Bolt close issue

[RyanW]

Savage Axis .270

I am having an odd issue with the bolt. The rifle is over a year old but was only at the range once to be shot in. The reason it wasn't shot more was due to the heavy trigger, which has since been remedied (snip 1 1/4 turns off the trigger tension spring) During the processes of shortening that spring we noticed that the bolt would not close all the way, it stops about 8 degrees shy of home. This also prevents a round from going into battery and although you can pull the trigger and get the firing pin to move forward it doesn't move far enough forward to strike the primer, thankfully.

Checked the chamber for obstructions found none.
Checked the bolt and bolt face for any signs of rubbing found none.
Checked the bolt handles timing no issues there.
Checked the bolt release no issues there.

The only thing that I've noticed that seems off to me is the rear bolt spring (can't remember it's technical name) looks like a coil has slipped off the firing pin shaft. It's really hard to tell what's going on with that spring, if anything. So my next step is to remove the bolt assembly screw. However that thing is really tight, is that normal? How much force is too much force to get the bas to loosen? and is there anything else I should be checking that I haven't?

[thomae]

http://www.savageshooters.com/content.php?177-Savage-Axis-(and-Edge)-Bolt-Dissembly-and-Assembly-Instructions

[RyanW]

Awesome. Odd that my search didn't yield that thread...poor search-foo skills I guess. This main spring looks nothing like that one...I'll get some pics up once I get the chance.

[Gmac5]

Check you front action screw , back it out then try to bolt

[RyanW]

Check you front action screw , back it out then try to bolt

We'll do.

[thomae]

You might have the new multipiece axis mainspring.

Also, something else to check: Is the rearmost of the front mounting screws protruding into the bolt lug lockup area of the receiver directly behind the chamber? If it is too long, it can contact the bolt head lugs as the bolt is turned when attempting to place the rifle in battery.

[RyanW]

Is the rearmost of the front mounting screws protruding into the chamber? If it is too long, it can contact the bolt head.

That's what the issue was. We found the issue by, disassembling removing one part, reassembling and testing. Took about 2 hours but we finally got the rail mount screws out and noticed that the rear most screw had some marks on it from the lug contacting it. When I'd put my finger in the lug path and run it around trying to feel for obstructions I couldn't feel anything protruding. I even had a small mirror that I could get into the chamber and visually inspect the lug path and I didn't see the screw protruding. I really want to inspect the lug under a microscope to see what kind of damage the screw did, just out of curiosity.

Thanks for all the help.

[thomae]

As far as lug damage, you probably have some scratching of the end, but I doubt if it affected any of the lug lockup surfaces.
Glad I could help.

[r3dn3ck]

sed -i 's/chamber/breech/g'

I've gotten this as a lesson recently so I'll share: front action screw, rear action screw, front scope base screws, rear scope base screws. All of the above have caused me to have to take a screw to the sanding drum and knock a few threads off it and then put the gun back together. Very few things make you ask, "Did they even measure these things?" quite so often as screws for guns. Unless you hit the bolt with a hammer trying to close it, no amount of scratching you could have done will matter very much. The circumferential perimeter surfaces aren't even the stressed ones. The rear facing surfaces of the locking lugs take the brunt of the forces.

[RyanW]

I agree that there is no way to damage a lug in this manor, I'm just curios how far the lug was rotating until the screw stopped it. It's just one of those "why didn't the lug eventually rub the screw flat?" I can't tell you how many times we slammed the bolt closed. On the offending screw you could see the finished was removed on the very edge, but that's about it.

I'm sure the schematic (allowed) tolerance, the machined tolerance and the actual tolerance of any one part vary. In this case the allowed length tolerance of the screw was exceeded by the actual length of the screw. I can understand how this issue is fairly common place, since I'm sure Savage gets those screws from a third party source. Let's say that third party source isn't all that concerned with the actual variation in their specified tolerance and their actual tolerance, basically quality control. Who knows, maybe that third party source has the ability to manufacture screws well inside the schematic tolerances specified by Savage but their equipment isn't maintained properly or the operator isn't up to speed on how to insure that the tolerance is met. Really the list of how it could happen is very long when you take into consideration all the possible variables.

[r3dn3ck]

You know why it didn't rub it flat. It was an interference issue and not a sliding friction issue. Only can haz wearing down in cases of sliding friction. With the slamming all you'll get is peening/mushrooming of the screw at best until it peens far enough to begin the sliding friction fit.

oh yeah, and since I did it once before: sed -i '/manor/manner/g'. I'll be nice about the plain ol' misspellings but wrong words entirely get sed's. Manor is a house. Manner is the way a thing is done or happens.

[RyanW]

haz

Grammer lessons from user name r3dn3ck ;)

[r3dn3ck]

Yup. But if you pay close attention to the handle you notice that it's a rather funny play on words. A h4x0r spelling of redneck suggests something of a Jungian perspective. And not grammar, spelling. They're different because of their spelling. ;)

[RyanW]

A Carl Gustav Jung reference in explanation of your handle is hilarious, I’m sure he’s rolling in his grave.

In the internet world that I am familiar with, a wink is equivalent to sarcasm. So my reply of “Grammer lessons from…” was a sarcastic reply, sarcastic in a mocking, contemptuous, or ironic way. I was ironically misspelling Grammar to make light of the fact that in your “correction” of my mistake you also made a “mistake”. It is an attempt on my part to highlight the humor that I saw in the situation. Now, if you do not find this typo (see what I did there?) humor funny, that is reasonable. I understand that not everyone has the same sense of humor and will not laugh at every joke. However, I am not the typo person who tells jokes to make other people laugh; I tell jokes to make myself laugh. This entire exchange has done nothing but make me chuckle.

[r3dn3ck]

mission accomplished!