Should I Re-Barrel?

I have a Savage 110 in 300 Win Mag. with a sporter barrel. Best grouping I can get is .915" with my reloads, shoots .915"-985" consistently. It won't shoot factory ammo to save its life. Which is not a big deal now that I reload. Would I beneficial to change to a match grade barrel? Or would I be better off spending money else wear? Any advice is welcome. I am new to the long range shooting. Have been an avid shooter all my life.

Specs on gun and loads.

Savage Model 110
300 Win. Mag.
Timney Trigger, 1.5 #
Choate Ultimate Sniper Stock

Federal Brass
Winchester Primers
72.6 gr IMR 4350
Sierra GameKing 165 gr Spitzer BT

That sporter weight barrel is not designed to shoot one holers. Also with as much powder as you are lighting up in that thin barrel it will heat up quick and stay that way for a while as it does not have the heat dissipation rate as a larger diameter barrel will have. You are shooting under MOA with your reloads and that is darn fine for a hunting rifle. You didn't say what kind of groups you get consistently with the factory ammo but if it does 1.5 MOA to 2.0 MOA then it's doing what it is supposed to do. You may want to check headspace and the muzzle crown as well just to be sure that nothing there is out of whack. What twist rate is your barrel and what grain of bullet are you shooting?

I am unsure what the twist rate is but I am using the 165gr Sierra Game King SBT

Bill, I like to suggest that someone state their intended purpose when asking about upgrading. The world is full of people throwing money at their hobbies. Most of it misspent. Mountain rifle and varmint hunter encompass different build philosophies.

Could be that you are generating a considerable amount of barrel whip as well with the sporter barrel. Try shooting the same load with a little fore end pressure and see if that makes anything better. Fold a small piece of paper until you can slide it just under the barrel tightly right at the tip of the stock. If it works add something more permanent and if not take it out. Never hurts to try.

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Originally Posted by stangfish

Bill, I like to suggest that someone state their intended purpose when asking about upgrading. The world is full of people throwing money at their hobbies. Most of it misspent. Mountain rifle and varmint hunter encompass different build philosophies.

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But throwing money at hobbies is so much fun!

In all seriousness. I intend to do some 500+ hunting with it. It is currently my primary hunting rifle. I would also like to do some paper punching at 1000+ if i get the opportunity. As I stated before I am new to the longer range game so I may need some direction. Weight doesn't bother me much as I am 25 and don't mind a few extra pounds.

I do know I will need some heavier pills when shooting at those distances. The 165's were available and a good starting point.

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Originally Posted by stomp442

Could be that you are generating a considerable amount of barrel whip as well with the sporter barrel. Try shooting the same load with a little fore end pressure and see if that makes anything better. Fold a small piece of paper until you can slide it just under the barrel tightly right at the tip of the stock. If it works add something more permanent and if not take it out. Never hurts to try.

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I will test that out as soon as I get to the range again. Thanks for the advice.

The first thing I do is dump the sporter barrels. The thin profile .423 barrels are for light weight and cold bore accuracy which is perfect for a hunting rifle. After 3 consecutive shots the barrel is hot enough to sufficiently decrease accuracy. For any kind of sustained target shooting you need at least a Varmint contour barrel with a .750 or larger muzzle. The .300 WM needs at least 24" and preferrably 26-28 to sufficiently burn all the powder and maximize velocity. When adding diameter to the barrel you obviously add weight. Since your looking for your rifle for dual roles, hunting and target shooting you will need to compromise. You will be amazed at the accuracy improvement you will get with one of the superb prefit barrels made for Savages like McGowen, Shilen, Criterion or Shaw. It will be the best $300 you can spend on your hobbie. I have used them all and they all are vast improvements on the factory sporters for target shooting, especially long range. My suggestion would be to call Jim Briggs at Northland and order either a Shilen or Criterion large shank Savage Varmint contour in 26". Also get his precision ground barrel nut and recoil lug and his light weight trigger spring. This together will run you around $375 total. Swap it out and shoot it. If you are happy with the accuracy and velocity (which Im sure you will) but think it is too heavy to hunt with then send your barrel to a competent smith and have the barrel shortened to 24 and fluted and a muzzle brake installed. Karl Fieldkamp at Kampfield Customs does superb work and is reasonable. He cut, crowned, threaded and fluted several of my barrels for $200 each. One was a 26" bull barrel which lost 1 full pound in fluting. The compensator will greatly improve your accuracy through reduced recoil and more important decrease muzzle flip so you can keep your target in sight and see your hits at long range.

For about $500 you turn your stock Savage into a real custom that will do everything you want. By adding a good aftermarket stock or chassis set up you'll be at the pinnacle of happiness! :eyebrows:

Gotta go with what Riffleshooter308 said. You might even look at something like a heavy or medium Palma contour cut to 28 -26

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Originally Posted by stangfish

Gotta go with what Riffleshooter308 said. You might even look at something like a heavy or medium Palma contour cut to 28 -26

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+1
which is why the rem sendero has become so popular.

Thanks guys this is exactly what I was looking for. Any other replies are more than welcome.