Couple action/bolt issues??

I picked up an older staggard feed flat back short action this week. I apparently should have looked it over a little better. I knew the bolt lift wasn't great but not bad. It's really a little gritty. So I tore the bolt apart. Here's what I found. The cocking piece, cocking piece sleeve and the cocking piece pin all have excessive wear. Would that cause heavier bolt lift? Should I buy new pieces or try and polish these?

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What really bothers me is, while I had the bolt out, I for some reason looked down the action into some light. It looks like the action is bent down a little. It doesn't look twisted any. Looking down the notch that the baffle runs in, it looks to dive down. I looked at my other rifles and didn't notice them doing it. But they all have barrels and mounted in a stock. I hope you can see what I'm talking about in the picture. The bolt doesn't bind when cycling it. Will this have any or much effect on the way it shoots?

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Polish the parts until they slide around easily you may need a hone or a jewelers file on the cocking piece don't forget the inside of the sleeve., Polish the cocking pin, Check your protrusion, lubricate with some quality gun oil. Adjust the cocking distance by screwing the cocking piece in or out( I shoot for 3/16 travel after hand off) and reassemble.

As for the action some fools try to remove the barrel by putting something in the loading ejection ports to hold the action while they wrench on the barrel. It bends at the weakest point. You can put your scope mount screws or action screws in and look down them like a sight. If the screws line up but the barrel goes off in a different direction your action is twisted or bent.


You can look around the ports for signs of prying like dings and proud metal to see if it has been pried on.

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Originally Posted by Robinhood

Adjust the cocking distance by screwing the cocking piece in or out( I shoot for 3/16 travel after hand off) and reassemble.

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I guess I don't know what you mean?

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The Bolt Lift is the effort it takes to overcome the spring and any friction as it rides the cocking ramp to the cocked position. If you remove the cocking piece you will need to make sure that it is adjusted properly when you reassemble. You could measure the compressed spring length prior to disassembly and return to that if you are satisfied with the bolt lift then leave it alone. If not you need to address a few things. Some you need a lot of experience with some not so much. Friction and spring pressure are the two I would look into. Reducing friction comes in the form of finely polishing properly lubricating any surface that interacts with another. Felt spring pressure in the cocking motion can be modified by altering the ramp angle, and reducing the cocking pin travel by adjusting preload on the cocking pin, read backing the cocking piece out to reduce firing pin travel.

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Originally Posted by Robinhood

The Bolt Lift is the effort it takes to overcome the spring and any friction as it rides the cocking ramp to the cocked position. If you remove the cocking piece you will need to make sure that it is adjusted properly when you reassemble. You could measure the compressed spring length prior to disassembly and return to that if you are satisfied with the bolt lift then leave it alone. If not you need to address a few things. Some you need a lot of experience with some not so much. Friction and spring pressure are the two I would look into. Reducing friction comes in the form of finely polishing properly lubricating any surface that interacts with another. Felt spring pressure in the cocking motion can be modified by altering the ramp angle, and reducing the cocking pin travel by adjusting preload on the cocking pin, read backing the cocking piece out to reduce firing pin travel.

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So, basically relax or lengthen the spring a little and it'd have less to travel to become in the cocked position?

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Yes, from the factory it is common to see about .250 travel from the shelf to fired position. There is some reduction in length at the hand off to where the sear takes control of the cocking pin. You need enough travel for the pin to accelerate before it hits the primer. Sorry if I overcomplicated the process but a lot of new savagesmiths read this forum... and then we have copious amounts of canned worms being opened.

Ok

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Yea I saw some ugly procedures when I was looking at things.

I was still getting up to speed (and will be for some time) but all the reading indicated that the best tool was the action wrench and the barrel screw out took care of itself.

Ditto with the barrel nut tool, I thought abut the short one and it would have worked, but I wanted as much leverage as I could get so I did not have to smack a the nut wrench.
With the breaker bar that worked just fine. Rather have too much than too little.

note to self: Leave the cocking piece alone until ready to deal with it if disturbed. Ok with me, all are good and no need, enough to do as it is.

In your picture, I see the little dip in the action between 4 and 5 o'clock at the end of the right raceway.
I will look closer at my actions when I get around to it just so I know if this is more common or just your action.

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Originally Posted by Zero333

In your picture, I see the little dip in the action between 4 and 5 o'clock at the end of the right raceway.
I will look closer at my actions when I get around to it just so I know if this is more common or just your action.

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It may be common, I don't know. But it's not suppose to be. Lol. I emailed the picture to both Nat Lambeth and Sharp Shooters. Nat told me he couldn't/wouldn't work on it (in so many words). And Lisa told me "Well huh. Ain’t that something?" Which tells me they don't see actions like that.

On a side note, the guy I bought it from said he'd give me my money back. So hopefully he follows through.

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If you enlarge the photo you will see not only is the right breach end of the action going downward but the left side is moving upward near the end. This is classic using the wrong tools to remove a barrel ruin the action work. The action is twisted. It can be fixed but it takes some creativity. Quite a few people have been burned by hacks dumping their screw ups. Just read some of the post on this forum and you can see the potential.

Get your $ Back

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Originally Posted by drybean

Get your $ Back

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That's what I'm thinking now.

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Quick check is to look at loading port with action in stock to see if it is parallel with stock. Straight edge along side of receiver to see if is straight.

Yea when I went looking for my donor getting a feel for the condition was high on the list.

I paid more for what I got (though it had the 3 things I was after so no add ons) but also was in exactly the condition listed. All OEM, very good conditions with no abuse on it.

Looking at the bolt parts I really don't see anything out of the norm. You stated this was a flat-top action so that makes it at least 13 years old and minor finish wear on the mating surfaces of the parts isn't what I'd consider excessive wear. Now if there are noticeable gouges in the cocking pin or something to that effect I'm not seeing that's another matter, but bluing wear isn't anything to worry about.

On the action itself, it's definitely going to need straightened by a competent gunsmith. With the front twisted that much you'll probably find the front and rear scope mounting holes aren't in alignment with each other which will make sighting in a scope a real headache.

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Originally Posted by MrFurious

On the action itself, it's definitely going to need straightened by a competent gunsmith. With the front twisted that much you'll probably find the front and rear scope mounting holes aren't in alignment with each other which will make sighting in a scope a real headache.

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I haven't put an actual straight edge on it, but using the end of my calipers the scope mount screws really aren't that far out. If you lay it on the bench upside down on the mounts you can see light under the front of the front mount. If you push down on the front of the action there's roughly an 1/8" gap under the rear mount.

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Question is it worth the time and effort or buy a low cost 12FV from Cabelas and sell off the parts you don't need?

One poster has $349 into his and a Savage rebate. I don't need one but ****ed tempted to get one for future.

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Originally Posted by RC20

Question is it worth the time and effort or buy a low cost 12FV from Cabelas and sell off the parts you don't need?

One poster has $349 into his and a Savage rebate. I don't need one but ****ed tempted to get one for future.

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Exactly. I've found an 11 Youth Trophy Hunter in 7mm-08 from a guy that says he's never shot it, for $350.

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All good advice however, any armorer or gunsmith will tell you to use good grease on bolt internals. Just a swipe, not a dab. Should rune a greasy finger over spring too.


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