Savage Mark II Accuracy Potential

[iGetHangry]

Hi all, this is my first post here. I am a relatively new shooter and recently acquired this Savage Mark II Minimalist:

Optic is a Leupold Mark AR Mod1 3-9x40 that I had lying around.

I got it out to the range and tried 9 different ammo types and it seemed to like CCI Mini Mag the best out of the ammos I tested. The others that seemed to group well at 25yd were CCI Standard Velocity, Federal Gold Medal Target, Remington Thunderbolt, and Winchester White Box (although I only shot a single 5-round group with each load and from what I've read here so far maybe I should have shot more of each...):

I then shot the CCI Mini Mag at 50yd and tried to zero the optic there:

Then shot a few 10 round groups:

Then I shot a 10-round group at 100yd:

I was also able to fairly consistently hit a 6-inch steel plate at ~220yd with ~6mil holdover...

So, I have a couple of questions:

1) Based on your experiences, how do these groups compare with your expectations for this rifle? I guess I am wondering if this is a 2 MOA rifle or if with more practice I could get it down to 1 MOA? Maybe that isn't something that can easily be answered without having a better shooter try it out.

2) I zeroed at 50yd and windage seemed to be good, but at 100yd all shots were impacting to the right of the target. Is that unexpected? I don't have a Kestral, but I would say it was a calm day as far as wind.

For me, this rifle is a plinker and maybe I would feel comfortable using it as a woodchuck gun inside of 100yd, but we have a 22-250 that I use for field duty right now and I like that one out to 200yd or so. Eventually, I think I would like to get a Tikka T3x in .223 or 6.5CM (longest shot for me in the field is only about 300yd so maybe 6.5 is overkill), but I wanted something that I could use for cheaper target practice to get better at fundamentals before I drop a bunch of money on a nicer rifle.

Anyway, thanks for reading and any comments!

 

[justin amateur]

New to you rifle?
Clean it. Tighten up all the screws to the correct torque specifications.
Bulk 22lr will produce bulk results, as you've seen.
That's fine for offhand use at close range but not for bench shooting.
When pushing the limits with 22lr, try those cartridges intended for precision shooting.
Yeah, they cost more, but they'll let you see if the rifle is capable of better results.
Better ammo will produce consistent hits on a 4 inch diameter steel at 200 yards.

 

[John Glidewell]

Try some better 22lr ammo. Mine liked Eley Edge best.

 

[iGetHangry]

New to you rifle?
Clean it. Tighten up all the screws to the correct torque specifications.
Bulk 22lr will produce bulk results, as you've seen.
That's fine for offhand use at close range but not for bench shooting.
When pushing the limits with 22lr, try those cartridges intended for precision shooting.
Yeah, they cost more, but they'll let you see if the rifle is capable of better results.
Better ammo will produce consistent hits on a 4 inch diameter steel at 200 yards.

I bought the rifle NIB from a local shop.

OK re: cleaning and checking torque

When you say "offhand use", do you mean if I were to shoulder the rifle and shoot while standing? Off a barricade?

I will see if I can find some better ammo. I started watching Pursuit of Accuracy on YouTube and he usually shows Eley, SK, and Lapua brands. Would those be the main brands to look for? Any other ones that might be worth trying?

 

[D̷e̷v̷i̷l̷D̷o̷c̷A̷Z̷]

That scope has a fixed parallax of 100yds. Replace it for one that allows the parallax to be set for your distance and grips INSTANTLY will improve.

also search “Apache trigger”

 

[justin amateur]

Offhand shooting means you fully support/control the rifle.
No rests, no bags, no bipod, typical of field carry/small game hunting or plinking.
That's what bulk ammo is for. MV variations and cartridge defects
have less effect on results than shooter skill or rifle quality.

Clean and check fasteners is necessary with any firearm,
even brand new fresh from the factory. Mass produced firearms
don't always leave the factory in the best condition.
I've found bits of metal (swarf) left from machining, in odd places.
Loose screws, improperly aligned bottom metal on fresh out of the box rifles.
Factory torque isn't the most consistent.
I always verify the fasteners before shooting a new/new to me firearm.

Can't expect accuracy when the parts aren't snugged up properly, right?

 

[RTH1800]

Justin is correct. (Again)

Think of the worst purple haired burger flipper at your local burger joint. Now picture him building your factory rimfire. That is where he worked prior to moving up to burger flipping.

Check everything.

 

[D̷e̷v̷i̷l̷D̷o̷c̷A̷Z̷]

Justin is correct. (Again)

Think of the worst purple haired burger flipper at your local burger joint. Now picture him building your factory rimfire. That is where he worked prior to moving up to burger flipping.

Check everything.

He didn’t buy a 2015 Remington.

 

[MarkCZ]

It may need 100 to 300 rounds to break in. try some Eley Contact, Club from https://www.killoughshootingsports.com/22lr-ammunition-c4/22lr-rifle-ammunition-c5
Any of the SK line

 

[justin amateur]

Morning Mark, about wear-in time, I've been tracking barrel wear in a CZ 455 22lr.
It looks like it's going to need another 4 bricks to smooth out all the tool marks
based on the current wear pattern I've documented so far with a borescope.

I've already sent 4 bricks, still too many cross rifling reamer marks visible in the leade.

 

[iGetHangry]

Offhand shooting means you fully support/control the rifle.
No rests, no bags, no bipod, typical of field carry/small game hunting or plinking.
That's what bulk ammo is for. MV variations and cartridge defects
have less effect on results than shooter skill or rifle quality.

Clean and check fasteners is necessary with any firearm,
even brand new fresh from the factory. Mass produced firearms
don't always leave the factory in the best condition.
I've found bits of metal (swarf) left from machining, in odd places.
Loose screws, improperly aligned bottom metal on fresh out of the box rifles.
Factory torque isn't the most consistent.
I always verify the fasteners before shooting a new/new to me firearm.

Can't expect accuracy when the parts aren't snugged up properly, right?

Well, I quickly checked the action screws earlier and one was actually loose so yeah, wow... thanks for the suggestions everyone. I will get it all torqued properly when I get a chance and see if I can get some higher quality ammo to try out. Would the Wheeler FAT Wrench be a good tool to get proper torque on the screws? I don't have a wrench right now so will need to purchase one.

Devildoc: I was looking at getting an Arken SH4 Gen2 here at some point. I see Arken mentioned somewhat frequently on the interwebs as a decent option and not too pricy. Thoughts on that?

 

[Booner1334]

I'm not sure what purpose you want that rifle for. If it's hunting, it's probably a good rifle. I'm a target shooter so my comments are directed in that direction.

You need a proper torque wrench, so you have some consistency in how tight your screws are. I'm sure the Wheeler would fit your needs. I think mine is a Neiko and I don't know where I got it, maybe at Harbor Freight? It works for me. Keep in mind that the factory info how tight the action screws are, is merely a suggestion, so it's ok to experiment with how tight you torque things down, as long as it's in a reasonable range of their values.

In my opinion, a 3-9 scope is a hunting scope. If you want to shoot at targets and get the tightest groups, you need a scope that has higher power and a finer reticle.

And as far as what ammo to try, in general, anything made in the U.S.A. is hunting ammo, and the mid to high price European-made ammo is target to match ammo. And once you find an ammo that shoots the best for you, buy as much of that lot number as you can. Remember, it's lot number and not brand.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[D̷e̷v̷i̷l̷D̷o̷c̷A̷Z̷]

Well, I quickly checked the action screws earlier and one was actually loose so yeah, wow... thanks for the suggestions everyone. I will get it all torqued properly when I get a chance and see if I can get some higher quality ammo to try out. Would the Wheeler FAT Wrench be a good tool to get proper torque on the screws? I don't have a wrench right now so will need to purchase one.

Devildoc: I was looking at getting an Arken SH4 Gen2 here at some point. I see Arken mentioned somewhat frequently on the interwebs as a decent option and not too pricy. Thoughts on that?

I’m running the Arken 4-16 on my 22lr rig and I’m very happy. I can clean a KYL rack at 50y no problem

 

[Seymour Fish]

Morning Mark, about wear-in time, I've been tracking barrel wear in a CZ 455 22lr.
It looks like it's going to need another 4 bricks to smooth out all the tool marks
based on the current wear pattern I've documented so far with a borescope.

I've already sent 4 bricks, still too many cross rifling reamer marks visible in the leade.

VFG, 0.25 diamond

 

[12Bravo20]

Savage states to torque the action screws to 15 inch pounds. But I am going to suggest getting a DIP bottom metal to replace the paper thin OEM bottom metal.

https://www.diproductsinc.com/Detail.aspx?PROD=187934&CAT=5627

You can actually deform the OEM bottom metal and laminate stock at 15 inch pounds. Make sure to use a repeatable torque driver for the action screws. Play around with the torque from 15 to 20 inch pounds to see what your rifle likes best. But do not go over 20 inch pound without proper pillars or bedding.

I find that the Savage MkII rifles with the heavier Varmint barrels normally shoot better than the Savage sporter barrels. While Savage rifles won't compete with higher priced target rifles, they still do well for a product rifle.

I was playing around with my MkII BTVLSS shooting CCI Mini Mags at 50 yards and it will definitely shoot nice small groups.

Below is a 5 shot group

Savage rifles do get some hate here on this forum. But they are good rifles for their price.

 

[iGetHangry]

Savage states to torque the action screws to 15 inch pounds. But I am going to suggest getting a DIP bottom metal to replace the paper thin OEM bottom metal.

https://www.diproductsinc.com/Detail.aspx?PROD=187934&CAT=5627

You can actually deform the OEM bottom metal and laminate stock at 15 inch pounds. Make sure to use a repeatable torque driver for the action screws. Play around with the torque from 15 to 20 inch pounds to see what your rifle likes best. But do not go over 20 inch pound without proper pillars or bedding.

Thanks for your suggestion! Is the main point of changing the bottom metal to allow for higher/more accurate torque on the action screws? And that increases the stability of the action in the stock? I actually noticed that the bottom plate was already slightly deformed out of the box so I will probably go ahead and replace with the DIP metal as you suggested.

 

[vinniedelpino]

i have two mark iis. The first shoots pretty good for what it is. The second is (was) the most accurate .22lr I've ever shot with a very specific lotof cci mini mags. Nothing about it makes sense. It's a $400 rifle shooting crap ammo and has no right to shoot that well. I said "was" because that lot of cci is long gone. It shoots OK with other ammo.

I have two regrets in life. The first is that I never closed on a threesome that was an absolute layup in my senior year. The second is that I didn't buy a pallet of that cci.

 

[12Bravo20]

Thanks for your suggestion! Is the main point of changing the bottom metal to allow for higher/more accurate torque on the action screws? And that increases the stability of the action in the stock? I actually noticed that the bottom plate was already slightly deformed out of the box so I will probably go ahead and replace with the DIP metal as you suggested.

Using the thicker DIP bottom metal allows for a more consistent and accurate torque on the action screws. There really is no need for a lot of torque on the MkII action screws. Yes some rifles will like a little more or less torque. But usually 15-20 inch pound range is fine. to go higher than that you definitely will need to either pillar or glass bed the action.

I am currently running an aluminum chassis from Rigid Alloy on my MkII BTVLSS and am still at 16 inch pounds and it holds fine and the rifle still shoots just as accurate as before.