Savage 10ML II - Any veterans of this?
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david12601
Gold $$ Contributor
There is a site called doug' s message boards good stuff there
Had one , could not get it to shoot accurately. Shot 5744 and couple other powders & bullits. If you called pie plate groups good it was.
I have read a few posts on that site. Will go back and read some more though. Thank you!
david12601
Gold $$ Contributor
I use n110....sr4759.....5744........250 grain and 300 grain.......I have 2 one stainles one blued both shot extremely well......a couple of freinds have them also one bought outright the other taken in on a trade the one taken on trade was 6-10 inch groups he sent it back to savage they said previously someone probably shot the ramrod out of it.....they get that a lot....installed new bbl cost a couple of bucks now it shoots great.....let me know your loading procedure....breech plug mantaince is crucial..... Also.......go to the savage shooters website....ask questions over there a lot of people sill have and use them......when I still hunted I had no problem shooting deer 100-150 yds out......
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XTR
F-TR obssessed shooting junkie
In the stock 50 cal barrel with 45s and sabots you have to load below where you start blowing the sabots. If you walk out in front of your bench about 15 or 25 yards you find them. When you start losing petals your at the top.
and if you are shooting sabots you will need to take about an hour to shoot a 5 shot group. You can send 2 as fast as you can load but after that it starts to heat soak the plastic sabots.
Hot barrel = soft plastic = bad groups.
It’s a hunoting rifle, and imo a darned good one. It’s nice to be able to see that doe drop instead of waiting for the smoke to clear and wondering what happened. Once you get an idea what you are going to run for a load the only shot that counts is the cold bore shot.
I runH4895 H4198.
and if you are shooting sabots you will need to take about an hour to shoot a 5 shot group. You can send 2 as fast as you can load but after that it starts to heat soak the plastic sabots.
Hot barrel = soft plastic = bad groups.
It’s a hunoting rifle, and imo a darned good one. It’s nice to be able to see that doe drop instead of waiting for the smoke to clear and wondering what happened. Once you get an idea what you are going to run for a load the only shot that counts is the cold bore shot.
I run
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They can be sensitive to temps and velocities. I've seen them that wouldn't shoot if the ambient temp was about 70° or above. The sabot strips and the bullet tumbles. Use a good quality sabot and load it for what it likes. I've also seen multiple tennis ball sized groups at 300 yards, so they can certainly shoot and pack a punch when they get there. Tons of energy, like 300 Win Mag energy at 300 yards!
Powders with burn rates from Vihtavuori N110 to around Accurate 5744 work well.
High temperatures and velocities are detramental to sabot integrity. I have tried 28 gauge obturator wad cups and sub bases. I have even Moly coated the sabots to try to keep them intact.
Smokeless powder requires a tight fit between the projectile/sabot to bore fit. Powerbelts will not offer the needed resistance. The black MMP high presure sabots with a .452 diameter projectile work. A .451 inch bullet, a red or yellow "easy loading" type sabot do not offer adequate resistance.
High temperatures and velocities are detramental to sabot integrity. I have tried 28 gauge obturator wad cups and sub bases. I have even Moly coated the sabots to try to keep them intact.
Smokeless powder requires a tight fit between the projectile/sabot to bore fit. Powerbelts will not offer the needed resistance. The black MMP high presure sabots with a .452 diameter projectile work. A .451 inch bullet, a red or yellow "easy loading" type sabot do not offer adequate resistance.
hogpatrol
Gold $$ Contributor
A lot of owners (including me) dumped the .50 barrels and went to .45. On a good day with 200 gr. SSTs, H4198 and Harvestor smooth blue sabots, three shots touching at 200 meters but It's a 300 meter gun. After that, groups open up. Pac-Nor and Brux make the .45 screw in replacements. Convinced four buddies to go the same way and they haven't looked back. Personal opinion, heavy weight 50 caliber for white tail is overkill.
Killed the one in the pic with a 200 SST at a skosh over 200, one and only shot. Walked about fifty yards and keeled over.
Killed the one in the pic with a 200 SST at a skosh over 200, one and only shot. Walked about fifty yards and keeled over.
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The stock 50 cal can be a very effective weapon if you take the time to figure it out. I had best results with the Barnes original 300 grain bullet before I rebarrelled it with a Pac Nor 45. As far as the temperature is concerned , I made a barrel cooler that consists of a solid brass rod that I highly polished ,and kept it on Ice. After each shot I would wipe it with a cloth to dry it, and inset it in the barrel for exactly 1 minute. This pulls the heat out of the barrel and I can shoot continuously without regard to the ambient temp. This rod is very highly polished and it is easy to wipe dry and does not condensate or transfer moisture to the barrell.
XTR
F-TR obssessed shooting junkie
My MLII is responsible for scaring me silly once.
I was alone at the range doing testing and shooting a group on a cold day. I was spacing my shots out about 15 or 20 minutes apart to let the barrel cool as I noted above. On about my third shot when I let it go I thought the rifle had blown up. Seems that with the sock hat pulled down over my head it felt like I had on my ear protection, but I did not.
I was alone at the range doing testing and shooting a group on a cold day. I was spacing my shots out about 15 or 20 minutes apart to let the barrel cool as I noted above. On about my third shot when I let it go I thought the rifle had blown up. Seems that with the sock hat pulled down over my head it felt like I had on my ear protection, but I did not.
Shot numerous WT's with the 250SST out to 165yds and it is pure poison on them. Most were instantly struck down "with great vengeance and furious anger". One entered the black of the nose while looking right at me and never exited. The bullet exploded, unhinging the jaw and bugging the eyes out. Pretty gross actually and I had killed hundreds and hundreds while culling them off bait with a 223 and 55 V-Max. YUCK!
The real combination to try is R7 and the 260gr Harvester Scorpion PT Gold with their high pressure sabot. Use the 300gr projectile if hunting elk or moose. I have killed deer with them and close friends have used the larger projectiles to very good success on the larger beasts. Accuracy is excellent and terminal performance is as good as you will ever need.
Have shot many 10ML-II's and here are a few do's and don'ts....
Index your sabots for best accuracy. Be consistent in your bullet seating pressure. Use the Win209 of CCI209 for ignition. The rifle seems to want to work best at near max pressure (before the sabot fails). Keep very close track of the condition of your sabots as you work up your load. If you start to see missing petals on the sabot, back off your load. If the ambient temp is 60F or higher, find something else to do that day. Once you can feel the slightest hint of warmth in the barrel, the sabots will begin to fail. Shoot and reload SLOWLY.Replace the breech plug vent religiously after each pack of primers fired. Once the hole in that vent opens, accuracy will go south and fast.
The rifle I had, had a rear mounted peep sight and a 1/16" white beaded front blade due to our irons sights only law. Had fired "many" groups under 1 MOA at 100yds using a 6 o'clock hold on a 100yd reduced Highpower bullseye. .68 inches was the best. Using the scope that I had at the time, it was a 1-1.25 MOA rifle due to the parallax at 100yds.
DO NOT get into this nonsense about duplex loads and powders way out of line with what Savage recommends. No extra base wads, double wads or other voodoo unless you like trouble.
The real combination to try is R7 and the 260gr Harvester Scorpion PT Gold with their high pressure sabot. Use the 300gr projectile if hunting elk or moose. I have killed deer with them and close friends have used the larger projectiles to very good success on the larger beasts. Accuracy is excellent and terminal performance is as good as you will ever need.
Have shot many 10ML-II's and here are a few do's and don'ts....
Index your sabots for best accuracy. Be consistent in your bullet seating pressure. Use the Win209 of CCI209 for ignition. The rifle seems to want to work best at near max pressure (before the sabot fails). Keep very close track of the condition of your sabots as you work up your load. If you start to see missing petals on the sabot, back off your load. If the ambient temp is 60F or higher, find something else to do that day. Once you can feel the slightest hint of warmth in the barrel, the sabots will begin to fail. Shoot and reload SLOWLY.Replace the breech plug vent religiously after each pack of primers fired. Once the hole in that vent opens, accuracy will go south and fast.
The rifle I had, had a rear mounted peep sight and a 1/16" white beaded front blade due to our irons sights only law. Had fired "many" groups under 1 MOA at 100yds using a 6 o'clock hold on a 100yd reduced Highpower bullseye. .68 inches was the best. Using the scope that I had at the time, it was a 1-1.25 MOA rifle due to the parallax at 100yds.
DO NOT get into this nonsense about duplex loads and powders way out of line with what Savage recommends. No extra base wads, double wads or other voodoo unless you like trouble.
lttac
Gold $$ Contributor
I have had one for years, grew weary of the 50 cal barrel battle and put a 45 barrel on there and never looked back ! My son killed a doe with it this year with a 195gr Barnes in a smooth blue Harvester sabot at 150 yards. Bang, flop, load it into the back of the Can Am !
My 50 cal barrel would shoot 1.50-2.00 at 100, indexing the bullets and a Spin Jag are a must in either caliber!
My 50 cal barrel would shoot 1.50-2.00 at 100, indexing the bullets and a Spin Jag are a must in either caliber!
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