The Savage Weather Warrior mystery continues ....

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

unklechuckles19, how far out of level is it? If it is only a tiny bit then just lap your rings. If it is out as far as 1858's is then you have already damaged your scope more than likely. I would actually be surprised if it is out that much since you would surely have noticed it when installing your scope. Kind of hard to miss that big of a difference.

 

[jpwilly]

You could bed your base properly and achive the same result for much less $$. Won't look as spiffy as a properly built base though.

 

[unklechuckles19]

Freedom: Mine is off almost exactly as much as 1858's going by pictures alone. I don't have an exact measurement and I don't think 1858 does either but looking at my gap and his gap, they're just about equal. I didn't mount the scope, when I bought it one of the so called "gunsmiths" at Cabelas mounted it. I never thought twice about having to check his work, I just took for granted the action was level. I've learned my lesson, the hard way...again, and will now carry a metal straight edge when buying a new rifle :banghead:

 

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

Ahhhhh Another Big Box Store "expert" screwup. Never had anything done with my archery or my firearms equipment at one of them nor would I ever. If your offset is as much as 1858's, your scope is most certainly damaged. That is close to 1/16" which is HUGE when dealing with straight tubing. Wish you had picked up on this sooner because they (Cabelas) would have been liable for the damage to your scope. Would be impossible to bust them for it now. How the guy mounting your scope missed it is beyond me. The scope would have rocked on the rings.

 

[Skylerbone]

Let's hope it was a Tasco. I would still call Cabelas, look for my receipt and ask them to remove the scope to inspect it for damage with you present. You did not pay good money for your cousinchuckles to void your scope warranty and seriously shorten it's lifespan. (unless they had a set of rings that actually fit which you should definitely take measurement of).

 

[Maverick223]

Let's hope it was a Tasco.

Nope, he listed it as a Burris FF-II earlier in the thread. Bummer, as that is not the cheapest scope on the market.

 

[unklechuckles19]

Yes, you were correct it is a Burris FF-II. I'm glad this came about deep down inside though, as I was getting ready to choke up some christmas money and gift cards for a Ziess Conquest. From the way this going, I might end up saving up some more cash and buying a Remington to mount the Burris on and throwing the Savage through Savage's corporate headquarters front windows.

 

[Skylerbone]

My experiences with Cabelas have always (long lines aside) been positive. Still, I'd double check the ring alignment on the slim chance the mounts were actually correct. Show them this thread if necessary and ask them to make things right. While their prices aren't always the lowest there is a reason I order several thousand in merchandise from them year after year.

Best of luck.

 

[Maverick223]

unklechuckles, if you have your receipt (always save these), then they should make it right as it should be clear that the mistake was on their end.

 

[MCMXI]

Mine is off almost exactly as much as 1858's going by pictures alone. I don't have an exact measurement and I don't think 1858 does either but looking at my gap and his gap, they're just about equal.

I used feeler gauges to measure the gap between a straight edge and the top of the receiver (front) and it's around 0.057" to 0.060". It's not easy to measure to the nearest 0.001" holding the straight edge with one hand and the feeler gauges with the other. If I order a custom Ken Farrell one-piece base, I'd go with 0.057" for a 0 MOA base and 0.060" for a 20 MOA base with the understanding that I'm going to lap the rings. 1/16" is 0.0625" so the gap is very close to 1/16".

The only reason why my Zeiss Conquest (a $500 scope) isn't damaged is that I did a lot of lapping on the Talley rings that I used initially. Like I stated earlier, I made the incorrect assumption that the Talley rings were to blame.

Another call to TPS today and still no answer from Dwight Williams despite leaving messages three days in a row. It's odd that I was able to get hold of him easily last week, but now no response.

 

[Mr_Pale_Horse]

Looking at Savage models on the Leupold base and mount chart, Savage has a dizzying array of base models to cover 10 variations in receiver.

 

[Skylerbone]

Somewhere out there an unemployed machinest is crying...

(couldn't help myself, of course the youngsters won't get it)

 

[unklechuckles19]

Just throwing it out here;

I just spoke with a woman at Savage in Customer Service. She too, wants me to send the rifle back on my own dime so they can inspect it and see whats going on. She said all the Weather Warrior's are hand polished and if somethings not right (according to their inspections of course) they'd stand behind their product. I asked if they knew of any problems like this, she responded no. I also asked if she had any idea of a base manufacturer that would make a base to compensate with out having to go the custom route, she of course said no all the actions should be level.

When I measure with my straight edge and feeler gauges I get (what seems right to me) .032" between the action and the straight edge. I'm never used feeler gauges before but they seem pretty straight forward to me. The .035 moves my straight edge, and the .031 doesn't quite touch, and the .032" seems to fit just right.

Just thought I'd throw out my results. I think after the holidays are over I might spend the money and send it back, just to see if they find anything out of spec. Hey worth a shot right?

 

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

unkle, .032 is a lot less than .062 so you may not have damaged your scope. That would put a pretty good "flex" on it but may not have popped the cork on it. It is still out of spec though and Savage should remedy the problem for you with a new action. I just got off the phone with one of the Smiths there and as far as he knows they did NOT change any specs for them to be out of measurement with each other. They are supposed to be level. If I were you guys, I would ask for management when on the phone with CS and tell them point blank that you should NOT have to pay for shipping to them when this is CLEARLY an out of spec action and you should not have to pay for a damn thing.

 

[Mr_Pale_Horse]

She too, wants me to send the rifle back on my own dime

Fine, but it better come back BOTH level AND with my shipping refunded.

 

[bobleeswagger]

I can't believe they want you to pay the shipping fee to send it in. I had been kicking around the whole Savage idea, but I don't do business with companies that do business that way. Don't do any business with Nikon anymore because of it.

 

[Coal Dragger]

Well get used to paying for shipping to the manufacturer, with increased shipping costs due to fuel prices being higher it is the norm and not the exception. Add to that the extra hassle of shipping firearms and higher associated costs imposed by UPS, and FedEx and manufacturers are not going to pay shipping charges both ways anymore.

 

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

I can't believe they want you to pay the shipping fee to send it in. I had been kicking around the whole Savage idea, but I don't do business with companies that do business that way. Don't do any business with Nikon anymore because of it.

Is this a new thing with Nikon? I just sent a scope in last year and they paid for it. They sent me a Postal Package Slip. It's the only time I have ever even had to call customer service for one of them and they were immaculate. Very helpful, very polite, and THEY SPOKE CLEAR ENGLISH! which I found surprising in itself.

 

[SAUMHUNTER79]

So, no solution or response from Savage itself, looks like I'm gettin' a Howa, though I am glad you could find someone to help you out 1858.

 

[Coal Dragger]

I guess a person could have a gunsmith weld up the receiver and machine a set of scope bases that were level. Of course that would cost more than the rifle was worth.

 

[Skylerbone]

Perhaps a quick note reminding CS that you paid the freight (with the total highlighted) along with a reminder that others are watching might get tucked inside the return box.

 

[Mr_Pale_Horse]

The great chief is still crying. Any news?

 

[MCMXI]

Well get used to paying for shipping to the manufacturer, with increased shipping costs due to fuel prices being higher it is the norm and not the exception.

I've only had to send two firearms back to the manufacturer out of many, one was this year and one was about two years ago. They were both Marlin 1894s and had to be returned for barrel issues and Marlin paid shipping both ways, both times, and they should since the issues were their fault. The frustrating thing is that I can't even send Savage an email with photos so that they can see for themselves that there's a problem.

I find it very odd that TPS simply isn't responding to my emails or returning my calls. Either Savage has told them what they want to hear i.e. that the receiver should be level and that my receiver is an anomaly so they're not interested in my issue any more, which is understandable. Or, Savage has told them not to discuss this issue for whatever reason.

My plan at the moment is to reinstall the Talley rings, lap them even more to make absolutely sure they're aligned, remove them, paint them with GUN-KOTE, reinstall them and shoot the new barrel to see how it performs. If it does well, I'll either modify the TPS one-piece base or order a custom one-piece base from Ken Farrell. If it doesn't shoot well, I'll reinstall the factory barrel and send the rifle back. Either way, I'm definitely going to stop by the Savage booth at the SHOT show next month and let them know about my experience. I'll be bringing some images for their consideration. Let's see how they deal with customers face-to-face.

Throughout all this, I've managed to avoid mentioning the AccuStock. I would suggest that EVERY Accustock owner check to see if the stock is in line with the barrel .... I bet it isn't!! My AccuStock veers off to the right towards the muzzle. I removed the action and reinstalled it following Savage's instructions and it's still off. I had to inlet the stock for the McGowen barrel and needed to remove more material from the left side to get suffucient clearance between the stock and the barrel. Frankly, Savage has four features that I like. The ability to swap barrels at home, the AccuTrigger, the three-position safety and the bolt. Luckily for Savage, these features provide a good base from which to build a really good rifle or else I wouldn't give them a second look. The AccuStock is a total piece of garbage but it can be swapped out for something decent.

 

[taliv]

Thanks for sharing 1858. Disappointing to hear about their substandard cs

 

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

Very disappointing indeed!