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Yesterday I tried to sight in a new A17 with Hornady 17 gr. V-Max ammo. Every round keyholed. I cleaned the rifle thoroughly and tried again today, with the same result. This time I took a Henry .17 HMR with and the ammo performed perfectly. Has anybody else had this problem?
I would try a different brand of ammo, but all I have right now is Hornady. When I cleaned the barrel, the rod was passed from breech to muzzle, so I am sure I did not wreck the crown.
I had that problem with my New savage Stainless HB B-Mag, I had to send it to savage and they made/sent me a new rifle, problem gone. probably a problem with the crown from the factory, try a different box but I bet you still have the same trouble :(
I tried 17 grain CCI ammo and it did not keyhole. I contacted Savage and will see what they say.
that is odd, hope it is ok for you and don't have to send it in, that will taker months :(
Savage had no answers, other than to try a different lot of Hornady ammo. This time there was no keyholing, even though I was using the same box of ammo as when the problem occurred. The only difference was the temperature. It was cold when the keyholing occurred, about 8 degrees F the first day and in the teens the next day. During the latest session it was in the low 50's. Any suggestions of why cold temps would create a problem?
Weird stuff. I would say stop cleaning it for quite awhile. I was constantly cleaning my bolt savage 17 and wondered why is wasn't shooting very well, let it foul up with around 50-75 rounds and groups started to shrink. Same with my .22. They like to be fouled up.Quote:
Originally Posted by NDshooter7
I have only seen mine heyhole 20 gr Hornady once at around 200 yards and once with CCI vmax at a little over 400. The 400 yard shot didt surprise me as it was also super windy that day, both shots were soon after I bought the gun. Never had any key hole ever again in thousands of rounds.
I say try and foul up the bore but if its doing it that much I would seriously consider sending it back.
This past weekend I tried unsuccessfully to sight in at 100 yards with A17 ammo. Best 5 shot group was about 5 inches! The next day, with targets set at 50 yards the groups were 2 to 3 1/2 inches and the rounds were key holing again. Ditto with Hornady V-Max 17 grain. This was with a well fouled barrel. I give up. Am shipping it back to Savage.
Sounds very similar to my MKII TR 22lr. The bore was damaged at the muzzle end from the factory. Sent it back to Savage and they installed a new barrel.
something is wrong with the crown I would believe
had the problem with my 17 WSM HB and would not hit a 4x4 piece of cardboard at 50' with out a 3 foot pattern and keyholeing
new one back from them is a tack driver and shoots 1/2 to 3/4 groups at 100 yards all day
Typically , key holing happens when there is not enough twist for the weight of the bullet. If you are shooting a known too light bullet the " moment" will be off the center of gravity . Try a lighter bullet or a heavier bullet and see if that makes a difference. Humidity and temp can enter into it as well. Is the keyhole very pronounced or just slight ? The crown, if damaged just a tiny bit , can " push " the bullets butt just enough to make it unstable by the time it hits the target.