Savage 340 B rifle in .222

[mech1369dlw]

Let's try this from a different direction than the last thread I started. This gun will keep all shots in a 4 inch circle at 100 yards. Last year I bought an Axis in .223. It would keep all shots in a 4 inch circle also. I tried numerous factory rounds and reloaded from 40 grain to 62 grain bullets with 4 different powders. It would only shoot a 4 inch group. I did the trigger stuff because it had a 78 pound pull. I did the front stock mod with the rods and epoxy. It shrank the groups down to around 2 1/2 inches. A guy at the range gave me a few rounds with 75 grain Hornady BTHP bullets with 22.5 grains of Benchmark. Now, I can sit at the range all day long and keep every one of the shots in a 1 inch circle at 100 yards.

Back to my .222 340 B rifle that won't group very good. The .222 shoots the same size bullets as the .223,. The main difference between .222 and .223 is the neck is twice as long in the .222, reducing the amount of powder I can put in the case. How about 19-21 grains or so of Benchmark with the 75 grain Hornady BTHP bullets out of the .222 to see if it makes it shoot like it did to the .223? Both barrels are close to the same diameter and length so it SHOULD be able to handle the pressure. Anyone see anything killing bad about trying this as I really want to make this gun shoot good if at all possible. Or should I just give up, burn the stock of the 340 B, heat the barrel till it glows orange and bend it into a square circle? What you guys think? I've tried everything else except a barrel swap and no one can agree on my other thread that the newer barrels are the same size and TPI as the old ones. Any USEFUL info would be appreciated. Thanx

[neohiojohn]

I tried. I told you exactly what I ran into and had to do to switch the barrel on my 340D.

[neohiojohn]

This doesn't seem to want to let me add to my previous post. To continue. It is going to be difficult to tune your 340 due to the inherent design of the rifle. The single action screw and barrel band are not conducive to accuracy. You are basically binding the barrel to the forearm of the stock which is where you normally want clearance (float). I am not saying it is impossible but it will be time consuming to tune the rifle and it may never shoot tight groups. Every rifle is different and has its own "personality". My 340 shot under 1" 3 shoot groups at 100 yards and after I changed the barrel to .223 it took some time but I now shoot the same groups with the .223 as I did with the .222.

[bootsmcguire]

Probably won't work. The 340 were made with a 1-12" or 1-14" twist, way to slow to even come close to stabilizing the 75gr bullets. The Axis has a 1-9" twist which is just fast enough to pull it off.

The 340 barrel is .850" in Diameter with 18 threads per inch.

The 110 style Savages and Savage Axis' have a 1.055" diameter with 20 threads per inch.

The Large Shank Savage 10/110 style use a 1.120" diameter with 20 threads per inch.

So no a regular 110 Savage barrel will not screw on a 340. Barrels can be made for the 340 by a knowledgeable gunsmith or barrel maker.