Anybody else's Savage shoot best with "cheap" ammo?!

So I bought my first Savage over 2 weeks ago. A 110 in .270 Win caliber. Through much help here I got the trigger
adjusted and the action bedded. You can imagine my disappointment when I still could not get better than a
1 1/2" group out of the gun. I tried both Remington core lock and Hornady Premium Super Shocker Tips.

Well, I figured at least the Hornady's would shoot good. Should as much as they cost. Always have before in
other guns. I was all but fixin' to go trade the gun back in for something else when I made a last ditch effort and
tried some Federal Power Shock 130 grain soft points. These are the cheapest cartridges that Federal makes.

The gun shot an honest 1/2" group at 100 yards. This floored me. I always would have thought that a ballistic tip
design would shoot best.

Anybody else have something similar happen?

Jonrobinson

I have had excellent luck with the winchester white box ammo, in 22/250 rifles.

Every rifle is different and will shoot better or not than another. For example, I rebarreled an older 110 from .30-06 to .35 Whelen. I used an A&B barrel from Midway, not exactly a match barrel. Did not bed the action, just made sure it was all free floated. I was very surprised when the first three shots at 100 yds went into 1 1/4 group. The next three were a group just under MOA. As were subsequent groups. This was done with cheap Remington green box 250 gr. loads. I handloaded some 200 gr. spirepoints with loads recommended in the book "Pet Loads". and they also shot sub MOA. Next up is some 225 gr. Your rifle may improve. Savages tend to shoot better dirty. Try it clean or dirty and see what happens. Sooner or later you will get to where you want to be.

El Lobo

I have had great luck with Ultramax, shoots under MOA in my rifle consistently.

Dolomite

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Originally Posted by dolomite_supafly

I have had great luck with Ultramax, shoots under MOA in my rifle consistently.

Dolomite

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+1 For my Savage as well. I have shot the best groups of my life with Ultramax... over and above even Federal Gold Metal Match.

DK

Yes, and I was using the very same ammo except in .308 Win. It was $10 a box when I first bought the Federal Powerpoint and I wish I had bought more back then. I got about the same results as you but I do seem to remember one group I fired at 200 yards that was like 3/4 inch. Since I cannot seem to find anymore at Walmart I have started to handload. Now I can get just as good groups but I sure wish I could find more Federal at Walmart.

I have had the same experience. Federal Power shock ammo gives me 1" groups at 200 yards. The 111, 270 seems to really like this ammo.

My buddies 10FP .308 Mcmillian shoots excellent with the Ultramax 168's. $69.99 for a box of I don't know how many. Very accurate. We are saving his Fed Match stuff this Ultramax shoots so good.

I rebarreled a SA to 243, and used the cheapest federal load I could find to sight it in. This is one of the pathetic 3 shot groups I got at 100yds. The hole at the bottom, was shot, then the scope adjusted to the 3 shot hole at top center. This was with a stock Savage, sporter barrel.

Sad part is I have not got ANY non lead offerings (now required here) to even come close. They have ranged 2"+.

[img width=600 height=450]http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n82/handirifle/DSCN1436.jpg[/img]

I have to say that my Model 10FLCP-K works very very well with Federal 150gr stuff. It's the least expensive stuff I can find and I consistently shoot groups of 20 within 3/4" - no lie!

Each of my 110 .270's shoot Federal Power Shok 130's very well. 1" groups are fairly consistant. They do as well with 130 gr Core Locts, but the Power Shoks are generally less expensive.

:)

I had a 308 that liked it cheap and sleazy.

Hated Hornady custom though.

I have a savage 110 in 270 and it shoots 3/4 inch at 100 yards all day long. Also i have a savage 111 package gun that still has the cheap scope from when I bought it at dicks last year for 308.95 OUT THE DOOR easy 3/4 or less groups at 100 yards. My savage 10FCM scout rifle I bought when I was 13 or 14 shot some cheap federal ammo that I paid 12.00 a box for it 9 years ago then they discontinued it. Just started to hand load but its only for better bullet performance over accuracy. my savages love the cheap BLUE box ammo.

The Model 12 FV shots the Winnie white box 45 Gr. .5 in when I do my job. 35 shots at Yotes, 34 down and out. Longest shot so far 383 yrds, with many over 200 yrds. I do have a cardinal rule--no shots at running Yotes and yes I follow it. I think more Yotes are educated with poor shot selection than any thing else and I don't need them any smarter.

but a good topic, so I resurrected it......
I don't have a '110',but I have an axis II in .223. The gun likes cheaper ammo over the more expensive match stuff. I can get away with Hornady 'Frontier', Winchester 'White Box'.....even PMC stuff. I've tried some 1.25 to 1.75 per round stuff, not for this gun...... I don't plan to reload, so I'm fortunate....

Remington Core Lokt shot best in my first 270. It was the cheapest and nothing except my hand loads shot better. Go figure!

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Originally Posted by jonrobinson

So I bought my first Savage over 2 weeks ago. A 110 in .270 Win caliber. Through much help here I got the trigger
adjusted and the action bedded. You can imagine my disappointment when I still could not get better than a
1 1/2" group out of the gun. I tried both Remington core lock and Hornady Premium Super Shocker Tips.

Well, I figured at least the Hornady's would shoot good. Should as much as they cost. Always have before in
other guns. I was all but fixin' to go trade the gun back in for something else when I made a last ditch effort and
tried some Federal Power Shock 130 grain soft points. These are the cheapest cartridges that Federal makes.

The gun shot an honest 1/2" group at 100 yards. This floored me. I always would have thought that a ballistic tip
design would shoot best.

Anybody else have something similar happen?

Jonrobinson

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Glad you found something that shoots a 1/2-MOA at 100. I have 3 Savage rifles including a 110 in .270. I have also have a 12FV in .223 and a 110 Elite Precision in 6.5CM. As for my 110 in .270, I've only ever sighted the scope in with 3 or 4 rounds to get centered, and never shot a single group with it. It has however put 10 or more deer in the freezer, and I've never lost a deer I shot at with a 130gr Hornady SST. Most in fact are dead within 20 feet or so, and that SST is an absolute hammer. If your 110 is a pencil-barrel (sporter) model made primarily for hunting, it likely isn't going to shoot repeatable tiny 5-shot groups. It probably should shoot better than a 1.5" group though. It's purpose is "minute of deer" more so than sub-MOA. My 12FV in .223 has a 24" barrel that is heavy varmint profile and it will shoot groups in the .3" range all day with just about anything you feed it. The 110 Elite Precision gets hand-loaded match-grade bullets and it will shoot .3" groups all day long as fast as you want to send them. The stainless barrel on it tapers to 0.875" at the muzzle (just measured my 110 .270 and it is 0.585" at muzzle). That rifle will hit at 1-mile repeatably if the wind isn't crazy, and 1,500 yards and in is pretty much automatic. If you are shooting a 110 .270 with a sporter profile barrel, and you aren't spacing shots, I'd bet heat is your nemesis over the brand and grain-weight of the ammunition. Just my free $0.02 opinion, and not trying to be a butt... ;)

Have Model 12 Target in 223 and it outshoots some Match ammo with Walmart Winchester value pack of 45 gr HP
Bug sized hole groups. Problem is I can't find that ammo anymore.
Down to half a box

That is what my experience with same gun and ammo is.
Where can I find them? Walmart don't have em anymore

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Originally Posted by Rifleman4910

The Model 12 FV shots the Winnie white box 45 Gr. .5 in when I do my job. 35 shots at Yotes, 34 down and out. Longest shot so far 383 yrds, with many over 200 yrds. I do have a cardinal rule--no shots at running Yotes and yes I follow it. I think more Yotes are educated with poor shot selection than any thing else and I don't need them any smarter.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by thebeav

but a good topic, so I resurrected it......
I don't have a '110',but I have an axis II in .223. The gun likes cheaper ammo over the more expensive match stuff. I can get away with Hornady 'Frontier', Winchester 'White Box'.....even PMC stuff. I've tried some 1.25 to 1.75 per round stuff, not for this gun...... I don't plan to reload, so I'm fortunate....

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110 Storm in .223. Can`t say it " prefers " the cheap stuff. 55 grain PMC Bronze FMJ range fodder is pretty inconsistent with an occasional sub-MOA group but most 1.0-1.5 or so. Remington 55 grain all over the place. Frontier OTM in 55 and 68 grain will shoot consistent sub-MOA groups as will Hornady, Nosler and Barnes flat base hunting loads.

I won a 110 around 2005 in 270 that shoots the 130 grain Remington Core-Lokts into 3/4" consistently, and that's for five shots, not three. I hunt with Federal 130 grain TSXs, though, and they group around an inch for three shots, which is more than good enough for the hunting I do. It's the most accurate rifle I own, although I can't say I've thoroughly wrung out every rifle I own, but it's the one that turned me on to Savages. I currently own six (?), and have played with a couple others that I later sold.

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Originally Posted by olegburn

Have Model 12 Target in 223 and it outshoots some Match ammo with Walmart Winchester value pack of 45 gr HP
Bug sized hole groups. Problem is I can't find that ammo anymore.
Down to half a box

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I was at Cabelas this morning, just to check the .223 ammo situation. They had Winchester 45 gr HP ammo, lots of it. I don't remember the price, but it must have not been very good as I didn't buy any. I would like to try it also. It was probably around a buck a pop.