I have 2 Savage rifles, one is a .30-06 110 sporter for hunting and beating the crap out of. Nice and light and balanced, but shoots minute of deer (my other Savage shoots minute of dime).
I've noticed over the years that the bolt has gotten very tight to open and close, but was still workable. I figured recoil over years did something with the parts, I don't know what, maybe bent the bolt handle a bit, or stretched some metal or something, so it binds when it closes. I said I don't know
I shot it last week to get ready for deer season, and it worked fine, probably about as stiff as has been the last few years. Last night I was looking at it, had it at my work bench, and was checking screws to make sure everything was tight. Sometimes in the past the stock would get loose, so I made sure that screw was tight. Checked the scope mount, knowing I'd put a couple more shots on paper this weekend after my once over on it, to make sure still same zero.
Then I went to work the bolt. Holy crap, it wouldn't budge. Wait, I must have cleared the gun before I put it away last weekend, and I must have checked the chamber before I brought it down to my work bench, right? I must have. But the bolt is stuck now. Did it happen from shooting? Maybe I hadn't really opened the bolt since bringing it home? Maybe it was loose enough to shoot, but since bringing it home it cooled and froze in place with some part that had stretched and now binding real bad?
Is it even empty? Can I verify that it is at this moment, before I start trying to wrench the bolt open? It has to be empty, I must have checked after shooting, and before I just brought it down to my work bench. Must have! But did I? When did the bolt freeze? OMG!!!
So I take a cleaning rod and measure the distance to where the bolt face should be along the outside of the barrel, and then stick the rod in the barrel and verify there ain't no way the gun is loaded. Then I get a mallet and bang the bolt handle open. Inspect everything. Scratch my head. Try to to figure out where things are binding. Gun is unusable as is. Maybe need to order a new bolt? Throw the whole gun in the trash? Use it as an excuse to my wife to buy a new .223? I don't know.
Go upstairs and tell my wife what is wrong with it, just so she knows. She's an NRA instructor, and does handle all our guns for various reasons. Then sit down and decide to google the interwebs looking to see what troubles others have had with a Savage bolt.
One guy, posting somewhere on the internet, mentioned that he found his stock screw, when tightened, caused his bolt to bind. No! How is that possible? Thoughts ramble through my head for a moment, and then I go back down to check the gun. Sure enough, loosening the stock screw loosens the bolt so it works smooth as butter! The stock screw when tightened enough can evidently poke up inside the receiver and bind the bolt near the lugs. Who knew?!? So, I tighten it down real good with the lock washer acting now as a spacer, so the screw can't protrude too far up into the receiver, and the bolt stays working smooth as butter
I've noticed over the years that the bolt has gotten very tight to open and close, but was still workable. I figured recoil over years did something with the parts, I don't know what, maybe bent the bolt handle a bit, or stretched some metal or something, so it binds when it closes. I said I don't know
I shot it last week to get ready for deer season, and it worked fine, probably about as stiff as has been the last few years. Last night I was looking at it, had it at my work bench, and was checking screws to make sure everything was tight. Sometimes in the past the stock would get loose, so I made sure that screw was tight. Checked the scope mount, knowing I'd put a couple more shots on paper this weekend after my once over on it, to make sure still same zero.
Then I went to work the bolt. Holy crap, it wouldn't budge. Wait, I must have cleared the gun before I put it away last weekend, and I must have checked the chamber before I brought it down to my work bench, right? I must have. But the bolt is stuck now. Did it happen from shooting? Maybe I hadn't really opened the bolt since bringing it home? Maybe it was loose enough to shoot, but since bringing it home it cooled and froze in place with some part that had stretched and now binding real bad?
Is it even empty? Can I verify that it is at this moment, before I start trying to wrench the bolt open? It has to be empty, I must have checked after shooting, and before I just brought it down to my work bench. Must have! But did I? When did the bolt freeze? OMG!!!
So I take a cleaning rod and measure the distance to where the bolt face should be along the outside of the barrel, and then stick the rod in the barrel and verify there ain't no way the gun is loaded. Then I get a mallet and bang the bolt handle open. Inspect everything. Scratch my head. Try to to figure out where things are binding. Gun is unusable as is. Maybe need to order a new bolt? Throw the whole gun in the trash? Use it as an excuse to my wife to buy a new .223? I don't know.
Go upstairs and tell my wife what is wrong with it, just so she knows. She's an NRA instructor, and does handle all our guns for various reasons. Then sit down and decide to google the interwebs looking to see what troubles others have had with a Savage bolt.
One guy, posting somewhere on the internet, mentioned that he found his stock screw, when tightened, caused his bolt to bind. No! How is that possible? Thoughts ramble through my head for a moment, and then I go back down to check the gun. Sure enough, loosening the stock screw loosens the bolt so it works smooth as butter! The stock screw when tightened enough can evidently poke up inside the receiver and bind the bolt near the lugs. Who knew?!? So, I tighten it down real good with the lock washer acting now as a spacer, so the screw can't protrude too far up into the receiver, and the bolt stays working smooth as butter
