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Range Report New guy's quest for long range

nedceifus

Private
Full Member
Minuteman
Jun 13, 2013
54
3
Martell NE
Howdy. Nedceifus here. I am going to use this thread as a tool. A learning tool & documentation for myself. Because of my tendency to learn things the hard way, I may be able to help others,,, by making a lot of mistakes. I am not very smart or tech savvy. I do not have any (long range) experience to speak of. I have done a fair amount of shooting with limited success. I shot pistol league for a couple of seasons with middle of the pack results. I shot on the NE National Guard Shooting team for a couple of years & did OK. I'll try to be honest & document my mistakes as well as successes. I would say that I am at ground level as far as long range goes. So, here it goes.
 
This is my rig. Brand new Savage LRP in 6.5 Creedmore. 26" heavy barrel, light flutes, accutrigger, H&S Precision stock. This is how it sat in the safe since January. Opticless.
 

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My contribution to my goal today was to build a 4'x8' target stand.
 

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Went out to western Nebraska today. I had a list of tasks I wanted to complete.
1- zero
2- correct turret value in AB
3- true muzzle velocity
4- shoot like a BAMF at long range

i got a good zero alright. Had to reset my zero stop from the last time I zeroed it. Immediately started having problems with my rifle. The little "tang" that the Savage trigger has kept locking up & I would have to recock several times to get it to release. I had just drank a cup of coffee with a kick of sugar in it & I really got frustrated. My back was cramping something fierce from a short night sleep in my shitbox camper. I had no cell phone service where I was at & couldn't look up a cause for this malfunction. I picked up camp & headed out to set up a long range target. Figured I could get it to fire for a couple of shots. Once I got up in higher country I consulted the interwebs & figured out that if I lowered my bolt softer, I would not have this malfunction. I set up a steel target at 1010yds from my chosen firing position. I ended up shooting a box of 140gr ELD Match at it with about 6 hits before I got dialed in. Then I switched to 143gr ELDX's & got 20 hits in a row. I know burning a box of ammo to get dialed is not legit. But it was a start. I think now that I ran my correction threw my solver I can start way closer than I did today. Going to try & set up my tall target test in the morning. I'll set up several targets at varying ranges & test my new dope. Like I said, not exactly legit but it sure felt good to get consistent hits at that range.

 

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One thing about the Savage Accutrigger is that you have to apply pressure straight back or it will lock up and you will have to run the bolt to reset it. In a way, it is a good tool to force you to apply straight back pressure with your trigger finger.
 
Out again this morning & started at the 100yd line again. Was going to shoot a tall target test. I couldn't get my rifle to group worth a shit. I had some weird vetrical stringing. My zero had shifted 1 1/2 lower again. Seems like when I dial up, then back down & hit my zero stop my zero shoots low. I did get out a torque wrench & torque my optic rings to 18in/lb. I did not have them quite tight enough. I'm not blaming the optic yet by any means. I'll dig into my manual & do some more testing back here at home from 100. I did not feel good enough about my groups to do a tall target test & headed back out to set up a few longer range targets. I had one right at 1000, one at 985 & another at 8somthing. When I got back to my firing position I realized that 2 of the 3 were obstructed by trees. I went ahaid & dialed in for the 1000yd target. Today I shot an azimuth & entered my latitude for coreolis. Still took till shot 5 to get my first hit. I was really darn close starting out though. I would say I was just waisting ammo to hear steel ring at a 1000. I ended up dialing 8.75mil up & a mil of wind.
 

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My take away from the weekend was this.
I need to be more organized
record data
do all your 100yd work at home
make sure to set up steel where you can see it from your firing position
bring cleaning kit
never depend on cell service or internet
work fundamentals on EVERY shot!
 
The trigger issue is common to Savage Accutriggers. You need to make the trigger pull weight a little bit heavier. The safety is not the problem. The trigger decocks when jarred, such as by closing the bolt firmly. As others mentioned, the Accutrigger is also very sensitive to pressure on the trigger bow, instead of the blade. If you touch the trigger bow first, the trigger decocks, and the bolt has to be cocked again. That's part of the safety mechanism of the Accutrigger. Other triggers that are set too low will actually fire the round if the bolt closes too firmly. (Never chamber a live round at home, or if the barrel is not pointed at a safe target.) The Savage simply decocks, and is almost immune to slam-firing. Do not mess with anything on an Accutrigger except the pull weight. I would never replace an Accutrigger with anything else, because they are about the best there is, and near the top of the list for safety. On another note, I realize you have an excellent H-S Precision stock, but even those can benefit from being bedded. When bedding a Savage action, tend mainly to the front, and make sure the entire tang at the rear is free of stock contact. The rear trigger guard screw is useless, so it does not need to be at all tight. If you throw it away, that will keep it from falling out and getting lost. The factory barrel can shoot as good as any. Lots of F-class shooters use Savage. I have seen a 600 yard record string fired with a Savage, although that rifle had an aftermarket barrel. You made a good choice. Do you reload? If not, start working on it. Handloads can be the difference between 3/4" groups and 0.3" groups. You can start with cheaper bullets like the Nosler or Sierra 140 gr., which will work fine in competition out to 600 yds. For 1,000 yds, the Berger or JLK 140 gr. is more competitive, due to less wind drift.
 
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Roger & thanks! Since figuring out that slamming the bolt down caused the weapon to de-cock it has not been much of an issue. There was a little rubber bumper that I see fell out the day I started having a problem. I may get a replacement just cause. I have done some reloading for my rifles in the past & plan to eventually load for this one as well. I'll shoot the 143gr Hornady till I get a good size batch of brass saved up. Honestly I have been impressed with the trigger in this gun the most so far. Way better than I expected. I will look into the bedding suggestion some more. I picked up 80rds last night & am headed out to western Nebraska again this weekend.
 

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