Savage 12 BR bought new

[buck5611]

I bought this rifle new in 2011 in 6.5X284 from a dealer in Ontario. As I was working out of my residence, this rifle stay in my safe till two weeks ago and was never fired. I sold it as it was never fired and send it to the new owner. To my suprise, he send me photos of the bolt face who has blak residue of some kind and He was sure that it has shot many rounds before. Is it possible that it is just oil or grease that has dried over time? So as I am sure I bought it as a new rifle, I email Savage two time just to know if they fired the rifle to test it but never received an anwer. Any idea?

 

[Barrelnut]

Pretty sure Savage test fires all of their rifles and does not clean them after firing. All my new Savages had dirty bores and pretty sure had dirty bolt faces too. Just don't remember them looking that dirty...

But, IMO, that is normal from the factory and just needs to be cleaned well. The barrel should be cleaned well too before firing.

The new owner could take the rifle to a smith and have them look at the barrel with a bore scope. If the rifle is used, the smith will be able to tell. That should put them at ease.

 

[buck5611]

Thank for your reply. I finally received confirmation from Savage that they test fired all of their rifles. Good new for the new owner of this rifle, he send me photos of the first grouping he made with it while looking for a good load. His fourth grouping of 5 shots was a ragged hole at 100 yards