Question from new Savage owner/reloader

[Garander]

Hi every one , new guy here.
After much research i bought a Model10 PC in 223 , great concept .
However the first outing was disappointing, i broke her in with some American Eagle and mostly
Reloads from 55 gr fmj to Sirras 69. The groups were not good nor consistent. Certainly not on par with
My Rem SPS(308). All loads were on the mild side. I had mounted an a2 flash hider and that seemed
To make matters worse, i soon removed it and saw some improvement but not enough.
I suspect that this particular rifle is picky on ammo, not a good characteristic for a possible SHTF FIREARM?
I want to tweak the reloads to optimize the accuracy potential of the rifle.
Would appreciate any suggestions/help.
I have read concerns about throat lenght on savage rifles and the are very contradictory, and would like to see some load recipes specifically for the Model 10PC that include COAL
Thanks
Garander

[kelbro]

26.5gr W748 with a 55gr bullet loaded to 2.26" should work.

[22 Mag]

I would start with 26.0gr of either AA2230-C or AA2460 with the same 55gr bullet and lenght.

22 Mag

[Texas Solo]

Hi every one , new guy here.
After much research i bought a Model10 PC in 223 , great concept .
However the first outing was disappointing, i broke her in with some American Eagle and mostly
Reloads from 55 gr fmj to Sirras 69.
Garander

American Eagle is Federal's "low ball" ammo....far from consistent. Don't expect anything from it other than to go bang.

Reloads from 55-69. I'll assume these reloads were not tailored to your rifle. Were they properly sized, trimmed? Was the seating depth (OAL) set to YOUR chamber?
What powder,primer,bullet combo were they comprised of?

If the answer to the above questions are "I don't know", then you shouldn't expect much either.

If you really want to check the performance of a rifle, you need to shoot QUALITY factory ammo or properly constructed reloads made for YOUR rifle.

The #10 PC is a good rifle. Mine shoots sub MOA with factory Hornady 55gr V-Max. A good scope helps too.

[Garander]

Thanks for your reply TS.
You are correct in as far as the loads not having been worked up for the PC carbine, the recipes were a starting point and all gave acceptable performance in my AR.
The brass was trimmed to 1.75, but not selected by headstamp nor was it processed any further, it was mostly 5.56 hulls
I used 4064 powder simply because of the shortage of other powder in these parts.
55grainers at 24.5 gr coal 2.25, 69 sierras at 23 gr. coal at 2.26 .
I know they are far from optimum , it was a first outing but i expected better.
I would like to know if you are running a flash hider and your opinion on it'impact on accuracy.
This a very talented group on this forum and i thank you all for you help.
Garander

[wbm]

I would like to know if you are running a flash hider and your opinion on it' impact on accuracy.

Best way to find out is to shoot it with and without. After you get some ammunition that shoots better that is.

[thermaler]

If you're going to go to the trouble of getting your barrel threaded, I'd look into a quality compensator (brake) rather than a flash hider if you're looking for a reduction in recoil/lift.

[Garander]

Barrel is already Threaded. Will be running the issued thread protector nut for a while.
Got a old of some Varget and loaded some sample loads to test along side my M1
Hornady 55 gr sp flat base win comm brass 24 gr Varget oal 2.2000
Sierra match king 69gr boat tail hallow point Lake City 5.56 brass over 23 gr of Varget oal 2.260 ( ran through Hornadys
Cocentricity doohickey) to a + - 2 thousands run out.
Thanks for the opinions
Will get it right
Garander

[243LPR]

Did you also completely disassemble the rifle and check EVERYTHING,action screw torque,all scope mount and ring tightness.Also make sure barrel and tang is floated. Shooting off a bipod or bags? It can make a difference.

[DanSavage]

Always sort brass by head stamp.

It's possible to find a powder charge and seating depth that works good on mixed head stamps but that is not recommended.

Dan

[Garander]

Did not take apart, just checked all for tightness, cleaned barrel and headed for the range.