HELP: Out of Windage - Scope Base Screw Hole Alignment Check?

[Trickymissfit]

Originally Posted by MachV

obvious that you've never trued an action

Is it really that obvious
The action may start out life straight but getting that factory nut loose has bent as many actions then it has fixed! Maybe buying cheap actions off the net has found me more problem childs then starting off with new units?
At any rate I was not really bashing Savage as they outnumber all other actions in the safe 5 to 1. They are not however without thier little issues.

Savage makes several versions of the 10/110 action, and some are rather stiff and some not so stiff. The 110 being the least. The solid topped actions are very stiff, and a 110/112 with a good rail mount is also fairly stiff. I've never had an issue breaking the nut loose. Tobe exact I've never really had any problem removing most barrels unless somebody Loctited them
gary

[SidecarFlip]

Gary..

I still maintain contacting Savage and sending it back. It's a new rifle with very few down the tube. Let Savage sort out the issue on their dime.

I sure have better luck than you. I have 3 and all are straight and true shooters.

[Farmerbeau]

Bringing the post back from the dead: I always run searches and find that the OP usually doesn't follow up on the outcome of the issue. I'd like to follow up and let whoever may be in my shoes in the future know what happened.

I ended up sending the rifle back to Savage with a pretty lengthy letter outlining the steps I had taken to come to my conclusion that either the barrel was not relatively square to the receiver or the mounting holes weren't drilled parallel to the rifle bore. I got the rifle back last week (about 4-5 weeks after sending it).

They sent me a brand new rifle (different serial numbers) complete with new magazine and picatinny base. In the box there was a 12" target with a hole in the top, bottom, left, right and center showing full range of windage and elevation adjustment as well as a target with a 1.2ish" 3 shot group at 100 yards. I wasn't all that impressed with the group but thought "whatever." I removed the factory EGW 20 MOA base and behold, the receiver had been marked with a pencil around the scope base holes. Somebody obviously read my note and double checked this. I cleaned it and installed my Ken Farrell 20 MOA base, TPS rings and NightForce scope. I got off work this morning and headed to the range.

I convinced myself that the market was short on ammo and components these days (and I was tired after my 12 hour tour and it was pretty cold, wet and windy) so I only shot 6 shots. The first was a cold clean bore shot I deemed a flyer after seeing where the following two impacted. I made a quick adjustment and laid down a quick 3 shot group which ended up being 0.600" on the nose at 100yds. I was using the "el cheapo" factory 250gr Sellier & Bellot ammo. I know I could have adjusted a tad more to get perfect but this morning was about confirming I had a decent rifle. I'm pretty confident I could do better with some hand loads and sun shinier weather.

I think Savage Arms did a good job of making the customer happy in this instance. I was initially skeptical being this was my first Savage rifle but I am excited to know that I can start developing a load without worrying if my rifle can shoot. Savage could have better kept up with communication as I never received a phone call or email and it could have been faster but all in all, it looks like things turned out ok.









I did take my first elk/bull on my Colorado Elk hunt at 420 yds with my .300WSM too. I really wish I would have had the .338 Lapua up but everything worked out. Not an obscenely far shot and not a huge bull (still a trophy to me) but I was tickled pink to fill a tag on public land.

[royinidaho]

The follow up post is much appreciated.

I'm going through the same problem w/a a circa 1954 Rem 721 action. It looks like the Burris Sig ring thing will solve my problem, maybe.

Congrats to Savage.

It sure makes one feel good when it finally all comes together.

Congrats on your CO bull.

May you have many years of successful hunting.

[Trickymissfit]

Originally Posted by SidecarFlip

Gary..

I still maintain contacting Savage and sending it back. It's a new rifle with very few down the tube. Let Savage sort out the issue on their dime.

I sure have better luck than you. I have 3 and all are straight and true shooters.

most folks remove barrels from Savage actions the wrong way. They simply use the spanner wrench on the barrel nut. Buy you should use an internal action wrench aling with the spanner wrench. This way you don't put undo stress on the reciever frame, but this also means you'll need an extra set of hands.

Sending the rifle back to Savage is a viable remedy, and I'm not against it.
gary

[Trickymissfit]

I like the Kevein Farrell base, and use one. (I had a long action 20moa base that I could have made you one heck of a deal on as it's as new.) The Farrel base really wants to be bedded with something like JB or Loctite 609. After you bed it, but before bedding it with the expoxy or the loctite, drill the base and reciever for 1/8" or 5/32" steel dowl pins. You want a blind hole in the reciever and a press fit in the bases. This alone seriously strenghens the reciever on the long action Sacages and also helps the short action a good bit.
After you have the base installed and hopefully dowl pinned, you should lap the bottom half of the scope rings with a piece of Thompson rod that is the same diameter as the scope O.D. I really like the Burris Tactical ring set, and they are much cheaper than some of the others with similar build quality.
gary

[SidecarFlip]

Savage isn't the only manufacturer guilty of sloppy machining, I have a Ruger 22 match target pistol, actually a very tricked up 22-45 bull barreled hunter that the rail mount on the receiver top is drilled lopperjawed. Its so bad, it's actually visible when sighting down the barrel.

It's going back shortly. Its shootable for indoor match but you have to offset the sight (I use a red dot railway sight, no magnification btw) a whole bunch to compensate for the mis alignment. If I get no satisfaction from Ruger, I'll TIG 2 mounting holes shut and jig the receiver and re drill and tap the holes in the correct alignment.

Gary.... Did you get the mill sorted out??