My new AXIS .308 Bolt Problem..

[Gmac5]

LUCKY YOU! TRY PRIVI OR S&b IN SOUTH FLA HEAT AN SEE IF YOU SAY THAT AGAIN! UNLESS IM NOT SEEING " the happy face"
DA STILL SOUNDS LIKE AMMO PROBLEMS NOT BOLT HEAD DA

[thermaler]

I fired Winchester, Remington, Fusion Vortex, Nosler, Hornady and federal--not a one showed anything approaching an actual indentation. Is this really normal?

[Gmac5]

DA TRY PRIVI OR S&b DA DA dAAAAA

[Gmac5]

The ammo that caused his bolt face pitting was ammo problem period .if he wants to replace his bolt head for appearance o k but unless he changes ammo he will have another pitted bolt face! What do you think axis bolt heads are soft in the primer area and by replacing it you would get a better one?

[Gmac5]

You know the worst part of being sick is boredom ! You find yourself doing things you kick yourself in the azz for

[Gmac5]

If he does change the bolt ,dont forget he is gonna re headspace , which means gauges and a barrel nut wrench

[thermaler]

DA TRY PRIVI OR S&b DA DA dAAAAAWhy would you want me to try ammo you think might damage the action??

Also--I'm not sure--but do you mean Prvi partizan ammo (privi)? I've shot gobs of that stuff through my ARs and for the price I think think it's one of the all-around best value rounds there is. Never had a misfire and no cleaning issues any worse than any non-match grade production domestic stuff--and this is with direct-impingement guns.

BTW--what's the DA DA DA stuff mean?

[fgw_in_fla]

I would say clean it up if you think it's salvageable and use ammo of known good quality, depending on what you're shooting it for - ie hunting, target, fun....

And keep it out of the sun. Especially if you're headed south for the winter.

Stay well & have fun

Frank in Fla.

[Gmac5]

Ejector rub marks on brass is normal. The privi and s&b wont hurt you action , only meant to try that ammo to see the happy face,( ejector rub marks on brass)

[fla9-40]

Does this hold true for Winchester brass as well? Savage used this to test fire my gun before they sent it back to me this last time and sent the fired Winchesters with it. They had the mark as well...

I have some reloads I am going to try this weekend, will have to check and see what brass I have on hand.

BTW Gary I'm in North Florida...Seminole Country! Around the Tally area...

[fla9-40]

This might be what Gmac5 was stating earlier in the thread, if so kudos to him!

I think I have found what is causing the Smiley Face on my brass. I noticed yesterday that on the face of the ejector pen ( I think that is what it is called, not the firing pin but the pin that is coming out of the bolt head next to the firing pin hole) that there was a nipple on the end of it standing proud of the pin. I tried last night to polish it with some lapping compound and polishing cream. I then put a round in the chamber and closed the bolt. When I extracted the round it had a "Smiley Face" on the head of the brass at that pin location! I guess I could still try and polish it more, what do you think?

This does not address the hard to open bolt, still a mystery on that one! Maybe it will get better with more rounds down the tube!

[Gmac5]

Im glad that you see that the ejector spring pressure is such that it must rub on the base of the cartridge in order to have positive ejection. A small burr on the ejector would scratch the cases but should wear smooth with normal use.
Sorry if I come across grumpy , Im not feeling to good, I over did it this weekend and im paying for it now.
GARY

[thermaler]

This might be what Gmac5 was stating earlier in the thread, if so kudos to him!

I think I have found what is causing the Smiley Face on my brass. I noticed yesterday that on the face of the ejector pen ( I think that is what it is called, not the firing pin but the pin that is coming out of the bolt head next to the firing pin hole) that there was a nipple on the end of it standing proud of the pin. I tried last night to polish it with some lapping compound and polishing cream. I then put a round in the chamber and closed the bolt. When I extracted the round it had a "Smiley Face" on the head of the brass at that pin location! I guess I could still try and polish it more, what do you think?

This does not address the hard to open bolt, still a mystery on that one! Maybe it will get better with more rounds down the tube!When you say "hard to open" what part of the process do you mean? do you mean lifted the bolt lever up--or actually withdrawing the spent casing?

[fla9-40]

Sometimes both but now more often withdrawing the spent casing..... At first when I sent the first 20 rounds through it , around 8 or so it started to have a hard bolt lift. Now after two trips back to Savage the lift is somewhat better and the extraction is worse!

My gunsmith and I are planning on removing the barrel and lapping the bolt, polishing the ejector and setting the head space on it this weekend maybe. I gave Savage two chances to fix it and have given up on them....:mad: :mad: Seems like their not in a hurry to keep a customer!

[seanhagerty]

Do not overlook polishing the inside of the chamber with steel wool a q-tip and a drill as a solution for the bolt lift and extraction issues.

[thermaler]

Sometimes both but now more often withdrawing the spent casing..... At first when I sent the first 20 rounds through it , around 8 or so it started to have a hard bolt lift. Now after two trips back to Savage the lift is somewhat better and the extraction is worse!

My gunsmith and I are planning on removing the barrel and lapping the bolt, polishing the ejector and setting the head space on it this weekend maybe. I gave Savage two chances to fix it and have given up on them....:mad: :mad: Seems like their not in a hurry to keep a customer!That's strange--sounds almost like there is something "sticking" the casing in after firing. I sincerely hope your gunsmith finds the problem and solution--I too would be upset under those circumstances--hell, if Savage were smart they woulda just sent you a whole new rifle : )

[thermaler]

OK--this is a real long shot--but I thought it's worth mentioning considering the OP's symptoms.

When I first got my 270 the front stock screw "seized" and I (as well as others) tried many ways to get it loose--we all failed and the hex head ended up getting stripped. I eventually cut the stock in order to get the bolt loose.

In the meantime, I ordered another stock from Savage, and since the bolt was a goner I went to a local hardware store and found a fine-threaded screw to use as a temporary replacement while I awaited a new one from Savage. I thought the temporary screw was the same length as the stock one, but I forgot to take into account the portion of the screw that was unthreaded though that was only a mm or so difference. Point is, when I tightened up the front screw on the receiver, the bolt became very stiff both in locking/unlocking and pull-back/extraction. A slight loosening, and everything was easy as it should be. I then grinded the screw down a bit, and viola, after tightening down the bolt operation was silky easy.

It may be possible that the extra length of the screw is impinging on the operation of the bolt--looking at the hole in the receiver it looks very shallow and is on top of the bolt, but may have an effect when the bolt rotates.

[Blue Avenger]

Another extraction thought. When you lift the bolt, is the angle on the bolt handle hitting the angle on the baffle to cam the bolt back a bit?

[BillPa]

Sometimes both but now more often withdrawing the spent casing.....

Kinda fish'n here , but have you checked that the ejector retracts flush or slightly below the bolt face? From experience many times you find burrs in the ejector bore, metal chips, gunk and other assorted stuff in there preventing the ejector from going at least flush with the bolt face.

A visual indication is a drag mark(smiley) on the casehead almost equal in length to the 90* bolt lift and depending on the amount of restricted movement can cause hard bolt lift as it drags across the casehead.

It may explain both issues your having, increased bolt lift and extraction/ejection problems.

Bill

[fla9-40]

WOW glad I checked back in, lots of good ideas still coming in.
I have not taken the gun to my smith yet, but will sure check out what all of you have pointed out!

I do appreciate all your input here, GREAT stuff!