So, I finally found out at least part of the reason I had trouble hitting a deer with that 30-06. When the rifle was manufactured, Savage failed to tap one of the scope mount holes. When I mounted the scope, I thought it was odd, but figured the untapped hole must be "by design". So I only put two screws in the mount. After a dozen rounds or so, the whole thing would be wiggling and shaking, moving my point of impact all over the place. But even before I could feel the movement, the scope was creeping. Every time I carried it into the field it moved a little. When I finally did get a deer with it, my hit was several inches away from where I'd aimed. The shot couldn't have been more than 100 yards, and I couldn't believe how far off I was. To say my confidence in my marksmanship was shaken by this experience is an understatement.
A gunsmith pointed the problem out to me when I finally got tired of trying to fix the scope myself. Since it is an obvious manufacturing defect, I sent the rifle to Savage for repair. Haven't got it back yet (as of 10/18/01), but I'm betting that being able to lock the scope down properly is going to make a really big difference.
UPDATED 02/20/02:
The rifle is fixed, AND HOW! Took it to the range, fired about fifty rounds. In my last 8 shots, almost all the holes touched. The scope is firmly and happily planted, and shooting about an inch and a half high at 100 yards. Hope to get it to the 200 yard range in the near future, but I'm already hunting pigs with it. What a huge difference it has made in my confidence.
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