Suggestions for .308 American Classic ammo

This is my first post and was looking for some help. I just purchased a .308 American Classic with stainless barrel and walnut stock. I have a Burris Fullfield II mounted with Burris signature rings. During the past week I have went through the process of barrel break-in as per Savage's instructions on their website. I have tried 5 different types of ammo and not really satisfied with my groups. My old Browning A-bolt in .270 caliber with a 4 1/2 pound trigger pull is currently outshooting my new Savage. Here is the ammo I have tried so far:
Remington core-loct 180 gr.---5" @100 yrd.
Remington core-loct 150 gr.---3"
Federal Premium 165 gr. Sierra BTSP---2"
Hornady Custom BTSP 165 gr.
Hornady Superformance SST 165 gr.---Both of the Hornady were close to 1 1/2 @100 yrds.

All loads were shot in lead sled with 0-5 mph wind. The A-bolt shot 1". I know all rifles like different loads and was wondering what to try next. I currently do not reload. Thanks for your suggestions.









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hi. welcome to the obsession!

there are numerous things to check. especially with a wood stock. first make sure the barrel is not touching and is free floated. then make sure the base screws are tight and didnt bottom out on the barrel which would leave the base loose. those are only a couple of things.

ill leave a few for others to chime in on. lots of useful knowledge on here.

brian

Check your action screws for tightness too. Run a piece of typing paper under the rear tang to see if it's correctly floated. As stated check mount screws AND ring screws for tightness. The ring screws need to be snug to hold the scope from slipping in the rings but not "gorilla tight" to the point it may screw up the internal adjustments. In the long run, the factory stock may need to be bedded too. Are you shooting three shot or five shot groups? Five shot groups will heat up the sporter barrel to the point groups will open up quite a bit. Three shot groups are usually the norm for a sporter barrel and I would wait at least two minutes between each shot.

It appears your rifle prefers the Hornady but something is keeping the rifle from shooting to it's full potential. If you contacted Savage about your problem, they would probably tell you 1.5" groups are acceptable and well within their accuracy parameters.

I was shooting five shot groups. I have checked all scope screws and torqued to Burris' specs. I was waiting between shots for a couple minutes but outside temp. was around 85 degrees and sunny. The action screws are torqued at 25 lbs. I am not sure about the paper under the rear? Should it slide under the rear tang easily? I checked the barrel and it is floated.

Any suggestions on which factory ammo to try next? I was thinking Winchester Ballistic silvertip 165 gr. or Federal Premium Nosler Partition 180 gr.

I would start looking for problems, shouldnt any ammo shoot a 5" group. Check the bases and rings, then recheck them and then check them one more time. Maybe pull the action and make sure theres nothing torqueing it. what is the twist rate?

Twist rate is 1-10" with 22" barrel. The Remington core-loct 180 grain shot terrible on two different days. I am going to try scope off my A-bolt and make sure the new Burris is not drifting around.

I called Savage and they said check the action screws and torque them to 30-35 lbs. Also to check rings and bases which I have done a couple times. I will check out the action.

Checked out rifle with different scope. Scope was just fine. Best I could do was 1.25" at 100 yrds with Hornady Superformance 165 gr.SST. Seems like gun is shooting a little tighter as I keep shooting. I am going to try one more bullet and it is Barnes Vortex 168 TTPS. Has anyone tried this ammo yet?

Shoot it some more with cheap ammo and clean it good between each 20-25 rounds. Then scrub the bore with J&B Bore Compound and a jag/patch combo until the patches come out clean. Change patches often. I had a 243 Rem 742 that would not shoot a good group with any thing until I found a good handload that looked promising. After the good bore scrubbing with J&B it shot into 1" consistantly and this was a semiauto rifle not known to shoot any ammo well. BTW my M12 Savage 220 Swift from the 70s still is an under .75" shooter in the factory stock, so hang in there, your Savage will shoot!

Yesterday went to Bass Pro and bought a box of Barnes Vortex TTSX 168 gr. I went shooting early this morning before the wind picked up and I am one happy camper. My first 3 shot group with the Federal Sierra gameking BTSP 165 grain was a loose 2" at 100 yrds. Next group was Winchester Ballistic Silvertip 168 gr. and it was shooting right at 1.25". Then I tried The Barnes TTSX. My two 3 shot groups were .44 and .50 "

Can't wait for the next day of shooting!

How many rounds do you have down the barrel? I have a Savage FLCP-K that started shooting tight groups after about 200-300 rounds. Seems this is about average for Savage rifles from what I've read. I shot cheap ammo while I was collecting my reloading equipment. Now, that I'm reloading again groups are getting real tight. Have around 800 rounds down the tube.

I have only about 100 rounds down the barrel. Maybe the gun will get even tighter after more rounds. It probably will if I can hold the gun steady. After all it is a "Savage"