Savage 110E - pull trigger, no boom.

[SilverSon]

Hi,
This is my first post, and it's regarding my first Savage rifle. I bought a Savage 110E chambered in .270 win from a friend. I checked the sticky and it appears to be older than what is recorded there. The serial number is "E683XXX," and it has a "flat-back" receiver.

Anyway, I checked the bore and bolt-face and it appeared to be in good condition. However, after purchasing it, I took it down to the range to fire a few rounds through it, and it was not striking the primers of the (brand new, Winchester Power-Point) chambered rounds (as in - there wasn't a single mark on the primers). So, I brought it home and disassembled the bolt. To my surprise, all the parts looked fine! I even checked that the firing pin was unobstructed, and that it was portruding from the bolt face (i have no calipers for measurements). I looked online for reassembly instructions and put it back together. Them I took it back to the range, but I had the same issue.

I called Savage, but their customer support is useless in regards to helping with old Savage products. I didn't purchase this gun with the expectation of having to take it straight to a gun smith. I am no armorer or smith, but I own a few other bolt-rifles and I am familiar with the design.

I am thinking that, because of the condition of the bore and bolt, that this rifle was rarely used, but I think it may have been stored for years with the firing pin cocked and the rifle safety activated. That possibly being the case, the main spring may be fatigued.

You guys are the pros so I am needing your help! What could be the possible issues at work here? If it is the mainspring, where could I find the right model? Numrich? Thanks again fellas!

[joe h]

Not a mark on the primer!
Can you take the bolt out of the action and release the firing pin from the cocked position for us.
We need to know how much your firing pin is sticking out in that position. If at all..

[SilverSon]

Thanks for the quick reply!

I don't have any calipers or micrometers to measure the protrusion of the firing pin, but it is protruding. It seems to be substantial enough to strike a round and cause ignition... I checked it a few days ago, but I also checked it again just now before replying.

I pulled the bolt, backed out the bolt screw, decock end the bolt, and I screwed the screw back in. and the pin protruded. I will try to post the pic I just took...

[joe h]

Hmm. "270" is marked on the barrel, right? Lol. Not rebarreled to something else?
Next possible thing would be the headspace issues.

[SilverSon]

Hahaha, you know, if I had overlooked the barrel markings, I probably wouldn't admit it... (Kidding)

Yes, the barrel is clearly marked "Savage Model 110E Cal 270 Win"

I hadn't even considered the headspacing, to be honest, because I assumed that a factory barrel in such good condition would still retain its original head spacing specs. I don't have any gauges, so I would probably need to take it to a smith. Any ideas on how I could check the headspace otherwise?

[joe h]

I can't think of a way without the proper tools

[joe h]

Do you have a non loaded piece of 270 brass? You could put scotch tape on the back of the case, just covering the the case head and see if the bolt closes. layer the tape until the bolt will not close in the downward position. Let us know how many layers it takes....

[big honkin jeep]

Is the rifle making a click when the trigger is pulled indicating it was cocked? I have seen the rigger return springs get in a bind and retard the movement of the boltstop/sear combo. Its a pretty easy fix if that's whats going on. There can also be other problems causing the sear not to catch such as improper arc or tension on the trigger return spring or an improper sear screw adjustment.
Just something else to check that may be the cause other than the bolt.

[BillPa]

Hi,


I am thinking that, because of the condition of the bore and bolt, that this rifle was rarely used, but I think it may have been stored for years with the firing pin cocked and the rifle safety activated. That possibly being the case, the main spring may be fatigued.



Springs lose tension (fatigue) from use, not from being compressed.

To your problem. First I'd pull it out of the stock then try it (UNLOADED). Its easy to see if most everything is working, trigger, sear, yadda...yadda.

If it works out of the stock then the sear is probably contacting the stock someplace. If not, then you can see if the trigger releases the sear, the sear releases the cocking piece pin ( cocking piece) and etc.

Bill

[bodywerks]

^^^ what he said.

[thomae]

Where do you live? Perhaps there is a helpful, knowledgable forum member who can help you. (The last time I asked, the person ended up being in the same town as I am!)

[SilverSon]

Do you have a non loaded piece of 270 brass? You could put scotch tape on the back of the case, just covering the the case head and see if the bolt closes. layer the tape until the bolt will not close in the downward position. Let us know how many layers it takes....

I don't currently have any unloaded .270 brass, as this is my first .270 rifle; all the rounds I have are loaded...

[SilverSon]

Is the rifle making a click when the trigger is pulled indicating it was cocked? I have seen the rigger return springs get in a bind and retard the movement of the boltstop/sear combo. Its a pretty easy fix if that's whats going on. There can also be other problems causing the sear not to catch such as improper arc or tension on the trigger return spring or an improper sear screw adjustment.
Just something else to check that may be the cause other than the bolt.

Yessir, when the trigger is pulled, you can clearly hear a sounded that appears to be the firing being released.

[SilverSon]

Springs lose tension (fatigue) from use, not from being compressed.

To your problem. First I'd pull it out of the stock then try it (UNLOADED). Its easy to see if most everything is working, trigger, sear, yadda...yadda.

If it works out of the stock then the sear is probably contacting the stock someplace. If not, then you can see if the trigger releases the sear, the sear releases the cocking piece pin ( cocking piece) and etc.

Bill

Great idea! I am not going to be around the house much in the next few days, but when I am, I will inspect it step by step.

[SilverSon]

Where do you live? Perhaps there is a helpful, knowledgable forum member who can help you. (The last time I asked, the person ended up being in the same town as I am!)

I live in Houston, Texas! (I should probably fill in my bio...)

[SilverSon]

Ok, I think I have it figured out. I noticed that the bolt didn't seem to be closing all the way, because (1) the bolt was not seated in the notch that is cut in the stock, and (2) the flat on top of the bolt looked as though it should line up with the flat on the back of the receiver (but it wasn't lining up).

When I removed the rifle from the stock, the bolt closed completely. So, during reassembly, I realized that when the stock screw that is closest to the muzzle is over-tightened, the bolt cannot be locked into full battery. If the bolt is already locked into battery and the screw is over-tightened, the bolt cannot be opened...

Once I backed off on that screw, the action opens fine (as it did before), but now it closes all the way.

Is this normal? Is it a common problem for that screw to be problematic when (slightly) over-tightened? Might it be possible that it is the wrong screw length?

Thanks for all the ideas.

[palerider338]

Could be....but not a big deal either way. Hold the bolt open then tighten the screw all the way......then look into the action to see how much of the screw is sticking up into the lug area. Grind that much off the screw and you should be good to go.

FWIW...we run into this quite often when changing stocks and using different screws. NBD...just use the Savage Adjustment Tool..aka Dremel.

[SilverSon]

Ok, that's a lot better than taking it to a gun smith. I will have to be happy with that for now... I am also thinking that i might slip a washer under that particular screw.

Now the real question is, "How does she shoot?"

[palerider338]

Inquiring minds want to know...... ;)

[LHitchcox]

It is very common for the front action screw to be too long. You might want to grind off one or two threads on the screw to give yourself some clearance. Another common problem is for the front scope base screws to be too long and keep the bolt from closing.