Model 16

I recently purchased a 16 trophy hunter in 7mm08. I broke in the barrel per savages suggestions. I have shot 3 boxes of ammo so far...Hornady Amer. Whitetail 139gr, Hornady sst superformance 139gr, and Nosler 120gr bt. Shooting 3 shot groups my last shot is often a flyer hitting anywhere from 1"-3" away from the first 2 shots. The first 2 shots are usually under 1". I am shooting off sandbags and a bench. I will give the barrel 15-20min to cool off between groups.

So my question...is this caused by the barrel heating up? Is it a stock issue? It could be a shooter issue...but always on the 3rd shot has me baffled. The scope mounts are solid as are the action screws.

I really want to love this gun....and 2 shots says it's a shooter but the flyers have me confused.

The 120gr Noslers have been the best performers by far btw...

PM Sent

I had a Ruger 77 with a thin barrel that did the same thing. Drove me crazy.

First thing I'd check is contact with the stock/barrel at the very end of the stock. This is not uncommon. The Savage mold is a little off IMO and every one I've seen needs a tiny bit of relief on the Left side of the barrel (when looking down the barrel away from the action). That's the first thing I do with all my Savage rifles.

Next thing is time consuming but you have to do it to eliminate the variable. Shoot 3-shot groups but let the barrel cool COMPLETELY between shots. Then see what you get. If it's a hunting rifle, then really only the first shot matters anyway. If it's a range gun, then I'd say you need a heavier barrel.

The 7mm-08 is one of the greatest all-around hunting calibers ever developed. There is a reason I have two of them. Don't give up on it.

Not giving up....yes it's a hunting rifle. And yes there was stock contact on the left side that got taken care of before the first range trip. I am honestly d isapointed in the stock. Was thinking about upgrading to a Boyds and getting the bottom METAL for the mag and trigger guard.

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Originally Posted by Lakenut

Not giving up....yes it's a hunting rifle. And yes there was stock contact on the left side that got taken care of before the first range trip. I am honestly d isapointed in the stock. Was thinking about upgrading to a Boyds and getting the bottom METAL for the mag and trigger guard.

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Do it!! but make sure you add some stippling of some sort... The Boyds stocks are very slippery when they get wet.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lakenut

Not giving up....yes it's a hunting rifle. And yes there was stock contact on the left side that got taken care of before the first range trip. I am honestly d isapointed in the stock. Was thinking about upgrading to a Boyds and getting the bottom METAL for the mag and trigger guard.

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Personally, I hate heavy guns. And growing up with a Winchester 30-30, anything over 7 lbs. to me is a heavy gun. So I have stuck with the factory tupperware stocks and I've been able to get every single one of them to shoot under an inch, some much better in fact.

One thing I should mention that I forgot is that Savages are notorious for shooting better after you get them shot-in. So once you hit the 100-150 round mark, that barrel will settle in and really start shooting tight. That's been my experience anyway.

My guess is that it's you the shooter. If you watch my video on the recent Model 110 Storm review you'll notice there are PLENTY of 3-shot groups in it with two touching or almost touching and one that's 3/4 to an inch out. Frustrating as all get out! But therein lies the benefit of recording video of yourself shooting - you can review it and identify inconsistencies in your shooting. In my case I noticed that on some shots the rifle appeared to recoil much more violently (jumping higher off the front rest, more rearward movement) than with other shots in the string. It didn't take much brain matter to put two and two together and realize that the "fliers" were being caused by inconsistencies on my part.

- Sometimes the butt pad wasn't perfectly in the shoulder pocket (heavy winter coat on can cause that).
- Sometimes I was pulling the rifle back into my shoulder with less or more force than on other shots.
- Sometimes the position of the stock on the rest/bags would vary (fore and aft) resulting in more or less contact area on the sides of the forearm.

It all matters, and if you think it doesn't just start shooting video of yourself while shooting and write down where your shots land on paper so you can compare the targets to the video later. It will definitely show you what you're flaws are.

I also just took delivery of a Model 16 in 7-08 and had two sub MOA groups, one at .443!

I used reloads, not factory ammo.

Bringing this back to the top...I really don't want the added weight of a Boyds. Would I gain anything by pillar bedding then glass bedding? Is that even possible with the plastic one stock?

Is the stock all synthetic? Or is it the accustock with the aluminum bedding?

You might try spacing your shots out a put a little more, let the barrel cool down some more.

All plastic