Coal Dragger said:
Well get used to paying for shipping to the manufacturer, with increased shipping costs due to fuel prices being higher it is the norm and not the exception.
I've only had to send two firearms back to the manufacturer out of many, one was this year and one was about two years ago. They were both Marlin 1894s and had to be returned for barrel issues and Marlin paid shipping both ways, both times, and they should since the issues were their fault. The frustrating thing is that I can't even send Savage an email with photos so that they can see for themselves that there's a problem.
I find it very odd that TPS simply isn't responding to my emails or returning my calls. Either Savage has told them what they want to hear i.e. that the receiver should be level and that my receiver is an anomaly so they're not interested in my issue any more, which is understandable. Or, Savage has told them not to discuss this issue for whatever reason.
My plan at the moment is to reinstall the Talley rings, lap them even more to make absolutely sure they're aligned, remove them, paint them with GUN-KOTE, reinstall them and shoot the new barrel to see how it performs. If it does well, I'll either modify the TPS one-piece base or order a custom one-piece base from Ken Farrell. If it doesn't shoot well, I'll reinstall the factory barrel and send the rifle back. Either way, I'm definitely going to stop by the Savage booth at the SHOT show next month and let them know about my experience. I'll be bringing some images for their consideration. Let's see how they deal with customers face-to-face.
Throughout all this, I've managed to avoid mentioning the AccuStock. I would suggest that EVERY Accustock owner check to see if the stock is in line with the barrel .... I bet it isn't!! My AccuStock veers off to the right towards the muzzle. I removed the action and reinstalled it following Savage's instructions and it's still off. I had to inlet the stock for the McGowen barrel and needed to remove more material from the left side to get suffucient clearance between the stock and the barrel. Frankly, Savage has four features that I like. The ability to swap barrels at home, the AccuTrigger, the three-position safety and the bolt. Luckily for Savage, these features provide a good base from which to build a really good rifle or else I wouldn't give them a second look. The AccuStock is a total piece of garbage but it can be swapped out for something decent.