Savage Model 12BVSS in 6.5-284 Norma

I recently purchased my first new Savage and it is the version in the thread title. I stumbled upon it by accident during my first visit to a small local gun shop where it had been for three years, according to the shop owner. He told me it was one of a special run ordered by a distributor and that he got four of them - one each for himself, his father and his sister and the one for stock but no one who looked at the one in stock knew anything about the caliber and it didn't sell. I had often thought about trying a Model 12BVSS and planned on my next new rifle being a 6.5-284 so when he offered it to me for what I considered an attractive price, I figured it would be akin to killing two birds with one stone (or check), so I bought it.

I would like to know how many guns might have been in that order. I have a lot of Remington and Smith & Wesson firearms and know they keep production records by the gun's product code, which is unique to every gun based upon model, finish, barrel length, chambering and other features. However, Savage customer service tells me they have no way to track that information. In fact, I had to speak with three customer service representatives to find one who took the time to find the rifling twist rate for me (1:8, by the way - thank you, Amanda). If anyone has any information about these rifles, I would appreciate your sharing it.

The thing has great accuracy potential, based upon my limited handload development. I've only been able to try 12 different recipes due to the cold and windy weather we're having lately but one load shot into one ragged hole 0.265" larger than the bore diameter at 100 yards. All I've done to it thus far is adjust the AccuTrigger, install a single-shot conversion ramp and mount a 6.5-20x 40mm AO Leupold VX-3 target scope with a dot reticle. I'm not sold on the AccuTrigger yet - I find it has a little more overtravel than I like and as that may not be adjustable, I might replace it with a Timney. I use a lot of them in my Remingtons that came with their newer X-Pro trigger as I prefer their older triggers.

Thank you in advance or any input you can offer. I hope to learn a lot about my new Savage from the other forum members.

Ed

Should be a fine rifle, I hope you got a great deal on it.

Dennis

No, Savage doesn't track those things.
However the fact that it is a 6.5X284 NORMA chamber isn't particularly special. At one point in the past perhaps, but that has been a stock chambering for some time.

Savage uses the Norma chamber spec, not the Winchester.
You don't need customer service to tell you the twist rate of a rifle you own. Cleaning rod, or manuals; 8-twist is the standard.

Enjoy the rifle.

Perhaps I need to clarify something. I was trying to determine the twist rate before I bought the rifle so I wouldn't wind up with a rifle that wouldn't shoot the bullets I wanted to use in it well. After the fact, the old cleaning rod method would have been fine. I also don't trust manuals completely as I have several Remington rifles with twist rates that differ from what manuals suggest they should be.

According to the shop where I bought it and Savage's website, this rifle in this chambering is not a cataloged item. They list several calibers but 6.5-284 isn't one of them and when I spoke with their customer service reps, they indicated that they had to do some research on it as it wasn't a rifle on which they had quick access to information. But maybe the simple answer is that their personnel lack product knowledge and their website is not up to date. With customer service being what it is in this country these days, anything's possible!

For example, when I was ordering the single-shot feed ramp for it, I of course had to know if the rifle would have a short or long action. The small shop where I was buying it is only open Thursday and Friday evenings and Saturdays, so having decided to buy the rifle on Monday, I couldn't check the action length until I actually bought the rifle on Thursday. I thought that Savage's two-digit model numbers were short actions but I also thought that due to the Norma version of this cartridge having a longer COL specification, a long action was required so I called another time to find out which length this action would be and was told it was a long action. Naturally, that was incorrect; fortunately, the company from which I bought the ramp thought that was wrong and kept my paperwork out for an expected return request. They told me that rather than trust Savage's customer service, I would learn a lot more correct information about my rifle from a forum like this one.

So far, it would seem that they were right.

Ed

Your gun would in fact be a 112BVSS. Savage made the long action BVSS pre accu-trigger and then again maybe 6 years ago. The last run was a limited production run for a specific distributor, and was available in popular long action chambers including your 6.5x284 Norma. They shoot very well and are a great rifle for target shooting. I have a 112BVSS in .300 Win Mag and I love it and hunt with it. I added a brake and had Fred at SSS tune the action and the rifle will shoot 1/2 MOA when I do my job.

I agree with you 100% - except that the box end label and the gun's rollmarkings identify it as a Model 12. Weird stuff...

The great folks at Sharp Shooter Supply are scratching their heads as well. I ordered a single-shot feed ramp from them for a long action, as that is what Savage told me it was. And if it is a short action, it's the longest short action receiver these eyes accustomed to Remingtons have ever seen! Lisa at Sharp Shooter Supply disagreed with Savage but sent the long action part anyway. When the part arrived, it was too long for the magazine and Lisa kindly exchanged it for a short action part but that part is too short for the receiver. What this gun apparently amounts to is a long action receiver with a short action magazine. When I sent her an email telling her that, Lisa replied soon afterward (on a Saturday!) to tell me that she and her boss are going to look into making a ramp just for these hybrid rifles. Her email states, "It is classified as a Model 12 which is a short action BUT you have a long action caliber on it.It had to be a special run out of the custom shop."

It looks like we will have some decent shooting weather tomorrow - temps in the upper 40s and low 50s with light winds - so I plan to try another six handload recipes in it. As stated, I've tried 12 so far and have several dozen more powder and bullet combinations I want to try. So far, I really like the rifle and between the rifle, the cartridge for which it is chambered and some of the groups it has shot, I expect great things from it.

Ed

Oops - double post somehow. How does one delete a post?

Ed

Mine has served me well, but I think I'll be making some changes this winter. I love the gun the way it is, but I hunt with it as well and I think I'm going to put it on a diet. The heavy BVSS stock just makes it too heavy to carry when hiking 10+ miles a day. I think it will get a Manners ordered for it after the first of the year.

Savage 112 BVSS .300 Win Mag
SSS Tuned Action
SSS Fluted Bolt
SSS Recoil Lug
Muscle Brake
EGW Base, Zee Rings
Bushnell Elite Tactical 6-24x50mm

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...pse46f1a2c.jpg

Check the roll stamp on the barrel. It will say either Model 12 or Model 112. The other way to check is to measure the distance between the action screws.

If I remember correctly Savage had a minimum of 500 units per special order. Maybe more?

As stated in post #6 above, it is marked "Model 12."

I was at my local club shooting it this morning and a Savage owner agreed with my assumption that it is a long-action receiver with a short-action magazine. He told me he had seem one other one like that but couldn't recall the caliber.

Ed

As stated in post #6 above, it is marked "Model 12." I asked Lisa at SSS about using the action screw spacing as a determining factor as I would with other rifles but she said that magazine length is the usual method with Savages.

I was at my local club shooting it this morning and a Savage owner agreed with my assumption that it is a long-action receiver with a short-action magazine. He told me he had seen one other one like that years ago - a blued Model 10 or 11 - but couldn't recall the caliber.

Ed