Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors New Savage owner question

I just got the Trophy Hunter XP in 30-06 and so far I really like it. I spent my first day on the range getting used to it and getting it sighted in. (comes with a basic nikon scope, going to be replacing it very soon)
I know that each rifle is different and I have to find the right round that shoots best in it and I'm going through that now.
question:
I started with remmington basic rounds, got the rifle pretty good with 150 grains but as I went to 165 the spread got worse, then 180 even worse??? Is that how it goes? It was a windy day and figured if anything 180s would be better off... just curious.
So if I go back and see that 150s are best do I try different companies to see if the group gets tighter?
thanks

with shelf ammo, that is exactly what you need to do, double check your rings and base's to make sure they are still tight. been buying savage's many yrs and have always had good luck remy coreloct ammo, but you just have to spend the money to see what your particular gun likes.

I'd be flinching if'n I started shooting 150's, went to 165's, then to 180's. YMMV.

Sounds like this is a new rifle and it may be fouling pretty badly until it gets a few rounds through the bore. I don't want to start a barrel break-in discussion/debate so let's not go there.

Did you clean the bore while at the range?

My experience has been the opposite with heavier bullets grouping better - at least in Savage 99s.

...and if not shot on the same day, always shoot a few of the 150 (or whatever your best round is) as a base line when you are testing a new round. That way you have something to compare to. Sometimes you have an off day or the wind is a factor.

Jar, You're getting some excellent advice! When you are sighting in the rifle, go to Nikon's Spot On Ballistic Program ( it's free) and enter your shooting data intot he program. You can also get the best zero for your ammo and rifle. Above the reticle in the program, click optimze load. It will then guide you through the process. One of the things I like best about Spot On is that I can sight in at 25 or 50 yards after just mounting the scope and the program will tell me where I need to be impacting on the target. Pretty handy and saves $ on ammo.
Drop me a note if you have any question's.