please help with savage 116 ww

[swelch]

I have a 2010 model 116 weather warior in 30-06 that I bought new. It has the accu trigger and accustock without the wedge. I so far have not been able to get
the gun to group more than about three shots. I have tried multiple scopes, different brands of ammo and different grains of ammo. So far nothing has worked.
I have run about 250 rounds through the gun so far and every time I feel I have the gun zero'd at 100 yards, It will move again within three to four shots. I don't claim to be a great shot but I'm talking 3 - 4" groups moving all over the target. I can pick up a different rifle and shoot a 2" group at 200 yards so I don't think it is me. All shots have been from a stable platform on a led sled. I've read nothing but rave reviews on these rifles so I am really frustrated that I cant acheive some kind of consistant accuracy. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

[03mossy]

My first thought is the barrel is heating up and opening your groups. How long are you waiting between shots? Also these savages need the tang to be floated with no pressure on them. The experts will be here shortly, hang in there.

[jlostrander]

I am not familiar with the accustock. I have read a little on them.

The situation you are having is in my opinoin, that you have some barrel contact with the stock and as it heats up, you have a point of impact shift.

Try shooting a five shot group but wait 10 mins. between shots. If it stays in the same location when it is cold, you probable have an issue with barrel contact.

What is the measure of a three shot group with 5 mins between shots?

[jlostrander]

mossy got his question in, while I was typing mine.

[swelch]

Hey Guy's,
Thank you for the responses. I will answer questions as acurately as I can. First of all, I have been a hunter for 30 years, but have never actually dealved into the mechanism of a firearm until now. That being said, what is a tang? As far as the hot or cold issue, I tried letting the gun set for 5 minutes in between shots. I got the best group so far out of this gun when I did that. However, after taking the gun home and returning to the range a week later, the gun was shooting 3 - 4 " 's to the right of where it had shot the previous trip to the range. I really appreciate any and all suggestions because I refuse to give up on this gun until I figure it out.

[jlostrander]

All my savages are pre accustock. I make sure there is no barrel contact and I try not to put presure on the stock, these can move the point of inpact in my stock tuperware savage stocks.
Accustock is supposed to be more sturdy.

You could have barrel contact, you might also have a scope that didn't adjust fully until after a few shots, or your scope or it's mounts could be faulty.

Those are the items I would check.

Also, look in your owners manual and make sure you are tightening the accustock onto the action in the recommended fashion.

[swelch]

I have read the owners manual and even went and bought a pounds per inch torque wrench to wrench the action to 40 lbs. It made no differnce. I started this gun with a brand new Nikon pro staff BDC scope. I thought it was bad. Traded it out for another brand new BDC and it made no difference. The rings are leupold and they have been checked and rechecked and I haven't found any movement in them. I honestly feel it has to be somthing in the mechanics of the gun.

[M.O.A.]

it sounds to me like the scope base is loose and letting the scope jump

[cgeorgemo]

The front screw hole of the front scope mount goes right down to the threads of the barrel. Be sure the mount's screw isn't bottoming out on the barrel and letting the front mount be ever so slightly loose.

[jonbearman]

What do you mean there is no wedge in the accustock? At this point I would call savage and ask to speak with a senior technician and have them fix it. Are you absolutely the barrel isnt loose? I would have a standard recoil lug installed and buy a good stock for it. After you send it back to savage and tell them you want a complete new gun.

[Axtell3]

The tang is the part at the rear of the reciever, where the saftey switch resides. The tang and the barrel should be free floating.
I'd also check the scope bases, a onepiece base may be in order.

[swelch]

It is my understanding the new models no longer have the wedge. It had to do with some kind of copyright ingringement so they are no longer putting the wedge in the accu stock. I checked and mine does not have it. Although, the instructions that come with the gun still include the wedge when removing and replacing the stock. I will keep everyone posted. I guess for now I am going to box her up and send her back to savage and let them diagnose the problem. If they don't find anything I will try having it bedded and see if that maked any improvements. I just have to believe that this one must have an issue because everyone that i've found that owns one says they are accurate out of the box. I hate having to have a gunsmith work on somthing brand new just to make it a decent shooter. I don't mind gunsmithing for better performance of a good gun, but trying to bring one up to just being able to shoot sucks after spending money on a new rifle.

[MaDa]

To my understanding the accustock models shoot just as good or better without the wedge than they do with the wedge.

With that said it sounds like you've done your best to make sure all the bolts ( stock/mounts/rings ) are tight and well sorted out. And many have mentioned that the barrel should be free floated all the way back to and past the barrel nut. You should be able to run a dollar bill or similar size piece of paper all the way around the barrel from the beginning of the stock down to the barrel nut.

I'm sure itll be a shooter once it gets figured out. And I'm with you on the gunsmithing, to make a good rifle great is fine. But to to just make it acceptable is something the manufacturer should do.

[swelch]

Update: After attending a deer expo in Ky. and being able to spee with Jay Kegley, who was there from Savage, the rifle was extensively gone through at savage and they said they were having the same problems on the range that I was having. They have conluded it was a bad stock and that there was not enough clearance for the free floating barrel.
They have replaced the stock and i am wating for the rifle to return. Hopefully this will correct the problem. I just want to say that all the folks at savage were great to work with
and were really accomodating on the phone. I will let everyone know how the rifle shoots when I get it back.