ORIGINAL: ButchA
For you fellow Savage owners: Try using Federal rounds. IMHO, for some reason, Savage rifles seem to like Federal. I've tried Winchester. I've tried Remington Core-Lokt's. They all shoot fine, but you definitely notice the rifles' preference with Federal. You instantly get sub-MOA groupings!
I've tried Federal Fusion 150 and 165gr rounds in my 111 and both shot about 2.5" groups average. I then tried Winchester Super X 150gr Power Points and they shot sub-MOA. But sometime (after it warms up!
) I plan to try the Federal 150gr PSP's (the cheap ones). They usually sell them for $11-12/box, while the Winchester Power Points cost about $14-15/box.
Regarding the accuracy of Savage rifles, they are amazing considering the cost of the rifles. Savages definately have it where it counts, but I also think that some rifles need to be shot-in before they start to really shine. I noticed that after 2 boxes of ammo the groups started to shrink, and by the end of the 4th box the rifle had settled into a very nice sub-MOA average shooter, the smallest 3-shot group was covered entirely by a dime (not bad for a sporter .30-06).
I really like my Savage. I'll grant that it's not the prettiest rifle around, but I know I can have complete confidence in it's ability to put a bullet where it's aimed. It's my "no-excuses" hunting rifle, because if I miss, it's not the rifle's fault.
Mike