Model 10 back from Savage. Won't fire.

[TexasTransplant]

Short review: the scope mount holes in my action were off by .018". I sent it back to Savage after getting some opinions and trying a lot of things to make it work (35mm scope tube, please no more suggestions of zee signature rings unless you know where to score some 35mm ones).

New information: Savage says it was barreled wrong and that they rebarrelled it and sent it back with a target showing a .5" 3 shot group (168g Sierra Match Kings). I crowned my barrel with a hand tool. The barrel that came back is also crowned (not just recessed squarely). I'll take them at their word that they rebarreled it despite this curiosity. Although savage insists that all they did was rebarrel the action, the action holes are now straight. They were visibly off before.

I'm hoping it shoots amazingly well and the optics are clear now that I'm not using so much windage adjustment to get POA and POI matched up. Just one problem....

When I got the rifle back home from smith, it wouldn't fire. The trigger safety will move just a little bit and it release something but it never gets all the way back so that you can actually pull the trigger. The safety will not move. The rifle was sent to Savage as a barreled action with trigger assembly. So it was disassembled and re-assembled by a local smith who works on high end equipment. This part is not on Savage if I can tie the malfunction to some oddity of how the re-assembly process.

Any ideas?

[Jamie]

You may know this and it may not be the problem, but a lot of time when this happens is usually because the trigger is set very low and some part of your finger is hitting the trigger and releasing the sear before the safety is depressed all the way. I have done it myself multiple times and I am sure their are quite a few others on here that have as well.

[sinman]

Maybe they did rebarrel it but instead of putting a new barrel on your action, they put your barrel on a new action. but with your firing troubles it sounds like the stock is hitting the trigger and or safety. I would take it back to your high end gunsmith and have him remove material from the stock.

[TexasTransplant]

I tried pushing the accutrigger blade back with a pen. No dice -- the accutrigger is releasing something but the trigger won't move.

This is the B&C Medalist stock it was in before it went off. Not pleased that they didn't test it before sending it home with me.

I'll see if it works out of the stock tomorrow. Any other thoughts?

[sinman]

take the action bolts loose and see if you can pull the trigger.

[ellobo]

If they sent a test target back from Savage with the rifle it obviously was working from the factory and you then gave it to your "High End" gunsmith and THEN it doesnt work, I have a feeling your gunsmith may be at fault. Very few gunsmiths have any expertice in anything not a Winchester or Remington. Try telling most gunsmiths that you float the tang and they look at you like your nuts. You practicaly have to beat them over the head to tell them that unlike Remingtons the rear mounting screw does not go into the tang. AS has been said, loosen the mounting scres a quarter turn and see what happens. A new action may not be siting in the stock properly.

El Lobo

[TexasTransplant]

No -- anybody (no matter how many cool tools they have) who returns my rifle to me without test firing doesn't get a second shot (no pun intended). For the record, they had it on there almost certainly in excess of 50 inch pounds.
I reinstalled at 50 and the malfunction still happened. 40? Same. Hold it in by hand without a lot of force? It still happens.

The action works fine out of the stock. I can reproduce the problem by pushing up on the arm of the accutrigger behind the trigger itself. Looking inside the trigger guard, I can see some fresh scratches. It looks like I need to dremel out the bevel in the trigger guard some more.

[dcloco]

Ah....so you are placing this in an aftermarket stock? There lies the problem.

[TexasTransplant]

Ah....so you are placing this in an aftermarket stock? There lies the problem.


Prior to sending to Savage, the firing mechanism functioned fine in that stock. This is just more evidence supporting the idea that it's not the same action or that the action was substantially altered.

[MikeCTX]

Not saying the action wasn't altered, but if the action was different then wouldn't it have a different serial number? (more of a general question here) The last 4 digits should match the bolt head unless the bolt head had been changed out.

[dcloco]

Ah....so you are placing this in an aftermarket stock? There lies the problem.


Prior to sending to Savage, the firing mechanism functioned fine in that stock. This is just more evidence supporting the idea that it's not the same action or that the action was substantially altered.



I have run into this multiple times. ALL of the actions are manufactured on a CNC....bet on it. The depth of the trigger is within a thou or two.

What brand of stock are you using?

It is also easy to have the entire action twisted in the stock to provide clearance...then...when you installed the new/different/whatever action in the stock, you tightened it differently.

[sharpshooter]

There is a tolerance on every part of that rifle, just like there is a tolerance on that stock. What you have is a stack up. Modify the stock or the trigger guard to make it fit....it's that simple.

[TexasTransplant]

Thanks, Sharpshooter.. That's my plan - dremel the trigger guard tomorrow with my 5 year old helping before we go shoot the red rider in the back yard.

[rbama1718]

I had the exact same problem with a B&C Medalist. I just removed a little material and it worked fine. This should fix your problem.

[TexasTransplant]

I put the trigger guard in a clamp with some paint stirring sticks to protect it and just hogged out the accutrigger well with a cone shapped grinding bit in a rotary tool. Finished with gray primer on the exposed parts and satin clear coat. Just add ammunition and backstop.

Now to shoot it with the scope I bought for it in the first place. Will try to post a pic before I hit the road.