Savage 12FV, .223 Accuracy Expectations

[centershot]

Got my rifle back from Savage today. They shot Federal 77 grain premium and got a .8" group at 100 yards. I basically feel that they flipped me off! I am not going to shoot prairie dogs with 77 grain bullets. This rifle may be on the market soon. May be my one and only Savage. Very disappointed.

[Jamie]

So you have a rifle that shoots less than MOA and you won't buy another because it wouldn't shoot FMJ's and the one varmint bullet you tried? No one can promise which bullet it will like best and I imagine that there is several bullets that the rifle will like that fall under the prairie dog spectrum. There is a wide range of bullets that is more than suitable for doggin' that you haven't scratched the surface of. You still have the Blitzkings to try, the Noslers, heavier V Maxes and the list goes on. The rifle likes the SMK's, you like the V Maxes, now keep searching until you find one that both of you like.

Those American Eagles listed above would be something to try. Not saying they are accurate in every rifle but they seem to work in a lot of them, even in 1:8 twist.

[centershot]

Jamie, MOA and tumbling are quite far apart.

[Stonewall_Jackson]

Let us know if you intend to sell your "defective" rifle. :cool: ;) You wouldn't expect top dollar from a dog like that would you? ;)

There are 100 reasons that rifle is "only" shooting .8" groups at 100 yards. Almost all of them are fixable. The most obvious cause would be that you just need to shoot the thing a few hundred times. My LRPV got more and more accurate for the first 4 months I owned it. You should read my previous post again and look at the targets I shot and I'm very much out of practice. I haven't shot that rifle more than 100 rounds in the last 3 years and I haven't shot more than 150 yards because I had to move away from my home area and my gun club. Plus I had some health issues that are doing better now. Still I should be able to tighten up the groups you see in my previous post. That rifle is an amazingly good shooter. And again I got it from someone who thought it didn't shoot well after only shooting it about 10 times. I've seen lots and lots of rifles in my life and I know when one has barely been shot. There was no residue in the hard to clean nooks and crannies. No one cleans them perfectly and that rifle had almost no residue in it when I bought it. Don't give your rifle away. IMO it just needs to be shot a while and you need to find the right ammo for it.

[Texas10]

Centershot,

I didn't get whether you are reloading or shooting off the shelf, but if you're looking for some excellent shooting and cheap ammo for varmints, go here; http://palmettostatearmory.com/index.php/ammunition/rifle-ammunition.html?ammo_bullet_weight=931&manufacturer=7
and try the AE223GTV. Both my model 12's love this load and it'll shoot way under MOA most of the time. And the brass is quite good for reloading in case you're into that. Palmetto sells it cheap. I just bought 400 rounds for under $7.00 a box delivered. When I can find this at Cabelas, it's never less than $9.99 a box and more often than not, its priced at $12 a box at other stores. It's an interesting load, you can't find any reference to it on Federals website. I had to email Federal to get the specs on this ammo. BTW: its velocity is 3350 fps, shoots quite flat, and is manufactured at the Lake City plant.
If you are wanting sub 1/2 MOA accuracy on your FV, you'll probably need to replace that rubber stock, especially if you use a bipod.

[Jamie]

Jamie, MOA and tumbling are quite far apart.

Yes, you are correct but if 50 grain bullets are keyholing then it is a bullet issue not a rifle issue. Contrary to popular belief, you cannot "over stabilize" a bullet. You can spin one so fast that the centrifugal force overcomes the centripetal force and the bullets becomes a grey puff shortly after leaving the barrel. However, lots of 50 grain bullets have been shot out of 1:7 twist Modern Sporting Rifle (MSR aka AR's) without issue.


Either way, you do not seem happy with it and am pretty sure you will never be, so sell it off and try another brand.

[centershot]

Would using JB-4 speed up this process instead of firing 500 rounds?

[psharon97]

As others have said, you're just going to have to try different bullets in your rifle to see if it shoots. I wouldn't expect a factory rifle to instantly shoot .25 moa consistently without a lot of work. My go to load for plinking around the house with my 223 is 55gr vmax loaded with 21.5g of IMR 4198.

[wbm]

Would using JB-4 speed up this process instead of firing 500 rounds?

Depends on what process you want to speed up.

[centershot]

Let us know if you intend to sell your "defective" rifle. :cool: ;) You wouldn't expect top dollar from a dog like that would you? ;)

There are 100 reasons that rifle is "only" shooting .8" groups at 100 yards. Almost all of them are fixable. The most obvious cause would be that you just need to shoot the thing a few hundred times. My LRPV got more and more accurate for the first 4 months I owned it. You should read my previous post again and look at the targets I shot and I'm very much out of practice. I haven't shot that rifle more than 100 rounds in the last 3 years and I haven't shot more than 150 yards because I had to move away from my home area and my gun club. Plus I had some health issues that are doing better now. Still I should be able to tighten up the groups you see in my previous post. That rifle is an amazingly good shooter. And again I got it from someone who thought it didn't shoot well after only shooting it about 10 times. I've seen lots and lots of rifles in my life and I know when one has barely been shot. There was no residue in the hard to clean nooks and crannies. No one cleans them perfectly and that rifle had almost no residue in it when I bought it. Don't give your rifle away. IMO it just needs to be shot a while and you need to find the right ammo for it.

I am going to hold on to it and see what happens. I do, however, have another one just like it in .204. Unfired and in the box.;)