Barrel Issue?

[308220]

Hey guys, been lurking for awhile, great forum.

I recently purchased a new Savage 308 model 10 pc. 18 in barrel. The gun has had nearly 300 rounds down the pipe so far and I get NO consistentcy at all. Ive tried different powders 4895 and 4064. I cant try any varget because it is impossible to find. Ive tried 168gr Sierras, 155gr Sierras, 155gr Amax and still the same inconsistencies. Ive seated the bullets in and out (all the way to the rifling). Varied loads from 42 grains to 46 grains. First group is usually "decent" meaning about 1 moa at 100 yds. Second group is worse. By the third group its usually a 2-3 inch group. I cant believe I can only get 5 shots before my barrel is completely fouled up? Ive even tried 3 different scopes. 2 bases and different rings. Still no consistency. Same old thing. Its like I never even changed anything. Every powder, bullet and load shoot nearly the same. Mind boggling. My dad who is pretty knowledgable has tore the gun apart multiple times to check for problems and cant find a thing wrong with it. He says its possibly a bad barrel. Ive owned quite a few Savage rifles and all have been simply great guns. What do you guys think?

 

[SWRichmond]

168 SMKs are pretty easy to shoot. If you load them to a COL of 2.800" they should shoot well, unless you're pushing them too hard, absent other problems.

Questions:
How experienced a shooter are you?
How experienced a reloader are you?
How rapidly are you shooting (barrel heating)? Some aftermarket barrels are stress-relieved, as barrel heating is known to cause barrel warp.

Bipod coming loose?

If you shoot a different rifle the same way (bench / prone, loading singly or from magazine, fast or slow, etc), do you get better results? Does accumulated recoil distract you?

 

[308220]

Thanks for the reply. I tried nearly 200 rounds with 168gr sierras, with different powders and lengths and never could get them to group constistently. Im a very experienced shooter. Been shooting guns since I was 5 years old. Centerfires since I was 11. 30 years old now. Shooting experience isnt a concern. Been reloading since I was 13. Not a concern. I shoot a round every 3-5 minutes or so. Not fast. No bipod, I shoot off a bullsbag and a rear bag. This 308 doesnt bother me in terms of recoil. Pretty mild.

 

[BoilerUP]

Factory stock?

The 10PC has a 20" barrel, the 10P-SR has an 18" barrel...

 

[308220]

Factory stock. Mine has a 18 inch barrel. They come with a 16, 18 or 20...

Could it be a bad crown?

 

[InfScout1/69]

Did you try shooting factory match ammo and see if it gives the same results?

 

[roggom]

^^ my thoughts, get some FGMM and even a few boxes of cheap 147 white box. See if your groups open up. Shoot your groups round robin, 4 groups, 1 shot at each target and go around. This way you dont have a "cold" group and a hot group.

 

[BoilerUP]

Factory stock. Mine has a 18 inch barrel. They come with a 16, 18 or 20...

The 10 Precision Carbine in 308 coming in a 16, 18, or 20" barrel would be news to me. Do you by chance have a SKU number?

 

[silentheart]

May I ask when you shoot 2nd and 3rd group, does the shots "walk" from 1 rd to one direction to another like a string of pearls?
If so, something is touching the action or the barrel. When you finished the first group, the gun warm/heat up. Pushing either action or barrel to 1 direction. You might be able to fix this by removing the barrel and action from the stock. Then reassemble the gun and make sure you don't over torque the screws.
If not, I would suggest you shoot with barrel rest on the sand bag, not the stock and not using the bipod. If this fixes the issue and gets good grouping, then it is the issue with your stock too soft. Then get a aftermarket stock.
good luck

 

[308220]

Sorry for late reply. Been away shooting the past 2 days. Something I forgot to add was, When I first got the gun an fired the first 10-15 rounds, I noticed my bolt handle was loose. Tightened it up and kept on shooting. About 100 rounds later, it was really loose. And I snugged it up really well, I thought. Tightened it up again.


So I shot for 6 hours yesterday. Tried more loads. I saw some small improvement with 3031, but nothing major. I noticed this barrel fouls really bad, really quickly. Especially when shooting Sierra bullets. Amax not AS bad. But still bad. Anyways, at the end of the day I noticed my bolt handle was loose again. Hmm. Strange. My dad and I went in for further inspection. Pulled the bolt out and studied the face. We noticed some rings around the outside of the bolt face. We looked into the barrel and noticed the bolt is going flush against the barrel. Causing some serious vibration. As though Savage made the chamber too deep, and the chamber is swallowing the entire case. This explains why I never had any chamber swell rings at the base of my brass. Deep chamber. Big problem for accuracy. Is this assesment correct? Could this be my problem? It may explain why NOTHING is consistent is this gun.

Ive came to the conclusion I want a match barrel anyway. This barrel sucks even if it didnt have a deep chamber. Fouls to quick.

Any recommendations? I really dont want to wait over 2 months for a barrel. Anybody out there shipping in 4-6 weeks? If its any longer than that Ill sell the gun. Im not in love with it.

 

[BoilerUP]

Any recommendations? I really dont want to wait over 2 months for a barrel. Anybody out there shipping in 4-6 weeks? If its any longer than that Ill sell the gun. Im not in love with it.

Jim Briggs @ Northland Shooter Supply
Gunshack
McGowen Outlet
MidwayUSA

 

[MitchAlsup]

I recommend you find a local gunsmith, relate the story to him, and have him take a good look at the rifle. Should not take more than an 1/2 hour or so.

 

[Tristian19]

IF, if you purchased this Savage BRAND NEW and still within warranty,
1. Call Savage and find out from them exactly which factory ammo they use to test this same weapon/caliber and test exactly as they do.
2. If it does not perform as THEY say it should with same ammo

SEND THAT B!+@H RIGHT BACK!!!!!!

If not under warranty send it to qualified GS.

sent via Tapatalk

 

[alman1531]

What about the barrel being lose on the action? Check the action screws and make sure they are torqued to spec.