Difference between a savage and a tikka barrel

kman300

kman300

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Just thought I'd share.

First picture is of a brand new unfired Savage 12 LRP.

Second picture is of a brand new unfired Tikka T3 HB Varmint (my t3 lite looks the same btw).

We all know tikka has excellent barrels but damn, for a grand you'd expect better on a savage. No amount of "break in" or dyna bore coat is going to fix that savage. It was returned. The other 12 LRP in stock has the same barrel issues btw and worse crown damage.

savage12lrpcrown1_zps4f68a4b9.jpg


20130702_202100_zps18381e62.jpg
 
Wonder if this is becoming more prevelant. A buddy of mine when I worked in a shop ordered a Savage FCSS weather warrior in .300 Win Mag directly from Savage (you get a deal from them when you work in a gun shop.) A few months later a gun came, box said .300 Win Mag, but the rifle inside was a 7mm RM. Oh well, back it went. A few more months later another one comes in, this time in the correct chambering.

First thing noticed was leftover filings all around the reciver, including the the recoil lug recesses. Cleaned that all up and chamber a dummy round (brass with bullet, just no primer or powder, full length resized.) Dummy round extremely hard to chamber and extract. Look inside the bore and sure enough there is a gouge and a burr in the chamber. Back to Savage it went.
 
The quality of Savage firearms has improved over the years, but they are still not up to par in the quality I expect. I don't own any Savage rifles because of this. I stick to Remington 700s, Tikka or Browning.
 
Is that a Bad Batch of barrel by Savage eg- tool lost its edge, wasn't updated Wullahh!! #### job?

Or did you by random pick a Savage off the shelf, an a Tikka off the shelf?

Im not a fan of either, but spose id go a tikka before a salvage

wl
 
WhelanLad said:
Is that a Bad Batch of barrel by Savage eg- tool lost its edge, wasn't updated Wullahh!! #### job?

Or did you by random pick a Savage off the shelf, an a Tikka off the shelf?

Im not a fan of either, but spose id go a tikka before a salvage

wl
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The pictures of the savage are not of a "bad batch" or anything like that. I randomly bought a 12 lrp and that's what the barrel looked like. Took a picture and returned it. I then randomly bought a tikka and that's what the barrel looked like.
 
Two of my three Savage actions have custom barrels on them....guess it's easy to see why, lol.
I just checked the 243, which has a factory SS tube, and it does not look quite that bad.
Pretty decent shooter though. Will shoot it out and replace with a Benchmark or Hart, or Krieger or.....:)
I only keep this one because it's a Model 14, and has nice lumber on it.
Regards, Eagleye.
 
Those ripples in Savage barrel wouldn't concern me at the least as long as barrel shoots straight. IMHO that barrel would have very low friction and by the size of those ripples I say they might be there by design. Longways grooves on the other hand would be unacceptable b/c that would lead to burning powder gas getting in front of the bullet. I think that crown on that barrel s*uck but it is a very easy fix and by the way I didn't come across Savage barrel that was a lemon.
 
As always, it behoves the buyer to inspect the merchandise before it leaves the store. In my purchases across the counter I have not come across these abnormalities. But I am not surprised in any factory offering that issues get throught quality control from time to time. Must not have been feeding the monkey on that day:rolleyes: I would look for a rebate at the counter for such items or ask for a different box to look at in the very least. More than likely they will still shoot well or can be easily touched up.

It is normal to see factory button rifled barrels with the perpendicular track marks as shown (tubbs final finish mellows those down a bit.) Scratches on a hammer forged barrels are likely from inexperienced bore sight tool users. PS, always look down the bore for anomolies. I have found a few used barrels with expansion donuts visible to the eye. Did they come from the factory? Nobody will know unless you look. My 2c.
 
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WhelanLad said:
Is that a Bad Batch of barrel by Savage eg- tool lost its edge, wasn't updated Wullahh!! #### job?

wl
Click to expand...
I think the issue here is that quality control is obviously poor for something like the above to leave the factory.........If something so easy to spot is overlooked imagine what else they don't check
 
elkhuntr said:
As always, it behoves the buyer to inspect the merchandise before it leaves the store. In my purchases across the counter I have not come across these abnormalities. But I am not surprised in any factory offering that issues get throught quality control from time to time. Must not have been feeding the monkey on that day:rolleyes: I would look for a rebate at the counter for such items or ask for a different box to look at in the very least. More than likely they will still shoot well or can be easily touched up.

It is normal to see factory button rifled barrels with the perpendicular track marks as shown (tubbs final finish mellows those down a bit.) Scratches on a hammer forged barrels are likely from inexperienced bore sight tool users. PS, always look down the bore for anomolies. I have found a few used barrels with expansion donuts visible to the eye. Did they come from the factory? Nobody will know unless you look. My 2c.
Click to expand...

Yes, one should always check what you are buying. Crown damage can be seen (this ding was rather small and not easily seen) but the bore is usually fouled from the factory and if it's black and full of carbon you won't be seeing those ridges in the bore at the gun counter.

I have not mounted a scope on the tikka and that barrel is as it came from the factory.
 
Cole said:
You couldn't pay me to own a Savage. Garbage.
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My Savage Predator Max1 is a tack driver and 2 years old now. All told, probably about 200 rounds through her. After seeing post, I had to get out the magnifying glass and take a look. Lo and behold, it looks very similar. Maybe Savage has discovered the secret to accuracy, maybe not, but I will not be getting rid of mine anytime soon as my Savage outshoots my son's Tikka (T3) EVERY time. We have these little target competitions....you know...scoring after 7 shots, 100 yards, that kind of thing.

I guess the 'ol saying is true..."One man's garbage is another man's treasure". I will not be getting rid of my treasure anytime soon.
 
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