I wanted to have an inexpensive rifle to enjoy non-competitive precision shooting at the local rifle range. This particular weapon wouldn't be used for hunting or serious competition and I didn't want to spend a boat-load of money.

[IMG]IMG_0023-Edit by Mozella55, on Flickr[/IMG]

I selected the bolt action Savage MKII FV .22 as a starting point. That's the version with the large varmint barrel, no sights, Accutrigger, and a cheap plastic stock. I got lucky with Christmas sales discounts, the Savage rebate program, and even a $5 transfer fee. I wound up paying only $165 by the time the gun got to my door.
I test fired the completely standard gun (plus scope) with the plastic stock and made 5 shot average groups of 0.920" at 50 yards using a variety of ordinary ammunition in order to establish a base line.

I bought a Boyd Barracuda laminated stock in some crazy colors and pillar bedded it using various Internet threads for inspiration and guidance. Because there is so little structure in the aggressively inletted stock, I bonded a long aluminum "C" channel inside the stock which ties both action screws together as well as the pillars. Conventional bedding finished the stock swap project.
[IMG]IMG_0009 by Mozella55, on Flickr[/IMG]
I added a Mueller 8.5x25-44 Scope, a Harris bipod, and (eventually) an Apachee trigger kit. The stock swap took about 3 days to complete and I'm quite satisfied with the results.
After bedding the Boyd stock, the 5 shot groups (standard Accutrigger) averaged .697", a reduction of .223". That's a significant improvement. Then, after installing the Apachee trigger kit, the 5 shot groups improved a further .060"; not a lot but definitely worth it.

It must be noted that my so-called "testing" is not entirely scientific. All shots were from a bench rest, but some shots were taken from sand bags and some from the bipod. Some groups were made in calm conditions and some during gusty winds over 10mph. Some were made with Remington Cyclone ammo and some with Eley Target (yellow box) ammo. Nevertheless, over several hundred rounds I think it's safe to say that the stock swap and bedding process produced a significant improvement. The slight improvement associated with the Apachee trigger kit and the resulting reduction in trigger pull is not very large, but I am confident that it is real in spite of the relatively small number of test rounds fired. It certainly is easier to make what feels like a "good" shot even though the standard Accutrigger is pretty darn nice right out of the box. I believe that over time the improvement attributable to the reduced trigger pull and very clean break of the Apachee trigger kit will be even greater.

I've been shooting for many years, but my interest in precision shooting with rim fire ammunition is new and I'm learning as I go . The trend I notice with the ordinary ammunition I've been using is that out of a 5 shot group, often times three of the shots will produce a nice tight group and one or both of the other rounds will more than double the size of the group. For example, if you pick the best three, a particular 5 shot group might be around .25" but counting all five will produce a group size of .6" or perhaps .9", or even worse. I did shoot one five shot group at 50 yards in which all five shots went into the same hole, producing a group of .109" which indicates that the gun is certainly capable of good accuracy if the ammo and the shooter are doing their parts.
[IMG]IMG_0031-Edit by Mozella55, on Flickr[/IMG]

So I've just ordered a selection of high-end ammo, including some Eley Tenex, to see if I can solve the ammo consistency problem. I'd like to reliably shoot 5 shot groups of around .3" at 50 yards with hopes that I can occasionally shoot less than 1/4" groups. Perhaps that's overly optimistic. We'll see.