Model 10 SBA Bolt dragging on centerfeed magazine...

[CFJunkie]

With the factory plastic stock on my 12 FV 6.5mm Creedmoor, the action screws loosened up after every session and I retorqued them to 35 in.-lbs. every time I cleaned the rifle.

It just shot better that way.
I tried 45 in.-lbs. to keep them tight but it added 0.1 inches to my average group size. Savages are a bit sensitive to action torque settings and the plastic stocks (non Accu-stocks) don't have the aluminum stiffener rail and the aluminum pillars that allow you to torque the action screws tighter.

Wheeler makes a relatively cheap adjustable torque fat screw driver that works OK if you aren't a tool nut.
The good ones are about 4 - 5 times the price.

[Sav10]

With the factory plastic stock on my 12 FV 6.5mm Creedmoor, the action screws loosened up after every session and I retorqued them to 35 in.-lbs. every time I cleaned the rifle.

It just shot better that way.
I tried 45 in.-lbs. to keep them tight but it added 0.1 inches to my average group size. Savages are a bit sensitive to action torque settings and the plastic stocks (non Accu-stocks) don't have the aluminum stiffener rail and the aluminum pillars that allow you to torque the action screws tighter.

Wheeler makes a relatively cheap adjustable torque fat screw driver that works OK if you aren't a tool nut.
The good ones are about 4 - 5 times the price.

Right now I'm just using a gunsmith screw driver set. You can't torque them too much because it tears up the bits.

The cheapest torque wrench I'm seeing is $38 on Amazon.

[CFJunkie]

Sav10,

I'm sorry I didn't mention it before but it happened several years ago and I had forgotten all about it.
Your last post somehow revived my memory.

I had removed my stock on an old 10 FP with a hidden magazine and since the area around the hidden mag was really dirty after thousands of rounds, I pulled the hidden mag and cleaned up the entire area.
When I put the hidden mag back in, I apparently put it in wrong and I experienced bolt closing problems too. The mag was seated too high to allow the bolt to close but it looked like it was seated right when I placed it.
I tried a couple of times to get the mag back in the right position and most everything I tried didn't seem to fix the problem.
Eventually, after multiple tries, I finally got the mag to seat correctly and the problem never resurfaced.

I recently bought two 12 FVs with hidden mags and I made sure I didn't remove them.
I just replaced both 12 FV stocks with Oryx chassis with detachable AICS magazines so I don't worry about that any more.

[Robinhood]

Ah. I see where the confusion is coming from here. My rifle has a blind magazine.

I missed that. Sorry.

[Sav10]

I missed that. Sorry.

No problem!

Guys, I just dropped it off to be sent back. Even with the bolts loose enough to move the action around in the stock, the bolt was dragging.

Thanks for all your help!

I'll try to remember to update this thread when I get it back.

[mnbogboy2]

Not being smart but I'm not sure how that could work. I understand what your idea is but it's hard enough to get the magazine and spring to not shoot out of the stock while placing the barrel and action into the stock, much less make sure some washers I've sat in the bottom stay put.
If I read correctly you have a standard synthetic (tupperware) stock & blind centerfeed magazine.
The magazine, follower & "L" clip should stay put in the stock once you insert and push them to the "bottom" of the mag well. ( Normally you have to pry them out.)
That is of course the standard tupperware/blind centerfeed stock. These stocks also have steel pillars molded in and should be torqued to a minimum of 30-50 pounds. The "L" clip ends up sandwiched tight between the pillar and reciever. The "L" clip tab must engage correctly in the provided hole in the magazine also.
Your explanation of the mag pushing it's way out via the follower spring sounds like the old staggered feed mags but should not happen with centerfeed.
If your magazine still pushes upwards after the "L" clip is properly positioned you may have to shim the front and sides of the magazine box to prevent it from pushing upwards into the bolt path. The front of the box should stop at machined ledge on the bottom of the reciever. The "L" clip and corresponding tab control the height of the rear of the magazine. The feed lips should just clear the bolt lugs when the magazine is in place.
My guess is that it is riding too high at the rear because the tab on the "L" clip is not engaged right. (Possibly because the mag box is moving too far forward in the mag well).

Sorry to be so long winded but hard to explain.
Keep us posted,
Randy

[J.Baker]

Magazine height in a blind mag stock is controlled by two things...

In the rear, the metal L-bracket is the hanger for the rear of the magazine with the little tab fitting into the slot in the back of the mag box. If the magazine is sitting too high in the rear, one can alleviate the issue one of two ways:


Using a good sharp chisel, shave a little material out of the channel in the stock that the L-Bracket sits into.
Using a Dremel and a very small diamond bit, grind on the top edge of the slot that the hook of the L-Bracket fits into in the back of the magazine box.


In either case, GO SLOW as you don't want to remove too much material and then have it sitting too low.

The front height of the magazine box is set by a little nub or shelf in the front of the magazine box inlet in the stock. If the front of the magazine box is sitting too high (not usually the case) you can take a little material off the top of that nub/shelf to get it to sit lower.


Another option (as previously mentioned) is to put a thin shim between the stock and the action. I wouldn't use steel washers, but instead would go with a plastic material (i.e. cut a couple out of a plastic milk carton) or aluminum (cut from a soda can) as they're thinner and will easily bend to match the round contour of the action, and can more easily be trimmed as needed for clearance of other parts. I prefer this method simply because it's not permanent so you can't screw anything up.

[mnbogboy2]

Somehow i missed sav10's last post (he sent it back). Savage most likely won't tell him what they actually find & do.
There is a good post about removing the centerfeed mag in the archives by "bootsmcguire" with good pictures for those that run into this in the future.

[Sav10]

Somehow i missed sav10's last post (he sent it back). Savage most likely won't tell him what they actually find & do.
There is a good post about removing the centerfeed mag in the archives by "bootsmcguire" with good pictures for those that run into this in the future.

Speaking to a gunsmith today, I'm sure it has some thing to do with the way my magazine isn't sitting tightly in the stock on its own. He said they're normally tricky to get out and that mine just springing out didn't sound right.

[Robinhood]

Just for grins, did you buy it new?

[Sav10]

Just for grins, did you buy it new?

Yes.

[Sav10]

Well, I called Savage yesterday and today and they said they haven't received my gun yet.

I went to the store that was supposed to ship it. They never shipped it.

They said they were waiting on permission from Savage to send it back.

That doesn't sound right to me. I just told them I'd come get it this afternoon after I got off work.

I'm not going back to that store and - I'm sorry guys - I'm not buying another Savage.

I've sent guns back before and was never asked to pay for it. It was a brand new gun that had never been shot before and Savage wanted me to pay for shipping. The last time I tried to ship a gun (one I was selling to Bud's) it was $70-80.

I asked for help from the store and they said all they would do was ship it back for me. They said it would ship the next day - July 30, 2019. Today - August 8, 2019 - the gun is still in their storeroom and they're blaming Savage.

I feel like neither party are being good businessmen about it. So I'm taking the rifle back and I'll sell it I guess. I've gone to 2-3 places and the most any of them offered me was $150.

I paid $430 for this rifle.

I'm sorry guys. I hate to be the guy who joins your group just to gripe and say "I'm done" but I feel like it's all I can do at this point.

My wife has a basic Axis in .243 that she likes and honestly, I like it a lot better than this Model 10. The trigger sucks, but the action is smooth and the DBM is a lot better than this blind centerfeed magazine.

See you guys later and thanks for all your suggestions and help.