Savage rifles ... the most accurate out-of-the-box ?

[FEENIX]

I will come around sooner or later.

That's the spirit!

 

[Tidus56]

If you're paying $5,000 for a custom rifle to be built on a factory action, your gunsmith is really sticking it to you in the billing department.

The first experience I had with a full custom was built by a company in Utah. My dad purchased it from them and when I saw what he paid my eyes dang near popped out of my head. I took the rifle to do load development for the gun. That night I looked up each and every component and the price. It was built with this list: $250 Bell and Carlson stock, $900 proof barrel, Remington 700 action, $150 Timney trigger, stock bottom metal and stock recoil lug. I have no doubt it was all gone through and some labor was put in. The total cost he was charged $4200!! Thats when I decided to not use gunsmiths unless I had to and made the switch to Savage. So my point $3500-$5000 for a dressed up Remington 700 is absurd, but it happens.

 

[J E Custom]

Accuracy can be built into "ANY" action if the smith knows what it takes for that particular action buy truing everything as near perfect as possible. so the type of action boils down to what the owner likes and the smith will work on.

Once the action is true, It becomes a breech plug and its only job is to hold the cartridge in the chamber the same way every time. and then the final accuracy becomes the combination of the chamber, the barrel the stock quality and fit and the loaded ammo quality. Most of all, the shooters ability has the most effect on accuracy if everything else is good.

J E CUSTOM

 

[Kimber7man]

Tikka sure is giving every other factory rifle a run for their money in the accuracy department.

If I were going to buy a under $1000 factory rifle dedicated to long range shooting, I'd start and end with a Tikka T3X CTR 24" SS 6.5 Creedmoor.

 

[Waknstak]

There is one limiting factor in all those articles.
The human factor.
You can have a 1/4" rifle and a 1 Moa shooter, that's means you now have a 1 Moa rifle.

Or maybe even 1and a quarter ...... Good point

 

[FEENIX]

There is one limiting factor in all those articles.
The human factor.
You can have a 1/4" rifle and a 1 Moa shooter, that's means you now have a 1 Moa rifle.

Yep, the "NUT" behind the trigger remains the biggest factor yet often overlooked.

 

[scdogman]

So do the smiths/shops shoot the finished guns before sending them to the owners? That way the moa is known before leaving the shop. The nut behind the gun factor is erased.

Again for me to drop money, I need the smith to guarantee my better than I can build myself with the cheap mass production parts made by savage. My two builds are better than 1/2 MOA. I've got zero help other YouTube and the internet. I'm will be taking this zero help savage out to a mile soon.

Which smith are guaranteeing 1/3 or 1/4 MOA? I'm strictly a performance guy. I hear all this bolt smoothness talk. I don't lay in bed cycling or stroking my bolt 100 times a night. All I want is the elk, pig and deer to die when I squeeze the triggeer.

I like what I'm hearing about it he Tikka, but I don't want to pay to have any work done. Replace barrel and see the headspace.

 

[J E Custom]

So do the smiths/shops shoot the finished guns before sending them to the owners? That way the moa is known before leaving the shop. The nut behind the gun factor is erased.

Again for me to drop money, I need the smith to guarantee my better than I can build myself with the cheap mass production parts made by savage. My two builds are better than 1/2 MOA. I've got zero help other YouTube and the internet. I'm will be taking this zero help savage out to a mile soon.

Which smith are guaranteeing 1/3 or 1/4 MOA? I'm strictly a performance guy. I hear all this bolt smoothness talk. I don't lay in bed cycling or stroking my bolt 100 times a night. All I want is the elk, pig and deer to die when I squeeze the triggeer.

I like what I'm hearing about it he Tikka, but I don't want to pay to have any work done. Replace barrel and see the headspace.

The smith is required to test fire the rifle but not load and group test it. unless he has an accuracy standard and must prove that It will meet the accuracy standard.

If he sets a 1/2 MOA standard or requirement he must be ready and able to prove that it/he can shoot 1/2 MOA. this is common and often the owner can't shoot well enough to get 1/2 MOA groups. If I were to want/buy a rifle that was promised to shoot sub 1/4 MOA groups I would recommend that the owner take the smith to the range for a shooting session to prove it. The truth is there is possibly no way to guarantee sub 1/4 MOA accuracy Because there are so many variables that come into play.

!/2 MOA accuracy guarantees are doable and the goal of any long range shooter, less than that Is a gift that we all hope for and can achieve if we work at it.

J E CUSTOM

 

[gohring3006]

So do the smiths/shops shoot the finished guns before sending them to the owners? That way the moa is known before leaving the shop. The nut behind the gun factor is erased.

Again for me to drop money, I need the smith to guarantee my better than I can build myself with the cheap mass production parts made by savage. My two builds are better than 1/2 MOA. I've got zero help other YouTube and the internet. I'm will be taking this zero help savage out to a mile soon.

Which smith are guaranteeing 1/3 or 1/4 MOA? I'm strictly a performance guy. I hear all this bolt smoothness talk. I don't lay in bed cycling or stroking my bolt 100 times a night. All I want is the elk, pig and deer to die when I squeeze the triggeer.

I like what I'm hearing about it he Tikka, but I don't want to pay to have any work done. Replace barrel and see the headspace.

The key is, picking a Smith with a reputation for rifle accuracy/precision. Guys like JE, have done enough rifles, that their work will result in a accurate rifle. They are confident enough, that they don't test for groups. Once guys like that are done, short of a fluke in the chambering and assembly, if the rifle doesn't shoot its probably a barrel defect, and they will stand behind their work, and get to the bottom of the problem.
So, Smith choice is important.
Don't hire a Smith that specializes in stock checkering to build you a Precision rifle.


No disrespect to the smiths who specialize in stock checkering.

 

[Nomosendero]

Tikka sure is giving every other factory rifle a run for their money in the accuracy department.

If I were going to buy a under $1000 factory rifle dedicated to long range shooting, I'd start and end with a Tikka T3X CTR 24" SS 6.5 Creedmoor.

Yes, Tikka but I would also look at the Bergara HMR

 

[Steven S.]

I have 2 nephews who are into long range shoots. And based solely on what I've read, I made the bold statement that Savage produces, 2nd to none but expensive custom jobs, the most accurate "out of the box" rifles on the market. Now this is primarily based on one factor in particular, the barrel nut for precise headspacing, and on 2 other lesser factors, the accu-trigger and the accu-stock.

Problem is in some recent articles in RIFLE magazine, one about a .30-06 Model 110 and the other about a 6.5-284 Norma Model 111 showing about 1 MoA. The .30-06 with a 180 gr. bullet had 2 MoA.

What's the consensus about the Savage claim to accuracy?

BTW, yes, I aware of the perils of making bold statements not based on experience. Just couldn't resist.

I was looking to getting into the long range shooting hobby myself. I researched the Savage Long Range Hunter in 6.5 X 284. I read every post that I could find on many different sites. At the same time I compared the costs of a new semi custom or custom built rifle. The Savage was 900.00 out the door. Custom rifles ranged from 2000.00 to 6000.00 and up, way up. I thought that if I bought the Savage I wouldn't be in too deep financially , and if I enjoyed the hobby that I could invest in a more expensive gun later. I worked up some loads and I'm shooting very, very small clover leaf groups albeit at only 100 yards at this point. A dime completely covers all three shots. I've seen what these 5,000.00 dollar guns do at the range and I'm not impressed, at least not 4,000.00 dollars worth. In other words I've got a 900.00 gun that shoots as well as a 5,000.00 gun. I believe that Savage has come a long way in their "accuracy out of the" box claims. Try the Savage. You won't be disappointed. The 900.00 even includes a muzzle break. It may not be the prettiest gun at the range but if your after very tight groups then you can't go wrong. If you want pretty than pony up the extra couple of thousand dollars.

 

[BS Shooter]

I have had three savage model 12 22-250's that have all shot under 1/2 moa with the same cheap Winchester white box ammo. I don't know that they are all accurate but those three were!

 

[7stw]

I have owned six Savage rifles over the past 8 years. Rimfire and centerfire. They have all shot better then .5MOA, and have proven to be reliable and consistent. The only work done on one of them was taking 5 minutes to relieve the the tab that applied pressure to the forearm tip on a LRH. It improved from .5MOA to <.25MOA. I know of at least 20 other Savages owned by members of club that conducts 200/300 yard Egg Shoots. Experiences have been comparable to mine..
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Greyfox, what tab are you referred to. Was that accustock, or regular.
Just getting educated. TX.

 

[Greyfox]

Greyfox, what tab are you referred to. Was that accustock, or regular.
Just getting educated. TX.

I was referring to the Accu-Stock on my LRH. There was a smallish tab that was molded inside the barrel channel at the tip of the forearm. It was put there to apply pressure on the barrel, which other then that tab, made no contact(free floated) with the forearm. This rifle is now about seven years old. Savage may have changed it since then. IMO, the rifle was more accurate, and held zero better with it sanded off.