93r17GV....accuracy, grapes went sour UPDATE:

[gwtx]

Got the rifle back from savage. They said they "checked it over", "checked headspace", "mounted their service scope,and shot 1/2" groups with it."
So,,I mounted & bore sighted my scope, shot a couple rounds at 50yds to get close to zero, and moved to the 100yd target. Shoots exactly like it did before I sent it in . They said they used 20gr cci gamepoints, so I bought 350 rds of that while waiting on the rifle to get back, which took a while because ups "thought the gate was locked" and didn't deliver, so I had to wait over the weekend until after 7 p.m. before it was delivered :(
The game points shoot just like the other 6 or 7 brands/types. So, I replced the scope (this is the third scope, 1 new leupold, 2 others off functioning sub moa rifles), and it shoots the same. So, I got out my old "lead sled", and anchored the gun down on it and,,,, it shot the same :(
So, I cleaned the bore, and gave it a "JB shine job". Shoots the same. So, I relieved an area around the tang and safety that looked like it was touching the receiver, shoots the same. Rechecked screw torque. Loosened action screws and re-torqued to 35" lbs. The screws stop turning at 30-32" lbs, solid make-up.(It has pillars, otherwise 30"lbs would crush the soft thin wood)
Now, I don't claim to be an expert marksman, but I have more than a dozen centerfires that shoot sub moa. I have a CZ 452 trainer in 22LR that shoots better 100yd groups than this savage. I guess I'll give up on it. I have about 5 or 6 hundred rounds of various types/brands of ammo that I'm not going to waste on this gun. So now what,,,RAR or CZ varmint ???

[rman]

Sorry you've had problems with your rifle. Sometimes a guy just gets a lemon - I know, I've owned several. I don't know what to tell you to try. I'd also like to know how well an RAR shoots in .17 hmr. I have a CZ 455 Varmint in .22 LR. It shoots good, but not as good as I expected. I get good 50 yard groups with match ammo, but groups at 100 yards leave something to be desired. I might have to buy an interchangeable .17 barrel for it, just to see how it does. I think they run $175.00 or so.

I bought the same rifle gwtx. Mine isn't a tack driver like my Grandson's 93R17 FV, but still shoots pretty good. His didn't shoot any better than mine when he got it, but after about 500 rounds it started shooting really great. Hopefully, mine will come around some too. This one has had about 250 rounds thru it. My grandson's shoots groups half this size or smaller.

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j184/rman43/102_0896_zps07a0f420.jpg (http://s80.photobucket.com/user/rman43/media/102_0896_zps07a0f420.jpg.html)

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j184/rman43/102_0894_zpsa5845b99.jpg (http://s80.photobucket.com/user/rman43/media/102_0894_zpsa5845b99.jpg.html)

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j184/rman43/102_0893_zps5c4c82e7.jpg (http://s80.photobucket.com/user/rman43/media/102_0893_zps5c4c82e7.jpg.html)

[gwtx]

Thanks rman. That's about how mine shoots,,except I get at least one an inch and half or so off from the group. I would be "satisfied" with groups like yours, but from all the hype I've seen, I was expecting better. I think the synthetic stock like your grandsons FV is a much better setup than the wooden GV, and the laminates don't look to be much better until they're bedded, and there's not a lot of material to "build up" on in them. I'm just glad I don't have a lot more invested in this one, think I'll paint it yellow :) 500 rounds of ammo at around .30 cents per round just to break in the barrel kinda ruins the idea of a budget/bargain rifle. I like the round, it will do what I want to use it for, but I need to know that the bullet is going to impact less than an inch from POA, gophers are pretty small targets. I'll keep working on it. I don't like to sell a dud to someone else. I might try a different stock(another $100), or just keep modifying and shooting this one till it shoots, or I run out of ammo :)
Thanks again for the reply

[rman]

My grandson's started out as an FV with the synthetic stock. We replaced it with a Boyd's Pro Varmint stock. Accuracy improved with the Boyd's. We mostly replaced it because the synthetic stock had way too much drop for scope use. He used it for awhile with an add-on cheek piece, but didn't like it. We didn't bed the rifle- just bought new DIP bottom metal and dropped it in the new stock. It is very accurate with Hornady 17 gr VMax ammo. He has shot several 3 shot 100 yard groups around 1/4". Those groups were shot using ammo that we weighed on the powder scale and sorted by weight. That seems to improve the groups from 1/2" to 1/4". His routinely shoots 1/2" or smaller groups when he does his part and the wind isn't howling. I wish mine shot that good!

[wingspar]

Below is typical for me. I just figured it was me. I pushed it out to 160 yards recently, but I don’t know what happened to those targets. BSA Sweet 17 scope.

http://www.pbase.com/wingspar/image/158569031/original.jpg

[gwtx]

Have you tried the CCI 20gr Game Points? That's what Savage told me they use for accuracy testing. However they shot the same as all the others I've tried. I will get back to working with the 93r17 GV sometime, but for now I'm enjoying the 'Remlin' XT-17 VSL that I bought to replace the savage. I'm not down on savage by any means, I just happen to have found a beautiful rifle that shoots well for me.
Thanks for the reply, MERRY CHRISTMAS, and good shootin to ya. Gary

[wingspar]

I found the targets from my last range trip with my 93R17. At 160 yards my groups weren’t any better than what I posted above, but I did much better with the 20 gain bullets vs the 17 grain bullets. I don’t remember if the 20 grain bullets were CCI or Hornady. All I wrote on the targets was 20 grain. 20 grain bullets are much harder to find than 17 grain, so I shoot 17 grain mostly, but the 20 grain bullets seem to perform better.

[gwtx]

My new rifle shoots the 17gr Hornady vmax better than the 20gr cci game point. Which is fine with me. That's the only two I've tested so far. The wind has to be calm in order to get accurate results, and it is usually breezy around. My main purpose for the 17 is for "tougher" pests such as raccoons. Unless you make a head shot with a .22, they just get mad, growl, and walk off. I want to make quick clean kills. Haven't shot one with the .17 yet. If they would just stay out of the feed in the barn, I'd leave'em alone. How many rounds have you put thru your rifle. I've heard it sometimes takes a couple hundred for the barrel to get "seasoned" and "settle in". I had over 300 thru the savage, and only the rounds it took to sight in the scope, and tighten the takedown scews before the marlin started shootin good. I like it :)