New Rifle shooting like crap

Colonel Sanders

Colonel Sanders

New member
I bought an older Savge 110 in 223. Cleaned the snot outta the barrel. Took the cheap Simmons off and slapped on a nikon I had laying around. Got it on paper and it shoots really sporadic. I checked the action screws. scope tightness. and all the usually suspects. I mean it'll shoot one shot an inch high then the next, four inches lower. Next shot will be close the first. I seriously doubt it's the scope. It's been in the safe since taking it off my DPMS and it shot tiny groups when I took it off the AR. So I'm wondering what the issue is. My first thought was barrel might be shot out since I don't know the complete history of the particular gun. The bore looked good to my untrained eye. For the record this was with factory ammo. So are there any ideas for something I'm overlooking?
 
I would find a gunsmith, or someone, that has a good bore scope and check the throat first, before becoming too frustrated..A thorough inspection of the barrel may give you the answers you need..

If all that checks out to be okay, then I'd look at the ammunition and maybe try a different load type..and then go to the trigger and your bench form... Just ideas...
 
I would look real close at the trigger on the 110 savage they are a bit stiff , it can be adjusted . Make sure that the tang is floated and check the forearm the stocks are flimsy also check and see if the forearm and barrel are making contact you may have to stiffen it some .
 
With that wide of a spread take a look at the crown and mike the end of
the bore, it's a lot more of a problem than a bad throat in that it takes a lot
of shooting or cleaning abuse to open the barrel up. You'll need a ball gauge.
They aren't expensive.
 
Did you check your action screws by any chance? (I'm thinking you probably did).

I'd check the crown closely, too.
Grab the scope and try and wiggle it, then grab the stock and try to wiggle the action in the stock.

I've found problems before using that stupid technique.
 
I would first put the crown under a good magnifying glass.
If the crown looks good, then take it to a gunsmith with
a bore scope. After inspection, you may have a decision
to make. If it is a new barrel, and on a Savage that
can be a do-it yourself project, start shopping barrels.
I would hesitate to pay for any gunsmithing work other than
a re-crown given a good looking bore, throat, and chamber.
With Savage's barrel nut, and floating bolt head, there
really isn't much to "fix" other than than re-barrel, or
trigger upgrades.

I would just purchase a good to better quality barrel, and
replace it first. It takes me about 15 minutes to put a new
barrel on a Savage, and I can head space it to my dies, as
a bonus. If the trigger can't be re-worked, put a new trigger
in a future budget. Rifle Basix makes a reasonably priced
hunting pull force trigger, and a more expensive target
trigger. If it is an Accu-Trigger, get some new springs
from Savage Shooters Supply, and remove that stupid blade,
and you should be good to go.

Squeeze

P.S. All of the above is predicated on making sure there are
no issues with the telescopic sights, the action screws are
tight, the barrel is free floated, and the rifle is resting
on the recoil lug on the bench rest when shooting groups.
 
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What I always tell the people who work with me - trouble shooting 101. Always start with the easy stuff first.

Ammo (try handloaded 40 gr. Vmaxs)
Mounts/rings/scope
Bedding (I'm bettin on this one)
Barrel/crown

An older Savage 110 is about as user friendly to work on as bolt rifles get.
 
Does it have a synthetic stock or wood? I had a steven's that that shoot good with a crappy synthetic stock and shot terrible vertical strings with the nice looking wooden stock that I bought to fancy it up. It sat in the stock perfect but when I torqued its action into the wood it wouldn't shoot straight
 
It's got a wood stock so I'm thinking the issue might be a bedding one. As for the install of a new barrel that was what I was thinking. I bought this gun with a fear that this might be the case so no big deal. The previous owner had already told me it shot so-so. I figured what the heck. At savageshooters.com I can buy a new factory barrel for $185. With the way factory savage's shoot I figured this might be alright. I know that there are different companies with various grades of quality but like most people I want the most for my money. So I should probably have a smith look at the bore first. If that checks out then I should most likely try to bed the action next. If all else fails I'm looking for a new barrel/stock combo. Thanks for the insight so far guys. If you have any other ideas I'm all ears.
 
Yeah, I don't think there would be much risk buying a $185 barrel from Savage and expectin a shooter. They seem to turn out acurate rifles 95% of the time.
When you have the action out of the stock, look for "witness marks" and see if there's anything obvious. Like the barrel riding one side of the channel heavy or damage around the action lug.
A good bedding job will improve accuracy almost every time, but if the barrels junk, that won't get you very far.
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Good luck, I hope it's something simple and cheap.
 
If you get a new barrel, you will probably need a set of go and no-go gauges to headspace it...

Or else just headspace it on a couple of new, factory loaded cartridges of different brands... make sure the barrel is indexing pretty evenly between these two different cartridge makes. That should get you real close for the "go gauge."

Then you can pick up a piece of brass fired in a Remington rifle at the range and that'll be your no-go gauge for your Savage.
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Dan
 
Tried 50,55, and 60 grainers. And I tried 3 different brands of 55's. That's not a huge spread in grains but more than it takes to figure out most rifles. I'm suppose to visit a smith who has a bore scope after church tomorrow. So we'll see how the throat and the rifling looks and I guess go from there.
 
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I am guessing it is one of the older, wooden stocked, 110-E's?? I saw a bunch of them that would shot 3-5 inch groups. It may be an easy fix like some of the other guys recommended. However if I were you I would be very careful about taking a 110-E to the gunsmith for much work. You will end up putting more money into the rifle than what it is worth. Unless the rifle has sentimental value, the real value(if it is in good shape) is from $150 to $200. So putting a couple of hundred into it at a gunsmith is not a good idea. Just an opinion. I am not knocking your rifle-even though it sounds like it. So please accept my apology for that. But the truth is the truth.

I am also guessing that since it is a 223, it has an extremely long throat. Alot of the mfrs. made the older 223's with long throats. And this longer throat does not help much for accuracy, especially with factory ammo. The smith with the scope should also be able to tell you about the length of the throat. Or you can just measure it yourself. Tom.
 
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What did the Simmons scope shoot like?

I would borrow from Reagan: Trust but verify on the scope.

Next, the mounts.

Then the stock.

Then the barrel.

My .02 worth.

Three 44s
 
I'd pay 250 for the gun, sight unseen. And I know a lot of other guys who would race me to it if it were offered up for 250... so we know it's worth at least that. Being as it's a .223, it may be worth a tad more, since most of the used old 110s you find on the market are either 270, 30-06, or 7mm Rem Mag.

I don't think the barrel would be shot out on a .223 rem. They're just not that hard on barrels, especially on what has probably just been a truck gun/beater.

On that note, and as was mentioned earlier, I'd check the crown. Many guys ride around with the muzzle of the gun on the floorboard of the truck, and it can get cruddy and even rusty up in the crown area. A bad crown will harm accuracy about as much as anything you can do to a rifle...

Dan
 
my rifle was doing the same thing,

i would shoot and it would be 3 inches from the last hole without me touching a dial,

i took mine to smith and havent heard from him yet soooo.
 
A friend had a new Sav. that didn't group for Shhh! He had the barrel scoped and just at the end, behind the crown was a small flaw in the riflings. Trimed about a half inch and recrowned, all better.
 
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