How "true" are Savage Target Actions from the factory? Are they ready to go or do they need to be massaged a little?
Thank you,
John
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How "true" are Savage Target Actions from the factory? Are they ready to go or do they need to be massaged a little?
Thank you,
John
If you want better buy a custom action.
The only actions I know are 'trued' are custom made. Higher volume mfgs just assemble the basic parts. When you spend extra for 'target' rifles from high volume mfgs you get special stocks, heavier barrels, etc. Not custom work.
Accuracy is kind of a crap shoot. Most of the time you will get a rifle that shoots well under MOA, but, you may not. Savage lists the cartridges they use to test accuracy, but, they do not test every rifle that comes off the line. This is normal for the big mfgs.
Target actions are made exactly the same as all of Savage's other actions. With the new machines they have now the face of the receiver typically only has a variance of 0.002" or less. The face of the bolt head will be slightly dished from the tumbling process - same as any other Savage. Recoil lug that comes with the target actions is precision ground, not stamped like is used on all the non-Target grade guns.
So the real question you need to ask yourself is this: Do I want to limit my aftermarket options building with a Savage, or do I want to go with a custom to maximize my options?
Answering that question best for your needs will depend heavily on what you're building the rifle for - which you never stated.
If you're building an all-out competition rifle, a custom 700 Rem based action is the way to go as there are far more trigger options available - especially if you're shooting benchrest or F-Class and want it below 5oz. I would also recommend the custom action for a PRS rifle simply due to the Savage being somewhat finicky when to comes to extracting/ejecting the more popular PRS cartridges (6x47L, 6.5x47L, 6 Creed, 6.5 Creed, etc).
If you're building a custom hunting rifle, a Savage action would be more than adequate - with some exceptions depending on cartridge of choice. In this case however I wouldn't both starting with a Target action (unless it will be a dedicated long-range varmint rifle) and instead would just look for standard centerfeed action and put that extra $$ towards a better barrel or stock.