Savage Mark 11 TR-- 22 LR
- Thread starter sdneil
- Start date
The Savage rimfires are pretty much all the same basic design. In the mid 1990's they bought Lakefield Arms which is located in Canada. The rimfires are made in this factory and are derived from the Lakefield design. The variables are the stock, sights, material of the barrel (SS or not), and a heavy barrel or not.
Good points:
- With the heavy barrel in particular they are quite accurate. With good top end ammo like Lapua or Eley, they can get close to averaging .25" with five shots at 50 yards. Some better and some not.
- The Accutrigger is very good, and can be tunned to pull at less than 1 lb. I did it like this:
http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=227014
- I would suggest for accuracy they are equal to the varmint CZ.
Not so good:
- The fit and finish of small metal parts can be slightly on the rough side.
- You have to keep the bolt extractor plates very clean and free of grunge, or you may have failure to extract issues.
- You have to be careful putting the bolt into the action. It must line up with the ejector plate at the bottom of the action, or you can bend it down, and suffer failure to eject issues.
- A couple of years ago the barrels were all press fit and pinned in place. Makes them difficult to switch. I hear some of the new barrels are screw in.
- On some guns the magazine does not line the bullets up with the chamber so well. A new magazine from Savage usually cures the issue.
Good points:
- With the heavy barrel in particular they are quite accurate. With good top end ammo like Lapua or Eley, they can get close to averaging .25" with five shots at 50 yards. Some better and some not.
- The Accutrigger is very good, and can be tunned to pull at less than 1 lb. I did it like this:
http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=227014
- I would suggest for accuracy they are equal to the varmint CZ.
Not so good:
- The fit and finish of small metal parts can be slightly on the rough side.
- You have to keep the bolt extractor plates very clean and free of grunge, or you may have failure to extract issues.
- You have to be careful putting the bolt into the action. It must line up with the ejector plate at the bottom of the action, or you can bend it down, and suffer failure to eject issues.
- A couple of years ago the barrels were all press fit and pinned in place. Makes them difficult to switch. I hear some of the new barrels are screw in.
- On some guns the magazine does not line the bullets up with the chamber so well. A new magazine from Savage usually cures the issue.
I handled the same rifle in 17HMR. Very nice rimfire. It felt like a full size rifle without feeling like a toy or child's gun so common with most rimfire's. Really solid feeling and exceedingly accurate. It would really make a great practice rig for a tactical shooter with a similar rifle.
Shynloco
You can lead a horse to water, but ........
sdneil,
I recently bought the Savage MKII BV model to use in a monthly friendly Benchrest Shoot we now have at the Gun Club I belong to. There are two of the guys I shoot with that have the TR model. That, in my humble estimation, is one beautiful looking and shootin weapon. If I'd been in the know at the time, I would have held out for the TR model because it feels soooooooo good and comfortable when I shoot it (the guys were nice enough to let me shoot them after droolin over them). And as RonAKA points out, all the Savage Rimfire rifles are pretty much alike, but you do have to do the testing to find out which ammo your particular rifle likes the best. Mine, the BV model, loves Federal Gold "Ultra Match" the best followed by Eley and then Wolf Match Extra. I've seen a few posts where some guys complained about the TR's accuracy, but it the right hands, she's a shooter. For the money especially, you cannot go wrong with the Savage MKII TR. You have to spend probably twice the money (and probably more) to find a better buy. Now I do have something better in an Anschutz 64 MPR rifle, but that baby costs over $1,050. And a few Benchrest guys (who outshoot me by mere single digit points) have spent $2500 for their custom .22 Benchrest Rifles while I spent $298 for my BV model. So if you look at the economics of it and don't have the BIG BUCK to spend, find someone with the TR model and get a feeling first hand. I don't believe you'll be disappointed.
I recently bought the Savage MKII BV model to use in a monthly friendly Benchrest Shoot we now have at the Gun Club I belong to. There are two of the guys I shoot with that have the TR model. That, in my humble estimation, is one beautiful looking and shootin weapon. If I'd been in the know at the time, I would have held out for the TR model because it feels soooooooo good and comfortable when I shoot it (the guys were nice enough to let me shoot them after droolin over them). And as RonAKA points out, all the Savage Rimfire rifles are pretty much alike, but you do have to do the testing to find out which ammo your particular rifle likes the best. Mine, the BV model, loves Federal Gold "Ultra Match" the best followed by Eley and then Wolf Match Extra. I've seen a few posts where some guys complained about the TR's accuracy, but it the right hands, she's a shooter. For the money especially, you cannot go wrong with the Savage MKII TR. You have to spend probably twice the money (and probably more) to find a better buy. Now I do have something better in an Anschutz 64 MPR rifle, but that baby costs over $1,050. And a few Benchrest guys (who outshoot me by mere single digit points) have spent $2500 for their custom .22 Benchrest Rifles while I spent $298 for my BV model. So if you look at the economics of it and don't have the BIG BUCK to spend, find someone with the TR model and get a feeling first hand. I don't believe you'll be disappointed.
I have a BV with a TR stock from Boyd's installed. The regular TR has the matt type finish, fluted barrel, and tactical bolt handle, where as the BV is more polished blue. Other wise the same rifle. Shoots great! It Loves Wolf MT, but sometimes it has extraction issues with this ammo. It is wierd though. If I shoot some fowlers with cheapo ammo then the Wolf, I have no extraction issues.
Any one else have these issues?
Breaking in shots with Wolf MT
Shoots better than my mediocre skills.
IMO, it's a great value.
Any one else have these issues?
Breaking in shots with Wolf MT
Shoots better than my mediocre skills.
IMO, it's a great value.
I've had a very occasional fail to extract, but I don't recall it was with any specific ammo. In my case I'm quite sure it was just dirty. You have to keep the two notches that are in the barrel face for the extractor plates to fit into quite clean. The extractors on the bolt also have to be kept clean. It is worthwhile to carefully remove the C-Spring that holds them in place, trying to keep from stretching it. Take note of the orientation of the two plates before removing. The black sharp one goes on the ejection port side.
Also as I recall, the two notches in the spring have to be at the back side to allow the extractor plates to go full forward.
When I remove the plates I stone the sides to be sure they are flat and have no burrs. Push small pieces of paper towel through the slots in the bolt to be sure they are clean. I use automotive throttle body cleaner to spray the front of the bolt slots, and also the notches in the barrel face. I don't put any gun oil on, and depend on the small amount of residual oil in the cleaner. Do the same with the firing pin (plate).
Before I reassemble I scrunch the C spring between my fingers to make it smaller and tighter. It needs to be tight to hold the extractors around the rim, and not slip. Put the firing plate in first, then the C spring trying not to stretch it. Last slide the extractor plates in from the end of the bolt under the spring, one at a time. I find this helps prevent the spring from stretching.
My QA check is to shake the bolt back and forth once assembled. The firing plate should rattle loud and freely. The only part of the bolt that I have found you have to be generous with lube is the black pin at the very back that climbs the ramp when you cock it. If that pin is not lubricated with a grease, it wears flat and you virtually can't lift the bolt. They are cheap to replace, but shouldn't be necessary if you keep a little grease on the pin and ramp.
This has always cured my problem with extraction. I do know others have spent a lot of time polishing the chamber and claim that works. I've shot lots of heavily waxed Lapua ammo and not had a problem. Lapua makes the Wolf ammo and also SK. They seem to use those brand names in the US for some reason.
Also as I recall, the two notches in the spring have to be at the back side to allow the extractor plates to go full forward.
When I remove the plates I stone the sides to be sure they are flat and have no burrs. Push small pieces of paper towel through the slots in the bolt to be sure they are clean. I use automotive throttle body cleaner to spray the front of the bolt slots, and also the notches in the barrel face. I don't put any gun oil on, and depend on the small amount of residual oil in the cleaner. Do the same with the firing pin (plate).
Before I reassemble I scrunch the C spring between my fingers to make it smaller and tighter. It needs to be tight to hold the extractors around the rim, and not slip. Put the firing plate in first, then the C spring trying not to stretch it. Last slide the extractor plates in from the end of the bolt under the spring, one at a time. I find this helps prevent the spring from stretching.
My QA check is to shake the bolt back and forth once assembled. The firing plate should rattle loud and freely. The only part of the bolt that I have found you have to be generous with lube is the black pin at the very back that climbs the ramp when you cock it. If that pin is not lubricated with a grease, it wears flat and you virtually can't lift the bolt. They are cheap to replace, but shouldn't be necessary if you keep a little grease on the pin and ramp.
This has always cured my problem with extraction. I do know others have spent a lot of time polishing the chamber and claim that works. I've shot lots of heavily waxed Lapua ammo and not had a problem. Lapua makes the Wolf ammo and also SK. They seem to use those brand names in the US for some reason.
Thanks RonAKA for the advice. I have tried all of the above with the exception of stoning the parts. I will attempt that next. I don't think I will try to polish the camber, as I do not want to mess up the accuracy of the rifle. Usually the fail to extract occurs after I clean the rifle. Like I said if I use some cheaper type of ammo to season the bore and chamber the shells are pulled free with no problems. I will try the stoning and see if that helps any.
Be sure to scrunch the spring to get lots of tension on the extractor plates. I've read that one guy even installed two of these springs, one on top of the other. I have not done it, but think it may be possible. Remember when you have a fail to extract the extractor plates have to pop out and around the rim.
I agree with the chamber, and would not polish it. Some pay big bucks just to replace their whole barrel just to get the chamber tighter.
I agree with the chamber, and would not polish it. Some pay big bucks just to replace their whole barrel just to get the chamber tighter.
I picked one up about 3 weeks ago and it shoots great with Wolf and Nobel. The fit and finish is great compared to the standard MKII's. It functions flawlessly. It is more accurate at 100 than my Winchester 52C or my Remington 37 both those are custom bench guns now at 50 yards the 52 wins barely. It has surprised me with its accuracy. Its also a fun gun and the mags are cheap. I know some have complained about the mags but I guess I been lucky because mine have all worked flawlessly.
Upgrades & Donations
This Forum's expenses are primarily paid by member contributions. You can upgrade your Forum membership in seconds. Gold and Silver members get unlimited FREE classifieds for one year. Gold members can upload custom avatars.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.