Took 4 scoped rifles to the range today. A new Savage Axis 6.5 CM, an A-Bolt II 6.5 CM, an A-Bolt II .270 WSM, and a Win 94 .30-30. All for regulation and zero at 100 yds. All had scoped re-mounted and torqued by me, with tracking checked using a collimator. My range habit is to set up grid targets for each rifle at 100 yds, numbered, with rifle identified, ammo, and range. I also set up a bullseye target at 50 yds for boresight and initial shot.

First up was the Savage. Based on previous experience my expectation was for a boresight shot, scope adjust and then fine tune at 100 yds. Well, it didn't go that way. The boresight shot failed to hit the bullseye target nor it's 4x4 foot backer sheet! Stunned, I bore-sighted again and sent another. This time I saw dirt fly off to the right of the target. I sent one more and wood splinters sprayed from the 4x4 in post on the target frame. I ceased fire and walked down to the target. Just to the right of the paper target backer was an oblong hole through the particleboard backer. Then to the right of that, was another one through the 4x4. I moved the target to 15 yds, re-sighted and missed again with two shots on a 2x4 foot backer. I did see a sand splash about 3 feet to the left of the target on the berm. That was with two different bullet weights. This one is definitely going back to Savage for re-work. The bore was rifled, it was the correct chambering and bore. I did an improvised shadow line check, and it seemed pretty straight. Bullet check at the muzzle seemed to be OK. Crown looked OK too. The only odd observation was the gas spray pattern on the crown. Normally, you see a symmetrical pattern corresponding to the number of grooves. On this muzzle there were only 2 sprays 180 degrees apart, but on a 6-groove barrel? What's up with that?

Fortunately, the rest of the session went smoothly. The A-Bolt II 6.5 CM printed a 3/4 in group, the .270 WSM a 1-1/4 in group and the .30-.30 a respectable 1-3/4 in group. All with factory ammo.

Definitely not characteristic of any savage. Something is drastically wrong; like it's a 270 bore or something equally as bizarre. It would be hard to make a rifle shoot that badly if you tried.
I took two savage 110s to the range last week; 338 Norma (I started with 338 Lapuas); one Elite Precision and one Hunter. 5/8ths inch 3 shot groups at 200 yards. 300 grain Lapua bullets.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
It would be hard to make a rifle shoot that badly if you tried.

Right, you couldn't do it on a bet. Must have been made to the standards of the old "A-Team" TV show weapons. Couldn't hit S_it!

They used Mini 14s and never aimed.
Slug the bore at the muzzle. I'm curious.

I have run into a few Savage rifles that would not group. I remember one in particular that I did a chamber cast on and found that the chamber was not concentric with the bore; your would see it in the cast at the throat where the rifling showed longer than the opposite side.

I bet that your twist rate is too slow for the bullet that you are using

Savage twist rate for the 6.5 CM is one in 8; that will stabilize any commercial ammo.
It is something glaringly wrong, once it is found out.
I am sort of focused on the muzzle gas/soot pattern not being in sync with the rifling grooves.