Am I the only one, or is Savage CS really that poor?

ronl · May 2, 2017, 06:16 PM

I bought a Savage 12 LRP 6.5 CM last December about the 17th. The rifle didn't shoot well and the rifle was sent back to Savage by the dealer around the 15th of Jan.. I have been waiting patiently since then. They put a new barrel on it and it took them over 20 days to test fire it, to find out it still didn't shoot well enough to pass. They were supposed to call me to tell me, but I got nothing and only found out because I called them. Now they tell me it is going to take another 4 weeks for them to get out another gun to the dealer for me because they're going to have to build another from the ground up. I really don't buy that they do not have at least one boxed up in the place ready to ship out; there's just not one for me who has already paid for it. Really disappointed. I am a very patient man, but my patience is wearing pretty thin. I'm beginning to think I just may get another rifle by December of this year, that is if I'm very lucky.

CarJunkieLS1 · May 3, 2017, 06:40 AM

I've never had a firearm company actually call when they said they would...so there is that. But I'd call Savage and politely talk to a supervisor and explain to him your concerns, the fact it's been months without a rifle you paid good money for, etc.

Be nice and courteous and just ask is there anything they can do to make this right and so you are satisfied if not ask for a full refund right then and there. Maybe you can get some freebie gear or an upgraded rifle or something.

doofus47 · May 5, 2017, 01:35 PM

The delay aspect and the lack of communication is lame CS, in my opinion.

The waiting is lame and they should have called after their initial rebuild didn't work and told you why there would be additional delay and why and ask if you were willing to wait.

On the other hand, they test fired their initial fix and they didn't ship it to you when it didn't pass muster. That beats shipping you a poorly "fixed" rifle and then telling you to re-explain the issue.
Also, they are building you a rifle, so it seems that they are going to give you an as-new replacement.

They could have handled this better, but it seems that they do want to do a solid job (albeit slowly).

NoSecondBest · May 5, 2017, 03:37 PM

It sounds like they're behind in warranty work and that's where the 20 days came into play to test it. However, the right thing to do in that case was to give you the next one off the line regardless of who was waiting for it. No one should have to wait twice for the gun....which is what you're doing. The person/store who's gun you'd be getting has the option to keep waiting or buy something else. They already have your money and you have no gun. FWIW, prior to retiring I was a quality manager for a multi-billion dollar company and I traveled around the country teaching and training companies on customer service as a principal of being a business metric. In this case, Savage failed. Do they have a Facebook page? Post something on there and as mentioned, ask to speak to someone higher up and request them to give you the next gun off the line because they already have your money and you have no gun. Good luck.

the possum · May 6, 2017, 11:53 AM

They've already proven twice that a random rifle off the assembly line can't shoot. But they're taking some extra effort to make sure the next one they send you is a tack driver. Thus, I would not want them to send me a different random rifle just to close the warranty case quicker. It may not shoot any better than the first one. I'd suck it up and wait patiently to make sure I got a good one.

T. O'Heir · May 6, 2017, 12:20 PM

"...don't buy that they do not have..." They don't have warehouses full of stuff that isn't already sold.
"...rifle didn't shoot well..." Kind of needs a definition. And what you expected. There are reams of reasons an 11 pound empty, factory, target rifle that comes with no sights might not shoot to your expectations. Takes more than a month for an employed shooter to find the factory ammo a rifle prefers. That's assuming you're not reloading. Longer to work up a load.
"...never had a firearm company actually call when they said they would..." No company calls exactly when they say they will.

ronl · May 15, 2017, 09:38 PM

Got a new rifle last week. At least this bore looks like a new rifle ought to. I've reinstalled everything and bore sighted it, just waiting to get the time to try it out. Already have bullets loaded with RL-17 and Hybrid 100 to try out. Going to load some 4350 also. Savage didn't forget to send back the Nightforce base that was on the rifle, which I was worried about. I guess I'll find out if the long wait was worth it.

PlatinumCore16 · May 16, 2017, 10:31 AM

Interested to find out how this works out for you!

ShootistPRS · May 17, 2017, 02:17 AM

Ronl,
You may end up with the only custom built rifle from the company this decade. I do hope it is a tack driver that will shoot almost any ammo well. I'm an optimist and your patience deserves a gun that is above and beyond.

ndking1126 · May 17, 2017, 12:32 PM

subscribing

Recoil spring · May 19, 2017, 04:24 PM

I have owned 2 of their rifles, a 110 in .223 back in the late 90's accuracy was only fair. And 3 years ago one of their .22 rifles in bolt action, accuracy was OK, not like my CZ-452.

Their rifles just plain seem cheap to me, the bolt on the .22 was all badly scratched up from me working the action, despite being greased and oiled, could not find a bur in the receiver. Read that this is common with their .22's. Never had to send one in for warranty work, but there are some You Tube videos of guys who went through the ringer to get the rifles fixed by Savage.

bignic83 · May 19, 2017, 04:36 PM

Subscribing. My Savage 10 APO has been a laser from the factory.

Josh Smith · May 20, 2017, 09:28 PM

Subbed.

My MkII was a dog and they were actively hostile when I told them what parts I need.

Granted, this was some years ago. I ended up fixing the stuff myself with parts I crafted or, when available, used aftermarket parts.

I still consider that thing a fragile rifle and probably unable to withstand a lot of abuse.

Regards,

Josh

ronl · May 30, 2017, 08:04 PM

Finally got it out on the range to try it out. All I had was some American Eagle 140 match. My friend had some handloaded 130 Bergers. It shot very well. Best 3 shot group was 3/8". Best five shot group was .695. All shot well under 1". Unlike the other rifle there was no copper fouling after firing. With some load developement should be a 1/2 MOA or better rifle. Now it's to the loading bench.

PlatinumCore16 · May 31, 2017, 10:00 AM

Very glad to hear it worked out for you. Kind of sucks that it took so long, but at least they fixed it.

May 2, 2017, 06:16 PM	#1
ronl Senior Member Join Date: December 2, 2007 Posts: 1,100	Am I the only one, or is Savage CS really that poor? I bought a Savage 12 LRP 6.5 CM last December about the 17th. The rifle didn't shoot well and the rifle was sent back to Savage by the dealer around the 15th of Jan.. I have been waiting patiently since then. They put a new barrel on it and it took them over 20 days to test fire it, to find out it still didn't shoot well enough to pass. They were supposed to call me to tell me, but I got nothing and only found out because I called them. Now they tell me it is going to take another 4 weeks for them to get out another gun to the dealer for me because they're going to have to build another from the ground up. I really don't buy that they do not have at least one boxed up in the place ready to ship out; there's just not one for me who has already paid for it. Really disappointed. I am a very patient man, but my patience is wearing pretty thin. I'm beginning to think I just may get another rifle by December of this year, that is if I'm very lucky.

May 5, 2017, 01:35 PM	#3
doofus47 Senior Member Join Date: June 9, 2010 Location: live in a in a house when i'm not in a tent Posts: 2,483	The delay aspect and the lack of communication is lame CS, in my opinion. The waiting is lame and they should have called after their initial rebuild didn't work and told you why there would be additional delay and why and ask if you were willing to wait. On the other hand, they test fired their initial fix and they didn't ship it to you when it didn't pass muster. That beats shipping you a poorly "fixed" rifle and then telling you to re-explain the issue. Also, they are building you a rifle, so it seems that they are going to give you an as-new replacement. They could have handled this better, but it seems that they do want to do a solid job (albeit slowly). __________________ I'm right about the metric system 3/4 of the time.

May 6, 2017, 12:20 PM	#6
T. O'Heir Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 12,453	"...don't buy that they do not have..." They don't have warehouses full of stuff that isn't already sold. "...rifle didn't shoot well..." Kind of needs a definition. And what you expected. There are reams of reasons an 11 pound empty, factory, target rifle that comes with no sights might not shoot to your expectations. Takes more than a month for an employed shooter to find the factory ammo a rifle prefers. That's assuming you're not reloading. Longer to work up a load. "...never had a firearm company actually call when they said they would..." No company calls exactly when they say they will. __________________ Spelling and grammar count!

May 19, 2017, 04:24 PM	#11
Recoil spring Member Join Date: March 29, 2017 Posts: 80	Leary of Savage. I have owned 2 of their rifles, a 110 in .223 back in the late 90's accuracy was only fair. And 3 years ago one of their .22 rifles in bolt action, accuracy was OK, not like my CZ-452. Their rifles just plain seem cheap to me, the bolt on the .22 was all badly scratched up from me working the action, despite being greased and oiled, could not find a bur in the receiver. Read that this is common with their .22's. Never had to send one in for warranty work, but there are some You Tube videos of guys who went through the ringer to get the rifles fixed by Savage.

May 19, 2017, 04:36 PM	#12
bignic83 Junior Member Join Date: March 29, 2013 Location: Texas Posts: 11	Subscribed Subscribing. My Savage 10 APO has been a laser from the factory.

May 3, 2017, 06:40 AM	#2
CarJunkieLS1 Senior Member Join Date: October 1, 2013 Posts: 686	I've never had a firearm company actually call when they said they would...so there is that. But I'd call Savage and politely talk to a supervisor and explain to him your concerns, the fact it's been months without a rifle you paid good money for, etc. Be nice and courteous and just ask is there anything they can do to make this right and so you are satisfied if not ask for a full refund right then and there. Maybe you can get some freebie gear or an upgraded rifle or something.

May 5, 2017, 03:37 PM	#4
NoSecondBest Senior Member Join Date: December 7, 2009 Location: Western New York Posts: 2,736	It sounds like they're behind in warranty work and that's where the 20 days came into play to test it. However, the right thing to do in that case was to give you the next one off the line regardless of who was waiting for it. No one should have to wait twice for the gun....which is what you're doing. The person/store who's gun you'd be getting has the option to keep waiting or buy something else. They already have your money and you have no gun. FWIW, prior to retiring I was a quality manager for a multi-billion dollar company and I traveled around the country teaching and training companies on customer service as a principal of being a business metric. In this case, Savage failed. Do they have a Facebook page? Post something on there and as mentioned, ask to speak to someone higher up and request them to give you the next gun off the line because they already have your money and you have no gun. Good luck.

May 6, 2017, 11:53 AM	#5
the possum Senior Member Join Date: November 6, 2004 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 555	They've already proven twice that a random rifle off the assembly line can't shoot. But they're taking some extra effort to make sure the next one they send you is a tack driver. Thus, I would not want them to send me a different random rifle just to close the warranty case quicker. It may not shoot any better than the first one. I'd suck it up and wait patiently to make sure I got a good one.

May 15, 2017, 09:38 PM	#7
ronl Senior Member Join Date: December 2, 2007 Posts: 1,100	Got a new rifle last week. At least this bore looks like a new rifle ought to. I've reinstalled everything and bore sighted it, just waiting to get the time to try it out. Already have bullets loaded with RL-17 and Hybrid 100 to try out. Going to load some 4350 also. Savage didn't forget to send back the Nightforce base that was on the rifle, which I was worried about. I guess I'll find out if the long wait was worth it.

May 16, 2017, 10:31 AM	#8
PlatinumCore16 Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2017 Location: Colorado Posts: 424	Interested to find out how this works out for you!

May 17, 2017, 02:17 AM	#9
ShootistPRS Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2017 Posts: 1,583	Ronl, You may end up with the only custom built rifle from the company this decade. I do hope it is a tack driver that will shoot almost any ammo well. I'm an optimist and your patience deserves a gun that is above and beyond.

May 17, 2017, 12:32 PM	#10
ndking1126 Senior Member Join Date: January 26, 2008 Location: Madison, AL Posts: 1,932	subscribing

May 20, 2017, 09:28 PM	#13
Josh Smith member Join Date: November 5, 2000 Location: Wabash IN Posts: 740	Subbed. My MkII was a dog and they were actively hostile when I told them what parts I need. Granted, this was some years ago. I ended up fixing the stuff myself with parts I crafted or, when available, used aftermarket parts. I still consider that thing a fragile rifle and probably unable to withstand a lot of abuse. Regards, Josh

May 30, 2017, 08:04 PM	#14
ronl Senior Member Join Date: December 2, 2007 Posts: 1,100	Finally got it out on the range to try it out. All I had was some American Eagle 140 match. My friend had some handloaded 130 Bergers. It shot very well. Best 3 shot group was 3/8". Best five shot group was .695. All shot well under 1". Unlike the other rifle there was no copper fouling after firing. With some load developement should be a 1/2 MOA or better rifle. Now it's to the loading bench.

May 31, 2017, 10:00 AM	#15
PlatinumCore16 Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2017 Location: Colorado Posts: 424	Very glad to hear it worked out for you. Kind of sucks that it took so long, but at least they fixed it.