Would like some help/advice on my Savage

[Josh Wright]

It's the Savage Model 16/116 .300 Win Mag Weather Warrior.

I for sure want to add a muzzle brake and am looking at the Muscle Brakes at Centershot rifles.

I am also looking at getting Sharp Shooter Supply to replace my recoil lug with theirs.

Re: Bolt Fluting
What is the purpose here?

I know I want a new tactical bolt handle.

My goal is to reduce recoil for more accuracy at 500 plus. Any thoughts or suggestions are much needed. This will be the first time I customize a rifle.

 

[Matt Cashell]

Josh,

None of those things are going to make your rifle more accurate. An accurate rifle is a consistent rifle. Making sure you have proper bedding is way more important.

Is your barrel fully floating now?

Why do you want a fluted bolt or tactical knob?

Is your rifle an accustock rifle? If it isn't, you could get a good riflestock, and bed it. Why the brake? Are you having a flinch?

A little more info will help.

 

[hunting1]

Re: Bolt Fluting
What is the purpose here?

Weight savings and cool effect! I have a 116 FSAK and really like it. The trigger will help with accuracy, but reloading and finding what the gun likes will save money and get it done. I have several Savages and as said check that it is free floated, get a Nosler manual and start reloading. RL22, IMRH4350, and H1000 are a great place to start with 180 of choice.

 

[Whisky]

Josh,

The main purpose behind bolt fluting is to have a place for grit and debris to go so you're bolt doesn't bind when dirty. However, more people do it for looks than anything. And there are some that do it to cut weight. I personally have never had a problem with a smooth bolt, and I coyote hunt in some very cold weather.

A custom recoil lug will gain you nothing whatsoever. If you were starting from scratch and building a custom rifle, then you would use an aftermarket lug.

I despise muzzle brakes. I will never own one. But they certainly work to reduce recoil. Be sure to always be wearing ear protection. They are too loud for me, and blow crap everywhere. I feel sorry for the people who may have to shoot next to you. APA brakes are very popular and effective. My gunsmith uses them.

You don't need to get a new handle. There are many places that you can send your bolt to and they will cut off your old knob, thread your handle, and screw on a bigger knob. I personally like the bigger knobs. The way I cycle the bolt, it helps give me leverage. It's also nice when hunting cold weather when you have gloves on.

I agree with BB though, none of the above will do anything to increase accuracy. The brake will reduce recoil, however. And that is one of your goals.

I'd start with the stock and trigger, personally. For me them are the first two things to get addressed.

 

[Shrek]

I'm right there with the rest. Bed it , light trigger , then load work. The rest is mostly show not go. I hate a brake on a hunting rifle also. Unless you wear hearing protection when you hunt you will have a flinch in just a couple of unprotected shots with a brake. Not from recoil but from the blast. I find recoil easier to deal with than muzzle blast.

 

[Floorguy]

[Sarcasm]but its a savage...[/sarcasm]

What kind of accuracy does it have now? How are you measuring that accuracy? Are you shooting using some sort of vise/lead sled? What ammo are you shooting, why/what made you choose it?

 

[Shrek]

[Sarcasm]but its a savage...[/sarcasm]

What kind of accuracy does it have now? How are you measuring that accuracy? Are you shooting using some sort of vise/lead sled? What ammo are you shooting, why/what made you choose it?

It's a Savage is right ! A turn or two on the trigger and double check the barrel float and go shooting. Most likely it will like most of what you feed it and are only trying to find what it likes the very best. If it's not an accustock then you may need to bed it but most non accustock stocks from savage are pillar beded so you are half way there already.

 

[Josh Wright]

It's not an Accustock. It is pillar bedded. It is free floating barrel. How do I go about glass bedding it? I bought it mainly to elk hut with, but occasionally deer hunt with it. It's lightweight and produces more recoil than I would like for me to feel confident after 500. I have killed coyotes with it past 400 yards.

I thought people put brakes on their guns to help with recoil to make them more accurate for long distance shots. I shoot great with it 300 in.

 

[Josh Wright]

I am shooting the Barnes VorTx 165 grain TTSX.

 

[Floorguy]

Or the gun shoots good right now and ammo is the only change needed. At 500 yards ammo can be the only thing that is needed to make a notable difference.

I might be in the minority but the features that savage puts in their rifles I don't believe make it inherently more accurate than any other factory rifle in the same price class. Some other things that savage does can actually decrease the inherent accuracy of the rifle.

One of the problems is that there is no real standard baseline to start judging the accuracy of a rifle. Barrels I have come to think are as varied as snowflakes as to how they will shoot a given ammo.

 

[Shrek]

They do put brakes on to help with recoil. If I'm at the range with ear protection on and no debris around the muzzle you can't beat a brake but in the field most of us are not going to take or have the time to plug our ears and clean up around the muzzle before taking a shot on game. Just once or twice blowing your eyes full of dirt and the hellish blast from the brake unprotected and your subconscious is going to protect you by anticipating the shot and closing your eyes , cringing , and jerking the trigger. The regular blast is more than enough to deal with.

If you can take coyotes at 400 plus then you are within minute of elk at double that.

 

[Floorguy]

People put brakes on guns to make them more comfortable to shoot which will reduce a shooters flinching or if they just don't handle recoil as well it can aid in follow through.

A brake will be adding mass to the end of the barrel which will change both the barrel harmonics and in return barrel harmonics.

I guess I am not seeing how it is OK for 400 but not 500 and needs to be changed. More time at the range should help with confidence not some gadget

 

[Shrek]

I'm a Savage coolaid drinker so I do think savages are better. As to bedding a plastic stock it is problematic. You have to rough up and make purchases to hold the bedding . Some bulldog plastic paint prep also helps but the bedding often shoots loose. There are many YouTube videos on bedding a stock and basic gunsmithing books all cover it. I have a copy of Gunsmithing Made Easy by Bryce M Towsley that I had open next to me the first time. A little scary the first time but it went great. I strongly recommend not using a drimmel tool to open the stock up as just a moment of sloppiness and you can ruin a stock ( or three ). Get a set of hand carving chisels and take your time.

 

[Matt Cashell]

Here is how I feel about your situation:

Forget bedding the plastic stock.

Forget the brake.

If the rifle shoots, and you can shoot it, don't mess with it.

If you are going to bed it, get a B&C Medalist or similar stock (make sure it will fit your action though, there are several Savage non-accustock variations). this will also add weight, which will reduce felt recoil.

Cleaning up the trigger will help your accuracy, but not the rifles.

Keep us posted on how it turns out!

 

[Ryan Avery]

How does the rifle shoot now? 500 yards in not really that far. Sounds like you could be flinching a bit. Do you just want to shoot to 500? On reason for a MB is to spot your own hits at longer ranges. BB pretty much summed up everything else.

 

[Mckinnon]

If you shoot well out to 500 leave it. Work on you trigger squeeze and breathing and save your money. Or a cheap option is have the trigger worked and then work on your squeeze and breathing. Think of your applications here, are you going to shoot elk out past 500? If you are and you are serious about it then its gonna cost you regardless of what you do (stock, bedding, brake, etc etc), if not then why change a good recipe...? just my thoughts

 

[Josh Wright]

The rifle shoots fine. But it does have some recoil. I figured if I reduced the recoil a bit it would make it more accurate/easier to hold over long distances. Maybe all I need is a heavier stock? I don't mind carrying the extra weight on my pack if it would reduce the recoil a bit. I'm not big on the synthetic one I have anyway.

 

[robby denning]

. I strongly recommend not using a drimmel tool to open the stock up as just a moment of sloppiness and you can ruin a stock ( or three ).

Sounds like experience talking

Triggers have helped me and are worth the time and investment;
I don't like brakes on hunting rifles and neither will your buddy spotting for you. Daveinjax explains why the best.

 

[Mckinnon]

The rifle shoots fine. But it does have some recoil. I figured if I reduced the recoil a bit it would make it more accurate/easier to hold over long distances. Maybe all I need is a heavier stock? I don't mind carrying the extra weight on my pack if it would reduce the recoil a bit. I'm not big on the synthetic one I have anyway.

I don't mean to come off as insensitive or anything, but it is a 300 mag, its gonna have some recoil. That being said, ya if you make it heavier you are gonna reduce the recoil, I am not sure how much weight you would have to add in order to effectively reduce recoil to a level tolerable to you. If it were me I would buy some snap caps and practice, then go shoot one round. Do another snap cap, shoot another. Do a few snap caps, shoot another round. Have someone video tape you, and watch your squeeze after on both snap caps and a live round that way you can pinpoint anything that is wrong.. Do it til you don't flinch. If you practice at this you can pretty much eliminate your flinch. Again, just my experience talking, I helped a friend get rid of some recoil sensitivity. That's how we did it and it worked.

 

[Whisky]

A brake will do nothing for accuracy. If you shoot it well now, adding a brake will not make it shoot any better. Reducing recoil has no bearing whatsoever on accuracy. If you are flinching because of the recoil, then a brake may serve a purpose for you. But it doesn't sound like that's the case since you've stated it already shoots well.

I'm with Robby, a nice trigger is very important to me.

May I do the unthinkable here, and suggest you sell the magnum and buy a nice short action such as 308 or 7mm-08? Honestly, if I was considering adding a brake to a rifle, or a heavier stock to a rifle, all in the name of reducing recoil, I'd opt to cut my losses and go with a different cartridge. You don't need a mag to shoot past 500!