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Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

TheMyth

TheMyth

Private
Minuteman
Apr 5, 2010
30
0
32
SW Wisconsin
hey everyone. last winter i bought a savage 110 hs precision and have jus recently started load development with it. so far i havent been having much luck. i shot quite a few "random" loads through it to break it in. the first load i actual tested, after conducting a ladder test, is this:
Berger 300 hybrid
92 gr. of H1000
Norma Brass
Remington Primer
loaded to 3.720"

there was about a 10 mph cross wind the day i was testing. at 400 yards my three shot group strung about 4 inches wide, but only had about .25" elevation difference. the following day i shot at 100 yds and they were flying all over the place. it was shooting a bout a 4" spread. i know its not the optics or mounts or anything along those lines. i had shot about 40 rounds before shooting at 100 yds. maybe a fouling issue?

if anyone has any info or suggestions it would be greatly appreciated. its so expensive shooting this gun a lot so id rather try and eliminate things through any info i get on here instead of sending lots of money through my barrel. once again thanks in advance for any suggestions.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

I've been doing the load development on mine at 200 yards minimum. I've got some 1" groups there and have moved out to 400 and am getting 2.5" groups or so with 84.5 grains of retumbo and 300 grain bergers 3.755" OAL. I'm going to play with the seating depth since I have about .030" left before I jam them. I have got tighter groups the farther out I've seated them. I was getting groups like that when I was seating them to 3.700".
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

Do you have the same horizontal string in at 100yds? If so, it sounds like trigger pull to me.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

that was the next thing i was planning on messing with is seating depth. ive heard too that the bergers are very finicky when it comes to that. at 100 yds i was getting variance both verticaly and horizontally. the day i was shooting 400 yds the wind was very inconsistent. im assuming that was the issue. thanks for the suggestions guys!
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.


You could try another round at 400 to comfirm your earlier results.
My Barrett runs 50 ths. off the lands very well with the 300 gr Scenars. If your only shooting out to 1500 you may want to try a few 250 Scenars or 285 Hornadys both seem to go through load development fairly easy and preform well. Something you may want to try.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

I have the same rifle. Mine loves Hornady 285 with 85.5gr H1000 set to 3.640. I might be near you depending where at in SW Wisconsin.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

im gonna try and get out this weekend and send some more out to 400. im gonna try a couple different seating depths too. i dont think ill hardly ever be shooting past 1500 so if i cant get these 300s to work out i will drop down to the 250s
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

I am in Monroe almost everyday. My load has done single hole groups at 200 and about half dollar sized at 500.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

I never got a group better than 1" at 200 with the hornady 285s and retumbo. I ran out of the 285s and they were out of stock a few weeks back when I was ordering bullets so I got the 300s and I think I'm going to like them just fine. It only took 4 loads to get where it took 12 in the 285s to get a 1" and start playing with seating depth.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

My savage would throw fliers a lot untill my gunsmith bedded the stock, now it shoots more consistent! I've been using 300g bergers and H1000 and lapua brass also heard that any other brass will get stuck in the factory chamber!
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

i was using nosler brass and that was getting really stuck everytime. i switched to the norma, which was better, but was still getting a little stuck. i solved this my lightly lubing the neck of the shells before i load them in the mag. could this effect my accuracy?
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

I've only used lapua brass. I read too many problems on several forums to even try any other brass. I've not had any problems with the lapua sticking even when the pressure was a little high and getting heavy bolt lift. I guess I'll try H1000 or N570 if these loads with the retumbo and 300s don't work out.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

yea, im hoping to get a case of lapua brass sometime soon here. my brass shouldn't be throwing my groups off that much though i wouldnt think. at this point its just a little overwhelming bacause i am so new to the .338 lapua and there are so many variables that it could be.

i think im going to start by loading up several loads with the same powder charge and different seating depths. i just ordered another box of the 300 grainers, and a box of the 250s. it seems like not everyone else has this trouble when working up a load for these rifles, but i could be wrong. all i know is 4 inches at 100 yds is enough to make me get rid of thing.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

Yeah 4" at 100 is frustrating. I'm new to reloading but have shot all of the 300 magnums except a norma. My neighbor loads everything and has been a huge help. I used his stuff for the first 60 rounds I loaded until I got my own stuff. You can get the brass from a few places by the piece so you don't have to buy 100 or more at a time.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

thanks for the advice. i actually just decided to get a couple boxes of lapua ammo and give that a try to see if its my loads or the rifle. and ill have some brass when im done! ive heard a lot of good things about lapua ammo through the savages, so hopefully it shoots well with that and that will tell me my load needs some work. which is better then the rifle.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

Yeah I thought about that but I got 20 pieces of brass to start with and the dies from a guy. I've got 5 firings on the first 20 and started in on the 50 new ones. I like shooting mine and have been putting off another rifle in 260 or 308 because I've had so much fun hitting steel doing the loads.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

yea, and if the lapua ammo shoots good, and i cant get my loads to group, that will give me a new starting point for a new load to try.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

Let us know how it does. I may try some of the lapua bullets if you get good results. I can't bring myself to buy ammo when I can load 20 for around $1.25 shot not figuring brass cost.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

will do! and yea buying this ammo will be a one time deal for me. theres no way i can afford to do that all the time for as much as like to get out and shoot. hopefully i can get out in the next week or so and figure some things out.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

I will go through at least 20 rounds in a session. I hate the time waiting for the barrel to cool on mine. 4 shots is about max before it gets super hot and mirage off the barrel is horrible. Mines a long range hunter so it's not got a heavy barrel to start with.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

That's my next rifle for sure. Only reason didn't get one this go around was ammo cost. But shouldn't be a problem in the near future for now I'll just keep working up several more loads for my 338 Win Mag and my 300 Win Mag. Think I kind of lost my mind with these ass kickers but the hell it's fun and keeps things interesting.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

I started out with Lapua ammo, it shot real well out of the Barrett but in time I started loading my own. I was able to match or exceed the accuracy in time. My load is Lapua brass and 300 grainers with 91.5 and 92 grains of H1000 sitting at 50 ths off the lands.

With close to 1000 rounds through the Barrett, its still a 1/4 to 1/2 moa gun but it took a little time and trial and error to get there.

FYI with this great shooter. But I still built my all time favorite - a custom 260 what a sweet tactical rifle without a doubt.

Oneshot
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

yea the more i read up on it i realize it just takes patience and perservirence.

oneshot- thats actually what im planning for my next rifle, is a .260 build on a savage. gotta get this one shooting first tho!
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

I've been planning on getting a 260 n savage predator max 1 so i have something else to shoot that's a little cheaper to load and can shoot more. The 338 rings steel a lot harder than the 308 and 223s we've been shooting along with it.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

Look up The member Gappa here on the hide. He has perfected a lapping technique guaranteed to make any rifle shoot better!
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

No offense, but did you remove the shooter from the equation?
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

no offense taken. i do a fair bit of shooting and am able to shoot sub moa groups all day with my other rifles. i know the .338 packs more of a punch, but it is a very comfortable rifle to shoot. i am confident that i am not the issue here. i was shooting from a very stable prone position with this rifle aswell.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

Col2fin.jpg


BA 110 300 yards
87gr of H1000, 300gr SMK, 15 thou of the lands, full sized Lapua brass, FGMM Mag primers. Load is good out past a mile!!

Nuff said.

Diego
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

I tend to get a sore neck when going from Plattville to Lancaster on 81, some sweet angles to shoot if one knew a few folks.
Just throwing this out there I get through that area as well as Monroe often if anyone wants to hook up and talk long range. We have some clubs up here in the Marshfield, WI. area holding events out to 880 and soon maybe a 1000 otherwise I shoot in my backyard range at steel and paper at 500,600,700,820

oneshot
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

Savage's 110BA .338 Lapua will jam if the case length is what Sierra suggests at 2.724"

Trim your brass to 2.714" and don't look back
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

I have the Savage110FCP HS in .338LM. I have burned through 120 300gr Bergers, 20 300gr SMK's & 15 300gr Scenars, with only two 1" groups to show for it. At first, I thought it was my lack of experience with larger magnums. All testing done at 200yds with mid to max charges of H1000 & Retumbo. Out of the box, the action screws were not very tight. Cleaning during break-in, I noticed the bore was extremely rough, and the nylon brush made a sound like a zipper as I passed it through the barrel. The front scope mount screw was bottomed out on the barrel threads, & my NXS 5.5x22 was flopping around after 50rds. After 150rds & 13 cleanings w/ Iosso, I still end up with a chunk of copper stuck to the rifling near the muzzle.
I am into this .338LM madness for too much money now, so I have to make it work. The few SMK's & Scenars I shot, all seemed to group consistently just over an inch, with one group just under. The Bergers, most of which grouped in the 2-3 MOA range, gave me a 1" 3shot group that I found later to be a fluke because my optic mount was compromised.
I have successfully developed MOA loads at 1K for .308 & .300WM in a sporter weight barrel, not to mention countless AR15's & AR10's in many cals & configs. I have a friend that has the same rifle, and his prints sub MOA with 300gr Bergers seated to 3.690" over 90.5gr Retumbo, we all shoot Lapua brass.
This project is beating me, & if I could do it over, I would go custom .338LM, or long & heavy custom .300WM.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

My long range hunter has give me 1" groups at 200 with 4 loads. The 300 grains over 84.5 and 85 grains of retumbo. I'm seating them out quite a bit longer than you are. The loads that have worked good so far are at 3.755" and I've loaded 3 more .010" longer to try next round. I'm going to work my way up with retumbo and see if I can get a higher node to gain some speed.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

Ok, at least 100 rounds to break in, keep copper out by using CU 2000 and see my post above! Has worked 4 at least 3 BAs that I know of!
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MattK287</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> This project is beating me, & if I could do it over, I would go custom .338LM, or long & heavy custom .300WM.</div></div>

If you think it's the barrel, why not order up a pre-fit from PacNor in the specs you want, screw it on and see if things improve. $600 more for a new barrel still puts you under $2K for the rifle, and good luck finding a custom builder that will touch that price.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

PacNor is first on the list, as I wait for my disposable income to build back up. Another cost that is hard to quantify is the cost of time & materials while trying to work out the bugs of a budget priced factory bargain rifle. Going the custom route eliminates much of that, and one's time could instead be spent getting lead WAY down range. I just keep telling myself, it's not about the destination, it's about the journey.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MattK287</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I just keep telling myself, it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. </div></div>

The "tinkering" part is at least as satisfying as the "shooting" part. And I love shooting.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

TheMyth

Any luck with the load development on your Savage
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

i made it out today, despite it being very windy. at 100 yards i was out of the wind and managed to shoot one jagged hole with 5 shots with the lapua ammo. i was happy with that. then i moved out to 400. the wind was coming from about my 7 o'clock and was gusting up to 30 mph. my groups were a little off (im sure due to that) but i managed to pop a few off when it died down for a minute and shot about a 2.5 inch group.(i didnt measure) as soon as i got home i ordered some 300 gr scenars. i think the bergers are just too long for my gun. i seated one to around 3.8 inches, i dnt remember exactly what it was. but it still didnt hit the lands. im excited to do some development with the scenars. i think this might resolve my issues. oh! btw, the lapua brass solved the stuck case issue completely.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

You must have a much deeper chamber than I do. At 3.750 my bolt wont even close. I also ordered a box of the 300gr Scenars just to see how the gun likes them over the 285s
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

I have some 300 bergers seated out to 3.770 and the bolt will close easily on my 111 lrh. I don't know how much deeper i can go from there but I think it should be close to the lands.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

Yea I wouldn't think there would be that much difference in chambers from rifle to rifle. I measured my chamber with the scenars and it was 3.740 and the bergers are substantially longer then those are. I have another box of them so I'm going to try seating them quite long. I just won't be able to use my mag. But I'm more then likely going to go with the scenars. I'm sold on lapua after shooting their ammo. Never shot factory ammunition tht accurate before.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

The tip to ogive on the bergers is longer than the 285 hornadys were. The hornadys I think were loaded to 3.625" and they shot decent at 200. These bergers are liking the longer seating as the groups went from 3.5-4" at 200 to 1". I haven't tried any other bullets as the 300 bergers have shown to be decently accurate so far.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

im hoping the bergers shoot better being seated longer. the only problem is they dont fit my mag. i dont know why my chamber would be so deep. has anyone else encountered this? i measured it multiple times and came up with the same thing. how far of the lands are you seating the hornadys?
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

i believe mine says the same, but its actually quite a bit shorter then that.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

I'll check mine this weekend for actual size inside. If the next 5 shot group is as good as the 3 shot I'm done with load development and will load all the rest up to shoot from 100-600 and hopefully longer later on.
 
Re: Savage .338 lapua grouping issue.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: mdavlee</div><div class="ubbcode-body">What is your mag length? Mine is 3.850". </div></div>

That's a lot longer than I thought they were. So you're able to mag feed with a 3.85 COAL?
 
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