bt's handloaded out of mine and it shoots just fine..when i first started loading for it i used h4895 and didnt get very good results, but switched to imr4064 and have been getting very good results recently

So I went by Academy here and they have the .270 win and the 7mm-08 in stock. The sale ends on the 22nd of Jan. according to the gun counter guy. I'm seriously considering one myself since I have $125 in gift cards that I could use. That would put the rifle at about $50 plus tax.

I'm sorta torn on what to get though if I do decide to pull the trigger. I currently own a Savage 110 .223, a Win Mod. 70 .270, and a 6.5x55 Swede in a Mauser 96 action deer rifle. I've read good things about the 7mm-08 but the twist rate on the Savage-Stevens barrel has me concerned b/c if I'm limited to 140 grain bullets max then I might as well stick with .270. A .308 might be a good choice since I don't have anything that large yet. I would have to call around to see if anyone has one in stock.

What other calibers would ya'll consider? My primary use would be deer and hogs, not planning on any grizzly bear or moose hunts in the near future.

I must say that the rifle isn't much to look at. I can't believe it actually had a plastic trigger guard. Thats pretty bad. I guess it might be a fun rifle to tinker with and for the price it probably can't be beat.

the twist rate is not yet been comfirmed, it seems the web site has just been incorrect in stating a 1-11 twist, they say they corrected the website now.
No one has yet to say what the real twist rate on the gun is.
if its 1-9 and the web site was wrong all along, or it was 1-11 and they changed to 1-9.
Might want to call savage for yourself

The .270 is a long action so if you want something bigger in the future, pick that. I don't see much point in going with a .308 seeing you already have a 6.5x55 and .270. Not much difference there to justify unless you just want one in .308 for the sake of it.

My count is now 3, two 270's and one 7-08. I would have gotten two 7-08's but that was the only one left in Lewisville store and I did not feel like driving to McKinney. One is going to stay as .270Win for my wife, the 7-08 is going to be barreled in 22-250 and the other long action will see either 6.5x55 or a wildcat 6.5-06 (or something similar).

DSST, the twist is 1:9. I shoot 160Gr SGKs out of mine and my uncle shoot 140Gr as well as another friend of mine. It will definitely stabilize 140Gr bullets.

They make great rifle to do a build on and have great accuracy. The plastic trigger guard does suck but at least for me it's not an issue plus they take the same parts as a Savage 10/110 so if you decide to change calibers later it just requires a new barrel.

I'm gonna have to drag mine out of the safe, to check the twist. During 2010, until Savage took the 7-08 off the Stevens list, they were listed at 1:11.5.
Not sure how long they have been offering a Stevens 7-08, so maybe they have offered both twist rates over the years?

So the 7-08's shoot the heavier grain bullets okay? If so that's what I'm leaning towards. I've read good things about the 7-08 so why not give it a try? As far as changing the barrels down the road, can someone explain to me what calibers can convert to what or what action will convert to what calibers? I think I have read that short actions will rebarrel to any short action caliber and vice versa for the long action calibers? I'm guessing the 7-08 is a short action, would it convert to the 6.5x55 with a barrel swap? I really like that round, thats why I was asking.

For the swede you're better off with the long action. If you want to rebarrel the 7-08 and like 6.5 round, 260 Remington or similar would fit the bill.

is that all acdaemys store.

Tonight I confirmed the Stevens 200 / 7mm-08 is a 1:11.5 twist. Again, since I have not shot it, I can only repeat my suspicions and what others have posted, that 140gr and heavier bullets may have issues of stabilization.
All bullets of a given weight are not created equal, so the only testing will tell.

I think so, I was there today and they were $179.99 also. The guy behind the counter told me the sell would last another 30 days but Rockyraider heard the 22nd so I don't how much longer. The guy also said it would last for a little bit because the tag said "price drop" not "sale"

which acdaemy's are they at for a $179.99 on the east side of town $249.00 is the cheapest I have found. From Pasadena to Northshore.

Call your local Academy and ask them to check availability and pricing around the area. I know they have them in .270 around Dallas, not sure about Houston.

x2 this will save you alot of driving around, i know a few stores in Austin have them in .270 and 708