New barrel for Savage 110 BA in 338 LM

[backlash]

Hi folks, Ive finelly put enough rounds down my stock Savage barrel (about 1500) that I'm having to seat bullets way out beyond the allowable magazine length. If I dont seat the bullets right up close to the rifling lands the accuracy is seriouslly deminished. I shoot only 300 grain lapua Scenars in front of Lapua brass using Vhita Vuori N-570 at about 2675 fps. The rifle is still sub MOA at 1500 yards but I'm having to seat bullets out to far and I really like to use the magazine.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm leaning twards a Pac-Nor 3 groove 1 in 9'' twist, 26" barrel and putting the savage muzzle break back on the new barrel. I'm considering going a little longer so I can cut the barrel down an inch or two next time this happens. I'm also thinking of shortening the free-bore a little to prepare for this in the future. If anyone has been through this with this gun or another 338 Lapua Mag. I would appreciate any advice.

 

[bigngreen]

I would take this opportunity to chamber it to 338 Norma mag, it'll do what your wanting better. Ditch the factory muzzle brake, there are much, much, better to be had!!!

 

[FrequentFlyer]

Hi folks, Ive finelly put enough rounds down my stock Savage barrel (about 1500) that I'm having to seat bullets way out beyond the allowable magazine length. If I dont seat the bullets right up close to the rifling lands the accuracy is seriouslly deminished. I shoot only 300 grain lapua Scenars in front of Lapua brass using Vhita Vuori N-570 at about 2675 fps. The rifle is still sub MOA at 1500 yards but I'm having to seat bullets out to far and I really like to use the magazine.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm leaning twards a Pac-Nor 3 groove 1 in 9'' twist, 26" barrel and putting the savage muzzle break back on the new barrel. I'm considering going a little longer so I can cut the barrel down an inch or two next time this happens. I'm also thinking of shortening the free-bore a little to prepare for this in the future. If anyone has been through this with this gun or another 338 Lapua Mag. I would appreciate any advice.

Backlash, I know this is an old thread but wondered what you wound up doing for your 110 BA's barrel? I can't imagine improving on the stock barrel's performance and have no complaints about the stock muzzle break. (Rechambering in 338 Norma holds no appeal for me, despite the other member's suggestion.) Did you go with the Pac-Nor?

 

[backlash]

I decided since the original barrel performed so well I would send the rifle back to Savage to have another stock Savage barrel installed by Savage. I got it back a few months ago and am still trying to get it to shoot less than 1.75 MOA. I've tried H-1000, N-560, N-570, IMR 4350 and RE-22. The factory promises me it shot sub MOA before they shipped it to me but I can't get it to. I looked through my last barrel diary and duplicated much of what worked before. I finely got discouraged and put it away for a while. It is an expensive caliber to experiment with. Lapua brass and bullets aren't cheap and I get barely 80 rounds a pound of powder..........Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[FrequentFlyer]

Backlash: Very sorry -- and a bit surprised -- to hear that Savage's re-barrel job has gone so poorly. I had a problem with the original barrel on my 110-BA but Savage corrected the issue without delay. They replaced the barrel and accuracy has been very good since then. As for your present frustration, here are a few things that come to my mind (but I imagine you've tried most, if not all, of them already)

1. Rifle considerations
   1. Have a runout test performed (with a dial-indicator) to ensure your barrel is straight and perfectly aligned with the receiver. (This test exposed the problem I had with my first Savage barrel.)
   2. Confirm your floating bolt head doesn't have any burrs or debris impinging its smooth rotation; specifically check the backside of its locking lugs and, possibly with a fiber optic bore camera, the front face of the locking surfaces.
   3. Confirm your barrel is still full-floating; nothing that's gotten wedged between the barrel and the stock or under the rail.
   4. Confirm your barrel is torqued to spec.
   5. Confirm your muzzle crown is unblemished.
   6. Confirm your muzzle brake is straight and tight.
   7. Confirm all fasteners that hold the stock together and hold the stock to the action are tight.
   8. Thoroughly clean then repeat the entire barrel break-in process; i.e. Fire one then clean for 10. Fire three then clean for 30, etc... or whatever your preferred method might be. Expensive (with Lapua Magnum) and time consuming but I've seen some old rifle performances restored to like new through this regime. NOTE: This step might only be useful if the bore was never properly lapped... even then, worrying about barrel break-in at this point is probably "putting the cart before the horse."
   9. Scope, rings, and base all OK? If possible, test with multiple scopes.
2. Cartridge considerations
   1. Seat bullets to within .005" of lands. For my rifle and its fairly new (second) barrel, that currently gives me a C.O.L. of 3.702." The CIP magazine still works at this length. (I know all rifles are a little different in this regard but .005" seems to be a sweet spot for a couple of mine.)
   2. While I doubt your recipes are to blame, you might consider the one that's worked best for me: Hornady Match 285 gr, 89.0 gr H1000, WLMR primer in a Lapua brass. I've had very good luck with that load across a 65 degree temperature spread: 18F to 83F; achieving 1/2 and sometimes sub-1/2 MOA performance out to 600y. (I don't currently have a place to shoot beyond 600 so can't speak to greater distances with the 110-BA.)

Hope at least a couple of these ideas are helpful. Please keep me posted on your progress. Good luck!