Bolt bushing?

[TommyD11730]

Has anyone who had the bolt bushed for the firing pin noticed any improvement in accuracy? I have read it helps with flyers. Before I make a decision I would like to talk to people who had it done.

Thanks

[memilanuk]

I've had most of mine bushed. In theory it might help a little with fliers... but in my opinion the bigger reason is to get past the leaky/blown primers that come from excessive slop between the pin and the hole.

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[Nor Cal Mikie]

If YOU think it will help YOU, go for it. After all, it IS your $$$ you're spending.
I have 5 or 6 Savage (I've lost count) with NO blown primer issues, no flyers or accuracy issues.
None of my rigs have bushed firing pins. All shots going in the same hole so no worries on my end. ;)

[memilanuk]

I should amend my statement above. I rarely (very rarely) had a primer actually pierce due to the FP hole. They did however crater extremely badly even on moderate loads. Not every single gun did it, but the ones that did, it was very noticeable. By the time I got up to competitive F-class loads... yeah, bushing the FP was pretty much a necessity.

One down side that may not be obvious at first is that once bushed, those two parts (FP & bolt head) become a married set, and you lose a tiny bit of flexibility in terms of swapping parts. A regular FP won't fit in the bolt head any more, and the FP will be *really* sloppy in a regular bolt head. Yes, I figured this out the hard way ;)

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[TommyD11730]

Good call on the matched pair.

[varget204]

Have Had 4 Savage Bolts bushed, Desh Industries , Eliminate Cratered primers, Pierced primers, Give More Consistent ES, SD ,Highly recommend for 55-60usd a No brainer

[Dave Hoback]

I never have. But never had any primer problems either. Now I’m using a PTG Bolt head, and I machined my own S7 tool steel firing pin that fits the hole perfectly.

[Robinhood]

I never have. But never had any primer problems either. Now I’m using a PTG Bolt head, and I machined my own S7 tool steel firing pin that fits the hole perfectly.


Have you posted pictures of the finished product yet?

[Dave Hoback]

Have you posted pictures of the finished product yet?

Not the final. Here it is with the uncut 20lb ISMI Chrome-Silicon Flat spring. I just dipped it in Ferric-Chloride for a bit.
https://i.ibb.co/Ytr85Sb/547-E3199-573-B-413-B-BE05-4222-F5557-B08.jpg (https://ibb.co/0fwZ0LQ)

[Robinhood]

did you single point or use a die nut for the threads?

[Dave Hoback]

did you single point or use a die nut for the threads?

A threading die. I can’t fit a proper lathe in my area. So I can only do minor turning tasks. Like this, or when I make the shouldered plates for a lift kit. Just the minor things. Once our children have left the nest, maybe I’ll have more room for a decent lathe.

[RCE1]

The first firing of my 6.5CM Precision Elite yielded a number of cratered primers. Admittedly, the loads were assembled for a different rifle, so I will try some load development from scratch using tougher primers. If I still have a problem, perhaps a bushed bolt is in my future.

[celltech]

All of my 12FVs crater primers to some extent...especially my .223 with some "spicy" loads. If I load them too hot it quickly escalates to blanking primers.

[Robinhood]

Oversized firing pin holes and a longer than needed radius can cause cratering and blanking. Not hard to measure and easy to fix.

[Dave Hoback]

I.e., check the play between striker pin & hole & make sure the tip ain’t too pointy!;)

[TommyD11730]

Have Had 4 Savage Bolts bushed, Desh Industries , Eliminate Cratered primers, Pierced primers, Give More Consistent ES, SD ,Highly recommend for 55-60usd a No brainer

Now that interests me. Can you tell me how much your SD and ES improved?
I ran 60 rounds through my crono and got a SD of 16 and a ES of 46. So any improvement is welcome.
Thanks.

[Dave Hoback]

It depends on your current bolt head/firing pin having an issue. Improved ES/SD numbers aren’t a set thing. One person may see a big improvement. Another could see no discernible increase at all.

[Robinhood]

Now that interests me. Can you tell me how much your SD and ES improved?
I ran 60 rounds through my crono and got a SD of 16 and a ES of 46. So any improvement is welcome.
Thanks.

Funny thing about concluding your ES and SD are primer related. Seating is critical. However the interesting thing about the older style 10 firing pin assembly. It is heavy and has a powerful spring. it can compensate for improper seating with all of its mass and speed. Inertia is a beautiful thing for igniting primers.


Every time you see a post about a fledgling Savagesmith having ignition issues with the older style firing pin it is because they jacked with it. Savage jacked with the arrangement of the new one and now we see issues again.(someone will fix it soon, it just needs to be financially viable).

I think Desh ind. understands the issues.

In the end, what I think we are all interested in is good ignition. We find that primers seated all the way to the bottom of the pocket with the anvil as close to the bottom of the pocket as possible is beneficial. We want a firing pin to hit with enough force that every time it hits, it will pinch the compound between the anvil and the cup with greater consistency.

A smaller pin does that with less force. A firing pin hole that is over sized to the firing pin or, the FP radius is bellow the face of the bolt head at ignition, we will have cratering. A smaller FP diameter lends itself to piercing easier than the larger radius of the larger diameter pin. Fortunately the pictures posted show both sizes.

https://www.savageshooters.com/showthread.php?70431-New-style-threaded-firing-pin-issues

As for bushing a bolt head. Inspect some things. Verify that your issue is not being caused by you primer choice or seating. At that point if the issue has not been corrected and it can be traced to the firing pin hole, by all means have it reworked by someone who understands these things.


If I have cratering, I will adjust my FP to about .025' protrusion and look at the radius at the face of the bolt head. If there is a gap or the radius goes below the face. I work it.

Check your primer seating process. Make sure each primer pocket is clean and the bottom is not full of crud. If you are anal, start uniforming. Use one of those rubber jar openers to hold the brass while you turn the cutter. Reduces hand fatigue.

Finally, have we proven neck tension and or powder is not the culprit?

[TommyD11730]

Is Desh still doing work? I used his contact form mid week, and again Friday. Asked about some work, no reply.
Hope it's just a glitch in communication.