Hi. Guys .I just thought i would give my experince with my Savage .338 lapua FCP-HS. ,
This journey starts over a year ago. with me in search of a big boy gun./ we wanted to step up to a big guns for once. we have alot of experence with the smaller calibers but none with the big bores. we decided to try the Savage 338 lapua with great hopes and recomedndations but soon found out somthing differint. we started off with the break-in savage says to break-in this rifle with about 40 rounds and cleaning. we chose to shoot 300 grn SMK out of this rifle. we started to load at Coal withH1000 using Norma brass we were breaking in the gun well under min on the table . with great groups. we were stoked but when we started to get into the powder we started to have some problems at 8 grains under max we started to stick brass. so bad that we broke the abstractor out of the gun.(not good) we had to beat the brass out with a wooden doul and hammer.. so we dug into the info and found out these guns are having this problem regulary. most common with low dollar brass or ammo. so back to the factory the rifle went. after 4 months the rifle was sent back. but UPS must have droped it out of the plane at 30,000 ft because when we got it it had a broken stock and was ruined.
So back to the drawing board, we got this worked out and Savage was going to get us a new rifle.they made shure it was not going to have the same problems as the first rifle so it went to the custom shop. It was targeted and with using Blackhills Ammo was sent with a range card that Savage Said was MOA but between you and me was 1.25?
So now begins our new saga. we again break in the rifle using Norma brass 300 grn accubonds and retumbo after 40 breakin rounds 10 grains under min we started to work up load data, the max in the book is 94 and the min is 88 when we got to 87.3 brass stuck agian bad and the speeds were at 2550 . not goood. but i have to say the groups were great 1/5 moa.
so now back to Savage. with another month now of working with them they first said they would reimberse all the cost . but that didnt panout. they said to just sent back the gun but we know they wont fix it .they dont know where the proble lies with all the rifles having this probelm . i will have to say this rifle shoots great for one that is not a custom but they need to work out the kinks. we talked to lapua and black hills and we are copying thier loads except for the brass. blackhills will just send out what they get and they only use Norma and lapua. so a we decided to get ahold of some lapua brass. when we loaded it with 89 grns of retumbo, no problems what so ever with 4 rounds out the same brass just neck sized didnt crono it thought. when we talk to savage and said all they would have to do is reimberse us for the norma brass they said'' so what your saying is you bought a lambergini and are putting unleaded in it. thats your broblem. if you buy a custom gun you should expect this kind of thing''BS.
I know this is a production rifle not a custom but i will say it shoots great for being one. if they can figure out this problem and still be able to keep the accuracy then it will be great. hopefully they willl work with us more to make us have the fuzzy feling inside when being taken care of but as of right now i dought it. ill let you know when they do. i just wanted to let everyone know what we encountard.
This journey starts over a year ago. with me in search of a big boy gun./ we wanted to step up to a big guns for once. we have alot of experence with the smaller calibers but none with the big bores. we decided to try the Savage 338 lapua with great hopes and recomedndations but soon found out somthing differint. we started off with the break-in savage says to break-in this rifle with about 40 rounds and cleaning. we chose to shoot 300 grn SMK out of this rifle. we started to load at Coal withH1000 using Norma brass we were breaking in the gun well under min on the table . with great groups. we were stoked but when we started to get into the powder we started to have some problems at 8 grains under max we started to stick brass. so bad that we broke the abstractor out of the gun.(not good) we had to beat the brass out with a wooden doul and hammer.. so we dug into the info and found out these guns are having this problem regulary. most common with low dollar brass or ammo. so back to the factory the rifle went. after 4 months the rifle was sent back. but UPS must have droped it out of the plane at 30,000 ft because when we got it it had a broken stock and was ruined.
So back to the drawing board, we got this worked out and Savage was going to get us a new rifle.they made shure it was not going to have the same problems as the first rifle so it went to the custom shop. It was targeted and with using Blackhills Ammo was sent with a range card that Savage Said was MOA but between you and me was 1.25?
So now begins our new saga. we again break in the rifle using Norma brass 300 grn accubonds and retumbo after 40 breakin rounds 10 grains under min we started to work up load data, the max in the book is 94 and the min is 88 when we got to 87.3 brass stuck agian bad and the speeds were at 2550 . not goood. but i have to say the groups were great 1/5 moa.
so now back to Savage. with another month now of working with them they first said they would reimberse all the cost . but that didnt panout. they said to just sent back the gun but we know they wont fix it .they dont know where the proble lies with all the rifles having this probelm . i will have to say this rifle shoots great for one that is not a custom but they need to work out the kinks. we talked to lapua and black hills and we are copying thier loads except for the brass. blackhills will just send out what they get and they only use Norma and lapua. so a we decided to get ahold of some lapua brass. when we loaded it with 89 grns of retumbo, no problems what so ever with 4 rounds out the same brass just neck sized didnt crono it thought. when we talk to savage and said all they would have to do is reimberse us for the norma brass they said'' so what your saying is you bought a lambergini and are putting unleaded in it. thats your broblem. if you buy a custom gun you should expect this kind of thing''BS.
I know this is a production rifle not a custom but i will say it shoots great for being one. if they can figure out this problem and still be able to keep the accuracy then it will be great. hopefully they willl work with us more to make us have the fuzzy feling inside when being taken care of but as of right now i dought it. ill let you know when they do. i just wanted to let everyone know what we encountard.
