Savage Arms replacing my Lapua Magnum 338 next week

Thought this deserved it's own thread...

Original Thread:
http://www.savageshooters.com/showth...use-Recoil-Lug

I purchase new 110 BA 338 Lapua Magnum 3 weeks ago.

Accuracy was good for first week but then slowing deteriorated with each shooting session. Was easily hitting Steel 3 ft Stop Sign at 1000 yards wtih handloaded 250SMK in Lapua Brass with RE33 or H4831

Got to the point this past weekend i couldn't hit **** at 1000 yards. Shots were dispersing +/- 2 mils (4 mil total spread at 1000 yards).

loaded up more ammo sunday and embarrassingly lol set up at the 100 yard line to see where my POI was hitting.

Checked the rifle and scope for proper torque and began firing off sandbags on bench.

Point of Impacts/groups for various loads were horrendous. The best 5 shot group was 5 inches at 100yrds. Worst was 15 inches!

I did see one trend in my 'groups'. A diagonal string from low right to high left (8 o'clock to 2 o'clock)

Changed out scope with now improvement.

rechecked torque on scope, base and stock.... all good.

Today, I removed the stock from barrel and discovered the recoil lug was not square with the stock!!!!

Here's some pics of the damaged recoil lug.

[IMG]http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...oil%20Lug1.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...coil%20Lug.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...BA%20stock.jpg[/IMG]

UPS delivered the replacement rifle monday.

Loaded up some H4831SC with 250SMK.
Also purchased the new IMR 7977 and loaded it with 300SMK and 285AMAX.

Off to the range shortly!

good luck!

Before shooting I checked the action screw torque at 40in lbs.

Fired 40 rounds.

Here's a pic of the stock after 40 shots.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...nd%20Rifle.jpg

It wont' be perfect unless you bed it so don't look for perfection. something else was going on

Fired another 40 rounds yesterday.

good groups at 1000 yards with hand loaded IMR 7977.

RANK order best to worst

250SMK
300SMK
285AMAX

250 SCENAR needs further development

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mikeinfwa

Before shooting I checked the action screw torque at 40in lbs.

Fired 40 rounds.

Here's a pic of the stock after 40 shots.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...nd%20Rifle.jpg

---

you need to torque your action screws to 65 inch pounds not 40....loosen your screws then torque the front to 10 inch pounds then bump the butt of your rifle on the floor...give it a nice firm bump but dont let it bonce and dont lift the butt off the floor...now torque the rear screw to 10"lbs then torque the the front screw to 20"lbs then the back screw to 20"lbs...now torque the front first then the rear screw up 5 inch pounds at a time until your at 65 inch pounds....remember FRONT SCREW FIRST.
the reason you torque in this order is to pull the action into the alum stock evenly.

Ive not heard about IMR 7977, where does that fit in as for burn rate compared to say Retumbo?

In between MagPro and H1000. Slightly faster than H1000.

Here's a photo of the 3ft Steel target at 1000 yards after shooting the 250SMK with 94grains of IMR 7977.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...IMR%207977.png

So roughly a 12" group at 1000, Respectable. What were the wind conditions?

The winds were right in my face... 12 oclock about 5mph

There are 2 'flyers'.... one at 10:00 edge and the other at 3:00.

When the torrential rain lets up i'll be back at the range to confirm the loads:

300SMK IMR 7977 90.0 grains
250SMK IMR 7977 94.0 grains
250Scenar IMR 7977 94.0 grains
285AMAX IMR 7977 91.0 grains

Mike

Ha! Here all this time I thought you were in Washington. But since it's in the low 90's here and you're getting torrential downpour, I was way off.

Here's a link to Hillside...

https://www.facebook.com/HILLSIDESHOOTINGSPORTS?fref=ts

I discovered a Copper Mine in this rifle!

20 patches of Butch's Bore Shine, 20 x 3 brush strokes (butch's) and I'm still swabbing blue patches..... jeesh

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mikeinfwa

Today, I removed the stock from barrel and discovered the recoil lug was not square with the stock!!!!

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by limige

Something else was going on...

---

I don't understand, either, how the problem with the recoil lug (which didn't look that bad) would wreck your accuracy that badly...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mikeinfwa

20 patches of Butch's Bore Shine, 20 x 3 brush strokes (butch's) and I'm still swabbing blue patches..... jeesh

---

Is it possible that the first rifle's barrel was totally fouled with copper?

The Runout TIR was way out of specs..... According to Savage customer service.

this might have been the reason for the scope windage to max out just to zero the scope

Hi Mikeinfwa, sorry to hear about your troubles with your 110 BA. I keep hearing neg. things about them, even had my own neg. experience. Had extraction problems and had to send action back to savage.(I have had it about a year now approaching 1000 rds and I also had a copper mine in mine at first.)
However, after a couple hundred rounds, a few 'extreme' cleans, and playing with loads and seating depth It is now Very accurate and consistent. I shoot it at 850 yds (max available distance) and it shoots consistent .5 moa with many groups under 3". Seating depth seemed to make the biggest difference for me. So my point? Stay the course! Im glad I did.

It seems the BAs have all sorts of problems yet the FCP .338s don't. Wonder why that is? I've had both the .300wm and .338lm FCP HSPs and I've had very good luck with both of them, have yet to read of any problems either. Took me a total of 5 shots to zero my rifle (high right, middle right, and then a 3 shot group in the bullseye), and one more range session to settle on a load.

I thought that stop sign target looked familiar.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mikeinfwa

The Runout TIR was way out of specs..... According to Savage customer service.

this might have been the reason for the scope windage to max out just to zero the scope

---

out of curiosity, what is TIR? i think i would have been more concerned about the way those threads look for the action screw than the recoil lug. glad you got it fixed.

Bruce

Total indicated runout

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by limige

Total indicated runout

---

thank you. still learning something new!

Bruce

I believe TIR is the relationship between the chamber and barrel?

The chamber wasn't aiming straight down the center of barrel?

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OtrHzbB3scI

Update: New rifle is shooting 1 MOA at 1000 yards.

300 Sierra SMK bullets are consistently 1 to 1.5 MOA at 1000 yards with either Reloder Reloader 33 or IMR 7977.

Alliant web site shows 97.5 grains. I chrony 2750 with 97.5 with my 26 inch BA 110.
Hodgdon shows 7977 powder max as 93.0 grains for 2688 fps but my rifle reaches 2700 fps with 89.0 grains

250 Sierra SMK bullets are also very accurate.

Two powders i've developed are H4831SC and IMR 7977.

87 grains of H4831SC result in 2830 fps

94 grains of IMR 7977 result in 2970 fps

Here's links to threads i started in the "Range Report"


http://www.savageshooters.com/showth...-at-1000-yards

http://www.savageshooters.com/showth...s-Hodgdon-4831

http://www.savageshooters.com/showth...-at-1000-yards

Mike

I've had good luck with RL-22 and RL-25 with Hornady 285gr BTHPs. 250gr SMKs are also very good but don't seem to hold groups as well out at longer distances. It realllyyyy likes the heavier bullets, that's for sure. I also found out that my local Cabela's has a ton of RL-33 just recently so I've been buying that as of late but haven't had a chance to shoot with it yet. Good to hear that you're having some good luck with it and the new rifle!