Is the Savage 10ML-II the Most Accurate Muzzleloader On the Market?
The question of the most accurate muzzleloader available today seems to come up again and again, and the Savage 10ML-II's accuracy is asked about quite often. Yes, the Savage is clearly the most accurate muzzleloader you can possibly buy, for several reasons-- some readily seen, and some not quite so apparent. It is not to say that other muzzleloaders cannot be shot accurately; if they don't shoot they are not what I hunt with. The Savage generally holds a clear, provable, quantifiable accuracy edge, though, for several reasons.
Savage CEO Ron Coburn, who hunts with a 10ML himself, promises that every new Savage 10ML-II is capable of 1-1/2 inch accuracy at 100 yards, something no other manufacturer promises about their line of muzzleloaders. In actuality, my own experience and that of many, many other Savage 10ML-II shooters is that a new 10ML-II is capable of ¾ inch 100 yard accuracy out of the box, assuming that the shooter does his part under good range conditions. Its accuracy supremacy is even more evident in the field, and I'll do my best to explain why that is.
I. Barrel Quality
The Savage Team is quite proud of their barrels, the heart of any rifle. Rather than rely on outside vendors for machining, or third parties that they have no direct control over--Savage Arms makes their own barrels from American steel supplied to their own exacting specifications. Savage barrels are made more accurately than any other manufacturer's muzzleloading barrels, and that is where the 10ML-II accuracy supremacy begins. In the muzzleloading world where barrels have no universal standards, varying all over the map from .497" land-to-land rifling dimensions all the way to .505" in. or greater, muzzleloading does have a standard in barrel quality-- and it has been set by Savage Arms. The Savage 10ML-II barrel's bore is held to .501 inches, +/- .001. Most Savage barrels are .501 in. land to land right on the button. It is for this reason that the Savage 10ML-II is so very easy to find accurate loads for-- a load that works well in one Savage will very likely work quite well in the majority of them. This is in stark contrast to most muzzleloaders out there today, where even guns of consecutive serial numbers can be a baffling mystery unto themselves, with sloppy barrel tolerances that can (and do) vary all over the place. Perhaps even more impressive is the allowable rifling depth tolerance enforced by Savage Arms. Every new Savage 10ML-II barrel has a rifling depth held to the industry's best and closest tolerance: .004 in. +/- .0005 in. No other manufacturer does this, or perhaps can do this. So, for starters, one of the reason the Savage 10ML-II is so accurate is that its barrels are made more accurately, more uniformly than any other frontloader available today.
II. Barreled Action Integrity
The method of attaching a muzzleloading barrel to its stock is often a source of both amusement and disdain to expert riflesmiths-- several frontloaders have only one screw that attempts to hold their rifles together. Two piece stocks, of course, may problematic in themselves-- no varmint or target rifle of any repute is a break action, or shotgun type action. The Savage stands alone by offering the consumer the muzzleloading industry's only dual pillar bedded action. Not only are there two dedicated action screws, you also have a generous recoil lug in front of them to complete the picture. No other muzzleloader made today features this rigid, three point level of barreled action to stock strength, integrity, and unitization. Not made like a tinker-toy, the 10ML-II is held to the same standards as Savage centerfire rifles that have set the standard for production rifle accuracy.
III. Consistent Bore Conditions
One of the relatively few sayings that has been universally held as true is "accuracy means consistency." It is difficult to achieve a consistent bore condition with corrosive propellants that leave behind half of themselves as heavy, moisture attracting fouling crud. The preferred Savage 10ML-II propellants such as Vihtavouri N110 and Accurate Arms 5744 are the cleanest, most efficient muzzleloading propellants in use today. They are non-corrosive, and the light fouling attracts no moisture. The Savage 10ML-II barrel stays, by far, in the cleanest and most consistent condition from shot to shot of any muzzleloader that can be had. That allows for tack-driving accuracy shot after shot, with no bore swabbing, spit-patching, or struggling with the odd assortment of solvents dubbed "muzzleloading cleaners" that clog the marketplace. When you are done shooting, your bore needs no special attention-- just put your rifle away; no immediate cleaning of any kind is required. The barrel quality allows for great accuracy, the barreled action rigidity maintains it from shot to shot, and the super-clean propellants used by the Savage 10ML-II do not degrade its inherent accuracy.
IV. Lock Time
Slow locktime guns offer can poor field accuracy. Discussed in depth in another article, hammer guns have horribly long locktimes-- and can destroy field accuracy, as no accuracy improvement can happen after you pull the trigger. Hammer guns are among the worst actions in this regard, but over the years those who care about accuracy have harshly criticized poor locktime service rifle locktime. The Mauser 98 military action has been criticized for having a slow locktime, actually a service rifle design choice. Back in 1932, Winchester released their "Speedlock" feature on their Model 54. The older 54 had a locktime similar to the Mauser, with a ½ inch firing pin travel and weak spring. The 1903A3 has a locktime of somewhere around 6.5 milliseconds, contingent on the mainspring. Savage's revolutionary Accu-Trigger was developed in part with the use of the state-of-the-art Dvorak "TriggerScan" program.
The Savage 10ML-II short-action has a locktime of just 1.6 milliseconds, over 4X FASTER than the 1903A3, some 10X FASTER than many hammer guns, and even TWICE as fast as a Remington 700 long action. All this means is the bullet from your Savage 10ML-II is speeding its way towards your deer while the hammer may not so much as touched the primer on other muzzleloaders. This is why jerking your rifle can be a gut-shot waiting to happen with hammer guns. This has been demonstrated to be a huge problem in the field, particularly in offhand shooting. The Savage 10ML-II has, by far, the fastest locktime of any muzzleloader ever made.
In late August of 2005, Harry Hill of Hoover, Alabama, decided he had enough of filthy muzzleloaders that take longer to clean than his deer, and made the decision to step up to the lower recoil and superior accuracy of the Savage 10ML-II.
In just his third 3-shot group from the bench with his new, factory Savage 10ML-II, Mr. Hill was rewarded with this outstanding .652 inch 100 yard group:
I mentioned this to patent holder Henry Ball, who replied, "So? That's just what they are supposed to do. But tell Harry Hill that it's still great shooting on his part!"
I don't think that performance like this tends to upset Savage CEO Ron Coburn, either. Of late, this type of Savage 10ML-II accuracy is more often the rule than the exception-- I hope this brief article explains why that is indeed the case. Great job, Harry! That should help keep your brother on his toes, who tends to struggle somewhere in the ¾ MOA area with his Savage 10ML-II's (glad Chuck has a sense of humor, though). More and more, 3/4 MOA stock Savage 10ML-II's are reported all over the country, including the bone stock 2005 10ML-II I shoot myself, along with a few custom versions.
Maybe now you can see why other muzzleloaders are starting to look a bit sad by comparison?
© September, 2005 by Randy Wakeman
Email: randymagic@aol.com
