I was asking on the board about a new scope because I felt the Nikon scope went bad and ended up with the Leopold Freedom 3x9 but that did not seem to fix the problem.

Problem:
This rifle for 3 years was a tack driver two shot sight at 100 gave you two shot one and a half holes vertically.

Went to hog hunt which I do several time a year and the gun was shooting 3 shot all over the paper from 2" to about a 6 inch group around 4 or 5 inch high and 5 inches across at best. Crippled several hogs till I went to the 7 mag.

Side note when I bought this rifle it had to go back to Savage because it had a BAD barrel but they returned it with a new barrel and it was a great little gun.


Checked all the screws on rifle and scope and all tight when it went bad and rechecked at my range.

Rifle is the Savage 11 in 7mm-08 that I re bedded and rebuilt the cheap plastic stock when I got her. Rebedded and went from under a inch to touching and bedded some all thread in the fore end and in the back grip where they say this stock could break.

I was guessing on the Nikon scope that came with the package Model 11 Trophy hunter was the problem.

I put the Freedom on and went to shoot her in and was getting 2 -3 inch groups. Off an old Caldwell sled I got an horizontal group 2.5 wide. I do hate the Caldwell sled but tried it to see if that helped because from one hole this is a lot of difference. I had rechecked the screws on the rifles and scope and checked again.

I am using the old Nikon bases that came on the rifle with the cheap Nikon scope. Shooting the Hornaday Whitetail 139gr bullets that shoots well in 5 different rifles I use them on. Noting worse than under an 1 inch groups but this was the only one that put the holes touching. I love a lead tip bullet to 350.

Ideas to check?

Replace the old Nikon bases and rings? If so why the change when the gun was not dropped and went home to the safe and back to see this extreme change.

Something that might have changed with the rifle to ck for?

I have the 7 mag and old 270 both Old Remington 700 actions on old Chet Brown stocks from the early 80's that I have for spares.

Not sure what to do with this problem. Thanks, Jim

On a Savage I have that I bedded I at first bedded the barrel nut area too. It wouldn't shoot good groups. Then I relieved the barrel nut bedding. That was it for my rifle,it started shooting.

I only bench a rifle to see what the load will group. When you hunt you're normally not using a bench. You should shoot your rifle from various positions that you would encounter in the field to see where the bullet impacts after initial bench sighting in.

That Hornady bullet is very accurate for me in several 7mm's. One of them being a SAKO carbine mannlicher. A custom build 7x57 Mauser will one hole that bullet.

Removing the stock from the action you should use an inch torque wrench to insure you tighten the action screws the same each time.

Could be anything but first change the scope and mounts. They usually do not go from .5 to 6 inch groups for the small stuff.

I am not sure what it is.

I checked all the screws and they were tight same as the scope.
Use the copper solvent to clean the barrel and then too it apart. All looked good little grit from the dust but again the bedding, floating and all looked good. Wiped the area and oiled.

The rifle shot well before bedding but I hated the flimsy stock that felt like a Daisy bb gun stock. I put 1/4 inch all thread in the fore arm and bedded with the commercial Cevcon steel. Also drilled behind the receiver and placed a piece of all thread in the hand grip of the stock with the same Devcon then foamed the stock. It added a little weight but shot and felt great.

The base and rings are what Savage has in the package and I have had not problems with either.

I am still amiss at what happened between one trip to the next. I can go to a friend's and stay and hog hunt on several ranches.

What could cause it to go crazy. I had that with the bad barrel when I got the gun but since the new barrel it has been great. I hated the stock and it shot 3/4 inch before the bedding.



I changed out the Nikon scope thinking it was bad but still with the 3-4 in-ish groups and the Freedom scope it should be back to 1/2 or less.


Better with the Freedom 3x9 but It leaves me with the belief it is the rings and bases.

I took the rings and bases off and would guess this is the problem. Aluminum scope to base is not a hex but big flat screwdriver screw and tight but came off. When I used the small star (afte I found one )to look at the mount to the savage I found the back piece tight but the front base both screws had just backed off ever so little. One was just not tight and the other had backed off about 1/2 turn.

What is a good set of bases and rings for the savage?

I use steel Weaver, or Warne weaver type, or Leopold turn in type.
However, if it shot well, then you did something to it, what you did caused it. Logically.
Forget the factory stock if you don't like it and get a Boyds laminated stock. It will feel like a real stock.

I don't see Nikon as a CHEAP scope. They aren't that bad for the price range. The amount of different in your group your mount would have to be really loose. Another thing is the group constantly moving? If not it's not the mounts. Loose mounts and rings will constantly be shooting all over the place.

Before you invest more money, like in a stock, you need to nail down what really changed.

I don't own any Savage rifles, but don't these rifles have a nut to tighten the barrel? If so, check it too. I haven't seen any mention of this so far.

Good point; I removed one this week and it was average; about 30 ft pounds. But there is always the possibility they forgot to tighten it, however, the OP shot very good groups before working on the stock and the nuts don't suddenly get loose. Suppose it's possible....

We received a new Rem 783 in the shop not long ago that had a loose barrel nut. It can happen.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Good point; I removed one this week and it was average; about 30 ft pounds. But there is always the possibility they forgot to tighten it, however, the OP shot very good groups before working on the stock and the nuts don't suddenly get loose. Suppose it's possible....

Was also thinking barrel nut too. I have never bedded any stocks I just free float all I have owned or for others too. I free float generously, enough to slide an oiled cloth up to the chamber. Never come across anything that didn't shoot as well or better than pre free-float. Had my sons free-floated Weatherby Vanguard 7mm-08 out of the stock to give it a good clean after a few Tahr hunting trips, surprising clean anyway, but on reassembly 2 shots from a cold clean barrel at 50m to check sighting had bullet holes cutting each other 3/4" high dead centre vertical.
Same with my Marlin XS 7mm-08 after removing scope to measure ring height, scope not taken out of Weaver rings just off the base, but bullet holes cutting at exactly same POI. Nothing done to either plastic stock other than generous free float. I also free floated my other sons Rem 700 SPS 7mm-08 (mine before he commandeered it) and it too is a tack driver.