Where did i go wrong?

[cordesr1]

I started a build about 2 years ago. I have collected parts as they have become available and I have had the extra cash. I felt I did my research and bought quality components. I finally ordered a scope, mounted it up and couldn’t be more disappointed. I’ve tried sighting it in and I have run out of horizontal adjustment and possibly vertical as well. I’ve only had a change to work at 25 yds so far but the groups make me happy, just not the POI. 6” left at 25 yds.

The rifle consists of

Savage 110 LA Short mag box Flat Back Receiver
26’ SS 22-250 rem varmint contour take off barrel from SSS
Recoil lug from SSS
Barrel nut from SSS
Replacement Savage bolt from Midway
Savage long action varmint contour stock take off.
EGW one piece base/rail
Burris XTR 6 Screw Rings
Burris Fullfield E1 6.5-20

Could there be something wrong with the action, Warped/Bent? Where do I go from here?


Thanks, any help would be great!

[earl39]

my guess is the mounting holes are not lined up with the barrel. Take the scope off and run a string from the center of the muzzle to the back screw of the mount or just run the string in line with the screws and see how far off muzzle center it ends up. I would bet you will find the screw holes are just a little out of line. You will need to find some sig-z rings or change to a Redfield/Leopold mount with the windage adjustable rear ring.

[jerry shaw]

+1

It's highly unlikely, but you might have an issue with the mount. I've had great experience with EGW rails, but anything is possible. See if you can mount another scope and get similar results.

The big thing is to remove one variable at a time.

Good luck.

[jerry shaw]

+1 to earl39's advice.

It's highly unlikely, but you might have an issue with the base itself. I've had great experience with EGW rails, but anything is possible. See if you can mount another scope and get similar results.

If you can't get it completely sorted out otherwise, I'd try the Leupold mounts described above.

The big thing is to remove one variable at a time.

Good luck.

[pdog06]

Put burris signature zee rings on it and use the offset spacers to adjust the horizontal adjustment.

[jonbearman]

For your vertical problem,take the rail off,now hold it on in the front and push down and see if there is a gap at the rear,if there is you need to put the 2 front screws back in and put them in till they just hold it snug.Now take feeler gages and measure the amount of gap plus you will have to make a shim to go under it and install the screws front and back and put the scope on and see how it shoots,reverse the order if when you mount it from the back you have a gap in the front.Shoot and see how much vertical you still have.If it is still high you will have to add shim in the front to lower the point of aim.

[earl39]

You can take the barreled action out of the stock roll it upside down and thread in two long screws in the action screw holes. Looking down from the rear of the action line up the center of the muzzle end of the barrel and the rear action stud. If the front action screw is out of alignment then that may be your issue.

The action screws have no bearing whatsoever on the scope being out of line. They only tell you if the action is sitting in the stock straight. It makes no difference if the action sits sideways as long as the scope runs true to the barrel. The problem will be on top of the action. As for flatbacks being a problem child, sometimes they are just that. The flat was hand ground and that can cause a problem a lot of times (see post #6 ). Happy New Year and good luck with your build.

[Phil3]

The quick way to see if the scope rings (and scope) are aimed in some skewed way is to use two solid plugs (1" or 30mm diameter, couple inches long), clamped in the rings. A hole through the middle that closely fits your cleaning rod. A few useful tests can be done this way.

1) If the cleaning rod aims left or right of barrel, the rings, mount, or action holes are not aligned with the barrel (left/right).
2) Using a small level on the cleaning rod, make the rod level (by adjusting attitude of rifle). Apply the level to the Picatinny rail. If not the same, the scope and barrel are not parallel (up/down).
3) If you use longer plugs, butt the ends together between the rings, while clamped in rings. If the plugs do not mate perfectly across their entire surface, one ring is tilted compared to the other. You can see this with light behind the two mating surfaces. If the plugs are not exactly concentric with one another, one ring is higher/lower, or left/right, or both vs the other. You can this or feel it with your finger tip.

If you want something like this, just tell me. I can get some Delrin or aluminum and make in my lathe. Easy to do.

One other thing. Reverse the EGW rail (if you can) and see what happens. If the problem shifts to the other side, the rail is a problem. And don't rule out the scope! It could be seriously damaged inside. Shipping impact, etc. If you have another rifle, try it there and see what happens. As someone said, rule out one thing at a time, with 100% certainty, before moving on.

Phil

[bootsmcguire]

The action screws have no bearing whatsoever on the scope being out of line. They only tell you if the action is sitting in the stock straight. It makes no difference if the action sits sideways as long as the scope runs true to the barrel. The problem will be on top of the action. As for flatbacks being a problem child, sometimes they are just that. The flat was hand ground and that can cause a problem a lot of times (see post #6 ). Happy New Year and good luck with your build.

I believe what Stangfish was trying to convey was that a twisted action will cause the scope base holes to be mis-aligned, and an easy way to see if your action is twisted is to insert two long 1/4-28 bolts into the action screw holes and see if they are true to each other. If they are not then the action is twisted and your scope holes won't line up.

Flat backs can be a problem child if the person hand grinding the rear was having an off day, but also because people will sometimes see that flat as a place to try and affix a crecent or "monkey" style wrench to in an attempt to have a cheap action wrench and in doing so they twist the actions and cause themselves all kinds of grief and eventually sell the rifle to another unsuspecting buyer.

[futurerider103]

I would do a couple things first.
1. Check to make sure the base is not for a round back if you have a flat back receiver.
2. If the above is ok remove the scope and flip the base as mentioned before. You may have a + moa base for more moa adjustment. Reinstall scope and test
3. Try scope on a different rifle that has a known true receiver.

If all these check out ok I would say the resurvey is twisted.
Good luck

[earl39]

I believe what Stangfish was trying to convey was that a twisted action will cause the scope base holes to be mis-aligned, and an easy way to see if your action is twisted is to insert two long 1/4-28 bolts into the action screw holes and see if they are true to each other. If they are not then the action is twisted and your scope holes won't line up.

Flat backs can be a problem child if the person hand grinding the rear was having an off day, but also because people will sometimes see that flat as a place to try and affix a crecent or "monkey" style wrench to in an attempt to have a cheap action wrench and in doing so they twist the actions and cause themselves all kinds of grief and eventually sell the rifle to another unsuspecting buyer.
Let me try this again. The receiver screws can be drilled a little off and you don't have a twisted receiver so why start there when you can check the mounting holes for the base without going to all that trouble. That will show if the base should be lined up and then he can solve the elevation issue.

[bootsmcguire]

Very true, but it is possible to have the action be twisted and the scope holes still line up in line with the bore when checked with a string or straight edge, and yet the scope holes be slightly angled due to a twist in the action. Once you mount the rings and bases that will amplify the angle and cant the scope affecting elevation and windage at the same time. Now since this is a flat rear it is possible that the grind could also cause all of the same symptoms. All of the above mentioned advice by all the posters is worth checking out as misalignment issues can be nerve racking some times.

Anyway to the OP, I would look into Burris Sig Zee Rings as recommended above by others. Center your scope and use offset inserts in one ring to correct your windage by installing them sideways, and use offset inserts in the other ring to correct your elevation issue.

[cordesr1]

I took the scope and rings off and tried them on another rifle. No problem there. Shot fine with no alignment problems. After tearing down the rifle it seems that the base is not aligned with the rifle and this is noticeable looking right down the base. Is this part of savages poor QC from years ago? my calipers aren't small enough to look at the hole alignment on the base but its down to the base and the rifle. I tried using heavy fish line and running it from the muzzle to the rear base hole. the holes seem to be aligned when eyeing it up.

[tammons]

Nothing wrong with it. The barrel is not quite alligned with the scope base. Could be the action or the barrel. As above signature rings will fix that. Also torque from shooting can affect that. I have a 270 and if I zero with 130 gr loads and then load 95 gr loads at
3700 fps my gun shoots 6 inches to the left.

[tammons]

I took the scope and rings off and tried them on another rifle. No problem there. Shot fine with no alignment problems. After tearing down the rifle it seems that the base is not aligned with the rifle and this is noticeable looking right down the base. Is this part of savages poor QC from years ago? my calipers aren't small enough to look at the hole alignment on the base but its down to the base and the rifle. I tried using heavy fish line and running it from the muzzle to the rear base hole. the holes seem to be aligned when eyeing it up.

I had one action like that. I think its pretty common.

[Werewolf]

Keep trying one thing at a time. If the holes look straight, try a different base. Ive gotten bases that you could move back and forth if you tapped them they had so much slop.

[jc]

I had the same problem you are having. It was my base. I replaced the base and all was good.

[handirifle]

Now if you are looking down the action, and IT does not seem to line up with the barrel, I would suggest loosening the barrel nut and rotating the barrel in 1/4 turns and looking again after each 1/4 turn. The barrel MIGHT have been machined off center. By that I mean if the threads are cocked even slightly to one side it will point the barrel in a different direction each 1/4 turn. If that is the issue it WILL be obvious.

You MIGHT be able to remove the scope and base (if you haven't already) and rotate the whole barreled action and see if the barrel points change. Good luck, keep us posted.

For that matter, the threads of the receiver could be off, pointing the barrel off center. Marlin leverguns had that exact problem when Remington took them over. Their barrels drooped.

Stuff happens.

[triehl27]

I had the exact same problem and setup with the EGW mount. I ended up switching to Leupold mounts. Solved the problem easy as pie. Burris Signature Z rings are not nearly as commonly found as 5 years ago. Leupold mount and rings was an easy ebay purchase paid less for them then the Z Rings would have been. Mount a Swfa 10x40 SS. Now just settling the bugs outta the build. I have used both the SWFA and a Bushnell 3200 10x on this rifle both have been great scopes for the money. The Bushnell actually came off my rem700 308 contractor rifle.