Clean 10ML-II Work Past 200 Yards: Larry Norwood Demonstrates
The folks at Savage Arms are obsessed with accuracy. It runs throughout the entire company, from engineering, customer service, the folks who build Savage rifles with great pride and care, all the way to CEO Ron Coburn, who you are far more likely to find pulling the trigger at the range or big-game hunting than at the drafting board, or reviewing piles of paper. All of this shows, whether the subject matter is Savage varmint rifles, rimfires, their new AccuStock system, the new 220F slug gun, or of course the Savage 10ML-II muzzleloader.Yet, regardless of the care and precision with which rifles are made, they remain individuals. If I grab any one of my test rifles, whether it is a .22 LR, a .223, a .270, or a 10ML-II-- no one can tell me what is going to work best in that individual rifle. I can't even tell me, in advance of testing! Though there are the “usual suspects,” that based on experience tend to do well, you never know until you do your own homework.
Larry Norwood hails from Athens, Tennessee. Larry's been shooting his composite-stocked 10ML-II for awhile, but he was looking for the most accuracy he could get. Savage Arms promises that all of their 10ML muzzleloaders are capable of 1.5 inch, 3-shot, 100 yard accuracy-- and so they are. Yet, the 1-1/2 inch accuracy is not with just every random thing we shove down the muzzle at all. Further, no rifle can compensate for a less than steady rest, a scope that has reticle float, or abysmal range conditions. Larry and I spoke in late September, some time after I got back from a Minnesota black bear hunt. The subject was 10ML-II accuracy, one of my favorite topics.
Larry was wondering if a factory Savage laminated stock would improve things over the standard composite. As a generality, I'd say yes. A more rigid stock promotes consistency, as does a good barreled action to stock fit. Yet, there are no guarantees or absolutes, for many folks are getting more accuracy out of polymer stocked 10ML-II's than can be used on big game. It is much the same way with bedding an action. Properly done, bedding never hurts, but it may not make much difference, either. Or, it may cut your group sizes in half. We will never know unless we do a before and after comparison. What can be surprising is that the “best load” in an unbedded rifle is no longer the “best load” in a bedded rifle. This is something that Savage Arms has found out themselves during the AccuStock development and testing. But yes, I feel that laminated stocks based on their superior strength and rigidity generally have more accuracy potential than plastic stocks. Larry was interested in giving it a go.
So, in October, Larry installed a factory Savage laminated stock on his 10ML-II, and it was off to test it out at 200 yards. Here is Larry's result, using 43 grains by weight of Hodgdon / IMR SR4759 and a 250 grain .452 diameter Hornady SST.
Shooting inside 1 inch at 200 yards with a muzzleloader is enough to make anyone smile, and to give you great confidence in the field. That, as far as I'm concerned, is essentially shooting to the limit of powder and projectile. They are growing some beautiful bucks in Tennessee, and on opening day of muzzleloading season Larry got his chance to see if all this was going to pay off. A dandy of of a buck stepped out in the morning at 216 yards by laser rangefinder, and it was Larry's chance to put all his practice to work. Here is the result:
That's one beautiful trophy that Larry has. It goes to show that a little extra work and preparation can pay huge dividends. A great job by Larry Norwood, a clean shot resulting in both a hunt and a trophy to treasure. Larry looks quite content in the picture, and who could blame him? I'm proud of the job he did, and I suspect that the folks at Savage Arms are as well.
Congratulations to Larry Norwood of Athens, Tennessee.
