Savage Model 12 VLP ~~ What's wrong with it?

[jcn59]

How can Savage sell a gun like this?

Bought it used, really cheap, a .204.  Decided to shoot it.  This is my first 200 yard group.  Probably would have been better if the wind wasn't blowing.  Berger bullet, medium charge of Varget. Subsequent groups have been similar.  Do they all shoot this poorly?

[trotterlg]

They are just bad shooters, you should just dump it at the next gun show.  I have a Savage in 17 Remington that is no better than the one you have, this is the best I can do with it at 100 yards from a cold clean barrel, the upper left one was the first shot, then it finally settled in.  Larry

[bobg]

  Mine in 204 shoots as bad as the other groups pictured above. Not sure why i bother to keep it.

[jmayton]

jcn59, I run a shelter for bad-shooting rifles.  I take in the one's that nobody wants, the one's that don't shoot good, and never will.  I think yours is a candidate and I'd be willing to take it in for you, that way you can have room in the safe for a good rifle.  I'll even come pick it up from you.  That way, it can live out the rest of its worthless days with other such throw-away guns.

[teddy12b]

How can Savage sell a gun like this?

Bought it used, really cheap, a .204.  Decided to shoot it.  This is my first 200 yard group.  Probably would have been better if the wind wasn't blowing.  Berger bullet, medium charge of Varget. Subsequent groups have been similar.  Do they all shoot this poorly?

Yes.  Savage just makes a junk rifle.  If you were to sell it and buy a Remington it would shoot so much better out of the box.  All the people getting custom gunsmith work done on their remingtons are just trying to personalize their rifles and not improve the accuracy.  It's just matter of time until Savage goes out of business from producing such a poor product. 

FYI, the next one on my list is a 12BTCSS in 223.  Drooling just thinking about one.

[the jigger]

Some of us are just wholesome souls who want to take care of the "ugly step-children" that Savage/Stevens
throws out. I have taken in six of these uglies. Most shoot as poorly as the pictures indicate.
GOOD LUCK and GOOD SHOOTING!!!

[Swampman]

If you were to sell it and buy a Remington it would shoot so much better out of the box.

I agree.....Savage will on occasion turn out a good rifle.  When you produce 10s of thousands of them it's gonna happen.....Ruger on the other hand......well.....not so much

[teddy12b]

If you were to sell it and buy a Remington it would shoot so much better out of the box.

I agree.....Savage will on occasion turn out a good rifle.  When you produce 10s of thousands of them it's gonna happen.....Ruger on the other hand......well.....not so much

I threw the bait out there and was waiting for it....  No matter how wrong you are (and you are) I gotta respect a die hard fan. 

Of course it'd be a lot easier to take the silver medal if maybe someone would buy an off the shelf Remington of similar price and post pictures of groups better that what we've seen above.  Until I see that, I'm staying on the Savage bandwagon, but in this case it's junk and just being nice I'll offer half of what you paid for it just so you can recover some of your losses.

[Swampman]

Savage rifles are fine.  Don't tell anyone I said that....I have a reputation to protect.  My 10ML-II is pretty impressive.

[jmayton]

Savage rifles are fine.  Don't tell anyone I said that....I have a reputation to protect.  My 10ML-II is pretty impressive.

Swampy, I think you now have a bit of my respect.

[jcn59]

My group was from a bench, off bags, at a measured 200 yards at a permanent shooting range.   NOT one of those "Off the hood of my truck, a long ways out" groups.  BTW, I had a witness.

I DID have a new 788, 22-250, that I bought in the late sixties that would usually shoot a group twice the size of my Savage.    I thought that was pretty good until my ENLIGHTENMENT! 

I think I made a lamp out of the 788 and sold it at the flea market.

[moorepower]

I would just keep practicing and see if you can ever get it to shoot better. My Shilen barreled LRPV in .204 is worse than yours by a long way. It looks like I can only hit the target 2-3 times out of 5!

[teddy12b]

Savage rifles are fine.  Don't tell anyone I said that....I have a reputation to protect.  My 10ML-II is pretty impressive.

I think my heart just skipped a beat when I read that!  I'm glad to see that you're coming around.  As much as I love my savage rifles, remington makes a mighty fine product also.  It's just good fun to rib each other.  Good luck with that savage this season.  I hope you get a big one.

[bluealtered]

Well i see i'm in the right place, ... my first savage was a 99 in 250-3000 back in 64. Since that time i saved as many as possible from the smelter since thats where they were destined for their poor shooting out of the box like they do.

I have run across one that shoots ok, it's a 110 action with a krieger 1/8, 24" heavy barrel. The best i have gotten so far from an open rest are ragged one hole five shot groups at 100-200yds which it will do pretty regular if i'm up to it that day.

The best at 300yds is so far a 1" five shot group, and no i haven't been able to do that one again, i think the reason i can't repeat that is do to the poor quaility of the rifle, ... it certainly can't be because i have gotten older than dirt and have the wobbles worse than a stripper with a $100 bill stuck in her g string. blue