Savage 10 tight throat

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  • Last Post 26 March 2011
cbshtr posted this 22 March 2011

About 4 years ago I bought a Savage 10 White Tail Hunter in .308.  It was probably a limited run but it is exactly like the full camo Predator except in .308.  My intentions were to have an accurate bench gun that would work well for hunting.  I broke it in gradually with about 40 rounds of 180 gr factory Remingtons with the intention of getting some fire formed brass at the same time.  Once I got up to three shot groups I checked for group size.  Nothing great, but good enough for hunting.  I finally got the bug to try to see what it would do with lead so I slugged the muzzle and throat to find out what bullets I could use that were demensionally correct or at least close.  I could not believe what I came up with so I did it twice at both ends and measured it with both calipers and a micrometer.  There was no free bore in  the throat.  It started at .311 at the end of the chamber and quickly tapers down.  This is what I got: throat - bore .301, groove .3065; and the muzzle - bore .302, groove .3073!  I have never had a gun that measured UNDER standard groove diameter let alone being tighter at the throat than at the muzzle.  I know this is a disaster for cast bullets.  I could fire lap it but I almost ruined an O3A3 by doing that (opened to .313).  I bought the Savage because of the quality of their barrels so I wouldn't have to do that.  Any ideas?  Anyone else have a similar problem with their Savage barrels?  I'm not sure if their warranty would even cover the problem that I have. 

Robert Homan

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Clod Hopper posted this 22 March 2011

I would argue your too tight throat/barrel is a safety issue even with factory ammo. That has to raise pressures a lot. Call Savage, they might take care of it with a new barrel, or at least properly throat the old one.

Dale M. Lock

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cbshtr posted this 23 March 2011

I didn't think of that. I'll have to get all my info about the purchase and try to send them an e-mail. I measured the slugs again last night and the chamber end was actually closer to .3068. A little better but still under specs.

Robert Homan

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cbshtr posted this 23 March 2011

Just checked the warranty info on Savage's website. Well, it looks like I'm stuck. Their warranty is only good for one year. So I can either firelap, sell, trade or just deal with it and see what happens.

Robert Homan

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JetMech posted this 23 March 2011

Sell it on one of the auction sites. In the add, mention that it has a “Tight, Match Barrel". You'll probably get more then what you paid for it. :D

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Clod Hopper posted this 24 March 2011

Many gun manufacturers will fix their guns without charge even though out of warranty. Give them a chance and tell them 3,000 CBA members are interested in their answer. :-)

They may not replace it for free, but I'll bet it'll be a price you can live with.

Dale M. Lock

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CB posted this 24 March 2011

Back when they made a model 12 single shot my buddy bought one with a similar condition. He did send it back to Savage. They sent it back stating that it shot 3/4 inch groups with jacketed ammo. I should mention he bought it to shoot lead in production class. After I bought the gun from hom, I tired my best to get it to shoot with no luck. I figured I would just get an aftermarket barrel and with some other work shoot it in heavy class. Until I came across a deal on another Savage model 12 for a very good price, brand new never shot for 625.00. When I got it I didnt care for the way they changed the box magazine and swapped the barrel with the single shot action as it is stronger than the box magazine action. Sold the new action with the tight throated barrel for 25.00 less than I paid for the new gun. At that time they (Savage) wanted around 200.00 to hang a new barrel and that was 4 years ago.

You can try fire lapping to open up the throat, that may solve your lead accuracy problem and make it shoot jacketed better as well.

That single shot with the new barrel can shoot sub 1/2 groups if the jerk behind the trigger goes his job.

I should mention I did fire lap that barrel and cut a new crown also.

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cbshtr posted this 25 March 2011

Good input. Now I just have to figure out if I want to keep it, sell or trade. If firelapping would give me a throat to muzzle taper then that may be the way to go. From past experience I know you have to go slow at it, taking frequent measurements, so you don't open it up too much. It would be nice to have the chamber end just bigger than the muzzle. I have several RCBS moulds and they always cast on the small side for me so they would be a good candidate for this gun. We'll see.

Robert Homan

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CB posted this 25 March 2011

I used Clover valve lapping paste and what ever jacketed bullets I had laying around.

I think we put around 25 rounds though her in various grits ending up with 800 grit.

That cut the group size down from 1 1/2 inches at 100 yards to sub .500 (5 shot groups). We put a target crown, 11 degree and then deburred the crown to take off the sharp edges on the rifling lands and grooves.

The grit will be a bit sharper at the throat than at the muzzle, just be cautious when doing it.

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cbshtr posted this 26 March 2011

I have some LBT bore lapping compound that I used on an O3A3 with lead bullets. Is that okay to use? So are you recommending using jacketed bullets, or is it okay to use lead? I used very soft lead which was probably why I opened up the throat too much. I believe that since then they were recommending hard lead. Before I do anything I will research it on this and other forums and get a refresher overview of the process and results. The muzzle is still good but I have an 11 degree crowning tool I can always touch it up if need be.

Robert Homan

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CB posted this 26 March 2011

Sure Verals lapping compound works.. You have to follow his instructions. I have seen crappy bores clean up pretty good and shoot pretty darn accurately after using that. I used what I had on hand for automotive work.

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