Savage Mark II, problems sighting in a new scope?

rubberdown

rubberdown

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I got a Savage Mark II .22LR a little while ago and it seemed like a great shooter right off the start. I changed the stock to a Boyds Evolution stock and we used it for a couple more weekends and then noticed we were missing almost every shot at a club event we do every Sunday (plinking targets). Another member has the exact same gun but has a Bushnell 6-18 scope and he hits the targets pretty good. I decided to upgrade the cheap 3-9 scope with a Bushnell Banner series 6-18 scope and tried to sight it in at 50 yards. On a rest, the bullets where all over the place at 50 yards, never hitting the same spot, or even close to it more than once. most of the rounds didnt even hit the paper, yet some would, so it was shooting very erratic. I returned the scope and exchanged it for another one, identical model and installed it as close to the barrel as possible. Tried sighting it in and started at 20 yards this time. The bullets are still not consistent at all. Not even a consistent group on the paper.

Everything feels nice and tight on the gun, the scope is tight, it just doesnt make sense to me, or a few others at the club watching me try and sight it in.

My next step is to put the new scope on my SR-22 that seems to shoot excellent groups with a cheap Tasco 3-9 scope on it, and see if the new scope is still all over the map, or if its shooting tight groups. At the very least this will telle if its the new scope or the rifle.

Anyways, anyone here have any suggestions on something I may be missing? I did use a Bushnell laser bore sighter on the second scope.....
 
Do you still have iron sights on your rifle? If so try a few shots at say 25 yards and see if they group ok. If they do rifle is ok and it is the scope or mounts. If not good then it is the rifle. Either loose in the stock or maybe not free floating in the stock causing pressure point on the barrel.
 
didnt come with iron sights, its got the heavy target barrel on it, This is the gun here, this is the 3-9 scope we bought when we bought the gun a few months ago.

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What do you mean by not free floating in the stock causing pressure point on the barrel
 
My MKII in a standard stock has a free floating barrel. The barrel is not touching the stock the complete length of the stock. It is floating. Obviously not an issue with yours as there is no stock under the barrel.
When you are shooting are you resting your barrel on anything? You should support the rifle on the stock only not the barrel. Just a thought.
 
Heres a few pics of the gun I just took, the first one shows the 4 screws used to hold the stock and mag plate in place, the one screw was loose when I got the new stock, stupid wood screws,

IMG-20130317-00304_zpsbd7d4d5e.jpg


Here you can see 4 bills between the barrel and the stock,

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better picture of the complete rifle with the current scope installed,

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After reading your last post, I was resting the barrel on the rest that I was using, I didnt think to use the stock instead of the barrel while resting it, maybe that is my issue?
 
Well....the first Bushnell 6-18 I "tried to sight in, I was using a bean bag type of rest and was resting the gun on the stock, not the barrel, it was terrible, and several people commented that the scope was likely faulty right out of the box. After the exchange I was resting the barrel on the second outing sighting in the second scope so maybe I'll try this one once again resting it properly and see what happens. If its still no good, I'll put the scope on the SR-22 and see if its still crap or not
 
TargetGuy said:
Resting the barrel on the shooting rest is 99% surely your problem.
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x2

i was shooting my 1022 at an unknown distance around 30-40 yards prone using a log as a front rest. i zeroed it and shot some 5 shot groups and was wondering why some shots would impact 4-6inches above the bullseye. i realized as i moved around i was resting the gun on its barrel for some of the shots.

it make a crazy difference using the barrel as a rest (in not a good way)
 
Just a thought. I had a Savage .22WMR that shot great for a year and then went all to pot.
Checked the stock screws, the scope was good...couldn't figure it out.
Then I noticed that one of the scope blocks was very slightly loose...not enough to notice when I was checking to make sure the scope was tight in the rings.
Sure enough I tightened it down (it was the rear block) and my guns was shooting perfectly again.
 
Another thought,.....Make sure the mounting block screws are not too long & touching the bolt. Mine were just long enough to scratch the top of it & had to take a file to them a touch to shorten them up. It wasn't much, & I corrected it before I fired the gun, but I thought you might also check yours.....

Seems to be a process of elimination of all the possibilities! I love my savage....
myguns198-1.jpg
 
Update!

I took the rifle and the new replacement Bushnell scope to the indoor range on Thursday night. I used a bean bag rifle rest and rested the rifle on the wood stock, not the barrel. At 20 yards I was getting 5 shot groups in roughly a 2 to 3 inch group. No matter how slowly I pulled the trigger or controlled my breathing or whatever, this was the best I would get.

I then took the scope off and put the cheapy 3-9 scope back on and sighted that one back in. I was getting very good groups with this scope, maybe 1/2" groups with the weeker older cheap scope.

So I ended up taking the Bushnell back and swapped it for a Barska, I figured a cheap scope was working already, why shouldnt another slightly stronger power scope also work. If its a POS, I'll return it for a full refund and save up for an expensive one, but wasnt really wanting to spend big money on a recreational .22 target rifle.
 
I have a MK II that had the rear base holes drilled crooked, with both bases attached you could tell the rear one was canted. I had to get Millet Angle Loc rings to get it to shoot. With regular rings it could be putting undue stress on the scope by "forcing" it straight. However, since it's shooting well with one scope, that may not be an issue, but still worth checking into.
 
I sighted in the Barska today, it was shooting better groups with the Federal Premium than the other 2 Bushnell scopes I had on there, but still not perfect. I pulled out the Winchester M-22 ammo and got really nice groups so I'll keep this scope on the rifle and keep using the cheaper Winchester M-22 ammo.
 
My MKII in a standard stock has a free floating barrel. The barrel is not touching the stock the complete length of the stock. It is floating
Click to expand...

Certainly not true on either of mine. I have a mark 2-F and a mark 2-FSS and both have pressure points at the front of the stock.

Of course, both have issues with the drilled and tapped holes not being drilled straight and the 'accutriggers' locking up on themselves when working the bolt.

Maybe it's just another example of the FANTASTIC quality control from Savage in Lakefield...
 
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