(NOTE: Not a proper review; just posting here at the request of another user! : )
First issue I noticed was that the buttstock was WAY too flimsy... ESPECIALLY with the rear monopod attached. Looking through the scope, it was if the thing was sitting on a BLOCK OF JELLO! : ) This is a problem only on the rimfires, as the centerfire stocks appear to be all-metal. The skinny part of the "chassis" directly behind the receiver is weakened further by being hollowed-out for storage of the trigger-adjustment wrench. I got around this by IGNORING the buttstock altogether, and using a "rear" support under the pistol-grip (visible in pic).
Curiously, the the .22 Charger that I bought shortly thereafter quickly fell RIGHT INTO PLACE, VERY nearly matching the accuracy I could achieve with the Precision. I WONDER ABOUT THE SCOPE (Barska Point Black .223 6-24x40 #AC11392), though I DID try a cheaper Simmons .22 scope early on with no noticeable improvement. Note that I'm not blaming the rifle YET, despite having had it for over 1-1/2 years, and having tried nearly ALL the high-end match ammo. Wolf Match Extra (don't confuse with their TARGET Extra!), actually an Eley product, may have given the best groups overall. I keep having breakthroughs (the buttstock, bipod location, eyeglasses, parallax tricks), but they never seem to resolve the issue over the long term.
Knowing what I know now, I wish I had sprung for the Savage heavy-barrel .22 LR with the green laminated Boyd stocks (around $400) that were showing up at Walmarts only... apparently an exclusive that doesn't even appear on the Savage website. A big draw for me with the Precision was the ability to use the 10/22 mags... of which I had several. BUT, I wouldn't give up the Precision at this point UNTIL I had an alternative in-hand that has PROVEN to be better! Who knows? Maybe I just got a "bad" rifle? Or is it a loose element in the scope? THAT would TOTALLY fit with what I've experienced. I even checked early-on to make sure the barrel-nut was tight : )
Photo 1: The Precision .22 LR with the "adjustable pistol-grip rest" (Amazon door stops, actually : ) The 40-yard target is visible in the "tunnel" above the handguard (white bleach jug at the upper-left corner of the board)
Photo 2: Best-ever 40 yd. distance/100 yd. zero 3-shot group with the Precision shooting SK Rifle Match. 2-inch dot, nice group, but also DEAD-center, just NEVER very consistent. Of course, we're dealing with .22 LR ammo, but...
Photo 3: The .22 Charger
Photo 4: One of the good groups with the Charger shooting Eley Action, 40 yd. distance/100 yd. zero (aiming at the lower 2-inch dot), 1-inch dot, FIFTEEN shots (3 relays x five shots ea.). I circled the first five shots, one of which was DEAD-NUTS; after that, there was no cardboard left to mark. That's 15 shots, almost COMPLETELY in ONE quadrant of a 1-inch dot : )
I've since set up a 100 yd. distance at the house, which is much more definitive. The goal is a GUARANTEED first-shot hit on a cantaloupe @ 200 yds. with the Precision, which seems within reach... just took more work than I expected.
First issue I noticed was that the buttstock was WAY too flimsy... ESPECIALLY with the rear monopod attached. Looking through the scope, it was if the thing was sitting on a BLOCK OF JELLO! : ) This is a problem only on the rimfires, as the centerfire stocks appear to be all-metal. The skinny part of the "chassis" directly behind the receiver is weakened further by being hollowed-out for storage of the trigger-adjustment wrench. I got around this by IGNORING the buttstock altogether, and using a "rear" support under the pistol-grip (visible in pic).
Curiously, the the .22 Charger that I bought shortly thereafter quickly fell RIGHT INTO PLACE, VERY nearly matching the accuracy I could achieve with the Precision. I WONDER ABOUT THE SCOPE (Barska Point Black .223 6-24x40 #AC11392), though I DID try a cheaper Simmons .22 scope early on with no noticeable improvement. Note that I'm not blaming the rifle YET, despite having had it for over 1-1/2 years, and having tried nearly ALL the high-end match ammo. Wolf Match Extra (don't confuse with their TARGET Extra!), actually an Eley product, may have given the best groups overall. I keep having breakthroughs (the buttstock, bipod location, eyeglasses, parallax tricks), but they never seem to resolve the issue over the long term.
Knowing what I know now, I wish I had sprung for the Savage heavy-barrel .22 LR with the green laminated Boyd stocks (around $400) that were showing up at Walmarts only... apparently an exclusive that doesn't even appear on the Savage website. A big draw for me with the Precision was the ability to use the 10/22 mags... of which I had several. BUT, I wouldn't give up the Precision at this point UNTIL I had an alternative in-hand that has PROVEN to be better! Who knows? Maybe I just got a "bad" rifle? Or is it a loose element in the scope? THAT would TOTALLY fit with what I've experienced. I even checked early-on to make sure the barrel-nut was tight : )
Photo 1: The Precision .22 LR with the "adjustable pistol-grip rest" (Amazon door stops, actually : ) The 40-yard target is visible in the "tunnel" above the handguard (white bleach jug at the upper-left corner of the board)
Photo 2: Best-ever 40 yd. distance/100 yd. zero 3-shot group with the Precision shooting SK Rifle Match. 2-inch dot, nice group, but also DEAD-center, just NEVER very consistent. Of course, we're dealing with .22 LR ammo, but...
Photo 3: The .22 Charger
Photo 4: One of the good groups with the Charger shooting Eley Action, 40 yd. distance/100 yd. zero (aiming at the lower 2-inch dot), 1-inch dot, FIFTEEN shots (3 relays x five shots ea.). I circled the first five shots, one of which was DEAD-NUTS; after that, there was no cardboard left to mark. That's 15 shots, almost COMPLETELY in ONE quadrant of a 1-inch dot : )
I've since set up a 100 yd. distance at the house, which is much more definitive. The goal is a GUARANTEED first-shot hit on a cantaloupe @ 200 yds. with the Precision, which seems within reach... just took more work than I expected.
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