Range Report 1: end of summer clearance Savage Axis .223 from Walmart

[FOGeologist]

Range Report 1: end of summer clearance Savage Axis .223 from Walmart

I snatched up this Savage Axis .223 heavy-barreled rifle from a local Walmart in (I am only pretty sure here, don't fry me if I'm wrong) Mossy Oak "Break Up Country," with a Chinese-made Bushnell 4-12 x 40 (76-4124) mounted on rings with scope mounts of indeterminate origin, for a clearance-priced $199. The scope is just a starter scope, one that's meant to get the budget shooter into the field putting lead downrange, and while it's somewhat clear and clicks are distinct, and adjustments hold, it's not meant for permanent residence atop a serious rifle. The rifle comes with a 4-round magazine; there are no large capacity magazines currently made for this rifle (you hear this, manufacturers? Thousands of owners are looking for them!). The stock is Axis-grade stuff, meaning "cheap and flexible," and true-to-form, I found it depressingly-easy to flex it to touch the barrel. It is very slightly doing so in any case.

I took the rifle, cleaning gear, 20 rounds of 55 grain FMJ, 50 rounds of my 55 grain Montana-Gold handloads (23.6 grains X-Terminator), and 50 rounds of oddball 45 grain Fiocci "Sinterfire" ammunition, some targets, and my long-range optics to the Great Guns Sporting Range in Nunn, Colorado last Sunday. My goal was to break-in the barrel, an ambitious task outlined by Savage as:

"STEP 1 (repeated 10 times)

Fire one round
Push wet patches soaked with a powder solvent through the bore
Push a brush through the bore (5 times in each direction)
Push dry patches through the bore (2 times)
Push wet patches soaked with a copper solvent through the bore
Push a brush through the bore (5 times in each direction)
Push dry patches through the bore (2 times)
Push a patch with 2 drops of oil through the bore

STEP 2 (repeated 5 times)

Fire a 3 shot group
Repeat the cleaning procedure from STEP 1 after each group

STEP 3 (repeat 5 times)

Fire a 5 shot group
Repeat the cleaning procedure from STEP 1"

Holy mackerel! This is an ambitious plan, that would clearly take multiple visits to the range.

I prepared the night before by dismounting the scope and mounts from the rifle, and cleaning the threads with alcohol. I used blue threadlocker to prevent the mounts on the scope and the rings from vibrating free. I also cleaned the barrel, which was surprisingly dirty. Like, dirty as a shoe from a 200 yard slog through the mud.

I arrived at the range and discovered this facility has a 200 and a 300 yard bench. The Great Guns range is, without a doubt, the best range in Northern Colorado. It's $20 to enter, and no rangemasters constantly bug you with micromanagement, safety-nazi lectures, and endless firing breaks. The target stands are first rate, and the people who shoot there are professionals. I'll be back.

I set up and placed four targets on the stands, and proceeded with the lengthy break in. This took no less than 3 hours to get through the 10-round stretch. It was amazingly difficult to get any reduction in powder fouling evident without brushing 3-5 times, and putting 4-7 patches down the barrel. I don't recall having the barrel come clean no matter how I scrubbed! I was using the Remington Bore Cleaner I bought 25 years ago, and I only have plastic brushes for this caliber, with Shooter's Choice to remove copper fouling.




At this point, I was exhausted and losing patience - I decided I'd fire 5-round groups and clean, then 10-round. I fired off the remaining American Eagle FMJ, and put through my first handloads. I was firing 5 shot groups and getting 4-5 inch groups - nothing special. Then I ran into difficulty chambering rounds; it seems my handloads have a few very-slightly dented cases, which feed effortlessly through an AR-15, but a precision bolt-action rifle's chamber requires cases in better condition as a few would not chamber. Nor did I see any improvement in accuracy; I then moved to the new Fiocci Sinterfires - these are oddball rounds which feature lead-free, 45-grain projectiles with a curious bullet profile - they remind me of the nosecone of the Thor intermediate-range ballistic missile, truncated as they are. I was doubtful of the accuracy of any such ammunition engineered with a ecological consideration as first thought.



I loaded five rounds into the magazine, and let fly. I had been allowing little time for the barrel to cool between shots, this was invariably affecting my accuracy. Admittedly I was not shooting for particularly great groups at that time; I was rather seeking to get some shootin' done in the waning hours of the day.

The first round struck low and center. The next round was 3 inches to the left - I was not impressed. Then the rest of the four landed in a narrow strip with #2! I am calling the first round a flyer, from changing ammunition type (the barrel has to be conditioned with one round for you to get an accurate results for the group being built).



I fired five more - you can see the group size that I made. I shot a couple more groups, getting not greatly inferior results, despite me shooting them faster and allowing zero barrel cooling time. I note that the barrel, in spite of its heavy profile, got a LOT hotter than I would have expected from a bolt-action rifle, and stayed warmer than I would have thought for a lot longer than I would have believed.



I also cleaned the barrel before I left, and it seemed as dirty as mud mountain. When I got home I began cleaning with better cleaners - Wipe Out and Patch Out - and achieving a permanently-clean bore took literally days of leaving these mild, but effective cleaners working overnight.

Range Report 2 will follow. Teaser - I get even better results!

[charlie b]

That's about right from how mine was. Keep at it, it will get better :)

Mine finally settled down after 400 rounds (I did not do a break in). Even now, after 3000 rounds it will still load up with copper. But, it shoots 1/2MOA too :)

[godale]

I bought the same rifle 4 years ago from Finn feather fur .it now wears a Boyd’s sock and outshoots me


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[FOGeologist]

Well, I will be taking my fifty or sixty cartridges and neck-sizing them for work up loads using better bullets. I have bought a OAL comparator (Hornady) in .223 to gain a picture of distance to lands. My next goal will be to pick a load weight that's in the middle of a range for the X-Terminator powder I am using, and try a variety of lengths to check "jump." When I find a more accurate "jump," I'll develop a loading for that selection and will develop a standard load for accuracy.

I'm a "develop a good load and stop worrying" kind of guy... that usually occurs at 1 MOA. Since the rifle is already at 1 MOA (.75 MOA~ish, from this and subsequent testing), I'm now into "how much better can I get it?" territory.

I have a second shoot to post here with my handloaded "plinker" fun-load showing great promise. I'll get to it soon.