Savage breech plug accuracy issues

[sdporter]

My Savage has started to walk all over the target. I’ve checked all my scope mounts, action screws and everything else I can think of. I’ve shot probably only 40-50 rounds through it. I read the vent liner can be a problem. I can’t get mine out, and the breech plug shows a little corrosion on the side. I’ve ordered some new ones from Arrowhead Sporting Goods. While I was on their website, I read this :”Great way to take your 10ML-II performance to the next level. Tired of inconsistent grouping and a junk barrel that shreds sabots? This will solve all of that” speaking about barrel upgrades. Are the barrels on this rifle good, or are they junk.

 

[BuckDoeHunter]

What load are you shooting? Have you blown any sabots recently? Maybe give the barrel a good cleaning, maybe you have some plastic fouling causing issues.

Have you tried to heat up the breech plug to see if that frees up the vent liner? Any way for you to check and see how large the flash hole is?

If you hunt and a .45 cal or smaller barrel is legal in your state, I don't think you would regret a new barrel. I don't like the savage breech plug, an ASG 209 or LRMP breech plug with a bushing would be a good upgrade.

 

[GM54-120]

Is yours a small shank or large shank? Personally i wouldnt invest money in a barrel if its small shank and 4.27 spacing. You could sell it and buy a Rem700 UML which is a far better platform for a 45cal upgrade. WAY WAY better aftermarket. Ive got a small shank with a Pacnor 45 and it does shoot much better than a OEM barrel. Large shank and 4.40 spacing though has better aftermarket options, especially stocks.

 

[sdporter]

What load are you shooting? Have you blown any sabots recently? Maybe give the barrel a good cleaning, maybe you have some plastic fouling causing issues.

Have you tried to heat up the breech plug to see if that frees up the vent liner? Any way for you to check and see how large the flash hole is?

If you hunt and a .45 cal or smaller barrel is legal in your state, I don't think you would regret a new barrel. I don't like the savage breech plug, an ASG 209 or LRMP breech plug with a bushing would be a good upgrade.

Yes. I have a micrometer and lots of different wire. If I do find plastic fouling, what’s the best way to get it out? Just a bronze brush and solvent and lots of scrubbing?

 

[GM54-120]

Shotgun wad solvent and a brush. REALLY hot water works too.
Shooter's Choice Shotgun Bore & Choke Cleaner or the one from Brownwells.
https://shooters-choice.com/Shotgun-and ... _p_15.html

I use Montana Xtreme Copper Cream occasionally in mine.
https://www.westernpowders.com/index.ph ... uct_id=130

Montana X-Treme Copper Cream is a liquid bore cleaner that quickly removes fouling including copper, lead, plastic wad residue, powder fouling and moly. Copper Cream makes quick work of barrels that are hard to clean and is non-embedding and non-abrasive to barrel metals

 

[rjhans53]

IMO the small shank is fine, now I don't try to get 2700 fps out of mine but it's been done. I've got a 45 on a ml II small shank in a laminate stock and it shoots hole touching @ 100. I've got a 45 built on a savage 10 action in the origanal wood stock and shot it twice this am with holes touching and decided it was good to go. I took a couple of old 50 cal barrels and put them on a sav 10 & 12 actions. The one was really rough so I took and did a patch with grinding compound on it but they both shoot 1 1/2 - 2 inches at 100 with 458 bullets. I HAVE replaced all the breech plugs with lukes breech plug and the bushings are suppose to last MOL forever in saboted loads. I see no signs of wear on mine
Yes I do think the savage 10 set up is a stronger/ better set up. because of locking lugs and bolt removal, that being said the barrel failures that I've seen pics of where all in the barrel and not the action. Now I don't know if I've seen them all and i believe they were user error but I think I'm right.

 

[GM54-120]

If you are happy with your 4.27 spacing stock its fine. You just have way more options if its a 4.40 and some are pretty cheap like the laminate EABCO stock.

Either small or large shank can be outfitted with a nutless barrel and have equal strength. Cost goes up quite a bit though and pretty much becomes a gunsmith only endeavor. For sabot loads any of those options are more than strong enough but for sabotless i would go nutless or reduce the loads a bit. Even a small shank can hit 2500fps with a 275gr bullet and sub 45kpsi peak pressure. 1.25"ish OD of barrel though for 5 or so inches can take you much higher with a much better margin of safety.

Ive shot several 200gr sabot loads in the 2800fps range with N120. I feel its completely safe in either. That load isnt over about 35kpsi. Reloder7 will take you to 2700fps or more with even less peak pressure. Both shoot really well in my Pacnor 45 small shank.

I actually got more fps than this trace with a 200gr SST. Right around 2700fps IIRC.

 

[GM54-120]

Something else that should be mentioned is nowdays you have a MUCH better bullet selection for 40cal sabot loads. Both Fury and Pittman offer bullets upto 250gr that should work in sabots. Not totally sure about the 250gr Pittmans but the 225gr will. Both the 225gr and 250gr Fury Startips will too.

A 250gr 40cal has a much better sectional density than a 45cal 250gr and more than likely a far better BC. Even shot at Savage "book load" speeds its a worthwhile improvement in downrange performance. Fury's Startips are bonded too and very reasonably priced.

Nice bullet for under a buck each
http://www.furycustombullets.com/webapp ... zle-loader

 

[sdporter]

What load are you shooting? Have you blown any sabots recently? Maybe give the barrel a good cleaning, maybe you have some plastic fouling causing issues.

Have you tried to heat up the breech plug to see if that frees up the vent liner? Any way for you to check and see how large the flash hole is?

If you hunt and a .45 cal or smaller barrel is legal in your state, I don't think you would regret a new barrel. I don't like the savage breech plug, an ASG 209 or LRMP breech plug with a bushing would be a good upgrade.

Yes. I have a micrometer and lots of different wire. If I do find plastic fouling, what’s the best way to get it out? Just a bronze brush and solvent and lots of scrubbing?

I have been shooting 5744 41-44 grain loads, with T/C Easy Glide 250 grain bullets. I've been told these won't shoot well out of this gun, but they have been. I tried the hornady easy loading 300 grain and they shot like crap. The weight of the ramrod alone pushes them down the barrel though. I tried the short and long MMP black sabots with 225 grain hornady ftx? and they were all over the place also. Best grouping out of anything I've tried yet, has been the T/C. The gun did not like 43 grains, everything else grouped ok. Saturday I cleaned the gun really well and shot 43 and 44.5 grain groups of VN110 and they didn't do great. I wasn't very patient though and didn't give the gun adequate time between shots (it was hot outside also). Yesterday, (Sunday) I scrubbed the bore again really good, about 50 passes with a bronze brush and cotton patches till they came clean (about 10 of them) and shot the 42 grains of 5744, T/C Easy Glide 250 grain and shot a 2" group, I was shooting four different guns yesterday and alternating rifles between shots, and placing the rifle in the shade in between shots, so it was about 15 minutes between consecutive shots out of each rifle. I had a few fliers out of some of the guns but overall they shot not too bad.
Saturday night after I had gone up to check the target, I found a piece of a sabot that looked like a praying mantis, all melted and twisted up, so yes, I have blown a sabot or two.



The group under the center bull is the Savage, the other guns were a .504 white, a .451 white and a 50 CVA Accura two shots up in the middle right side were trying to get my .504 onto paper and somewhat close before I shot a group. I just put a new scope on it Sunday morning.

 

[GM54-120]

Thats too hot for N110 unless conditions are perfect. Pressure is probably well over 35kpsi. Not dangerous but really hard on sabots. FPS gain after 41gr is minimal and 41gr of N110 is already a faster load than 44gr of 5744.

39-41gr of N110 is my normal accuracy load in my NULA. Works great with a 225gr bullet and pretty good with a 250gr also. Personally i dont care for N110 and a 300gr. There are much better powders for 300gr bullets that are not as rough on sabots.

Best all around powder ever was SR4759. Works well with all the bullet weights but its no longer available. Easier on sabots than N110 and more speed than 5744. Those 225gr bullets are a bit light for a 1-24 twist. Shoot them slower.

And yes thats a blown sabot.

Try this if you got them since you say a SuperGlide shoots.
Harvester Short Black Sabot
39gr N110
250gr XTP

 

[BuckDoeHunter]

Maybe try full bore bullets? No sabot to monkey with. Chances are you will need a sizing die. Many are getting good results with these

http://www.furycustombullets.com/webapp ... zle-loader

 

[wolfer]

the furys in .502 fit great in my ML2. In Thor the .501 fit best. W