Zeroed two new to me Savage bolt rifles yesterday, great results.

I had a 110 Savage with dbm in green stock, sporter weight barrel, .243 and a Savage Axis 2 in .300 BO. I had not scoped or shot either one, got them in trades for reasonable prices. I put a 4x12 Vortex crossfire with duplex reticle on the .243. With 100 gr handload, shot under 1/2" at 100 yds, an with 70 Sierra bthp matchkings, shot a ragged hole in the low .300's, for 3 3 shot groups. The .300BO got a 4x12 Vortex crossfire with BDC reticle. I had loaded some 125HP Speer TNTs at 2400fps and some 220 Sierras at 1100fps for subsonic loads. With the first crosshair, I zeroed the 125gr at 2" high at 100 yds, should have me good on varmints out to 250 yds or so. I messed around, and found the 220gr shot dead on top of where the stadia goes from thick to thin, comes up in a triangular pt. Both loads shot sub 1/2" groups, which made my day. Both were on left and right. The rifle would shoot 2 in one hole with a 3rd touching the first. Did this for both loads, 3 3 shot groups were nearly identical. I hear bad things about Savage rifles, have owned and still own a bunch of them, no issues with any of them, and most are deadly accurate. I expected the .243 to shoot like it did, but was suprised an tickled pink with the 300bo. These were some of the first rounds fired out of the barrel, and to see it shooting so good, with the first loads i tried, made my day. Just thought I would share.

I have several Savages and have not had a problem with any of them. Congratulations on yours.

Three shot groups are used by manufacturers to "prove" MOA claims for a reason.

I am sure your guns and loads are accurate enough but I doubt they are sub 1/2". Just a pet peeve of mine from so many folks are using three shot groups to brag on.

My opinion is only important to me, but should be considered by those who want "the rest of the story". I have shot a lot of groups and I know a bit about statistics. With 5 shot groups, I get plenty of group to group variation. If I shoot 10 shot groups, they are larger. Statistics suck!!!

The most complete study I did was with over 200 five shot groups fired over a period of a few months. Those groups averaged .76" with a SD of .23". There were 34 groups less than 1/2" and 25 groups went over 1". When I fired 35 ten shot groups they averaged just over 1"....Statistics suck!!!!

There are very few people who can consistently shoot sub 1/2" groups. In the case above, the .243 70 gr SMK driven at say 3600 fps has a 5 mph wind drift of .4" at 100 yards. Not many people can judge wind accurately enough and most of us do not get to shoot in dead calm conditions very often. Shooting a .3" group requires not only excellent trigger skills, and the ability to read wind, but a fine rifle with great optics coupled with excellent handloads...and some luck thrown in. Doing that with a 12x scope increases the challenge.

A three shot group will tell you if you have a crappy load. It takes more shots and groups to know what you really have. That is too boring/frustrating for most people. Unless someone loves to shoot it does not get done. Plus, it is frustrating. Putting 4 shots into less than .5" increases the "pucker factor" and it is easy to "get a flier" on the last shot...so people tend not to go there. It is called performance anxiety.

This is not "a shot" at the OP. The reality is .3 MOA is unrealistic. Fortunately, it is not needed for 99% of what we need a rifle to do. If your $1000 varmint gun/scope and loads are consistently shooting 1 MOA with jacketed bullets be happy and do not go down a rabbit hole. You will waste a fair amount of money and time chasing unrealistic goals. Learn to read the wind and mirage if you want to make hits on varmints at long range. If your hunting rifle is doing 2 MOA, you will down game effectively at any reasonable ethical range.

Set realistic expectations and shoot a lot. Working on your rifle or loads to shave 1/4 MOA at is not going to gain you much.

I disagree. I have several factory guns, that have been tweaked, that will shoot 1/2 MOA for 5 shot groups. The reason I shoot 3 shot groups is several fold. These are hunting guns, and as such will rarely be shot over once at a time, be it for deer or varmints. Another reason is the shortage of components, and when aviailable, the 5x the price I have in my stock. If I shoot conservativlely, which I do every day except Sunday, I should have enough components to shoot me the rest of my life. I shoot a lot of cast bullets in single shot rifles, and several factory rifles that i have tuned over the years. The load I listed in the .243 has shot great in every rifle in that caliber, I have shot it in, worked it up nearly 35 years ago, have not changed a thing. I have custom built well over 100 rifles in my lifetime, and done tons of load developement. Also doing all this shooting has evolved me into being a much better than average shot. As a young man, I was always a very good shot, off hand or bench rest, blessed with good hand eye coordination. But shooting between 3000-5000 rounds a year building guns, doing load development, and sighting in over 100 rifles a year for customers for 38 years, you either get good or go south. As Townsend Whelen said, naturally good shots are born, great shooters are made behind the rifles over the years. I recently shot a 300 yd match, and 400 yd, with a Savage 10 short action, I had went thru, with a Krieger barrel I put on it, and shot 5 shots at 300yds that went into .600 and 5 ar 400 yds that went into .780, with a 6XC. A lot of folks now days wont pay the dues to be a good shot, devote the time an energy it takes, or to study and learn all they can about handloading,and as a takeaway often decide to do somthing else early in the game, because it doesnt come easy. I medaled 31 times in NMLRA competition during the years, I quoted above, often shooting 2000 rds a year in practice and in local, state and NMLRA matches. That is a lot of ML shooting, but I found it a challenge, much moreso than shooting center fire rifles into tiny groups.

Thanks for sharing.

I am kinda surprised the subsonic BO did so well. I had not considered it that accurate a cartridge.

I also like my two Savages, even though one of them has a Shilen barrel these days.

I also use three round groups quite a bit when developing loads. They are not conclusive, but, if they are bad I know shooting more rounds won't make them better. When getting closer to a load I go to 5rnd groups and final decision is based on 10 rounds.

And I am one of those guys who will mess up a good group. I can't count how many really good groups I've shot only to pull the last or second to last round.

I have a model 110 in 7mm-08 with an aftermarket barrel. I’ll just say it’s more accurate than I can hold and leave it at that. More importantly, it’s a real deer slayer - never needs a second shot.

Congrats! Those sound like great fun to shoot.

Very much like Savage rifles. I have a B22 FVSR that sees more use than all the other 22s combined, save a Model 60. My Axis in 223 has never seen anything other than lead and it holds about an inch at 100 yards most days. It’s responsible for my buddy’s sons first two deer. He will use it again this year.

I've always liked Savages, congrats. My son has a 110 30-06, and his great grandpa's old .22LR/410.

With the TC Compass gone, the Savage is an excellent choice for an affordable and accurate CF.

BTW, I sold my beautiful M70 this year because the Compass was more accurate. I would reach for the Compass when going out to hunt because it was not only more accurate but I would not worry if I dinged it up. The M70 had not hunted in 3-4 years. Seemed silly to keep it around.

I don't blame you. I've had quite a few guns in the last 10 years I let go because I wasn't using them. I'm down to the two Savages that I shoot a lot and a couple heirlooms that will go to the kids.

I've had several Savages .
A 65' 110LH 06' was an absolute challenge.
It would take a 3.99 OAL to reach the lands but once I found a load it didn't care whether it jumped .003 or .300 . The barrel was choked at the rear sight dove tail or swollen from there forward to about 4" behind the muzzle which was only.299×.304 . To add fuel to the fire it was likely to have been a special order as it had a 1-8.5" twist . After I fire lapped and got rid of the chokes , or reduced them so that I wasn't leading up the middle of the barrel , it shot better with jackets . Well in field gun terms anyway it had a 150 round over lay of 10 round groups fired 5 in under a min then 5 with a 15-20 min cool out between shots , it was a net of 4" .

Had a 110E short action 1974 308 with a a 1-12" . It was a garbage disposal. It shot everything I fed it with the above 5 and 5 into 2" or less within 4" of POH . Until I tipped over 175 gr shape and brand made no difference.

I had an Axis and a Stevens 200 in 223 both shot but I hated the 1-8" twists because the 352C in 222 would out shoot them with cast 62 gr by a full inch and over 800 fps . It also bested them with jackets but ran about 200 fps slower with a 50 gr vs 55 .
Not a big deal .
The axis awaits the next windfall to become a long barreled 45 Raptor whiles the Stevens now wears 6.8SPC heavy barrel .

The 340C in 30-30 .....I've looked for a bad load , only the PB NOE 310-230 shot poorly but again it has a 1-12" twist like the 308 . I didn't have the 308291 to try at that time so there's a gap between the 312-165 RD and the 230 a whole host of 95-165 gr bullets in both cast and jacket shot a 5" composite 200 round group .

As for having a bad one I can't say I have .

I gave my twins Savage 110 .243s; he got the old long action one with the shortened barrel(18-1/2”)and painted plastic stock, and she got the Stevens 200 ( short 110) 22” with a laminate thumbhole stock.
Both deliver very good accuracy and function just fine. Both have blind magazines and standard triggers.
Neither one deer hunts, but if they decide to- they are ready!
They are both good shots.


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I had one of the Stevens 200 Savages in 223 for a few years and it was definitely a shooter, even took a small doe one year.
I now own two of the Axis rifles, one in 223 and the other in 6.5 Creed.
I'll say both shoot better than I do, but I still manage some small groups at 100 yds. regularly.

Oh and I have an old model 170 in 35 Rem., that thing Hammers deer.

RP

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Originally Posted by Harter66

....I had an Axis and a Stevens 200 in 223 both shot but I hated the 1-8" twists because the 352C in 222 would out shoot them with cast 62 gr by a full inch and over 800 fps . It also bested them with jackets but ran about 200 fps slower with a 50 gr vs 55 ....

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Should have tried the 77 or 80gn Sierra Match Kings. Even my 1-9 twist Axis shot the 77's into sub MOA groups at 600yd. It did not like the light bullets much.

Yeah, I know most people want a .223 for varmints so a slower twist will do a little better for that application.

I like to watch for people who take their existing barrel off a Savage bolt gun and sell it towards replacing it with a custom tube. If it is something I want and priced right I bought it. The list of my "wants" has pretty much filled.

Some of those barrels were in fact custom that I acquired.

Three44s

The Savage Axis is top notch. It is inexpensive, but not cheap by any means. I have a .308 that I really like and a second one in layaway jail. I actually like the design better than the 110. My one and only gripe is the chintzy low capacity mags that are way overpriced.