Thread: Savage Model 12 223

SAVAGE MODEL 12, 223

Bench Rest rifle, in a calibre that was both cheap and easy to load.
223 lots of free brass left at the range, good projectiles for around 50 cents, 8 cents per primer , powder 20 / 30cents, so reasonable quality shooting for less than a buck per round.

Priced a new LRPV model 12 Savage, left hand feed, new at $2900
Purchased a secondhand Model 12 heavy barrel for $800.
Shot it and it showed potential, so started to splash, down the rabbit hole we go. Bought a Boyds stock $480 wait 7 months for it as ChCh Terrorist thing, got in the way. Timney trigger $200 .........

New rig, shot it without anything done to the Boyds stock. Not Good, so I pillar bedded it with some small loose aluminium round sections, . rhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXRBG1HCutI&t=2046s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3aydnQYFK0 result slightly better and so carried on & bedded it, overall improvement, marginal.

Got all stuffed up with seating depths, sometimes this rifle would shoot well. Accuracy was intermittent. Being a second hand rifle, with no history, I was now on a crusade to make this thing shoot.
Could never ascertain where the lands were, seemingly Savage have a history of long throats, perhaps the throat was burnt out , that’s why I’m struggling to find a seating depth? Tended to double group which suggested the bedding wasn’t right.

Despair, so I took it to TT someone with experience to have a look at, bore scope etc. Everything looked Ok although rifling was rough & chipped, done when the barrel was manufactured, no throat erosion, but overall not a good barrel, yet it had shot well once upon a time.

A Rude Shock, he informed me that my pillar and bedding job were rubbish. I will have to start again, he replied the beginning is a good place to start. Got to like old school straight up Honesty.

So I completely, started again, this time the pillar beds were steel and tolerances, were tight, followed by a devcon bedding job, everything was tight & snug as. Back tang not touching, magazine single shot not binding on anything. Shot it, didn’t seem so hold sensitive, felt solid, the groups were better but I felt it could still do better. Perhaps it’s time to bite the bullet, new barrel time.

Barrel still had a rough feel when running patches, annoying, my cheap bore scope, showed copper.
So Bore tec over and over until no visible signs of copper.

Jag patch with just JBs bore paste, 40 strokes forwards & backwards, changed patch & did it all over again. Cleaned out with Hoppies No9 the patches felt smoother. Perhaps I’ve got a smooth bore.

Results result the damn thing shot 3 nice groups, getting tighter as I went. A new barrel would sort it out but for the moment, it will get the heavy weight treatment.

Perseverance paying off

Great result following a lot of frustration!

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

Phil...my experience with 223 over last 25 years tells me a 2" high at hundy zero is better.....punch the numbers in pointblank and you will see why...basically it keeps it in vital zone better to 200 where 99% of shots will be...tried the higher zero and found wasshooting over the top at inbetween ranges.
and yes it is entirely possible....but all things are relative....for me who seldom shoots past 250...400 is a looooong shot ,group size of AROUND inch is perfectly adequate.....with hillar/shoulder area its a dead deer..... wallabies will be just as dead hit 4" left of centre using varmit projectiles when you aim for centre of the big bit.....at 200 yards 2" anyway off aim wont matter a hoot.

Originally Posted by Phil_H

Incidentally @flock, is it feasible to get something that groups that well in a hunting rifle without spending mega-dollars?

Cheers
Phil

Yes --- 65g SP game kings at just shy of 3000fps in one in nine twist. My little Savage at 6.5 pounds all up shoots easy as well.

No I'm not competitive, there are competitions here in NZ, the Guys that are involved spend moonbeams on their rigs.
223 is not considered even in the picture as a benchrest cal. Hand full of guys at the club are completive and represent NZ overseas. Like every thing in Sport at the top you need a Hugh budget. Out of my reach, just enjoy a cheap rig and getting it as good as I can, but that's what we are all aiming for, with every rifle.