For anyone who says savage can't shoot!

hunter-4-life

hunter-4-life

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Took the new 223 for a test drive today. Loaded up some rounds and went to the farm to shoot. First time I loaded 223 so I'm lucky to have found the sweet spot. 100 yards, if you measure the 3 shot group it's 0.36" and if you add the 2 last shots I took it's 0.89" so for those who don't think savages shoot, try again! It was a 11 trophy hunter xp with cheap weaver 3-9x40 scope and accutrigger
The load was:
25.1 gr of Hodgdon Benchmark
50gr Vmax
CCI Small Rifle Primer 400
Federal brass
COAL: 2.260" (57mm for anyone who does metric)


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Thats a pretty awsome group. I think most people will say they do shoot well though. I like them personally, great features for the money.
 
If anyone wants the load message me and ill share.

And the reason I posted this is to show you don't need a $1500 rifle or custom rifle to print MOA groups.
 
Who says they dont shoot? Lots of higher end long range guns are built on the Savage actions.

My Marlin XS7 in 223 uses a lot of Savage interchangeable parts. Hand loaded 52 grain Hornady's shoot 1/2 MOA 5 shot groups no problem.
 
Not bad, I don't remember anyone saying savage rifles don't shoot though.
Best 5 shot groups I've done with my model 10 in .308 are 1/2moa with my handloads.
Savage have always made good barrels.
 
hunter-4-life said:
If anyone wants the load message me and ill share.

And the reason I posted this is to show you don't need a $1500 rifle or custom rifle to print MOA groups.
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Well done. Some time back, I posted somewhat similar results I obtained with my Savage 112BVSS in .25-06. My Daughter & Son In Law impressed me with the accuracy results they were getting with their .22-250's so I decided I 'needed' something similar and picked up my .25-06 and 'trimmings' from Bashaw Sports.



I did go for decent glass on it, a Leupold VX III 6.5-20 Long Range with Varmint reticle. Tweeked the reloads a little, basically to minimize freebore and it shoots like a 'house a fire'.

 
I have a dirt cheap Savage Axis in .223 and have shot 3/4 MoA groups with it.
Just need to shoot slow or the thin barrel heats up and the groups open up.
 
People here don't say that savage can't shoot, just that they are not pretty enough, or the actions aren't smooth enough, or the finish isn't .............
they gotta justify their spending of $3K on a tack driver somehow.

i have a friend here on CGN who was pissed when I shot groups just 1/16" bigger than his from my 100ATR in .30-06 that cost me $300.00 while his "high-end" customized job cost $3500. Truth be told, there was almost 3/16" difference when I shot his rifle.
 
Savages are great shooters but.......to some there is more to a great rifle than printing small groups. you have to handle it, look at it, carry it ect. Most of which savage leaves a lot to be desired. I do like the 114 series and have a model 10ml which shoot great but the little details are not there. I do not look down on anyone for owning a Savage and do think they are a great value but they are definitely not a Sako or Styer and definitely not a custom.
 
shorttrac said:
Savages are great shooters but.......to some there is more to a great rifle than printing small groups. you have to handle it, look at it, carry it ect. Most of which savage leaves a lot to be desired. I do like the 114 series and have a model 10ml which shoot great but the little details are not there. I do not look down on anyone for owning a Savage and do think they are a great value but they are definitely not a Sako or Styer and definitely not a custom.
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For me savages look fine. Sure they arent "eye candy" to all but they all seem to fit myself well which is why im a die hard savage guy. The only Savage im not a fan of is the axis, that is one rifle that is plain ugly ;)
 
The Wisdom of the Internet has always been that Savages are ugly and have rough actions but tend to shoot well out of the box, whereas Remingtons are better looking, have smoother actions, but need some truing to shoot really well.

I'm not saying this is true; just that it's what I found when I was looking at buying my first rifle and comparing Savages to Remingtons by researching it on the Internet.

I have three Savages, and all three of them were sub-MOA out of the box with appropriate ammo; but two of them have very loose fitting bolts when the bolt is all the way open, which makes them prone to FTF issues unless you close the bolt in a particular way.
 
HeavyTread said:
The Wisdom of the Internet has always been that Savages are ugly and have rough actions but tend to shoot well out of the box, whereas Remingtons are better looking, have smoother actions, but need some truing to shoot really well.

I'm not saying this is true; just that it's what I found when I was looking at buying my first rifle and comparing Savages to Remingtons by researching it on the Internet.

I have three Savages, and all three of them were sub-MOA out of the box with appropriate ammo; but two of them have very loose fitting bolts when the bolt is all the way open, which makes them prone to FTF issues unless you close the bolt in a particular way.
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that makes no sense to me...
 
HeavyTread said:
The Wisdom of the Internet has always been that Savages are ugly and have rough actions but tend to shoot well out of the box, whereas Remingtons are better looking, have smoother actions, but need some truing to shoot really well.

I'm not saying this is true; just that it's what I found when I was looking at buying my first rifle and comparing Savages to Remingtons by researching it on the Internet.

I have three Savages, and all three of them were sub-MOA out of the box with appropriate ammo; but two of them have very loose fitting bolts when the bolt is all the way open, which makes them prone to FTF issues unless you close the bolt in a particular way.
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BrotherRockeye said:
that makes no sense to me...
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Assuming you meant Fail to Feed Issues>>>? Still makes no sense to me, either. I got a 1898 Lee Enfield Calvary Carbine that has a pretty sloppy and loose bolt, but it fails to fail when feeding or firing.
 
BrotherRockeye said:
that makes no sense to me...
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OK. I guess that sentence could have been more clear. Let me be excruciatingly clear :) :

I have three Savage rifles with detachable magazines-- a BTVS .22 LR, a 10 PC .223 and a 10 TR .308.

Both the .223 and the .308 occasionally have issues with failure to feed (FTF), almost always with the last round from the magazine. Both rifles require you to pull the bolt all the way back in order for the bolt face to catch the upper edge of the case head to strip the cartridge from the magazine. When the bolt is in the open position, the lugs are very loose in the raceways and the bolt handle has a lot of 'wiggle' to it.

The issue seems to be that the bolt is loose enough in the action, when the bolt is all the way back, that it's possible for the bolt to ride over the cartridge without stripping it from the magazine. This seems to happen most often if the bolt is closed by simply pushing it straight forward, or applying any amount of downward pressure on it. It almost never happens when the bolt is closed by pushing the bolt handle forward with the heel of the palm, while also putting a bit of upward pressure on it. I *think* this is because putting a bit of upward pressure on the bolt handle moves the face of the bolt down enough to make sure it catches the edge of the case head. I also assume that the issue tends to happen on the last cartridge in the magazine because the lower spring tension causes the last cartridge to sit just a tiny bit lower in the lips of the magazine.

I'm 100% certain that this isn't an issue with the magazine itself, because I've recently put the 10 TR into an MDT TAC21 chassis with an AICS magazine and have the same problem.

EDIT:

PS: AFAIK feed issues with Savages aren't at all unknown. I'm just discussing what I think might be the source of my particular problem, having taken the rifle to Savage's approved smith in Ontario for warranty service and watching their guys cycle through a full magazine five or six times with no feed issues.
 
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HeavyTread said:
OK. I guess that sentence could have been more clear. Let me be excruciatingly clear :) :

I have three Savage rifles with detachable magazines-- a BTVS .22 LR, a 10 PC .223 and a 10 TR .308.

Both the .223 and the .308 occasionally have issues with failure to feed (FTF), almost always with the last round from the magazine. Both rifles require you to pull the bolt all the way back in order for the bolt face to catch the upper edge of the case head to strip the cartridge from the magazine. When the bolt is in the open position, the lugs are very loose in the raceways and the bolt handle has a lot of 'wiggle' to it.

The issue seems to be that the bolt is loose enough in the action, when the bolt is all the way back, that it's possible for the bolt to ride over the cartridge without stripping it from the magazine. This seems to happen most often if the bolt is closed by simply pushing it straight forward, or applying any amount of downward pressure on it. It almost never happens when the bolt is closed by pushing the bolt handle forward with the heel of the palm, while also putting a bit of upward pressure on it. I *think* this is because putting a bit of upward pressure on the bolt handle moves the face of the bolt down enough to make sure it catches the edge of the case head. I also assume that the issue tends to happen on the last cartridge in the magazine because the lower spring tension causes the last cartridge to sit just a tiny bit lower in the lips of the magazine.

I'm 100% certain that this isn't an issue with the magazine itself, because I've recently put the 10 TR into an MDT TAC21 chassis with an AICS magazine and have the same problem.

EDIT:

PS: AFAIK feed issues with Savages aren't at all unknown. I'm just discussing what I think might be the source of my particular problem, having taken the rifle to Savage's approved smith in Ontario for warranty service and watching their guys cycle through a full magazine five or six times with no feed issues.
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I wasn't saying it couldn't happen, and certainly your explanation more than makes it excruciatingly clear, I have not experienced that in any of my Savages. .243 x2, .308, and now a .30-06. All on the 11/111 action.
 
HeavyTread said:
OK. I guess that sentence could have been more clear. Let me be excruciatingly clear :) :

I have three Savage rifles with detachable magazines-- a BTVS .22 LR, a 10 PC .223 and a 10 TR .308.

Both the .223 and the .308 occasionally have issues with failure to feed (FTF), almost always with the last round from the magazine. Both rifles require you to pull the bolt all the way back in order for the bolt face to catch the upper edge of the case head to strip the cartridge from the magazine. When the bolt is in the open position, the lugs are very loose in the raceways and the bolt handle has a lot of 'wiggle' to it.

The issue seems to be that the bolt is loose enough in the action, when the bolt is all the way back, that it's possible for the bolt to ride over the cartridge without stripping it from the magazine. This seems to happen most often if the bolt is closed by simply pushing it straight forward, or applying any amount of downward pressure on it. It almost never happens when the bolt is closed by pushing the bolt handle forward with the heel of the palm, while also putting a bit of upward pressure on it. I *think* this is because putting a bit of upward pressure on the bolt handle moves the face of the bolt down enough to make sure it catches the edge of the case head. I also assume that the issue tends to happen on the last cartridge in the magazine because the lower spring tension causes the last cartridge to sit just a tiny bit lower in the lips of the magazine.

I'm 100% certain that this isn't an issue with the magazine itself, because I've recently put the 10 TR into an MDT TAC21 chassis with an AICS magazine and have the same problem.

EDIT:

PS: AFAIK feed issues with Savages aren't at all unknown. I'm just discussing what I think might be the source of my particular problem, having taken the rifle to Savage's approved smith in Ontario for warranty service and watching their guys cycle through a full magazine five or six times with no feed issues.
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My Stevens occasionally suffers from a very similar ailment. I can't predict when it'll happen, completely random. Tried adjusting the lips on the magazine in various ways, no improvement. Making sure the rounds are as close to the rear as possible seems to be the best fix, there's a bit of room in there for the 223. Still an occasional empty chamber though, hasn't happened while shooting coyotes yet thankfully. Accurate gun, otherwise I wouldn't put up with it.
 
I would say is pretty common that a savage shoots very well.
nice shooting.

In fact i just got back from shooting.Took the girlfriends savage axis 243 out to 400yrds with a 2.25" 3 shot group with 100g partitions
 
hunter-4-life said:
If anyone wants the load message me and ill share.

And the reason I posted this is to show you don't need a $1500 rifle or custom rifle to print MOA groups.
Click to expand...

Doesn't matter if you post it or not, your load probably won't work in anyone else's rifle anyway. Every barrel is different and will need it's own load development.

I agree though that you don't need a $1500 rifle to shoot good groups. Most rifles these days are capable of shooting better than the person behind the trigger if you spend some time and find a load it likes.
 
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