New MKII FV SR bolt condition... is this normal?

[gruvmann]

Hello all,
This is my first post to SavageShooters; I was hoping it would be a better post, but...

I just picked up a MKII FV SR from my FFL guy. This is my second MKII, the first being the standard MKII FV. If this new FV SR is anything like the first FV, it'll be a great shooter.

Back to the new rifle... all looked well. The rifle itself looked great, the magazine fit well and was new. The bolt, however was a different story. My first MKII came with a black and silver bolt, polished and in great shape. the bolt for the new FV SR was scratched, had much more wear than any "new" bolt I've ever seen, and was a dull grey color (which might be nice actually). Is this normal? It fits as it should.

I know buying online runs certain risks, some guns I buy local, others I buy online when I can't find one here. But this bolt... I know the rifle will be a good one but I want to start out on the right foot. I've already talked to Savage, and as usual the CS is top-notch. They'll pick the rifle up, look it over and re-bolt the rifle if necessary. Kinda don't want to send it back but again that bolt!

Any other FV SR owners experience this?

thanks!
Matt

http://2.mattstanfield.com/images/bolt_1.jpg

http://2.mattstanfield.com/images/bolt_2.jpg

[Twinsen]

Probably just what the "tactical" market wants. Ninjas only shoot 22s with matte black bolts.

[gruvmann]

Probably just what the "tactical" market wants. Ninjas only shoot 22s with matte black bolts.


Nice. I don't know if I'll ever pass the Ninja qualification test.
I've been looking at MKII FVSR photos and they all seem to have the monochrome grey finish. Maybe I'll just polish it up and call it done. I'll be changing the stock and other things eventually so might as well start making it mine.

[BlackedOut]

I have 2 fv-sr's now and both bolts came a with a worn or tattered look to them. The first one has about 1000-1500 through it now and is like butter but is worn down in certain spots kinda like the scratches. I thought it was weird too but now i like the look (and feel) Hope this helps!

[J.Baker]

Looks to be a parkerized-like finish of some type, and being a moving part the first time it's put in the gun and/or cycled it will get wear marks. Who knows how long it sat on the shelf of the dealer you bought it from and God only knows how many people may have handled/cycled it. Even if it looked brand new when you opened the box it would look like that after your first range trip so I don't see any reason to be concerned about it. Just normal wear IMO.

[gruvmann]

Thanks for the info, I really appreciate it. Baker, you're right it is a parkerized type of finish. According to the shop where I ordered the rifle, they keep all bolts out of rifles and in the boxes, so in theory, the bolt was only handled at Savage prior to shipping out. Again, this comes back to the inherent risk of buying a rifle sight unseen. Pros and cons.

I'm sending it in- UPS already picked it up actually- and I'll let you know what happens. My work schedule the next three weeks would keep me from doing anything with the rifle anyway, so I'm not missing out on much. It will either sit in my house or in the Savage shop. Worst case scenario: Savage sends it back and says "this is fine". But... maybe I'll get the rifle back a little better than it was before. Besides, when I buy a new rifle, I want to be the one who breaks in the bolt:)

Thanks again. Looking forward to posting photos when everything comes together.

[J.Baker]

I understand where you're coming from...

Yesterday I picked up a new higher end Remington semi-auto shotgun I had ordered. Looked it over at the shop before doing the paperwork to make sure there weren't any defects and wasn't any damage to the wood, and all seemed to be ok. Do the paperwork and get it home, thend while cleaning it up and putting it together I noticed that the top butt pad screw was totally stripped out and the pad could be pulled about 1/8" or so away from the stock with relative ease. Naturally I wasn't too happy to discover this.

I guess most people would probably send it back to Remington to be fixed, but I opted to fix it myself for the simple fact that I know it would be fixed right and I didn't want to have to hassle with shipping it back to the manufacturer and worry about something else happening to it en-route or on it's way back to me. Ten minutes with a drill, a short length of wooden dowel and some TiteBond wood glue and it was fixed.

[gruvmann]

J. Baker, I completely agree. Tinkering with and modifying my weapons is one of the things I enjoy most about firearms. I can only think of two that are completely stock; all others have been (in my limited experience) improved upon in some way:) Besides the improvement on the firearm itself, it's the best way to really learn and get to know the gun.
Thanks again for the input.

[gilream]

Problem? Mine looked exactly like that when it was brand new 2 weeks ago and the rifle shoots very well and very accurately. It has the same anodized finish as the rest of the action and will break in with normal firing. I think you have invented a problem here that does not exist.

[gruvmann]

Rifle came back yesterday. Looks like you guys were right; the FVSR bolts must come from the factory a bit on the "rustic" side:)
In the interim, my optic and rings came in. Time to clean, polish, and start breaking it all in.