Good day-
This is my first post. Sniper’s Hide has been a great source of information to me for many years (as a guest). My experience with forums is limited but I have to start somewhere so I will jump in and try to post information on a recent purchase - the Savage Elite Precision in 338LM.
I picked up a Savage Stealth Evolution 338LM last year and it was a complete disaster. A friend just recommended this new design after hearing my story so I gave it a shot. It turned out to be what I was really hoping the Stealth would be. I was pleasantly surprised and am thinking about a short action but would like hear about other experiences with the .308 and 6.5CM.
Unfortunately, with our pandemic, I am unable to fire the rifle yet other than for break in. That said, here is what I found.
Weight:
Barreled action with trigger and thread protector - 9lbs (8.989)
Chassis - 5.5lbs (5.527)
Magazine - 0.5lbs (0.511) - Empty
Rifle 15lbs. Savage states 14.95lbs.
Starting from the muzzle and moving back ...
Muzzle and thread protector:
The first thing I noticed was the lack of a muzzle device. After re-reading the description, it was clear that they were only included on short action rifles. It did come with a thread protector that I find more useful. Savage muzzle brakes are not bad, I would just never use one unless it came on the rifle. The threads are not Class 3 and the thread protector stopped short of fully seating. Some crud was left on the threads making it gritty to remove/replace but a quick clean up made a nice fit but it still did not seat flush with the barrel. These are things that I really would not expect of a rifle in this price range. If you want everything perfect, go with a $4k to $5k package. I do not know the crown angle nor do I have the tools to measure it.
The muzzle brake on my Stealth was on so tight that I ended up turning the barrel out of the receiver removing it. That was my fault although I do not believe they needed to torq it to wherever they did. I was even worried that it may have distorted the muzzle/crown.
Chassis:
The chassis is an ACC by MDT with the Savage Logo. I found the chassis well made. The fit and finish are nice. Weighing in at 5.5lbs without barreled action and magazine you could call it heavy depending on your application. As a target rifle shooting 338LM, I believe it is where it should be as it does have the ability to add weight. The incorporated ARCA Rail is a nice addition keeping it with the times. While writing this I found this chassis on MDT’s website for $1100 + $200 for the paint job. You may be better off going there for info.
Barrel:
30” Stainless steel, 1:9 twist with a bead blasted look but without the feel (they call it Natural). The stamp marks are not legible to the naked eye but for the price, I don’t care. Had to take a picture and blow it up to read. No measurements were taken but the contour appears to be M24. The precision and detail is not that of an $800 barrel.
The Stealth has a 26” carbon steel straight fluted barrel with 1:9.3 twist. Not sure why they made that twist change. I did check it with the cleaning rod method.
This is the first time I have removed a barrel before shooting the rifle. For me, removing a Savage barrel has always been a chore and a half requiring a ridiculous amount of torque. This one came off like it were my Impact or Defiance. No need to stand on the thing. Once off, the threads were very clean. Almost like they prefit everything, disassembled, cleaned it and reassembled ... an expensive process for a production line rifle if that is what they did.
Action:
The finish and stamping were pretty good on the the receiver. The finish, unfortunately, did not match the rear baffle, bolt handle and assembly screw. My pin gauges are packed for a move so I can’t give the exact clearance for the bolt body/raceway relationship but the unnecessary slop you usually hear about on a Savage is definitely gone. I would say it is just about perfect. The raceway is very smooth with the black flash nitride finish but the titanium nitride finish on the bolt body seems gritty so it lacks the nice smooth operation of a high end rifle. I may measure it with pin gauges and have one made down the road to see if that can be improved. As with most most Savage bolt guns, the bolt lift leaves much to be desired. I really hoped that they were going to address that on this line.
When operating the bolt, there is a twang/ringing through the chassis that I don’t like but that is only when I am working on it. Any support like a bag, bipod or even a hand when set up to fire completely dampens it.
The recoil lug was done well. It is properly pinned. The MPA BA Competition has a wedge to secure the lug against the chassis. That would have been a really nice addition here. My Stealth had a slot in the receiver for a pin but no pin in the lug and was set a little under 10 degrees off center. Very poor workmanship. The lug on this rifle was nicely pinned with SS and well centered.
I have not kept up on the names of different Picatinny rail designs but this one is hollow down the center of the top which helps the scope slide slightly further rearward.
The rail has a number printed underneath the front overhang but I am unable to read it without removing the rail which I do not want to do. On the Stealth, I had continuous problems with the rail coming loose. After several calls to Savage, they sent me a new rail and screws but in the end, I picked up a Badger rail and custom fit some screws to fix the problem myself.
The front action screw is too short, it only threads in about 1-1/2 turns. I had this same problem with my Stealth. I will probably end up getting a longer screw and shortening it myself.
Grip:
Similar to my MPA but adjustable. There is a thumb rest. I don’t think it was designed to do but if you loosen all the side screws, the grip has the ability to sit less erect both forward and rearward. Choosing to do this eliminates the ability to adjust the whole grip forward and rearward. I wish I could add more pictures here.
Trigger:
The trigger is the standard Savage trigger so there is not much to say. I’m sure those have been written about ad nausium. I did find when lowering the pull weight that, at a certain point, it no longer worked properly. The firing pin would break loose but jam and lock everything up. I have it reliably set at 1lb 13oz. My Timney trigger will eventually get installed and I hope that will fix the problem.
Unless I missed something, you cannot adjust the trigger on this model without removing the chassis.
Stock:
The stock (part of the chassis) does everything I need it to.
I did like the ability to adjust the cheek piece from side to side. None of my other rigs allow that. Part of the cheek piece will have to be dremeled to remove the bolt without lowering it.
The thumb screws gave me some problems. On MDT’s website they appear to be machined aluminum ... these are not. The butt pad adjustment screw (up and down) keeps getting knocked loose. You can carefully pry the plastics knobs off leaving the brass colored screws but you loose the ability to adjust it without an wrench. 5 thumb screws and 10 holes come on the rifle. 5 on each side as a mirror image. I might get some extras to fill those in as well as help secure the components.
The butt pad adjust (LOP) and cheek weld adjustment (up and down) have hash marks so you can keep notes on what works for you in different scenarios. You can purchase a kit with 4 spacers (1/4”ea) to extend pull length up to 1”. You can also purchase a folding stock adapter and a night vision cage.
Final comments:
I just found out the number of pictures I can attach is limited to 10 although it stopped me at 9.
I will update when I have data but I expect 1/2 to 1 MOA. I will most likely get a custom barrel on order while I burn this one out. That will help me determine just how good the rifle is.
Did I get lucky? No clue. Will you? Same answer. All in all, I am very happy with it. After the disaster of my Stealth purchase, getting a nice Savage 338LM was considerably more expensive than it will cost most of you.
I hope this write up helps someone. Please let me know if there are any questions I can answer.
Safe shooting, John
This is my first post. Sniper’s Hide has been a great source of information to me for many years (as a guest). My experience with forums is limited but I have to start somewhere so I will jump in and try to post information on a recent purchase - the Savage Elite Precision in 338LM.
I picked up a Savage Stealth Evolution 338LM last year and it was a complete disaster. A friend just recommended this new design after hearing my story so I gave it a shot. It turned out to be what I was really hoping the Stealth would be. I was pleasantly surprised and am thinking about a short action but would like hear about other experiences with the .308 and 6.5CM.
Unfortunately, with our pandemic, I am unable to fire the rifle yet other than for break in. That said, here is what I found.
Weight:
Barreled action with trigger and thread protector - 9lbs (8.989)
Chassis - 5.5lbs (5.527)
Magazine - 0.5lbs (0.511) - Empty
Rifle 15lbs. Savage states 14.95lbs.
Starting from the muzzle and moving back ...
Muzzle and thread protector:
The first thing I noticed was the lack of a muzzle device. After re-reading the description, it was clear that they were only included on short action rifles. It did come with a thread protector that I find more useful. Savage muzzle brakes are not bad, I would just never use one unless it came on the rifle. The threads are not Class 3 and the thread protector stopped short of fully seating. Some crud was left on the threads making it gritty to remove/replace but a quick clean up made a nice fit but it still did not seat flush with the barrel. These are things that I really would not expect of a rifle in this price range. If you want everything perfect, go with a $4k to $5k package. I do not know the crown angle nor do I have the tools to measure it.
The muzzle brake on my Stealth was on so tight that I ended up turning the barrel out of the receiver removing it. That was my fault although I do not believe they needed to torq it to wherever they did. I was even worried that it may have distorted the muzzle/crown.
Chassis:
The chassis is an ACC by MDT with the Savage Logo. I found the chassis well made. The fit and finish are nice. Weighing in at 5.5lbs without barreled action and magazine you could call it heavy depending on your application. As a target rifle shooting 338LM, I believe it is where it should be as it does have the ability to add weight. The incorporated ARCA Rail is a nice addition keeping it with the times. While writing this I found this chassis on MDT’s website for $1100 + $200 for the paint job. You may be better off going there for info.
Barrel:
30” Stainless steel, 1:9 twist with a bead blasted look but without the feel (they call it Natural). The stamp marks are not legible to the naked eye but for the price, I don’t care. Had to take a picture and blow it up to read. No measurements were taken but the contour appears to be M24. The precision and detail is not that of an $800 barrel.
The Stealth has a 26” carbon steel straight fluted barrel with 1:9.3 twist. Not sure why they made that twist change. I did check it with the cleaning rod method.
This is the first time I have removed a barrel before shooting the rifle. For me, removing a Savage barrel has always been a chore and a half requiring a ridiculous amount of torque. This one came off like it were my Impact or Defiance. No need to stand on the thing. Once off, the threads were very clean. Almost like they prefit everything, disassembled, cleaned it and reassembled ... an expensive process for a production line rifle if that is what they did.
Action:
The finish and stamping were pretty good on the the receiver. The finish, unfortunately, did not match the rear baffle, bolt handle and assembly screw. My pin gauges are packed for a move so I can’t give the exact clearance for the bolt body/raceway relationship but the unnecessary slop you usually hear about on a Savage is definitely gone. I would say it is just about perfect. The raceway is very smooth with the black flash nitride finish but the titanium nitride finish on the bolt body seems gritty so it lacks the nice smooth operation of a high end rifle. I may measure it with pin gauges and have one made down the road to see if that can be improved. As with most most Savage bolt guns, the bolt lift leaves much to be desired. I really hoped that they were going to address that on this line.
When operating the bolt, there is a twang/ringing through the chassis that I don’t like but that is only when I am working on it. Any support like a bag, bipod or even a hand when set up to fire completely dampens it.
The recoil lug was done well. It is properly pinned. The MPA BA Competition has a wedge to secure the lug against the chassis. That would have been a really nice addition here. My Stealth had a slot in the receiver for a pin but no pin in the lug and was set a little under 10 degrees off center. Very poor workmanship. The lug on this rifle was nicely pinned with SS and well centered.
I have not kept up on the names of different Picatinny rail designs but this one is hollow down the center of the top which helps the scope slide slightly further rearward.
The rail has a number printed underneath the front overhang but I am unable to read it without removing the rail which I do not want to do. On the Stealth, I had continuous problems with the rail coming loose. After several calls to Savage, they sent me a new rail and screws but in the end, I picked up a Badger rail and custom fit some screws to fix the problem myself.
The front action screw is too short, it only threads in about 1-1/2 turns. I had this same problem with my Stealth. I will probably end up getting a longer screw and shortening it myself.
Grip:
Similar to my MPA but adjustable. There is a thumb rest. I don’t think it was designed to do but if you loosen all the side screws, the grip has the ability to sit less erect both forward and rearward. Choosing to do this eliminates the ability to adjust the whole grip forward and rearward. I wish I could add more pictures here.
Trigger:
The trigger is the standard Savage trigger so there is not much to say. I’m sure those have been written about ad nausium. I did find when lowering the pull weight that, at a certain point, it no longer worked properly. The firing pin would break loose but jam and lock everything up. I have it reliably set at 1lb 13oz. My Timney trigger will eventually get installed and I hope that will fix the problem.
Unless I missed something, you cannot adjust the trigger on this model without removing the chassis.
Stock:
The stock (part of the chassis) does everything I need it to.
I did like the ability to adjust the cheek piece from side to side. None of my other rigs allow that. Part of the cheek piece will have to be dremeled to remove the bolt without lowering it.
The thumb screws gave me some problems. On MDT’s website they appear to be machined aluminum ... these are not. The butt pad adjustment screw (up and down) keeps getting knocked loose. You can carefully pry the plastics knobs off leaving the brass colored screws but you loose the ability to adjust it without an wrench. 5 thumb screws and 10 holes come on the rifle. 5 on each side as a mirror image. I might get some extras to fill those in as well as help secure the components.
The butt pad adjust (LOP) and cheek weld adjustment (up and down) have hash marks so you can keep notes on what works for you in different scenarios. You can purchase a kit with 4 spacers (1/4”ea) to extend pull length up to 1”. You can also purchase a folding stock adapter and a night vision cage.
Final comments:
I just found out the number of pictures I can attach is limited to 10 although it stopped me at 9.
I will update when I have data but I expect 1/2 to 1 MOA. I will most likely get a custom barrel on order while I burn this one out. That will help me determine just how good the rifle is.
Did I get lucky? No clue. Will you? Same answer. All in all, I am very happy with it. After the disaster of my Stealth purchase, getting a nice Savage 338LM was considerably more expensive than it will cost most of you.
I hope this write up helps someone. Please let me know if there are any questions I can answer.
Safe shooting, John
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