New member; first post:

Last spring I bought a new Savage 12 BVSS in .308 Win. To date, I have fired 254 rounds of factory ammunition, and I have yet to shoot a decent group. Typically, I may be able to get 4 of 5 shots within one inch, but that’s all-no sub-moa for this shooter with this rifle. I am not a skilled rifle shooter, however, I do have some experience. All shooting with this rifle has been at 100 yards and off the bench from a cast-iron rest and leather sand bags. All record shots have been with 168gr. HPBT match ammunition (Federal, Lapua, and Hornady). I am using a Weaver T36 scope in Weaver 6-hole tactical rings, on Burris steel Picatinny mounts. Everything is tight, as best I can tell.

Since joining the forum, I have done a lot of reading here trying to learn the nuances of Savage rifles. One thing that I read several times was that the action tang should not be making contact with the stock. This was new information to me, so I removed the action from my stock. What I observed and tried to photograph raises some concern.

The first photo shows a clear bright line where the tang is making contact with the stock. There is a similar rub line on the opposite side.





Then I looked at the bottom of the action and saw what appears to be only point contact with the front pillar and rear magazine retention clip.








Targets 3 and 4 are typical; target 5 is the best ever.




So here is my question for the experienced members here: Does this look right for a Savage rifle, or could this indicate a partial cause of my disappointing performance? Are my expectations too high? All comments/suggestions are appreciated.