Originally Posted by
charlie b
I don't know what some people think is bad machine work.
I have a not inexpensive 12BVSS. I have not found any rough spots on it yet. It is matte stainless so minor issues don't really show up. The bolt can still be jammed when trying to rush a reload. Some of the edges are not stoned smooth (I would not expect a lot of hand work on a rifle at this price range). Machining is consistent and as accurate as I need.
The bore was the only rough spot (.308). Took quite a bit of work to get it to shoot anywhere near 1/2MOA but 1MOA was fairly easy to get to.
If I had it to do over again I would have done an exhaustive break in. Since I did not I ended up using some Iosso paste to smooth out the rough spots a bit. It is still a copper mine so I clean it every time I shoot it. It also does not like to be hot. Now days I shoot cast in it. Still just a bit less than MOA with cast bullets.
The real problem with most production rifles (even at these prices) is you may or may not get a great barrel, or a bad barrel. Depending on the model, Savage may replace one that does not shoot well.
The good thing is most Savages will shoot better than MOA with some doing less than 1/2MOA. Keep in mind that in this range of accuracy the shooter can be a big part of the problem/solution.