Bolt head question

[damadama]

I have a 25/300 WSM built on a Savage short action with the longer bolt spacing. This action has a controlled feed bolt head with a slot in it for the ejector which is attached to the action itself. I'm not sure I'm using the correct terminology here but I'm sure you guys know what I mean.

The question is;
if I remove the ejector from the action and fit a bolt head with the integral plunger ejector will it work? I'm using CDI bottom metal and an Alpha WSM magazine.

[sharpshooter]

If the cartridges feed from the magazine fine, you won't have a problem. The reason for the CRF bolt heads on the old stagger feeds was the cartridge would jump out of the mag before it got far enough in the chamber to contain it.

[damadama]

At the moment, because the cartridge is not "held" into the bolt face at the bottom, it drops down when clearing the chamber slipping out of the extractor so it does not eject. I feel fairly confident that a change to a plunger ejector will solve this issue. It may however, as you intimate, not feed correctly. I will try it and see, nothing ventured nothing gained.

Thanks for the reply.

[stangfish]

I am reading that you have a center feed in the first sentence then a stagger feed in the next. So I am betting it is a stagger feed.
I have had success with the conversion.

[damadama]

it was a stagger feed until I fitted the CDI bottom metal and Alpha magazine which is centre feed.

[stangfish]

So currently the short action magnum is hard to find. So you will need to modify a long action magnum bolt face if the correct one is not located. There is a 1/16th difference in the lug length.

[mudpig]

PTG makes some nice bolt heads for Savage rifles. I've got a couple of them and they are machined very nicely.

http://www.pacifictoolandgauge.com/savage%20performance.htm

[damadama]

So currently the short action magnum is hard to find. So you will need to modify a long action magnum bolt face if the correct one is not located. There is a 1/16th difference in the lug length.

I was not aware there was a length difference, I thought they were all the same length just different face dismeters! Presumably, the long action head is longer?

[damadama]

PTG makes some nice bolt heads for Savage rifles. I've got a couple of them and they are machined very nicely.

http://www.pacifictoolandgauge.com/savage%20performance.htm

Thanks for the link, I don't see a WSM bolt head listed for the short action though.

[mudpig]

If you give them a call.... I believe the guy to talk to is Erik, or maybe Aaron, but they can probably get you set up. Good people to work with and quality is top notch.

[damadama]

OK, got the job done and it works fine, picks up from the mag. and ejects cleanly. The controlled feed bolt head is longer than the plunger eject type so I had to re-seat the barrel to get the correct headspace.

Thanks for all the input guys.:p