Texas- But wait, there's more, as the infomercials state.

"...The pillars are not machined with a radius to match the barrel contour. And there are marks on the stock that suggest uneven support...." If these pillars were installed by Savage, put in a support ticket. If not, call whoever did the work. If you did it yourself, you will need to fix it or send it out.

Do you have the expertise (seriously) to do the work?

Also, IIRC, Savage gives a range for torque, i.e. 30-35 for one model and 35-40 for another. Please make sure you are looking at the right range. Also, are you in the cold part of Texas or the warm part? If the cold part, you might want to wait for the Spring to start measuring groups and such. I can tell you for sure in New York, it ain't the time for precision benchrest shooting. It was 6 degrees this morning when I left for work with a strong wind.

As to the seating- you might want to, at home, put some lipstick or nail polish on the suspected part, torque down, open it up and see where contact is actually made instead of looking for wear marks.