Help Sighting in my .308

[Bic]

So, I’m a newby and just purchased my first rifle this year. Not knowing anything I walked into a local shop and picked up a savage axis .308 with the stock weaver scope. I started hitting some targets and found a lot of flexibility in the synthetic stock on the savage axis, & noticed my shots were bouncing all over the place even with the correct shooting table/ bipod.. I was going to upgrade with a Boyd’s after doing a lot of research but opt’d to go with a diy action bedding job. I ended up filling the for-end of the stock with rockite and then I used JB weld to bed the rifle action. Today was the first time taking it out after all of this was done, I sent 9 shots at 50 yards (the first shot was the one that was really low, but my newbie self still had the scope caps on smh) Today was bay far the closest grouping I’ve ever shot so the bedding seemed to do its job. I didn’t want to mess with the scope or sight it in until I got some advice on what to do next. Since my bedding job seemed to make it better should I move out to 100yrds and zero the scope? I’m new to all of this so any advice is greatly appreciated. Is the grouping I have even good at 50 yards? I could of messed with the scope and Pounded the group in the middle but I didn’t even want to touch the knobs until I got advise on what to do next. This picture is 9 shots at exactly 50 yards, so should I zero in on 50 and move to 100, or go to 150 and zero? I live in NY and I’m hunting deer, hilly/ hard wooded Areas.

PS: I should deff get a new scope too right? Any suggestions on best scope around $200?

thank you so much for your time it’s greatly appreciated!

 

[def90]

2 inch spread at 50 yds? I would expect much better than that with a bolt action rifle, I get a better group than that with my semi auto FN-FALs at 50 yds.

Keep shooting until you get solid consistent groups before you start trying to mess with zeroing the scope. Always aim at the center of the target and ignore the fact that it shoots low and to the left. Once you get to a point where you are leaving a single ragged hole with 5 shots then start adjusting the scope. Also try different brands of ammo and bullet weights, you may find that your rifle prefers one brand over another. With my FAL I can shoot just over 2 MOA with NATO surplus ammo but if I shoot Remington UMC ammo out of it the rifle shoots an 8-9 MOA group.

 

[Rky Mtn Farmer]

If your hitting there at 50 yards, you will be on paper at 100 yards. I would move out to 100 and see what it does. 100 yard zero is pretty standard, and where a lot of people sight their rifles in at.

It’s awesome that you are brand new to shooting and you just jump in and bedded your own stock.

Yeah I would recommend looking at a new scope and maybe some better rings. I had a friend one time with a Savage Axis like yours, but in 30-06, I believe it came with a Simmons. The cross hairs literally fell off from the recoil in the first box of ammo. A couple scopes to look at would be Vortex Crossfire, Burris fullfield and maybe a Redfield (I believe Leupold bought them). This scopes would be around your $200 budget.

 

[Don Qui Puncher]

Scope mounting to maintain zero

After multiple requests for an explanation of how to mount a scope in order to have the lowest possibility of loss of zero, a discussion of a scope mounting video, and the latest thread about scope bases and action screw coming loose, I took some pics of what I do with a rifle when I get it and...

www.rokslide.com

I start all my builds or checking out guns for friends with the above thread. I also just did my first bedding job not long who and it took a 3 inch gun to a .7 with factory ammo and under .5 hand loads, I swapped scopes rings rail and couldn’t get it to shoot so I bedded it and it’s awesome now. I tell everyone to follow that thread when putting a gun together. Also check out the SWFA fixed power scopes, it’s the only sub 500$ scope I’d consider

 

[Bic]

2 inch spread at 50 yds? I would expect much better than that with a bolt action rifle, I get a better group than that with my semi auto FN-FALs at 50 yds.

Keep shooting until you get solid consistent groups before you start trying to mess with zeroing the scope. Always aim at the center of the target and ignore the fact that it shoots low and to the left. Once you get to a point where you are leaving a single ragged hole with 5 shots then start adjusting the scope. Also try different brands of ammo and bullet weights, you may find that your rifle prefers one brand over another. With my FAL I can shoot just over 2 MOA with NATO surplus ammo but if I shoot Remington UMC ammo out of it the rifle shoots an 8-9 MOA group.

Appreciate the help! I just got back from the gun shop and picked up a couple boxes of different grains From different companies. About to take it out now to test them out

 

[WCB]

Get rid of that scope ASAP. I wouldn't put one of those on my .22lr. Needless to say they aren't "Weavers" they are a cheap rebrand that cost about $20 to build and it will fail on you.

 

[DANNY-L]

Does it have the accu trigger? If not what I have done is cut a full coil off the trigger spring to drop the poundage down in the trigger. Those heavy triggers tend to make ya pull the rifle as ya fire. Scope for your budget I'de look at the Leupold vx freedom 3-9x40 Ya can find them many places for $200 and I would back off to 100yds and zero there,for myself I'd zero an inch high.

 

[robtattoo]

Having run the entire gamut on Axiseses.... I would almost guarantee that the scope & bases are loose. When savage seemed the rifle's out, it seems like the scope is literally just thrown on there so it doesn't get banged around in the box. I've seen them mounted literally 90° out (elevation becomes a left handed windage) and one completely back to front. Best advice I could give, along with others, is to replace the scope entirely. They really are ultra low eld garbage. I would highly suggest a Vortex Crossfire 3-9x40 as a cheap alternative (sub $150 on Amazon) Remove the mounts from the action (you may need to drill the heads. (They use screws made of cheese) & replace the 2 mounts with a single rail & rings.
Long action Savages are notoriously difficult to mount a scope. The action is slightly farther away from the trigger than, say, Remington. The mounting holes are also very widely spaced & you often struggle to find a scope with a long enough tube & rarely manage to get it back far enough for correct eye relief.

I'd be utterly astonished if it's a problem with the rifle itself. Yes, the stocks are garbage, but I've never owned, shot or seen one that won't put 5 rounds into an inch. Hell, we have a dude at our range shoots LR Benchrest competitions with one, just to piss off the 'money' boys!

 

[Newtosavage]

Having run the entire gamut on Axiseses.... I would almost guarantee that the scope & bases are loose. When savage seemed the rifle's out, it seems like the scope is literally just thrown on there so it doesn't get banged around in the box. I've seen them mounted literally 90° out (elevation becomes a left handed windage) and one completely back to front. Best advice I could give, along with others, is to replace the scope entirely. They really are ultra low eld garbage. I would highly suggest a Vortex Crossfire 3-9x40 as a cheap alternative (sub $150 on Amazon) Remove the mounts from the action (you may need to drill the heads. (They use screws made of cheese) & replace the 2 mounts with a single rail & rings.
Long action Savages are notoriously difficult to mount a scope. The action is slightly farther away from the trigger than, say, Remington. The mounting holes are also very widely spaced & you often struggle to find a scope with a long enough tube & rarely manage to get it back far enough for correct eye relief.

I'd be utterly astonished if it's a problem with the rifle itself. Yes, the stocks are garbage, but I've never owned, shot or seen one that won't put 5 rounds into an inch. Hell, we have a dude at our range shoots LR Benchrest competitions with one, just to piss off the 'money' boys!

All of this.

 

[w squared]

Having run the entire gamut on Axiseses.... I would almost guarantee that the scope & bases are loose. When savage seemed the rifle's out, it seems like the scope is literally just thrown on there so it doesn't get banged around in the box. I've seen them mounted literally 90° out (elevation becomes a left handed windage) and one completely back to front. Best advice I could give, along with others, is to replace the scope entirely. They really are ultra low eld garbage. I would highly suggest a Vortex Crossfire 3-9x40 as a cheap alternative (sub $150 on Amazon) Remove the mounts from the action (you may need to drill the heads. (They use screws made of cheese) & replace the 2 mounts with a single rail & rings.
Long action Savages are notoriously difficult to mount a scope. The action is slightly farther away from the trigger than, say, Remington. The mounting holes are also very widely spaced & you often struggle to find a scope with a long enough tube & rarely manage to get it back far enough for correct eye relief.

I'd be utterly astonished if it's a problem with the rifle itself. Yes, the stocks are garbage, but I've never owned, shot or seen one that won't put 5 rounds into an inch. Hell, we have a dude at our range shoots LR Benchrest competitions with one, just to piss off the 'money' boys!

Yup. Newer Savage turnbolts are cheap and honestly shoot very well. I only own two of them....but they were both tack drivers without needing any help from me.

I've done a lot of troubleshooting on rifles that weren't shooting well over the years. The vast majority of issues were actually optics related - and most of those were issues with the mount.

Oddly enough, the only "it's the rifle" problem that I ever found was on a Wilson Combat .458 SOCOM - it was a 6 MOA gun when I bought it.....and a .75 MOA gun after I sent the upper back to Wilson to have it re-barreled. Credit where credit is due...they didn't charge me a dime and paid for shipping both ways.

 

[Chesapeake173]

Another thing to consider since you’re new to this is letting the barrel cool between shots. As the barrel heats up accuracy will degrade. Good luck!


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