new savage 11, rough looking barrel

[barrel-nut]

The idea that so many above were so quick to accept this lack of quality control as "normal" is a bit disturbing to say the least.[/QUOTE]

That's because this has become "normal" to some extent in recent years. The last three Savages I've bought all looked like that. All are good shooters, around MOA at least. All are .308's, and two had chatter marks not quite that bad but still visible to the naked eye. The other one, a 10FP, looked identical to the photos in the OP. When you run a brass brush through it, the cleaning rod hums due to the vibration. Yet, it shoots very well, sub-moa out to 600 yds, which is the farthest I can shoot. I've shot .8-" groups at 300 yds with that barrel. It does foul a lot, no surprise there. But like most Savages, the fouling seems to help accuracy if anything. I still clean it after every 50-100 rounds with Wipe-Out. My point is that, while it may be unsightly, it's not necessarily going to make it a poor shooter. I'd give it a try before sending it back.

[J.Baker]

That's because this has become "normal" to some extent in recent years. The last three Savages I've bought all looked like that. All are good shooters, around MOA at least. All are .308's, and two had chatter marks not quite that bad but still visible to the naked eye. The other one, a 10FP, looked identical to the photos in the OP. When you run a brass brush through it, the cleaning rod hums due to the vibration. Yet, it shoots very well, sub-moa out to 600 yds, which is the farthest I can shoot. I've shot .8-" groups at 300 yds with that barrel. It does foul a lot, no surprise there. But like most Savages, the fouling seems to help accuracy if anything. I still clean it after every 50-100 rounds with Wipe-Out. My point is that, while it may be unsightly, it's not necessarily going to make it a poor shooter. I'd give it a try before sending it back.

Well, I have four factory take-off barrels here in different calibers, all from guns made in the last 2-3 years, and not one of them has any visible machining chatter in them at the muzzle. I've also never gotten in a review rifle that had any kind of machining chatter like that and I typically review 3-4 centerfire rifles every year. If you're willing to accept such a barrel that's your prerogative, but I'm sure I'm not alone when I say I sure as heck wouldn't. Even mass production rifles have quality standards, and the barrel above falls well short of them. Whether it shoots well or not is irrelevant. That's like buying a new car with a dead cylinder in the engine but saying it's ok because it still runs and drives down the road.