Mod 12 varmit 223.

[Fox man.]

Hi All.
Getting a new Savage mod 12 next week in 223 its the one with the thumb hole stock.
How do they shoot?. I shall use 50 to 55grn Vmax or Amax home loads.
Any info out there.
Thanks fox man,

[jonbearman]

They normally will shoot an inch or less. Make sure you clean the barrel good before firing the new rifle as a lot of dust and oils are in new barrels and it doesn't do it any good breaking in dirty. Are you a veteran reloader?

[Texas10]

I think you'll find that your new varmint rifle will shoot very well right out of the box. Mine did ( a nine twist model 12 BVSS in 223) and cheap American Eagle 50 gr. tipped off the shelf varmint ammo will shoot sub MOA day in and day out. I am finding 53 grain V-Max, 52 grain A-Max and 52 grain Nosler Custom Competition HPBT shoot very well out to 200 yds and beyond with IMR8082XBR. Many here find 69 gr. Sierra Match Kings work especially well at longer ranges, although I have yet to get my hands on some.
Welcome to the club!

[ssv1761982]

I have an old one and 50gr VMAX with H335, FC cases, Rem 7.5 br primers have been shooting great for years.

[kkeene]

If it doesn't shoot great right out of the box keep putting a few more rounds down range. I have had a couple of Savage rifles that didn't start shooting good till I had 50 to 100 rounds fired and a couple of cleaning sessions. I use JB bore paste to clean "rough" factory barrels.

Sierra 52 gr HPBT 1410 Match gives me the best accuracy in mine, typically under 1/2 MOA, sometimes much better. This bullet is also an excellent choice for small varmints (prairie dogs) even though it is billed as a match bullet.

[Cyclops]

What twist rate is your barrel?

I got the 1:7 twist barrel for use in target shooting (FTR), Model 12 VLP DBM.

With handloads, 24.7 gr ADI2208 (Varget equivalent) 80gr A-Max in Norma cases it shoots well out to 900 yards.
Can do 1000 yards if there is light to moderate wind, heavier winds make 1000 yards challenging.
This combination is competitive with .308s in FTR