Disheartened Aussie...

As most of you know I have purchased my first Rifle..
At the present I am very frustrated with the whole thing...I can put cans out at a 100 yards and hit them yet when it comes to me putting it on paper I cant seem to get a descent grouping...it was to the point were I was ready to burn the bloody rifle....(But I wont)..... I normally can pick up any rifle and seem to get a good grouping and yet with mine I am having no such luck....I know it is new and all and needs to be broken in so to speak but it still gets me mad...
So I think to start with I will change the Trigger system to a Lighter Trigger as the current one it to Heavy on my Savage .243.... Every time I have a shot I seem to be pulling to the right as I am right handed.
If anyone has any tips on how to help the situation that would be great as I am becoming disheartened...
I just want it to be perfect and I cant seem to make it happen...
So if anyone could please help that would be great....

if your hitting to the upper right it probably means you are anticipating the recoil, which is the most likely cause. If it is hitting to right it means you probably have too much trigger finger. Lower right means your grip is too tight.
http://www.reloadbench.com/pdf/files/TargetRightHanded.pdf

start there, if that doesn't help you improve, I have some other suggestions.

+1 for too much trigger finger. i try to just use the tip of my trigger finger. I also think you maybe frustrated and anticipating recoil. The .243 doesn't have much but it does have some and it is not the same as the 45-70 its sharper and in stead of a hard push its like a mild slap. that could be it. Still with the recoil pad thats on your rifle it shouldn't be that bad.
All that being said do you and Matt have a good solid bench rest Like the lead sled. Perhaps Matt could make one he seems pretty handy then you can eliminate you as the source of the error. It could be the rifle. As good as Savage is and I have to admit they are pretty good once in a while a bad one will slip through. So i would rule the rifle its self out before i get too frustrated.
I am truely sorry you are having a hard time with it I know how frustrating it is

as bones stated most any pull to the right, you need to back ur trigger finger out more toward the tip of it.. if the trigger is too heavey or has alot of creep accuracy will suffer, especially if your other rifles have light crisp triggers..
(you are used to shooting them) ..if groups are not good or groups are decent but move around on the target then a loose scope could be the culprit.....bill

Have Matt load up some light loads, take your time learn the gun. A life long love affair needs more then a few weeks to build a firm foundation. You two will be fine, make small changages and she will dial in for you. Remember this is fun!! You can do it!

Hang in there you will whip that rifle in to shape. Try taking the action out of the stock and put it back . then ckeck if it will shoot better. My .243 savage needed a little work on the barrel channel a little light sanding and it settled down.

Thanks for all the tips will try them out...
To answer some of the answers, we have a good shooting bench as mat made it himself to fit me...
I have been shooting factory 80gr so I will drop it back to reloaded 55gr....
I dont think i anticipate the recoil as there is little to worry about...
And I do have my trigger finger more on the trigger than normally but this is due to the fact that it is a heavy trigger and it is a lot harder to squeeze, than what I am used to...
And we have just put Mats scope on the rifle so I know it is not that.
AND YES I AM FRUSTRATED.....

My husband (MrMat) and it seems fine for him...Mat has checked all of that and it seems tight......About 80 rounds have gone through it....

If it shoots fine for Mat, I would think that it comes back around to the trigger pull weight. Mat will have more forearm strength that helps min pull the trigger consistantly while you may have a little more trouble with it. If you are having to work with the trigger too much to get it to fire your groups will be all over the paper. A little trigger work may be needed. Don't get too discoraged thogh, You said in your original post that you could hit cans at 100 yds. While lot can be said for punching holes on a piece of paper, what really matters is even if it hits an inch high an to the right from where you aimed, it should still be good enough make a clean kill.

Aussie, I believe you answered your own question. If it is shooting fine for Mat and not for you it may very well be the trigger. I personaly do not like a heavy, long travel on any trigger. Mat might be used to a more firm trigger than what you are. My dad for example got used to an old military 2 stage trigger and when shooting a rifle with a clean crisp trigger he tends to jump on let off. Me personaly when shooting something with an (ugly 8-10#, will it ever go off, feels like crap trigger) take my mind off of where I want to put the bullet and start guessing about when the gun is going to go off.
Dont get upset give it time, the rifle is still new to you and with each and every shot you will become more and more cozy with it.

One other thing that could cause it to not shoot as well for you as it does for Mat is if the scope is not adjusted correct for you. You might be moving your head slightly to get a clear view and not at the same place each time.

I am sure you will get to where you want it, it may take some time but its time well worth it.

Tripples

sorry about your frustrations. My savage had a savage trigger... savagely hard to pull. I gunsmithed the hell out of it in my shop and it is about 2 lbs now with zero creep. you wouldn't believe what it did for my accuracy!

I'm not saying that a trigger job would solve your problem but it should help and definitely will NOT hurt

I wish you the best with the gun. It looks like a fine piece!

Perhaps you’re being over critical. It is your first rifle after all. Hitting pop-cans at 100 yards is impressive. Your groups will get better in time. But if you can’t wait for that then a bipod and trigger job will probably do the trick.

badjeep02 wrote:Perhaps you’re being over critical. It is your first rifle after all. Hitting pop-cans at 100 yards is impressive. Your groups will get better in time. But if you can’t wait for that then a bipod and trigger job will probably do the trick.

i agree with jeep i think your being to itching yourself i wound sand bag the crap out of it so it couldnt move during an earth quake and just shoot it shoot it till your out of ammo practice the sqeeze of the trigger and the follow threw then when your out of ammo go load some more and shoot all it to lol practice makes perfect my dear and confidence is just as important as practice!!

I wouldn't get too frustrated with it just yet seeing it is a new gun to you. You may want to try using different style of targets. I noticed that with some styles of targets I can group better with then others especially when I shoot handguns. Lets say you are shooting at a traditional round bullseye style target try switching over to one that has a square or diamond bullseye. The second thing you can try is by putting your gun on a good rest and then put your thumb on the back of the trigger guard then take the pad of your index finger and put that on the trigger. Then just slowly squeeze them together like you are trying to pinch the trigger guard and trigger together. Some benchrest shooters use that method to eliminate any torque put on the gun. If that works and you are getting better groups then you know you need to work on your trigger control with that gun.

RemMan700 wrote: The second thing you can try is by putting your gun on a good rest and then put your thumb on the back of the trigger guard then take the pad of your index finger and put that on the trigger. Then just slowly squeeze them together like you are trying to pinch the trigger guard and trigger together. Some benchrest shooters use that method to eliminate any torque put on the gun. If that works and you are getting better groups then you know you need to work on your trigger control with that gun.

That is one of the best ideas ive heard in a long time think I will try that my self thanks Rem guy

Yep I'll put that in my bag of tricks, but don't tell anyone I'm gonna tell people it was my idea

This thread is helping add to my shooting repertoire.

You just need more trigger time Simone. Work on your form, and read up on all the tips, tricks, info, and advice you can get your hands on.
Practice taking a deep breath while the cross hairs are centered on the target, then completely relax as you breath out. As you exhale slowly, gently begin to put steady pressure on the trigger and squeeze your way through it. It's a follow through process and not a jerk or snap reaction.
It just takes time and patience to find the form that you feel comfortable with and get that groove.

I would also suggest on laying off the longer shots and just concentrate on getting tight groups at 50-75 meters first. Then when your shooting quarters at will at those ranges, extend it out further to 100 meters. Then work at that range until you can keep your group inside a 1" circle.
If you start to regress, go back to 50-75 meters and work your way back out.

You have to remember that most of us have had a rifle in our hands since we were big enough to sit behind one and look through a scope. So you can't expect perfection to happen over night, it's a learning process that takes time to develop the skill.
I wouldn't start modifying the trigger system just yet, you'll get used to it.
A good rifleman/riflewoman should be able to pick up just about any rifle no matter what type of trigger it has or what poundage of pull and hit what they are shooting at because it's nearly all in your form and repeating that same form over and over again.

Don't mean to sound too bossy or anything, it's just the nature of the beast.
Keep practicing and it will come to ya.

If you get bored punching paper then start blowing up small fruit to keep it fun. Apples, oranges, and even plums are lots of fun to destroy and it will make you feel all mushy inside, just like a kid again.......have fun with it and don't put too much pressure on yourself.
You just need lots of trigger time!

That's your weekly pep talk from Uncle Mo........if you need more just come on back and I'll give you another dose!

Thanks Uncle MO....
I have just bought a new trigger system, cause personally I dont care for the one on it a present.....
Now dont laugh but I think I have found a answer to some of my problem...
When I went to pick up the Rifle with Mat I asked for 100 rounds and thats what we got...I saw him with my own eyes and he grabbed 5 packets of ammo out of the same bundle....Mat looked at one packet and said yep 80gr....it was only bought to our attention today that it might be 100gr ammo, so me and Mat went out to the shed and checked all the boxes and what do you think we came across......they were all different some were 80gr and some were 100gr.....
So I was never at one time just shooting 80gr it was a mix of both...LOL...
I dont think thats all the problem and I will try what everyone has suggested.....
Mat is going to load some 55gr and I will have a go at a lighter load.....Will let you all know how i go with this and the new trigger system.....
Thanks Kindly
Aussie

I did some digging and found out that your Savage Edge in .243 has a 1:9 1/4" rate of twist, which is nearly identical to what my Remington 788 .243 has. You may find that those 55 grainers won't shoot any better than the heavier bullets? At least that was my experience with Winchester Supreme ammo. They were the 55gr. ballistic silvertips, which is nothing more than a Nosler ballistic tip with Winchester's name on it. However, my rifle didn't like them at all. I got more of a pattern than a group with them. I think the 1:9 twist rate is just too fast for such a light weight bullet?
I did go up to a 65gr. Vmax and those shot fairly well, but the 80gr. through 95gr. bullets shoot extremely well. My 2 favorite pet loads are the 87gr. Vmax and the 95gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip using Varget.
I get one holes and cloverleafs with those all day long.

What kind of trigger did you get? Is it the Accutrigger?
You would have probably been better off with the Savage 11GCNS rather than the Edge? It comes standard with the Accutrigger, walnut stock and detachable box magazine. But it's more money also.

The prices on Savage's website are always way higher than what you actually pay for them. Most of the time you could probably knock at least $100 bucks off what they are showing because that is the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail price.
Link--> http://savagearms.com/firearms/model/11GCNS

I kind of wish mine had the Accutrigger also, but for an economy priced rifle (which is what I wanted) it shoots outgrageously accurate, and I kind of like the 4 pound pull on my Stevens, it feels almost exactly like my other rifles. Maybe even a bit lighter? I'm not sure because I have never tested them before?
Hmmmmm........I think I might just do that? I've got a digital fish scale that I weigh fish on that is fairly accurate, I bet I can test the trigger pull with it also.

Good luck to ya Simone, I hope you get settled on what's comfortable for you. Because if it doesn't feel right, or it's not comfortable to shoot then you may never get used to it, but I'm sure you will.
Fling lots of lead and have fun with it, afterall that's what it's all about anyway........just having fun whether it's punching paper, exploding fruit, or killin critters.

I found this review on your rifle, the stock is a different color but still the same one. I like this guy Jeff Quinn, he gives some pretty good reviews and I read his review on the Stevens 200 before I bought my 22-250.
So I thought you may be interested in reading what he has to say?

Link--> http://www.gunblast.com/Savage-Edge243.htm

No I ordered a Rifle Basix Trigger called the SAV-1....... Phoned my gun smith and they dont make a Accu Trigger to fit my model.....Also emailed Timney and they wont have one out for another couple of months....

I have heard that rifle basixs where really nice.

That ammo thing is a surprise!
I'm intrigued. re-testing with all the same ammo might give better results. (captain obvious here).

I don't notice any difference in POI with 80gr. - 87gr. - 95gr. - or 100gr. bullets out of my .243 until it gets well beyond the 100 yard mark. Just because the .243 is such a flat shooting round.
The lighter bullets in the 65 - 70gr. range are noticeably flatter shooting, but not nearly as accurate until I get up into the 80grainers and above.
Just my own experience with my 788, but every rifle has it's own quirks so individual results may vary.

The Savage 243 I had loved 75-95gr bullets...especially 75gr V-Max. It had the same twist as your new rifle.. It didn't like anything over 100gr...but I didn't dwell in that area and do any load work-ups either. I never tried anything lighter than 75gr....that's what a 223 is for