I have been "building" Savage rifles for a few years, with decent results. Recently I got the bug to treat myself to my first custom rig and read the Hide Classifieds for a few days. A custom 6.5x47 by Tooter at Meredith Rifles in Athens, Ala caught my eye so I made a trip down there to check it out; it was built with premium components and at a great price. Quality and workmanship looked first class so I brought it home with me. The Lapua brass and 123 Scenar bullets came in a few days ago so I loaded up 20 rounds at .005" off the jamb using 38.3gr RL15 based on the Optimum Barrel Time calculation (I have found this worked quite well for a number of calibers before) to sight in and evaluate performance, plus a few at +/- 0.3 grains from the OBT charge to confirm stability. First trip to the range today at 200 yards gave 0.5" and 0.7" groups, with no change in POI between the OBT load and +0.3gr more powder, thus confirming the load stability without needing to evaluate out the entire charge range. Operation was smooth, and the caliber is low recoil for maintaining a good visual of shot placement when shooting prone. Yes I am very satisfied with the rig, it is first class!Detail: Stiller Tac Action, Bartlein Barrel, Manners Stock
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