I built a 6.5 SAUM using a 116 donor action over the winter, and replaced the factory standard face bolt head with a Pacific Tool and Gauge magnum face bolt head. The project has been a great success except for extraction/ejection. From the beginning the cases would all be extracted from the chamber, but before the empty case reached the ejection port it the extractor would lose it's grip on the rim of the case and the case would be left rolling around in the action. I researched it and tried all of the usual fixes: I replaced the extractor ball with the larger one, polished the glide surfaces of the extractor, swapped the extractor out with new ones, tried extractors I pulled from my other Savages that eject perfectly, I even tried different brands of brass. I tried different pulling the bolt really fast and really slow. Nothing worked. 49 out of 50 cases were left lying loose in the action.
So I e-mailed Sharp Shooter Supply and ordered Fred's upgraded extractor kit. It was sent immediately and arrived within the week. I installed it in 10 minutes and went from close to 0% ejection to 100%. I tested it with unfired cases and well as having now fired about 50 rounds. Not one case was left in the action. $20 well spent and I wish I had done it sooner. Having learned so much from others' experience in this forum, I thought I'd let people know. I was ready to try a new bolt head but this was much cheaper, easier and faster.
