My 340

I traded for a Savage 340 a week or so ago. I may have got the short end of the deal, but that ain't the first time. It also gives a challenge. This thang wouldn't shoot wortha darn. It's a 30-30 and it's the onliest gun I've EVER had that wouldn't keep the shots all in a pie plate at 50 yards. 3 out o 5 would group OK then there'd be two fliers about 8" high in a group(if you call two shots a group). Dangdest thang, it'd repeat that the next five. Tain't never seen such.

I hope this won't be considered a double post, but my intentions here are a bit differnt. I posted a 'smith question below.

You see, the action don't fit the stock real well; I mean you can see daylight thru the stock to the trigger guard and no one has touched it. It certainly looks factory. I bore sighted this thang and have run out of "UP" adjustment on 3 differnt scopes. I put 4(four) layers of tape under the rear scope in the ring and got it to shoot about 2 inches low AT 50 YARDS.

I did the brass screw and lapping compound on the muzzle crown(it looked kinda like a hacksaw job that was fairly well done....but. This, along with loosening the barrel band so it wasn't too tight, did make it group pretty good. It kept a hasty 3 3 shot session all in about 1.5" at fifty yards. I wasn't trying to particularly hard to make em touch; it was 30° outside. So this was completely acceptable to me. Only thang is that it went to shootin a foot low, but consistently.

Anybody know if the barrel band is supposed to be tightened down real tight or snug or what?

Think I might have to get a new scope mount just to see if I can get it to shoot real well. I would like to put a receiver sight on it some day and use it for my 30 cal boolit gun. That's the mainest reason I traded for it. I'm just shooting j-bullets right now, cause I know their demeanor(maybe) and I really haven't shot any boolits of 30 cal before. This is gonna be my indoctrination, so I want it shooting fairly good before I switch over; after a thorough, thorough cleaning!

I want ya'll to know, this is mainly YOUR FAULT!:)

Rick,

I've got one of those in carbine version and the scope mount is definitely a weak link. Mine was doing just like your's except with 311291's. Found out the mount screw was stripped so I'm getting ready to start over again with it. Before I began to have trouble it would put 5 into 1.5" @ 100 yds. using a 4X scope.

The action screw on the 340 need s to be snug but don't reef on it.
The front band is something that you will have to tinker with. They all like some pressure, some more, some less. Generally easier if you bed the bbl on either side of the band first.

Every one of these rifles is a rule unto itself. I have had 2 a 30WCF that would stay under 2" at 100 yards all day long with most any load and I just 222 got back. It is a 1" gun after a lot of tinkering. I highly reccomend that you glass the mount once you find the right position for it. Saves a lot of headaches.

Sam

...............The first time I took my daughter deer hunting I borrowed my buddies M340, which had belonged to his brother. It was in 30-30 so with a box of factory ammo we set off up the canyon to a place where I could sight it in. It sprayed bullets in a arc about 6" across at 50 yards. Come to find out, the muzzle had a groove across it. Looks like it was champhered first with a pilot then they took the pilot off and tried it again with their eyes closed.

Since it was my friends, I asked him if I could get it fixed. After it had been re-crowned it shot as well as most any 30 cal factory bolt action with open sights. I could get 1.5" or less at 50 yards then. Don't know anyting about the screws other then they were tight.

I tried to buy it from him afterwards, but since it was his brothers (who had passed away) he wanted to keep it. It was a nice handy little rifle.

.................Buckshot

You have a project ahead of you that can have you asking questions and answering yourself for 10 years or so. Some guys really like that. I do as long as I don't have too many .... project guns. I wouldn't worry about the stock in the magazine area as long as you have good contact where it counts.

You can turn a piece of emery paper upside down and lay it flat on the action ring. Then simply run your front mount back and forth until you get the height down where you don't have to over adjust the scope. It won't take as much as you think.

You will be surprised how mounts and rings can make a difference. A scope has springs to keep tension in place after adjustments. When screwing to the extremes, this will either weaken the springs quickly or have it lose and bouncing around from shot to shot in that direction. This is why some brands limit how much you can adjust. A simple thing as lapping in the rings where there is no bind on the scope can mean the difference from 1 1/4" to 1/2". More important than scope brand itself. We see it all the time.

A "Project gun" can be very rewarding in what it teaches you. It will build independence and confidence. They only become problems when you have so many variables that you can't decifer the problems. I think you have the correct idea in staying with the jacketed bullets until you geter whooped.

new bbls are available.
and.....well someone will find this rifle and say..."what the fu*k"

i took my 222 jcpenneys 340b.222..and had a lug welded to the end of the rcvr, drilled and tapped for 1/4-28.
then ran a bolt from the rear trigger guard up thru the stock....now a two bolt recvr, bedded to the stock,and trashed the front bbl band.

had to sell it a couple yrs ago.......

mike in co

Interesting...
I just bought one in .225 Winchester at our local show. I have had other 340`s, but not in this caliber. It sure has "been around", lots of chaff below the stock line, and buggered up receiver and barrel band screws as well.

I cleaned up the decades of sludge from the bolt and receiver raceways and used one of the newer expanding foam bore cleaners (several soak cycles) and viewed the ravages of neglect in the bore with a borrowed bore scope. The pitting is not too bad....scrubbed with a patch on a worn brush and patch with JB bore paste should take off the high spots in the bore so I can start range tests with either the J-bullets or cast. Probably will use the J-bullets to start with...

The barrel band has had the barrel snugged up to the left side of the forearm rather tight. Lots of dark wood on that side fore and aft side of the band. Bedding seems to be in order, and I`ve done a bit of web searching for cures, including the suggestions here. Looks like I need to bed the recoil lug area first, then do the same afterwards in the area of the barrel band.

The "open" area at the reciever is typical of the 340 and I understand that, but I`m thinking about lowering it`s relationship by careful sanding before I bed the lug. A bit of bedding around the magazine box and all the way back on the left side may give the receiver enough support so no "flex" during shooting occurs.

I understang the single lug/split receiver design is a no-go with the pressures of the factory loaded cartriges. It will be downloaded with J-word bullets of course...

So far, the best source of "refresher" info I`ve found is here:

www.wisnersinc.com/additionalinfo/savage_340.htm

I figure that if it is supported by bedding, it will perform acceptfully.

I like mine, but how much can one really like a bolt action 30-30. I had a Weaver K-3 mounted on it and it would shoot around 1.5" at 50 yards with cast bullets pretty easy. Right now it is in peices in a case in my room though. I had a bright idea, dont remember what it was now, but I took it all apart and lost the freakin sear spring.

I am going to mount a peep sight on it and make a lyman globe fit the front. I have kicked around making a 25-35 out of it but I dont need to do something like that yet. Maybe I will pick up another one someday and make it a 25-35, good rifle for a loaner or for future nephews.

dk17hmr,
Check Wisner`s for a sear spring.
I sprayed my trigger assy. with Gun Scrubber to clear out all the trash and gunk. The disassembly books say not to remove the trigger and pins, as it`s not necessary. As a mere "hobbyist", I`ll do as it says. When you removed your safety did the detent ball stay put like mine did? Was sure it would take off across the room...but it stayed put.
Do you think the sloppy fit of the receiver to wood has a negative effect on your early efforts?
Long ways from a Rem. 788 for sure...