I just finished setting up this rifle about a week ago and had my 1st range session over the weekend. First I removed the EGW base which was torqued down pretty tight from the factory, swabbed the base screws and ring screws with denatured alcohol, leveled and mounted the scope, applied blue Loctite to all the screws, and timed the muzzle brake. The trigger needs to be lightened but I still managed .75" groups at 100 yds. This rifle definitely has a lot of potential!!!

Brasse - I was also using 168 gr PPU ammo and the chamber was very tight. At first it would not chamber but with a little muscle the rounds would feed. I can still feel some pressure on the bolt handle when chambering a round. To get on paper I used a few 147 gr rounds and did not have any issue chambering them.

My rifle has a gap between the bottom of the rear tang and the stock, it's about 1/16". I called Savage but they did not think this was a problem. I'm not going to be sloshing around in the mud with this rifle but I could see some debris finding its way in. Does anyone else have this gap?

Since I'm a lefty I was a little worried about the oversized bolt handle, but it is a joy to shoot especially with the brake. I also brought a 6.5 Swede with me and the Savage recoil was noticeably less than the 6.5 which is known for it's softness.

Here's a pic... http://www.flickr.com/photos/99194110@N04/9404281231/