Reaching Savage Goals on an Extreme Budget

By Greg A Westgate

I admit I was slow to jump on the precision .22lr bandwagon. WhileI recognized its value as a training tool, I questioned if it had value in my own line of shooting. After helping RO a match, that question was abruptly put to rest and I had an undisputable answer - yes. I saw something in the shooters at the match that had not been as abundant in previous ones. People were more relaxed, they smiled and laughed more, and there was a more diverse range of shooters. New shooters who attended were asking questions about what they could do to improve and what type of gear they should buy. It became apparent that the .22lr matches were providing something that I had been searching for - a low pressure way to bring people into the world of shooting.

Nothing is ever perfect. Even with the reduced cost of shooting .22lr, I was still running into people who were deterred by the cost of entering the sport. While talking to someone who felt like this, I began to question, "what is the most budget friendly .22 I can buy and still contend with the top of the line in these matches?” It may have been a better use of my time to dismiss the thought and move on but, I didn't. The question became like a song stuck in my head that I couldn't get out. It wasn't long before I was setting the gun dealer’s search filter to rifles under 500, then 400, and finally narrowing it down to the “Ramen noodle realm” under 300.00. After reading through multiple forums, articles, and watching every video I could find I decided there was a good chance I could make the Savage B22FV-SR work for me. I checked the date of the next available .22lr match and looked at the projected shipping time for the rifle to arrive at my FFL dealer. If everything worked out perfectly I would have a week to set up and tune the rifle before the match. More than enough time, right? Some of you are already laughing because you know all too well how painfully slow time passes while waiting on a firearm. The range of emotions a person may go through during this time period starts with eliation and transitions into anxiety wondering if there will be enough time to get the rifle ready for the match. At least that's how it was for me. In this case, I had to face the disappointing truth that the gun just would not arrive on time. I reminded myself of my age and responded appropriately on the outside (while throwing a childish temper tantrum on the inside) the morning I drove to the match strictly to R.O for a second time. I was disappointed to say the least.

While making small talk that morning I mentioned to one of the shooters that I would love to shoot the match but the rifle I ordered had not shown up yet. The shooter enthusiastically asked what I had ordered. It's no secret that there are varying opinions of Savage rifles in the shooting world. Even so, I was eager to talk about the budget blaster that had kept me in suspense the past seven days. " It's a Savage b...," was all that escaped my mouth. It looked as if injecting the name “Savage” into the conversation had the same effect on my fellow shooter as a "Closed for Maintenance" sign on a ride at the county fair has on small children. With a disappointed "Oh," the competitor turned and walked away. I decided at that moment when my rifle finally did show up that if it didn't shoot well out of the box it would by the time I was done with it. After all, any rifle can be made to shoot well if enough money is put into it. The problem for me was my original goal was to show people they could get into the sport while keeping the cost low. Like, "I spent the summer returning pop cans so I could buy this rifle" low.

With the competition over, time resumed its normal pace. It wasn't long before I was unboxing my new rifle. I would describe the moment like King Arther standing in Camelot with the sun setting behind him. He majestically pulled the enchanted sword Excalluber from its sheath and triumphantly raised it only to discover it has been replaced by.....plastic. Really flexible plastic. I've owned other rifles that would have benefited from a more rigid stock. This one was at another level. I wondered for a minute if whoever designed the stock was only a part time designer and a full time yoga instructor. I could flex the stock in almost any direction. with only small amounts of pressure I could twist the stock and make it contact the barrel. I wanted to start tearing the gun apart and make improvements right away. I resisted the urge - knowing I had friends who would chastise me for not shooting some groups to see what the rife was capable of before any modification. I had a vortex PST 4-16 that was currently not living on anything, so I chose to mount that to the rifle with some leupold rings. I attached a Harris bipod to the sling stud and used a Whiskey Hotel bag for rear support. Tests were fired at 50yds prone. Over the next couple days I tested several types of ammo. Most of them I was able to keep under an inch and some of them under 3/4". I was a little relieved that it seemed to not mind if I fed it the “fillet mignon” variation of ammo (LapuaCenter X), or wined and dined it on “McDonalds” Standard Velocity. 3/4 " groups might even be able to get by in a competition. Except for one thing - the groups were not consistent. Also, because of the flex-a-stock, I had to really pay attention to pressure on the rifle while shooting from different positions.

Hi-ho, Hi-ho, into the garage I go. Removing the barrel and action I inspected the stock. I discovered a plastic insert that was inlayed into the barrel channel via three screws. After removing the insert its purpose became apparent. It was put there to reinforce the stock. Observing how the insert flexed (just like the stock,) it was clear that this was an issue that needed to be fixed. Like a blue collar Davinci I perused the contents of my garage looking for inspiration. I found a length of 3/4" black pipe and after a quick comparison using callipers I determined it would be close enough in size to fashion a new insert. Using the current insert as a template I traced the design for my new one onto the pipe. I put a cutt-off wheel on the angle and got the shape I wanted roughed out. I then cleaned up the edges using a bench grinder. I deliberately left more material on the new insert as I wanted a tighter fit. Because of this, I had to continuously check and remove material. When the insert was at a point where I could fit it into the stock using about 8 lbs of pressure I decided I was happy with it.

After a lot of marking, checking, and rechecking I drilled the screw holes where it would secure to the stock. After attaching the insert 2.0 I was pleased with how much more structure the stock had. I secured the barrel and action and as hoped, the stock flex/barrel touch syndrome was cured.

You might already be versed in some shooting MacGyvery yourself and, if so, probably familiar with bedding the recoil lug with SteelStik. Well there isn't one on this Savage. There is however an area on the action that lines up over a square hole on the stock, and it does look like there should be a recoil lug there. I began laying a foundation of SteelStik in the hole and built it up until it was close to contacting the action. Then, I placed a layer in the hole, attached the action and tightened down the action screws. I repeated this process until I formed a shelf that cradled and supported the action. During this process I also noticed that the ation where the barrel attached and the part of the action containing the screws that secured to the stock were two separate pieces that had been joined together. I'm well aware that sometimes components are assembled separately to save money. The head scratcher for me, however, was where the two surfaces met; one was round and one was flat. This awkward mating created a gap that could have been squared off for more surface contact translating into more stability. I did the most advanced thing I could think of; I pinched off more SteelStik and filled in the hollow grove on both sides of the action.

The verdict has long been put to rest that a more vertical grip has better ergonomics and puts your finger more in line with the trigger for a better pull. Savage decided to go with a more traditional grip that sweeps back more gently than I preferred. This required me to wrap my thumb over the stock. First aid 101 says don't use your thumb to check someone's pulse. For a similar reason shooters have moved away from placing their thumb over rifle stocks. Depending on a shooter's heart rate and magnification that pulse can start looking like a mini earthquake through a scope. I also noticed that with my thumb wrapped over the stock I was more prone to twist my wrist as I shot off barricades. You might be a red-neck if: you look at the pictures containing the palm swell and can tell what I used to make it. If you said, “part of an old tire”, you are correct. Cutting a semicircle shape out of the sidewall of a tire I folded it over the grip of the stock in a taco-like fashion. I used wood screws to secure it in place because that's what I had. Next, I filled in the hollow space at the bottom with... you guessed it, SteelStik. The new grip worked as I had hoped. It allowed my hand to be in a more natural position and it was thick enough to provide a convenient shelf for my thumb. An added bonus was that the rubber helps dampen any pulsing scope bounce.

Although it probably wasn't necessary, I sat down with some fine grit sandpaper and smoothed out some areas on the bolt. Specifically where the bolt handle contacts the receiver as it closes. I worked the contact points with a lightweight buffing compound which made a noticeable difference in how smooth the action functioned.

Satisfied that I was nearing the end of my rifle renovation, I wired up the stock in the garage to give it some color. As I looked through my assortment of half used Rustoleum cans I found a partially used can of truck bed liner spray. I considered for a minute how much truck bed liner could actually strengthen the stock and thought, "what could it hurt?" I sprayed on a coat of liner and let it sit for a day. I repeated this until the can went dry somewhere around the 5th coat. I covered it with some beige earning me just enough spray points to level up to the rank of rattle-can grandmaster.

Last, I add a cheek rest which was one of the first things shown to me when I was introduced to precision shooting. Ever since, cheek rests have been a staple. I’ve never forgotten how my fellow shooter stacked strips of t-shirt on my stock and secured them with duct tape. My group size and consistency immediately improved. It left such an impression on me I have carried a roll of duct tape and an old shirt in my range bag ever since, ready to liberate any free range cheekbones I come across. Most opt out of the accuracy improving procedure stating, "I don't want tape on my rifle." For this reason I had planned on wrapping the cheek rest with regular, old , grey duct tape. That way there would be no mistaking it as anything more. After running the idea by one of my range mentors though he suggested, " maybe you can class it up just a bit?" Sure thing. After all, if boxed wine has taught me anything it's that you can be a little bit trashy and still keep it classy. I had a roll of some very sexy hockey tape for such an occasion. After my hockey tape cheek rest was built to a level where I could see clearly through my scope without raising my head I decided the Harris bipod I was using wouldn't work. This particular model lacks the cant feature in order to get the crosshairs level. I did have a magpul bipod with this feature but it attaches using 1913 rail. Luckily this was an easy fix. I screwed a small section of 1913 rail to the stock. This allowed me to attach the magpul bipod.

Back on the range I laid behind the rifle for an extra minute after the 5th shot broke using CCI standard velocity. what I saw through the scope was a nice little clover of shots touching. As I walked downrange to check the target I worried that there would be a flyer so far outside the group that I didn't notice. There wasn't. Going back to the 50 yard line I was able to repeat the group size. As long as I applied the fundamentals my groups stayed at .35 consistently. It was time for a match.

It's an 8 hour drive to where my brother in law Jim lives in southern Ohio and another hike to Henderson Wilds in West Virginia. It was here that I would unveil the Frankinsavage. I also helped RO this match but this time had the privilege of multitasking as a shooter. The match progressed as I had seen others go - with the exception of a southern draw and higher heat index than I was used to. It was a familiar mix of experienced and new shooters. There was no shortage of morale and spirits were high. Every time my rifle sat in the staging area it was clearly the odd man out. This time, however, I wasn’t cut off in regards to the name “Savage.” I was approached by shooters who listened with interest about the rifle. If my garage warrior approach to the rifle was off putting to them, they didn't show it. Some even asked follow up questions and seemed genuinely intrigued.

Overall I was pretty happy with the rifle performance and my own. I shot well enough that I was hopeful that I finished in the top 5. After the last shooters ended their stages people gathered in a pavilion with less ammo and more sweat than they came with. I applauded as the names of shooters were called out and was happy to see that honorable mentions were given to Jr. shooters. Even though I had put in the work and time for the match I was still a little dumbfounded when my name was called out for the number 1 spot. Winning may not be everything but I felt like winning with a $250 dollar rifle helped validate what I had originally set out to do.

I made the drive back home feeling good. It was great to be able to tell my wife and kids that I took first in something. But I didn't receive the real victory until almost a year later. Jim called to talk about a .22lr match he directed. He asked if I remembered Mike McDonaled from the match at Henderson Wilds. I'm not good with faces but I clearly remember Mike. He helped with the set up, tear down, and everything in between at the match. He was also very observant and seemed to take in everything that went on. I was excited to hear Mike had shot the match and took 5th place using a basic model ruger 10/22. As an added bonus he had used up all the elevation in his turret zeroing his optic so he shot the entire match using holds. When Jim asked what made Mike decide to use that particular model, he said " I just kept thinking about what your brother-in-law did with that Savage and wanted to try it."