I have a Savage MK1 single shot I picked up from wholesale sports clear out sale and long story short I pulled it out of the box cleaned it and took it to the range only to find it would not group worth a damn with the open sights lots of vertical stringing and generally just shotgun pattern 5 shot groups way off from point of aim. I thought maybe the action screws were loose so I got out my inch pound torque wrench and proceeded to bubba up the screws.... using a Allen bit in a 1/4" socket and not securing the gun in a vise leads to slipping and stripping the bolt heads apparently... also the wood stock crushed around one of the screw heads a bit which is annoying and unsightly. So Now I have a couple questions resulting from my own ineptitude. one is where can I find new action screws for a savage MKI/ MKII (I believe they are an oddball 12-32 thread but could be wrong I dont have the tools to check at home. And what can I do to repair the stock and prevent further damage from the screws ... MY first instinct is to turn little brass inserts that could be epoxied into countersunk holes and provide a wider and harder bearing surface for the screw heads and wouldn't look terrible either but I am open to suggestions. I work as a machinist so I could make the insert washers pretty easily on a lunch break. I havent been back to the range to check accuracy after tightening the action screws but if anyone has any other ideas on what could cause 3in groups at 25m with 5 different ammo types I would love to hear it and how to fix it. the other .22 i brought along was shooting ragged holes at the same range so I know its not just me.
Savage MKI accuracy and action bolt issues
- Thread starter Red Beard Forge
- Start date
Well, without going back to the range, I am hoping for you that the screws being loose was your problem. I had the same problem with my model 64 earlier. Groups as big as Texas at 30 yards. Got home and did some reading, then looked at the gun. My action screws were barely finger tight, and my rear sight was loose like a hotdog in a hallway. Like you, however, I have not been back to the range either. As for repairs, I like your idea of drilling and putting a solid little tube/inserts in place. Screw source, sorry, I cannot be of great help, although I do know that Canadian Tire does have a decent assortmant of screws.
Contact Savage Canada. They have been helpful in the past for small parts and information.
I went back to the range yesterday and was able to get the rifle to shoot to point of aim and group to about an inch at 25m with open sights ... Still not what I like to see but much better than 3 inch at 25m. I'm planning to make the brass inserts for the action bolts and would be interested in hearing any other suggestions to maximize accuracy with this rifle. I'm not expecting high end target rifle results and I'm not looking to spend a ton I'm just looking to get the full potential from the rifle and maybe learn a few new things along the way
The screw head stripped when the stack of bits I was using kicked out because I wasn't using a vice and trying to do a three hand job by myself without a vise ... Totally my fault and a result of being in a hurry. The wood crush is odd to me because the torque spec is 15in/lbs my wrench only goes to 20 in/lbs and I had it set at the minimum below 20 in/lbs so I would have been at bit over minimum suggested torque but it shouldn't have crushed into the stock the wrench never even made it to 20in/lbs before the stock started to crush in ... The stock seems to be a fairly soft wood ...its supposed to be maple but I've never seen maple that soft before
You could try pillar bedding the stock as well. Turn small tubes (for want of a better word) of brass, drill the screw holes in the stock bigger and epoxy the brass pillars in place.
You will get consistent contact and tightening torque.
You will get consistent contact and tightening torque.
