Savage 10T Odd Problem

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AC23

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Purchased a Savage 10T bolt action .308 rifle during a good fall sale, and didn't get it to the range until the following year, so warranty has come and gone. (Dumb, I know). At the range, I found that the point of impact at 50 yards was about 18 inches low and 4 inches left of where bore sighting would have it. Yes those numbers are inches, not MOA! I had to buy Burris Signature rings (with MOA compensating composite inserts) just get the scope physically moved enough that I could get within scope adjustment limits. I then adjusted the scope to actual point of impact, and it seems to be consistent/good even out to 100 yds. It will consistently group shots, and there are no keyholes. However something is clearly wrong.

For bore sighting methods, I tried an in-chamber laser cartridge, a SiteLite SL (at bore end), and even took the bolt out and peered down the barrel. All three methods are in agreement, yet the impact point is consistently way off to lower left. I took it to a reputable local gun smith and explained the problem, and after having it about one week, he essentially said nothing was wrong with the gun, but he remounted the scope with new rings, and professionally bore sighted it again for me. Went to the range again and it's still having the same problem (no improvement at all).

In the case of a bent barrel, I believe that the last few inches of the barrel dictate where the bullet goes, so the SiteLite should have been pretty close in this case (which it wasn't). So I think I can rule out a bent barrel, right? What else would cause the impact point to be so incredibly far off from bore sighting? I'm stumped, especially after the gunsmith didn't find any problems...
 
Hard to tell. Is the action tightened down to the stock? Crown of the muzzle good? Could the receiver be not true (off-set such that the scope is off).
 
I'm having the same sort of problem. My new Axis 2 .308 was hitting so low and to the left I was barely getting any shots, (2/10), on the paper @ 50yds. The manual says it's factory bore sighted for 200yds. I decided not to waste any more ammo till a laser bore sight and bench rest are delivered.
 
Thanks for the ideas! Regarding the action being tightened down, that's an interesting thought! The gun feels extremely solid - I can't detect any looseness or play anywhere, but maybe I wouldn't? I'll check that for sure. It does have this same problem with different ammo. I tried 168gr, 155gr, and 175gr, and different manufacturers too.

Visual inspection of the crown looks good, but I've wondered if it could be something like a small burr within a rifling channel, or some other imperfection in rifling that's difficult to detect with the naked eye. Maybe I need a second gunsmith to have another look.

Itsa Bughunt, if I can solve this, I'll post the answer for you here. If you beat me to it, please let me know what worked for your case.

Thanks all!
 
Bore sighting is to put shots on paper at 25 yards. Beyond that you will have to shoot it. 18" low at 50 yards is a lot. Was the elevation mid-range? Was the rifle tied down in a sled? How was the group? Was the scope parallex setting correct? Did the rifle wear a muzzle device when you shot it?

You may not want to hear that, but if the group is good, I wouldn't worry much and would try to shim the scope base to compensate.

-TL
 
Hi tangolima, the elevation of my range is only about 100 feet above sea level, and the range is level (bench to target). The rifle was not tied down in a sled, but rather was using a mounted bi-pod. Stability was good enough to get a couple of 3" groups at 50 yards, and 4" groups at 100 yards - enough to tell me that it was being pretty consistent. I'm sure I could narrow those groups a lot with a sled, but I don't own one.

While checking the action and crown again today, I spent a lot of time with a flashlight at the crown, and noticed something interesting. The crown and exit point look good. However, about 3/8 inch down inside the barrel (from the crown), I can see what looks like wear marks on the top of the barrel. They are oval shaped, and elongated, and I do not see the same thing on other areas of the barrel. If the bullets are bumping the top of the barrel on their way out, it might explain the downward path, maybe. But I'm not 100% sure if these are really spots of wear, or just some fouling that wasn't removed during cleaning. Hmmm...
 
Sorry, by elevation I actually meant the setting of the elevation turret (up and down) of the scope. Was it set to the middle of its range when you test fired?

A rifle's muzzle starts to rise due to recoil force the moment the primer is struck. If it is tie down to a sled, such rising is restricted, and hence the poi would be lower.

The groups you were getting were not good, to be frank. So something is not right. Is it possible you can put another scope on it? Or ask somebody else to shoot a few groups to make sure?

If you suspect something not kosher 3/8" from the muzzle, you can consider shortening the barrel by that much and recrown.

-TL
 
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