First Savage Keeper, what should I expect accuracy-wise?

[RiverRider]

I snagged an Model 14 American Classic in .223 recently.

I was surprised to see how light the barrel is. I've had Remingtons and Winchesters over the years and a half-inch for five shots at 100 is about what I came to expect from them on a good day and thay all had slightly heavier barrels. I sprung for the 14 because of the reputation Savage has for accuracy, and the rifle is just plain sexy.

I have to say that I REALLY like the Accutrigger so far.

Another thing I really like is what I've found during dry fire. I won't be able to shoot the rifle for a while, but I've mounted my scope and bore sighted it. I dry fired several times and what really jumped out at me was that the rifle does not seem to move at all when the firing pin falls. I find that very encouraging and I wonder if others have noted the same characteristic. In fact, I wonder if that's not a great part of why Savages are reputed to shoot so well, and why this is.

Anyway, what should I expect for five shot groups at 100 with this rifle?

[Hallbilly]

Same here, bought a new Model 16 in 223 a few weeks ago.
Love the trigger, love the feel and the balance.
Taken about 40 rounds to get the barrel to behave, over the years I've found there's a magic balance between too clean and just enough copper left behind.
One inch high and one inch to the left at 100 yard with one inch clusters.
One inch low and one inch to the right at 200 yards with one inch clusters.
Not bothered about the left/right issue, I'm putting that into the same basket as trying to understand women... just far to hard.

[44magleo]

Hallbilly, Maybe the scope is a bit crooked. Crosshairs not straight to the rifle.Leo

[darkker]

1) I sprung for the 14 because of the reputation Savage has for accuracy,
2) I dry fired several times and what really jumped out at me was that the rifle does not seem to move at all when the firing pin falls. I find that very encouraging
3) Anyway, what should I expect for five shot groups at 100 with this rifle?

1&2 - I've never had a rifle "move" when pulling the trigger...???
Savage's "reputation" came from a price point. They were the "cheap seats" back when, and there were some rifles that would shoot with the more expensive options out there. What always gets neglected in the story, is the QC. Savage has turned out some absolute abysmal failures, some very recently as well; That part tends to get glossed over. For the price(not so much now) they COULD be a steal! I am glad you are happy with it, and hope it serves you well.
3 - This has no answer. The only way it would, is if they offered a guarentee to that effect. If it's like the 270's from the 80's expect to have a shotgun. If it is a good one, provided good loads, MOA.
They tend to run LOOOONG throats, and that can be an issue for factory ammo.

Cheers

[RiverRider]

Darkker, next time you're shooting off sandbags watch how your reticle moves (or does NOT, depending on the rifle possibly) against your point of aim while dry firing. Many of my rifles seem to twitch a little bit when doing this. I suppose it has to do with the firing pin's mass and the force of the spring. I dry fired the new 14 a few times when I finished bore sighting and I found that it just doesn't want to move at all. My rifles based on 98 Mausers are a little more prone to movement, and I suspect those massive firing pins are at least a part of the reason.

I have disassembled the bolt from a 110, but that was years ago and I simply don't recall what any of the innards looked like. CRS!

[darkker]

...Perhaps.
I don't shoot from bags for long-range work, I run a bi-pod that I load from the prone position. Unless my booger-hook gets ham handed on the bang-switch, I've not noticed it. :)

[Hallbilly]

Hi 44magleo, Yeah that could be it (Look guiltily to the ground, kick some stones, hope for a distraction......).
Also because I'm below the equator and for us water swirls down the toilet in the opposite direction to the USA, perhaps this effect can also influence projectiles ?
But on a serious note, I'm trying to encourage RiverRider that he should be able to get quite satisfactory results from his rifle, I'm happy with mine.

[RiverRider]

...Perhaps.
I don't shoot from bags for long-range work, I run a bi-pod that I load from the prone position. Unless my booger-hook gets ham handed on the bang-switch, I've not noticed it. :)

Ahhh, yes...the old booger hook. My own booger hook is sometimes quite undisciplined. Booger hooks must sometimes be exercised and intensively trained to do things other than hookin' boogers.

[DannoBoone]

If your Mod 14 does not shoot well at first. don't give up on it. I have 2 Mod 12's and a 112. All needed a breaking in period. It
took around a hundred rounds for the .25-06 and around 50 for the .22-250. The .243 shot great right as soon as I found the
right load for it, but that did take a few groups.

[RiverRider]

That's always a good thing to remember, DannoBoone, and thanks for bringing it up.

[Bigeclipse]

I snagged an Model 14 American Classic in .223 recently.

I was surprised to see how light the barrel is. I've had Remingtons and Winchesters over the years and a half-inch for five shots at 100 is about what I came to expect from them on a good day and thay all had slightly heavier barrels.

Anyway, what should I expect for five shot groups at 100 with this rifle?

Savages are known to be one of the best for "out-of-the-box accuracy". That being said, ANY rifle manufacturer can have a lemon or two, but out of the lower to middle class rifles id say savages have the least lemons along with Tikka so you did well going with a savage if accuracy is important! It is very common for a savage to shoot sub MOA at 100 yards but you might have to put a little cash into finding which ammo it likes best. Every gun can be picky when it comes to ammo. The savage I own would only hold 1.5-2 inches with the federal premium ammo, but switched to corelokts and it was under an inch all day long. So do not get discouraged if the first loads you shoot are not up to expectation. If you reload, I almost guarantee you will find a sub MOA load rather quickly. If not, my advice would be to buy a few different brands/weights of bullets. Which ever shoots best and if it is up to your expectation, then go back to the store immediately and buy more boxes of the same ammo LOT number.
The good thing about a savage is you have the ability to "rebarrel" and headspace the rifle yourself (without a gunsmith) which other brands you cannot. It is very easy but you NEED to read a lot of info to make sure the rifle stays safe. It might sound "scary" at first but it really is not. I recently did this with mine. I put on a 325 dollar criterion match grade barrel, 25 dollar barrel nut, 25 dollar recoil lug. This rifle now shoots everything I feed it under an inch. I have tried many different types of factory loads and all were under an inch. Most are under .75inches AND I recently just worked up a reload that is under .5 inches at 100 yards.

[RiverRider]

I do handload, so that's covered...but I gave up a Remington 700 Classic to get this rifle. The 700 would sometimes put five in a half-inch, and most of the time under three-quarters of an inch. I expect better with this rifle. If it does not deliver I will be disappointed and probably go shopping for a Tikka or a Sako or something.

[Mach2]

Also because I'm below the equator and for us water swirls down the toilet in the opposite direction to the USA, perhaps this effect can also influence projectiles ?

Myth.

[RiverRider]

Actually, I think that's not a myth...it only matters when shooting extremely LONG range tough.

Took the new Savage out a couple of weeks ago. Results were awful shooting ammo developed for the Remington (and I'm talking AWFUL). I'll give it another chance though, and go through the customary load development steps. We'll see if Savage's rep is hype, or not.

[Twinsen]

I thought the "different rifles like different stuff" was total BS until I saw it myself.