Time to check the Savage

[reloader22]

This is getting to be somewhat boring to me and maybe to many others.  Nothing left to prove and no real meaningful improvements to post about.  One week of ML season.  Measured in days for me.  As in two days.  A weekend.  Load a known good shooting combo, check zero and maybe shoot a 3 shot group and go hunt.  This is like my 15th year of leaving the gun loaded all off season.  Will shoot it in a few weeks and it will hit top of the 2" dot give or take an inch.  Never fails.

The great times were when this was always in constant development.  In Western NYS we did not have centerfire until 2011.  The savage was the ultimate in ruling the woods and getting ahead of the average Joe out there.  We made stands and blinds that we never thought of before due to the reach of this gun.  We had super tuned rifled slug guns for drives and short range areas.  Eventually we just used ML's.....until centerfires were legal.

The hype has died off unless you are building crazy custom guns.  Even those guns are minimalized compared to a well put together centerfire that shoots accurately very easy.  At least around here in our area.  

So, I don't post much anymore on the subject because I don't have anything relevant to share like when this was a frontier.  

70 gr H4198, Harv CR sabot, 325 Hornaday .458 FTX, Fed 209A primer.  2,550 fps.  1.5 MOA solid out to 200 Yds.  2" high at 100 yds.  2" low at 200 yds.  Point, shoot, kill.  With only two days to utilize this, I am usually hunting on a doe tag.  Maybe a buck tag leftover from bow. 

Great legacy gun and so powerful.  Took a few years to tame it into a solid performer thanks to this board and the members who coaxed it along. 

[dannoboone]

As the saying goes, "Those were the good ol' days". I joined the
board when Doug and Mamaflinter were running things. Rick Bibby
was like a godfather to the board. I miss those days.

[lakeplainshunter]

I too miss the good old days on this Board. These Boards are pretty dead for this time of year.

I keep tweaking my 700 ML conversions. I haven't felt the need to do a centerfire conversion.

[cuda]

I miss the old days too. I still use my 10ML-ll 50 no 3rd screw all stock except the carbide vent liner. I have a 45 I did on a Stevens 200 SA shoots great too.

[ET]

Yes the atmosphere of the good old days has diminished but not totally disappeared. Still honored is provided help to other SML shooters when they experience difficulties. As for memories we can honor them by passing along the knowledge that was shared to us.

[peteo]

I agree. I have had a lot of fun shooting my Savages. I have sold 2 10ml2 recently and am in the process of moving my 1st 10ml2 which was a Henry Ball to a new owner. I now only shoot my CVA 45/70 conversions. They are lighter for my public land hunting and my blessed aging. It was a great time going from Blackpowder guns to a smokeless and all of its different recipes and results along with the 50 to 45 barrel swaps. I will remember my Savage 10ml2's as a high point in my muzzleloading years and good times.

[mrbuck]

Since two of my Savage MLIIs are not yet putting 3 shots in one hole , I'm always checking here for any tips , ideas that will help me shoot my Savage MLIIs more accurately . My " one hole " gun had Luke install a Pacnor .45 barrel and that solved the accuracy issues all at once !

[cuda]

mrbuck the best I can get is a .452 center to center 3 shot group at 100yds. I use 69gr to 70gr of IMR4198 under a 300gr .458 Hornady #4500 in a BCR sabot and a Win 209 primer. What are you using in your guns?

[mrbuck]

Cuda ... 44.0gr. of 5744 , 300gr. XTP in a MMP HPH12 sabot , and a CCI 209M primer . Another I use 44.0gr. of 5744 , a Barnes 250gr.Tipped bullet that has been knurled in a MMP HPH12 sabot ,. and a CCI 209M primer . I also have used Federal 209A primer but find it leaves carbon in the plug . One " problem child " I used 5 different powders , 5 different powders , and 4 different sabots before I sent it to Luke in 2014 to have a .45 Pac-Nor barrel installed . Not another thing done to the rifle and like magic 3 shots touching with H4198 shooting Barnes 195gr HPs and Hornady 200gr. SSTs in the Harvester Blue sabot ! I also tried 58.0 N120 with the Barnes 195gr. bullet and it also shot " 3 touching " . Years ago I tried N120 with the Barnes 300gr Original in the Harvester Black Ribbed sabot and their Orange sabot but that wasn't the answer either ! Hey , some Savage MlII may never shoot better than 1 1/2 inches ! And in the woods that is good to go !

[esmd]

Heh, I can relate. I empty mine in January when our muzzleloader season ends, but I do leave it powder and bullet in from October to January. I probably shoot my Savage less than 10 times per year now. 60 grains of N120, 300 grain Barnes Original in the orange MMP sabot. Winchester primer. Cuts holes at 100 yards, and is just about as accurate at 200. If you dropped that gun on the ground and it went off, somewhere in the woods a deer would fall over. It's that good.