hog hunter bolt hard to work with a round chambered

[willyg09]

I recently got a used hog hunter that the owner claimed had about 300 rounds fired since new. Cosmetically the rifle looks to be good condition so i took it to the range today and The first thing i noticed is how hard and unsmooth the bolt becomes when there is a round chambered. Upon ejecting the shells there were circular scuffs around the outside of the primer. Does anyones elses hog hunter tend to have this characteristic?
I am seriously considering the ptg bolt to see if it will help any because the factory one makes me cringe with all the slop and hang ups.

[JTCrl]

Are you using factory ammo or re-loads?

[olddav]

hard and unsmooth the bolt becomes when there is a round chambered. Upon ejecting the shells there were circular scuffs around the outside of the primer. .

Is the bolt hard and unsmooth as you chamber the round or after the round has been fired?
Can you post some pics of the scuffs marks?

[willyg09]

They are hornady amax reloads that the guy I bought the rifle from threw in with the sale. I wish I would have thought about it and bought some factory stuff to try. I ended up not even shooting the rifle and just shot my pistol at the range though because it just didnt feel right. I started wondering if the previous owner had modified the rifle and definitely didnt want to put anyone else in danger around me at the range. I know i probably need to go to my local gunsmith and have it inspected but i know all the knowledgeable folks here had some insight.

[PaddyD]

They are hornady amax reloads that the guy I bought the rifle from threw in with the sale. I wish I would have thought about it and bought some factory stuff to try. I ended up not even shooting the rifle and just shot my pistol at the range though because it just didnt feel right. I started wondering if the previous owner had modified the rifle and definitely didnt want to put anyone else in danger around me at the range. I know i probably need to go to my local gunsmith and have it inspected but i know all the knowledgeable folks here had some insight.

Sounds like your reloads may be loads from cases which were NOT full length resized, fired in another rifle with more headspace than your rifle. This would cause the cases to stretch some as they fire formed to that particular chamber and therefore fit tight in your rifle which obviously has tighter headspace. Try resizing the fired cases or chambering a factory load and see if the bolt operates easier.

[Redandwhite_72]

Does it have heavy bolt lift with no round chambered when it cocks the bolt. I bought a used 116 in 338 win mag. It had heavy bolt lift when cocking the bolt after dry firing. Other than when cocking the bolt, the lift was fine. I bought a bolt lift kit from Nathaniel Lambeth. Just before installing the kit I shot the rifle for the first time. When chambering factory ammo it was extremely hard to close the bolt. It was unbelievably hard. Installed the bolt lift kit and its as good as new. Not quite as light as my 12 or my rem 700 but its a lot better.

May not be the same issue your having. I'm just throwing it out there.

[308 Hunter]

I don`t trust other peoples reloads. Even if the cartridges spec out OK what about the charge? Try some factory cartridges and see how that works. My Hog Hunter in 308 has a smooth action with clean ejection. It never hurts to have a used rifle inspected by a gunsmith if that's your choice.

[willyg09]

http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo200/wgoglas1/Mobile%20Uploads/20150401_195758_zpsebibfoev.jpg (http://s375.photobucket.com/user/wgoglas1/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20150401_195758_zpsebibfoev.jpg.html)

Here is a pic of the scuffs the bolt is leaving on the casings. Like mentioned above it almost feels like the headspacing is too tight on the round. I will try to get some factory stuff and report back tomorrow.
Redandwhite the bolt is somewhat smooth and light without a round in the chamber but still leaves alot to be desired. If you try to work it quickly it hangs up and has some slop. But then again I am so used to my weatherby mark v i have to remind myself what the hog hunter is meant to be.

[foxx]

Is this your first Savage? Their bolts definitely have a "sloppy" feel. But that's besides the point. Your pic does not look good to me.

When cocking it, you really should not feel much of a difference whether there is a round in the chamber or not.

[willyg09]

Foxx my first deer rifle was a woodstocked savage 243 that i absolutely loved(not sure which model) that my nephew now hunts with. I do not remember the bolt being like this one but then again i have not operated it in several years. I am going to try and find an alternative Gunsmith in the mean time as the local one is slammed for the foreseeable future.

[devildogandboy]

i would hold off on the gunsmith until you get some factory ammo and try chambering it. no sense in spending money when you don't have to.

Bruce

[earl39]

Those marks appear to be from brass not sized properly for your chamber. That is good brass tho. As stated above it is a good idea not to trust someone else's reloads so i would pull the bullets, resize the brass fully and load up and try it again.

[Robinhood]

Case head space issue as is mentioned.

[willyg09]

Well I will report back with results from the factory stuff. I am feeling more confident after hearing yalls suggestions though.
I got a little bummed out at first because I dont think i saw anything negative about these hog hunters while researching before the purchase but i feel a little better now.
Thank you guys again for the help.

[olddav]

Looks like garbage reloads.

[jonbearman]

Looks like they were neck sized too many times.

[wingspar]

Well I will report back with results from the factory stuff. I am feeling more confident after hearing yalls suggestions though.
I got a little bummed out at first because I dont think i saw anything negative about these hog hunters while researching before the purchase but i feel a little better now.
Thank you guys again for the help.

Old thread, but since I have a Hog Hunter in .308, I’m just curious as to what you have found out and if you have shot any factory ammo yet. Certainly looks like a head space issue.

My bolt was rough when new, but with over 160 rounds thru it, the bolt almost feels like butter.

[devildogandboy]

yeah,, i'm hanging here waiting for the results of the factory ammo. hope we continue with the story!

Bruce

[willyg09]

Sory guys ive been out of state, my dad has had some health problems.
I will be back early part of next week and let you know if it is in fact an ammo issue. Sorry for the delay

[willyg09]

Alright guys I finally got around to getting some factory ammo and sure enough the bolt closes normally now so it was not the headspace.