Savage Edge .270 Range Report

[mes228]

I purchased a Savage Edge in .270 with a 4x16 Centerpoint scope to go on it from Walmart. The price point is really good, the entire combo was $337 not including tax. I like the ergos quite a lot, the rifle handled well, and was not uglier than the rest of plastic stocked rifles out there. The non- accutrigger was not horrible, had virtually no creep, but was stiff - probably a 6lb + trigger. However, it was quite shootable even with the trigger.

Brass was well "struck" by the firing pin, near center, with no failures to fire. As with a lot of new rifles recently - the accuracy was not good. From a Caudel's Lead Sled, about 3" using the Win. 130 gr. Power Points from Walmart. Barrel wasn't stable for more than 3 rounds and heated rapidly with wandering impacts. As bad as this was, it's better than the two Remington Mtn. Rifles, the two Ruger Minis and 2-3 other new rifles I've had recently. The last really accurate rifle I've owned was a CZ and I wish I hadn't sold it off. The CZ shot dime size groups with most everything.

Of course all this assumes the Walmart gear was functioning correctly. Everything was new, the rifle & the scope. Bases and rings were tight (and re-checked) and the scope centered. Hard to tell if the scope was responsible for the poor accuracy or the rifle. The scope was clear, the movements worked well but were not really precise. I did think the scope a great value and liked it over all. It was marked made in China, and imported by USA Crossman. The air rifle people. I suspect the rifle as I've had so many new rifles that were not up to snuff accuracy wise. All had different scopes ranging from Leupold, Pentax, Bushnell, Nikon so I suspect the rifles.

Some of you will think "wow, this guy just can't shoot", to have so many rifles that shot like crap. I'm no great shot but 1 1/2" groups are what I shoot 50% of the time if the rifle will do it. The other 50% I'll shoot a smaller group. Also, all these rifles were shot by others as I seldom go to the range alone. They all had similar results. I ended the range session by shooting one of my AR's (the FN) with an Eotech at 100 yds. for comparison. I couldn't even see the bulls eye and just held for the center of the paper. With no magnification and a non-precise red dot, I out shot the Savage. And the Savage had a scope, and was set on 12 power. A rifle with optics should be a precision instrument. Many today are simply extremely full choke shotguns firing one pellet at a time.

Conclusion, did I like the rifle? Yes I did, actually quite a lot. I will keep it and try to find something the rifle will shoot better. Right now it's a 100 yard deer gun but nothing more. Perhaps with another 130 gr. or a 150 gr. bullet it might improve some and I'll try for a while. If I could get 1 1/2 to 2 inch groups I'd be tickled pink. In fact, if I get this one to shoot, I would probably purchase a couple more. One in .243 and one in .308 or 30-06. Bottom line is I really liked the rifle but was disappointed in the accuracy. This was my experience and yours may vary. But unlike the gun magazines, this is the truth of my experience, and no one paid me to be positive about the rifle. Or it's performance.

 

[jimbob86]

3" groups ..... that wander?

I have a 100+ year old bubba'd model 93 mauser that someone gave me for FREE that does better than that.

 

[mes228]

savage

It's a shame isn't it. I've had tons of ancient rifles, even military surplus that shoot rings around some of these new whiz bang CNC machined wonders. The AR's are the exception. Don't know why, but almost all AR's will shoot an inch or so with a bullet weight correct for the rifling twist (at least the several I've owned). Hunting rifles (snicker) that are only good for really really big game are useless in my opinion. I wouldn't keep a rifle that you couldn't hit a rabbit with at 100 yards.

 

[UniversalFrost]

first, that scope is junk right off the bat. I have not seen a good scope from center point.
what mounts were you using? were they installed properly and torqued down?

how long were you letting the barrel cool in between shots?

any barrel, even an ultra heavy benchrest barrel will start stringing shots when it gets too warm and is not allowed to cool off.

lastly, what other ammo have you shot out of the gun? I only saw you shooting the cheap 130gr federals...

even though I think the edge looks fugly, it is an accurate rifle when you have a good scope/base/mount and you shoot several different brands of ammo to see what works best.

when you get things sorted out and shoot a wide variety of ammo, have a decent scope installed and allow the barrel to cool down between shots, then please post a review.

otherwise the review you posted only leads me to believe that you didn't have a clue as to what you were doing.

 

[Kreyzhorse]

Hard to tell if the scope was responsible for the poor accuracy or the rifle. The scope was clear, the movements worked well but were not really precise.

I'm not doubting that your Savage could be an inaccurate rifle, but when you make statements about the scope up front, it's really hard to put any validity into your overall evaluation of the rifle.

 

[lefteyedom]

tune that trigger

Savage triggers (pre-Accu) are not difficult to tune up.

Tune the trigger, lap the scope rings,install a better scope and torque the actions screws then give it another try.

 

[mes228]

Rifle

Well, yes I let the barrel cool between 3 round groups. I always do. At times I let the barrel cool even between rounds.

I didn't understand the comment about the scope. I had already stated that all the equipment was new from Walmart. As a package it is hard to say which component was the cause. I said I suspect the rifle as I've had several that were as bad recently. The scope was clear but the movements were not precise. At times the bullet movement, which should have been in 1/4 inch clicks was more or less. Hard to tell precisely as the rifle wasn't shooting precisely to point of aim. I did not like the rings that came with the CenterPoint scope so I supplied a set of split Weaver rings. By the way I'm a dealer for Leupold, Nikon, Pentax, and Simo rifle scopes. I just wanted to try the CenterPoint as I've been told good things about them. I also carried for a while, a line of air rifles that came with astoundingly good scopes. I was curious about the Crossman. I may switch out the centerPoint for another scope if I feel it's worth the effort.

As for knowing what I'm doing, I pretty much agree. I've spent 60 years proving that I'm not too bright. I am though, bright enough to properly sight in a rifle. At least I suspect so, as I've sighted in a few hundred I suspect.

As for shooting several brands of ammo, that's a good idea to fine tune a particular rifle. By fine tune, I mean something less than an inch or so. A rifle that's built correctly will pretty much shoot most bullets of the same grain to pretty much the same place. If it's weighted for the rifles twist. The piddling variations in velocity mean almost nothing at 100 yds. I know, I know, all you educated rifle magazine readers know it's critical to shoot lots and lots of ammo. By a dozen makers to find the correct round as a writer told you so. The only exception to this general rule I've personally found to be true is Barnes bullets. Well I only wish to keep a rifle that I can feed ammo from Walmart or Dicks and still hit something. But that's just me. I don't have time to reload anymore. I suspect that most rifles that shoot pie plate groups will do so with most ammo you feed them. Most really accurate rifles are accurate with a lot of ammo. As an aside, magazine writers also seldom shoot less than 1" groups and real people shoot a significant amount larger that that.

I forgot why I even bothered to post this review. Just ignore it if you already know better.

 

[FrankenMauser]

Never use Winchester Power Points for accuracy testing (especially in 6mm, 6.5mm, .277", and .284" bore sizes).

Remington Core-Lokts may not be a tremendously better-constructed bullet, but I have found them to be much more consistent than Power Points (in weight, concentricity, ogive, and length).

Even the cheapest Federal Fusion ammo is a step up from Power Points.

Using Power Points for accuracy testing is like using vice grips as a micrometer... not gonna work...


Thanks for the range report. I've been waiting for some one to say more than a few ambiguous words about the Edge.

 

[taylorce1]

Remington Core-Lokts may not be a tremendously better-constructed bullet, but I have found them to be much more consistent than Power Points (in weight, concentricity, ogive, and length).

I find that hard to believe that Rem CL bullets are more consistent than Win PP in weight, I would think they were about equal. I usually weigh my cheap bullets and sort them into lots when I reload. Just loaded up some 150 grain CL the other night and had an extreme spread of about 4 grains. My lightest bullet was 149.8 and heaviest was 153.6 grains. I don't have any Win PP to compare at the moment, but I was dissapointed in the CL, they were only around $5 cheaper than Sierra or Hornady for the same weight.

I weighed some Sierra, Hornady, and Nosler bulltes as well and they are pretty much .5 grain spread per 50-100 bullets.

 

[.300 Weatherby Mag]

My guess is that the scope and mounting or both are to blame... The centerpoints are crap.. Another thing to check, since you said you bought it at walmart... Look at the crown and make sure that its doesn't have any damage..

I suspect that most rifles that shoot pie plate groups will do so with most ammo you feed them. Most really accurate rifles are accurate with a lot of ammo.

Neither case is necessarily true... My father has a savage sporter .223 that with a load it doesn't like will produce groups in the 3" range. With some of the loads that it likes its a sub 3/4 inch gun at 100 yards... I have guns that with certain loads, the groups sizes triple or quadruple in size with certain loads..

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Play with the ammo first.

Had a Browning A-bolt .270:

130gn loads were like a shotgun pattern---I almost gave up on the gun then and there.

150gn loads--1.5-2 inches----not too bad considering the results with the 130's.

140gn loads--same hole--literally---it did that the whole time I owned the rifle---had bills come up and had to say bye to my sweet baby that I had for 7 years.


I've been having real good luck with the cheap Federal ammo from Walmart the last couple years.


After the ammo---I would suspect the cheap scope.

 

[UniversalFrost]

somebody that puts together a gun on the cheap and then tries to shoot only 1 type of ammo thru it and then bashes the rifle for not being accurate sure knows what they are doing

Now, a proper write up on a rifle is to start with at least a scope that costs more than a case of beer and then get at least 2 boxes of ammo (at least get 2 different bullet types or weights, i know that federal makes the power shocks in at least 2 bullet weights in .270 )

then describe the sight in process and also the amount of time you let the barrel cool between shots or series of shots ( I have seen folks that "knew" what they were doing go and shoot thru a whole box of ammo as fast as they could reload the gun, while they were sighting in their scopes for deer season and they were wondering why after 6 or so shots their guns were developing a wandering zero)...

When I assume someone knows what they are doing it usually makes an a$$ out of you and me .. I have met some real "winners" that are over the age of 60 and are the resident "experts" at the range, while I have also met some young kids that actually did know what they were doing and we all could learn a thing or two from them. Just because you have been sighting in rifles for 60 yrs doesn't mean that you are an expert. You could be doing it wrong from the very beginning. heck, I learn something new almost every time I go to the range for either my RO duties or when I am just plinking. and most of the folks I am learning from are younger than I am.

carry on. my fun is over.

 

[Fusion]

While it's possible that it could be the scope, and you are probably more likely to get a bad scope from one of the cheap scope companies, I don't think I'd go bashing it when most of you probably haven't used one. I have used one for testing purposes and it was decent. It held POI and adjusted precisely as well as returning to zero. I had no issues with it in that department. Now optically, it sucked. However, for $70 it was decent. I've also had some cheap scopes from both Simmons and Tasco that would shoot sub moa groups all day long and never gave me a bit of trouble. That's not to say they are great scopes, but cheap scopes aren't always as bad as you guys make them sound. 8 out of 10 probably work well, but you hear so many complaints from the ones that do fail, along with the ones that just bash them because they are cheap. That being said, when at the range it's rare that I see anything that cost over $150 sitting atop of a rifle. In fact, seeing a Nikon the other day was the first time I've ever seen anything over $150 ontop of a rifle other than on one of my guns. That being said I don't go to the range all the time, but I've been quite a bit. I've also seen one new Redfield. The rest were Bushnells (cheap ones), Tasco's, and Simmons. I've seen Center Points too. Some of these guys knew what they were doing and were getting great groups. I've also got lots of friends that do a lot of hunting, kill a lot of deer, and do a lot of shooting in general. I don't know a single one that has a several hundred dollar scope, but none of them have issues. A couple of them have had a few cheaper scopes fail, but they have a lot more that work than they do that fail. Literally, I hunt with a group of 20+ guys most of whom have several rifles and I've only heard of 5-6 failures. I just don't think it's as common as you guys think. 3 of those failures were Leupold's. That being said, no one I hunt with other than me still owns a Leupold as the other guys sold them off and replaced them with cheaper scopes from Bushnell and Simmons.

That all being said, while I've found cheap scopes to work better than stated on here, most of them still suck optically and I think that's where cheap scopes really suffer which is why I like higher priced glass.

The other spot they suffer is the adjustments. They often aren't repeatable and don't track well, but once sighted in they often do seem to work.

As far as trying different types of ammo, I do agree that he needs to do this. I've seen some guns that shot 6" + groups but once you found the ammo it liked they got down to 1.5-2". Then I've seen others like the Savage Model 10's that several of the guys I hunt with have that will shoot under 1" groups with pretty much every factory ammo they have tried.

EDIT: after thinking about it, I did have two friends that tried BSA's and they had nothing but trouble from the ones they tried. I forgot to include those in the original numbers, and I'm sure some of them have also had ones fail that I don't know about, but they have several that I've seen them use year after year and they will tell you how great they are.

 

[mes228]

Rifle

You know there is always one in every crowd. It's really hard to communicate with experts that know everything. Especially if you know nothing. I never said the rifle was for me. I'm not such an old curmudgeon that I don't give people gifts. There is a young man that would appreciate this as a deer rifle. Actually I may ultimately purchase 4 to give away (and in 4 calibers). As for the Win. Power Points, it's been my experience that they are really quite accurate in most rifles. Even some knowlegable people buy a box or two of ammo from Walmart to go deer hunting. I know a lot of under employed and unemployed people do. I know it's hard for some gun guru's here to swallow this truth. And generally speaking I don't keep anything around that won't shoot Walmart ammo accurate enough to be useful. I hope to give the rifleaway and be able to say " it shoots 130 gr. Corelocks or Power Points pretty accurately. Just pick up a box at Walmart". As an aside, this may be contary to some here experience. However, in my experience - if it won't shoot Power Points it probably won't shoot that grain bullet accurately no matter the name on the box. I probably will shoot a box of 150's before I move along. I probably will replace the scope with one of the new Redfields. At any rate overall I liked the rifle quite a lot. I'll post a blurb if the rifle is more accurate with the 150's. If some people find this brief opinion/review makes them uneasy. Please, just don't read anymore of it. Also I mainly spend my personal dollars on pistols (Les Baer & 10X Custom) and shotguns. I do keep two Ar's around as I like them (Daniels Defense & FN). The last deer rifle I really thought of as "mine" was a Browning Custom Trophy. For the most part the rifles I run through are shot a while and traded off ( that's what happened to the CZ that shot so well).

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Speaking of guys at the range--

There was a guy next to me looking for a cleaning rod to get a stuck case out of the chamber---he gets squared away---then while I'm taking a break from shooting my rifle---he turns to the guy next to him that he's now going to shoot his "hot" loads-----You mean to tell me the loads that stick in the chamber aren't hot enough???? I stood well back while he kept on shooting---didn't go back to shooting my rifle till he was packed up and gone.

 

[Bird Dog]

I wouldn't give up on the Edge just yet. When they first came out, I picked up a Stevens 200 from Bass Pro for $199. I figured for that price I couldn't go wrong if just for a close range stand gun. I put decent glass on it and took it out to fire some cheap factory rounds for break in. On the first shot, the cheap plastic pistol grip cap shattered as the recoil of that featherweight outfit snapped it back against the rest I was using. "Off to a great start" I thought. Then I got 3 inch groups out of the box too. "Well, you get what you pay for" I figured.

I went home and during the next week I polished the sear until the trigger was a smooth 3.75 lbs and then took it out to try a different load. Groups improved some to 2" to 2.5", but this is still sub-standard for me.

Well after about 40 rounds total through the barrel and several cleanings to remove copper I could see forming on the lands, I took it out for a third range session with some pet reloads I knew to be very accurate in other guns. The groups got much better and fast. At about the 60 round mark legit 1" to 1 1/4" groups started happening. Then one magical evening I fired a 5/8" 3-shot group at 115 yards. You could cover it with a dime. To this day, I have never shot a better group, even at 100 yds. I have a few $600 to $1000 rifles, but none are more accurate than that $199 Savage Stevens.

So the moral to this story is, I would not give up on the Edge so fast.

First you need to scrap the cheap bases, mounts and glass.

I outfitted my new Edge with Weaver Grand Slam matte bases (extended front and standard rear). You will likley need a set of high rings with one extension and one standard ring to achieve correct positioning. For most scopes, you will
find high rings are needed with the front extended base for the front bell to clear the front edge of the base.

I put a Burris Fullfield on my Edge. It's not a Zeiss, but not some cheap Wal-mart trash either.

I shoot it for the first time tomorrow. I fully expect a good bit of breaking in and load development will again be required before I get great groups. But Savage barrels being Savage, I fully expect to get them. Sure we would all like ragged key hole groups right out of the box. It usually takes some effort though. That Stevens has a tight barrel that does collect copper more quickly than some others. That is why a proper extended break-in was critical. I think that is why it is so accurate now too.

 

[trooper3385]

I would try a different brand of 130 gr bullets first. I haven't seen a 270 that won't shoot 130 gr bullets. But I've seen plenty that won't shoot 150 gr. I've seen and had several guns that just don't like certain bullets. Maybe yours doesn't like the power points. I would try the corelokts and maybe the fusion bullets in 130 gr if your trying to stick with the lower price ammo. If it's still not shooting accurately, I would guess it's the scope.
As for some of the negative comments. Personally, I wouldn't buy a savage edge and really wouldn't buy a centerpoint. But, just because that is his choice of what to go with, then so be it. If you want to give some advise that might improve his set up or some constructive critisism to improve his accuracy results then great. I try to follow the old saying, if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all.

 

[4runnerman]

I can't say anything bad about the Edge either. I had the 223 Edge.And i also had a Centerpoint scope on it.I could hit a dime 10 out 10 times with no effert at all at 100 yards. I never put a round of store bought ammo down it though. Do some reloads of your own and try again.You have 2 things going for you,The fact that it is a Savage and it's the new edge series. The Edge series in 308 i think just broke the 1000 yard accuracy record. Very good guns and lb for lb will out shoot any thing short of a Target gun.

 

[bigloudvtwin]

I have unfortunately owned two of those centerpoint scopes. Truely junk IMO. Both would not hold zero and the reticle actually FELL OFF inside the scope. I'm positive that little savage will shoot 1" groups with the right ammo and even a Simmons or Bushnell "cheapo" scope. Good luck

 

[Fat White Boy]

About 6 or 7 years ago, I bought a Winchester Model 70 in .270 at Walmart. It has a synthetic stock, an internal 4 round magazine and had a Simmons scope. I took off the Simmons, put on a Nikon Buckmaster(3-9X40), bought a couple boxes of Remington Corelokt 130gr ammo and went to the range. It took 2, three shot groups to center it, The next two shots were touching and the 3rd shot was almost touching in the X ring. Over the years, I have killed hogs with it up to 200 pounds. I reload for my .22-250, .308 Rem 700, .30-30, K31 and others but I only use Corelokt out of my Model 70...