RCE1
06-03-2019, 10:10 PM
I have to say I've been pretty underwhelmed by the results I've been getting with my GRS Savage 6.5 Creedmoor.
No matter what I try, I can't get better than 2"+/- at 100, which is pretty disappointing. At first I thought it was the trigger, so I got a SAV2 and installed that. I have had a bit of experience with benchrest and varmint rifles with light pulls and prefer light triggers on target rifles. I hadn't had the GRS out for a while and, while the new trigger is great, the groups I was getting were still pretty bad. I decided to have a closer look this afternoon. First thing I noticed was the crown looked pretty ragged and the muzzle was caked with hard fouling (okay, my bad) which I cleaned up with solvent and steel wool. I then took a brass ball and some fine grinding compound and cleaned up the crown. I then cleaned the barrel really good. What quickly became apparent was the bore has two diameters. It is easily felt running a tight patch down the bore and about halfway down, you can feel the bore get bigger. Going from the muzzle, you can feel it constrict. This isn't one of those "maybe I feel it maybe not" kind of things. It's quite distinct and consistently in the same spot. It's kind of like a bump, actually. Like a step in the barrel. I broke out the borescope and it's pretty clear there's a visible line right where bore changes diameter.
So, I was wondering if I want to have Savage try and do something with the obviously defective barrel or just scrap it and get another. I've been considering a Criterion and was trying to decide between sticking with 6.5 Creedmoor or following my inclination at the moment and switch over to 6mm Creedmoor. I had wanted to try the 6.5, but I think there are more bullet choices with 6mm. I have a lot of 105/107gr 6mm target bullets and was only just experimenting with 6.5 designs, so I'm not sitting on a huge pile of 6.5s. When I got into the 6.5, my mentor, a benchrest legend who has regrettably passed on, said it's foolish to not take advantage of all the development that's been devoted to the 6mm projectiles. A the time, I wanted something different and was swayed by all the acclaim of the 6.5, but the more I think about it, the more I think he was correct. I have a bunch of Lapua 6.5 brass, which I could easily neck down, and the powders I've accumulated for this rifle will work for either cartridge.
No matter what I try, I can't get better than 2"+/- at 100, which is pretty disappointing. At first I thought it was the trigger, so I got a SAV2 and installed that. I have had a bit of experience with benchrest and varmint rifles with light pulls and prefer light triggers on target rifles. I hadn't had the GRS out for a while and, while the new trigger is great, the groups I was getting were still pretty bad. I decided to have a closer look this afternoon. First thing I noticed was the crown looked pretty ragged and the muzzle was caked with hard fouling (okay, my bad) which I cleaned up with solvent and steel wool. I then took a brass ball and some fine grinding compound and cleaned up the crown. I then cleaned the barrel really good. What quickly became apparent was the bore has two diameters. It is easily felt running a tight patch down the bore and about halfway down, you can feel the bore get bigger. Going from the muzzle, you can feel it constrict. This isn't one of those "maybe I feel it maybe not" kind of things. It's quite distinct and consistently in the same spot. It's kind of like a bump, actually. Like a step in the barrel. I broke out the borescope and it's pretty clear there's a visible line right where bore changes diameter.
So, I was wondering if I want to have Savage try and do something with the obviously defective barrel or just scrap it and get another. I've been considering a Criterion and was trying to decide between sticking with 6.5 Creedmoor or following my inclination at the moment and switch over to 6mm Creedmoor. I had wanted to try the 6.5, but I think there are more bullet choices with 6mm. I have a lot of 105/107gr 6mm target bullets and was only just experimenting with 6.5 designs, so I'm not sitting on a huge pile of 6.5s. When I got into the 6.5, my mentor, a benchrest legend who has regrettably passed on, said it's foolish to not take advantage of all the development that's been devoted to the 6mm projectiles. A the time, I wanted something different and was swayed by all the acclaim of the 6.5, but the more I think about it, the more I think he was correct. I have a bunch of Lapua 6.5 brass, which I could easily neck down, and the powders I've accumulated for this rifle will work for either cartridge.