Savage receiver screws misaligned

[Jim See]

Monte, I used to read these types of threads and think how was it the screw holes?

well let me tell you I checked this gun out and it was the screw holes, The rail I used, I have put on at least 50 of the same manf. Never a problem and this rail was checked for tolerance by me. Outside of barrel to outside of receiver was straight to with-in .003" over 24". Rail to barrel was .095" out in 24", Only other plausible excuse would be the entire receiver twisted, canting the rear receiver ring to the right.

 

[jhord]

If firearms manufacturers made car engines, a lot of us would be walking. That's my take on it. ;D

 

[jchristo1]

I'm the original poster on this thread.

Joe DeGrande got me a new, scope tested rifle that was pretty much dead on when I received it. I went out and shot 1/2MOA with it after I mounted my scope.

Joe told me there was a misalignment problem with the receiver screws and with the barrel. I didn't dig into the source of those problems, but did express my
displeasure at having to wait two months (my 3 weeks of testing and diagnosis, 2 weeks in transit time and another 3 weeks of waiting for the gunsmith and
then testing time at Savage).

Joe does a good job of customer service, but Savage has some internal issues with manufacturing and quality control that need immediate attention. When the guns work,
they are well worth the price. When they don't, it's a real hassle to get it fixed unless you get through to Joe.

 

[DennisH]

I own more Savages than any other brand.

I have had the same problem with one Savage. Not that bad, and with a BR NF I have enough adjustment to correct the issue. But it still bugs me it's there!

TOMORROW, I will be bringing my Remington 700 with my Kreiger 6.0x47L barrel installed to CORRECT the same scope rail issue. I run out of "left" adjustment and still was 12" off to the right @ 100 yds. Evelation is perfect.

I was told Remmington is running into these same issues! I have one if you wanna buy it before I drop it off tommorow for correction! I bought the action used, so the previous owner new the problem was there. By the time I built the gun, there was nothing I could do.

The Savage I can live with, the Remmy 700, NO WAY! A NF mega windage adjustment won't correct it.

For those who know the tricks, I took 5 pieces of .005 stock shim and shimmed the rear ring on the base!!!! I ended up with 8" to the left of center using .015 shim stock. I don't know what measurement this equates to using the shims on the left rear side ring mount, but it has to be pretty excessive!

I have personally talked to Joe DeGrande w/Savage as well, great person!

Remmington, I just wish they would answer the phone!

Just wanted everyone to know Remmy is having the same issues!

Dennis

 

[winchesterwill]

Has anyone had trouble with Savage receiver scope base mounting holes being mis-aligned with the bore?

I had trouble mounting a Nikon 8-32 X 50 on a brand new Savage Model 12 VLP BDM. I tried using inexpensive Weaver bases in every combination of front to back and rotating them 180 degrees with identical results - about 20 minutes of arc misalignment as measured by a good bore sight and centering the scope windage adjustment. I confirmed this later using the bore sight and another laser aligned with a straightedge across a front and back receiver screw which gave me 18 MOA misalignment. The total scope adjustment is only 20 MOA.

I called Savage and they asked me to return the gun. So I did. I called and now they're waiting for it to come up in the queue for their gunsmith - 2 to 3 weeks they say. The guy I talked to didn't think it was a problem for me to have to wait 5 weeks (it takes a week to ship each way) to get my gun back. I told him I thought that was ridiculous for a brand new gun that should have had those holes drilled correctly in the first place.

He says they're gonna repair it - so they'll weld up the old holes and drill new ones. I didn't like that answer because I bought a new gun and I shouldn't have a re-worked gun. I asked to speak with a supervisor and the guy I was speaking with promised someone would call by tomorrow morning. That was three days ago and no call.

I've seen online posts about various Savage models having this problem. Apparently the 'New Definition of Accuracy' includes having some ape with a Craftsman hand tool drill the receiver holes.

Has anyone else had this type of problem with Savage? Is there a way to get it resolved?

 

[winchesterwill]

I'm having the same problem with an 11 Scout. The "scout scope mount" is so far out of alignment that it is canting left in this picture. As far as the iron sights, they are so far out of alignment that I had to drift the rear sight almost off of it's track just to get on paper at 50 yards (and the rifle still patterns a couple of inches left of the bullseye). The barrel may not be true to the receiver, the holes in the receiver and barrel may be improperly drilled, and/or the front sight was improperly installed (a couple of things seem to me to be happening at once). I have sent these pictures to Savage customer service via email, along with a description of the problem. This is clearly their problem to fix. I've not gotten a response yet.

 

[Texas10]

Savage will take care of you however, a word of warning. Their Email system is disconnected from their CS. Call customer service, get a return shipper, box too if you need it, they'll send one to you free, and be SURE you include a note describing the issue IN THE BOX with the firearm.

They will take good care of you but you have to do your part by letting them know the issue you have. They're a bit old fashioned in that regard.

 

[rockable]

I definitely have one receiver that has misaligned scope mount holes. Burris offsets fixed it for me.

 

[Richard Coody]

pretty common

just use the burris rings

now i have had 3 target actions and they have all been straight

the thing i wish they would make everyone aware of is the front mounting screw will most likely bottom out on the barrel threads and never get tight. not to mention it acts like set screw right into the barrel threads. don't try to remove a barrel with the front screw installed. to see how much that screw needs to be shortened really the barrel needs to be removed.

 

[winchesterwill]

Savage will take care of you however, a word of warning. Their Email system is disconnected from their CS. Call customer service, get a return shipper, box too if you need it, they'll send one to you free, and be SURE you include a note describing the issue IN THE BOX with the firearm.

They will take good care of you but you have to do your part by letting them know the issue you have. They're a bit old fashioned in that regard.

Prior to sending the rifle to them on July 31st, I tried a lot of different ammunition, checked the screw tension (action to stock), changed the scope ring orientation a couple of different times (and even tried different rings), but none of those things will change the fact that the bore is not true with the action, the front sight is canted in one direction, and the scout mount is canted in the opposite direction. (So the rear sight has to be drifted half off the rails and the scout scope windage has to max out even to get the rife on paper. The maxed out rear sight windage has the rifle patterning on one side of the target while the maxed out scope windage has it patterning on the other side. After all that, the groups are unremarkable, I guess poor. Of course, I want both the sights and scout mount to work...good groups too...otherwise what is the point of having a Scout Rifle?) I think I've described the problems accurately in the letter I sent with the rifle, the emails I sent, and in my phone call to customer service. (Thanks for the tip about calling.) To Savage's credit, they did send me a return label. By now, they must have the rifle. I'm curious as to whether or not this rifle can be fixed. We'll see what happens...

 

[boltman13]

pretty common

just use the burris rings

now i have had 3 target actions and they have all been straight

the thing i wish they would make everyone aware of is the front mounting screw will most likely bottom out on the barrel threads and never get tight. not to mention it acts like set screw right into the barrel threads. don't try to remove a barrel with the front screw installed. to see how much that screw needs to be shortened really the barrel needs to be removed.

Richard, very good advice. When you are installing scope base screws gently tighten them until any resistance is felt. Check the base by wiggling it. If any looseness is present you need to shorten the screw. I have a leather padded vice I can put the screw in threads up. A few passes perpendicular to the threads to shorten them and then recheck until the screw bottoms out and the base is tight. Then Blue LockTite that sucker. Aluminum screws need very careful gentle shortening as a file can cut the metal with very little effort. Jaming a base screw into the barrel threads does nothing for accuracy as well or it may bind your bolt on the back end of the action.

 

[winchesterwill]

I didn't have a problem with the screws bottoming out prematurely, though I understand why that could be a problem. The scout mount on mine was solid, but really misaligned. To their credit, Savage Customer Service sent me a return shipping label after I gave them the serial number. When they received the rifle, they sent me an email stating that they had it, also good. A couple of days later, today, they sent me a second email with their assessment. They agreed that the sights and receiver tapping were misaligned, or "crooked". They are replacing the rifle. I'm hoping the first rifle was a fluke. I'll let you know about the replacement once it arrives and I have a chance to take it to the range.

 

[Hotshot]

Only problem I ever had with dozens of savages was mounting a Nikon 8-32, hardly any internal adjustment on those scopes. I used Burris insert type rings to solve the problem.

 

[Toby Bradshaw]

I don't have the patience to deal with lousy machining -- life's too short. I haven't bought a rifle with a factory action in many years.

My most recently-built rifle uses a Kelbly Atlas Tactical ($925 if you shop around). I mounted a Leupold 3.5-10x40 in Talley Lightweight rings, put the scope at its optical center, and didn't have to dial in more than a couple of clicks to get it boresighted perfectly at 100 yards.