Bolt Heads

[cowboybart]

Picked up a 7 RM and want to make it a 6.5x55. The bullet heads I see out there all say small firing pin hole. Is my magnum firing pin large or small? Is the size dictated by caliber or age of the rifle?? What are the sizes? Can I open up a small FP hole to a large?

I'll trade too!

[Dave Hoback]

If you have it, I would measure to be certain. But yes, parts could be machined. I would turn the down the Firing pin over drilling holes larger. Or, just grab a new Firing Pin. They are inexpensive. GunShack even has the 1-piece pins now.

[Whynot]

The firing pin has to go through the cross pin that holds the bolt head to the body. That didn't leave much material with the larger firing pin and some cracked-- so they went smaller.

The firing pins will either be .145 or .095 with all the new ones being the smaller size. But.... I think (and am often proven wrong) that savage used the smaller size for magnums long before they completely switched over so a good chance that you will already have the correct setup.

[cowboybart]

Do I measure the hole at the bolt face?? Or is it the recessed shaft that goes thru the whole bolt head?? At the face I am getting .068". I'll have to get my pin set out to measure the recessed shaft.

[Dave Hoback]

It’s the diameter of the Firing Pin going through the cross pin that is in question. The Magnum firing pins were always used the smaller .095” diameter. It was the older standard cartridges that used the larger .140” diameter. ALL rifles used .095” from 2001 on. So if your Savage is a Magnum or made in 2001 on, you have the smaller .095” diameter firing pin.

This is a .095” FP.
https://i.ibb.co/ChxVFVT/3-A96-CD01-A528-4-D08-9-E57-710-BE8-C236-A3.png (https://imgbb.com/)

This is a .140” FP. See the difference?
https://i.ibb.co/kcY8LSH/518-D6404-52-C7-4858-9-F32-6872-A493-EAD7.jpg (https://imgbb.com/)

[cowboybart]

Got it - Thanx