Bolt Lift - Savage 116 Trophy Hunter with newer (axis) bolt

Forgot to mention this is on a 300 Win Mag. Not that the heavy lift bothers me while hunting, I like to tinker. Actually I never thought about the heavy lift until I read it on the web. Adrenaline kills the lift after you've shot at a deer LOL. I've read and read about bolt lift on these.

I decided to put a small bear in place of the "ring" between the springs. The bearing added .120" to the assembly w/o the ring between the 2 springs. I put a washer on the BAS that is .130". I put lubriplate on everything. It went from about 11-12# to 9.5-10# constantly. This was using a fairly new, cared for fish scale. So if anything, just use those numbers as a reference and not "calibrated" readings. I could tell a difference watching the gauge....it didn't "stick/hang" as much here and there. Do you think that .010" will make a difference? Do you think I can add a bit more to the BAS to decrease tension? I understand "at my own risk" of course. I'm not going to cut springs because I'd like to be able to "undo" what I've done easily.

I realize the springs serve 4 functions:

1. Holding the cocking roller in place (if thats the correct name for it...the pin that the spring holds in place, got the name from a post)
2. Holding the firing pin in the "cocked" position at the top of the ramp
3. Force to hit the firing pin
4. Primer cup support

Like I said adding the bearing assembly did lower it a tad. W/O the guage though you wouldn't be able to tell the difference except that it is smoother.

It would be really cool if that cocking roller pin had a sleeve on it so it could "roll" across the ramp instead of fighting the force of the spring tension so much. So lets look at that pin for a minute.

Imagine that pin was a smaller diameter and was threaded 80-90% towards the "head". Leaving the metal thickness of the "ramp" not threaded. Slide a greased sleeve on there (bearing would be better). Then thread a piece on there that has the grooves on it that the spring locks into. Polish everything as said everywhere on the net. Would it be worth the time/risk?

Here's a link for the "china" bearings I got. I couldn't find any in the US in a reasonable amount of time searching the web.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/351616410853...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Thanks In Advance
Camar068

First, most of the reduction in felt resistance is probably due to the fact that with the 0.010" reduced tension on the spring from your thicker washer you're not not compressing the firing pin spring as much. Less compression = less resistance. As you might imagine, this can also lead to ignition issues, so no - I wouldn't recommend trying an even thicker washer as you'll likely find you'll have insufficient energy to set off the primer.

The small clip between the two springs really has no direct effect (positive or negative) on the bolt lift effort.

I have heard of people doing this and measuring the overall thickness of the brands and the washers and machine the bolt screw just that much so everything stays the same and the bolt does lift smoother and lighter

Sounds pretty good, but did you coat everything in Lubriplate when you made your "before" measurements?

So some of the 110 models are now using the Axis bolt is that correct?

Yes I had lubriplate on everything. My 116 is about 3-4 years old. The easiest way to tell if it's the axis bolt is to cycle it and look in the BAS. If you see the firing pin in the allen hole, it's the newer style. I'll be going to lowes with caliper in hand to get some different washers to play with. The washer I used in the above test was actually a lock washer. I put it in a vice and heated it up until it was cherry red and let it cool, turning it into a washer. Was the closest thing I could find in my spare bin.

Just FYI, it's easiest to Assemble/Disassemble it IF you loosen/tighten the BAS (in the fired position) while in the rifle. Anyway, went to Lowes and the only spacer/washer I could find was nylon. It's thickness was 0.123 (one wasn't square so I ditched it). I put this on and it raised the bolt lift up to 10.5-12#'s, close to what it was before but still smoother than w/o the bearing. Below are the measurements of the parts.

ID x OD x Thickness

Stock ring between springs - 0.267"x0.381"x0.055"
Thrust bearing purchased - 0.236"x0.433"x0.175"
BAS - thread = 0.497", head outside diameter = 0.853", BAS inside diameter = 0.398"
lock washer (vised and treated with heat to make it a washer) = 0.499"x0.857"x0.130"
Lowes nylon washer - 0.499"x0.745"x0.123"
Firing pin OD (at spring locations) = 0.221"
Receiver ID (at bolt entrance) = 0.466"

So 0.175-0.055 = 0.120. This is the washer thickness I need to keep the same tension on the assembly. 0.130" lowered the lift by about a pound. I'd like to leave in the "lock washer" at 0.130, but thought I'd wait for SharpShooter to chime in. In the mean time I'll leave the nylon washer in there as it's off by 0.003". I'll wait a bit to polish, don't want to throw too many tweaks in there to make it harder to say this step changed it by XX.

Finally an update to give. So I stuck with the 0.123 nylon washer and concentrated on polishing the ramp the firing pin guide pin (name?) rides on. Keep in mind I'm using a usb microscope to tell how polished it is. I'll post a link below. Anyway, I tried abralons up to 1000 grit by hand and felt I was either making things worse or not getting smoother. Then I tried a brass wire wheel on it. Instant world of difference. Kept at it until I felt I got it as far as I could. Then I used a polishing (cotton like) dremel wheel with colgate toothpaste as a finisher. I'm solid at 10.5 now....no variance like before (10.5-12#). Visually it's mirror, but under the microscope I can see small imperfections. Not sure if it's worth the time to fool with. I could hit it with polishing compound, but I don't think it will matter. We'll see. Wish I'd taken before/after pics under the microscope. Definately looks better though.

Anyway, I'll look at that pin that rides on that ramp to see how nasty it looks. I can't imagine getting much lower than 10 but it's worth the 15 minutes with the dremel.

I'm sure there are better tools to use but it's what I've got and the first polishing job I've ever done. Feel free to share links/ideas on the matter.

The microscope I have is like the one below, but without the nice little stand. Wish I had it....make focusing easier.

http://www.amscope.com/200x-2mp-8-le...FQ2QaQodmwgLyA

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rosco

So some of the 110 models are now using the Axis bolt is that correct?

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No, the Trophy Hunter package rifles are using the non-adjustable firing pin assembly - and have been since they were introduced back in 2010 or when ever it was.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MrFurious

No, the Trophy Hunter package rifles are using the non-adjustable firing pin assembly - and have been since they were introduced back in 2010 or when ever it was.

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Thanks for clarifying.

After polishing the ramp the best I could get it and the pin once, the lowest I could get to was 10#'s. I think there is still room for me to polish on the pin when I have time. Working on a daily driver engine swap which is taking all of my time.

Like I said, the lift doesn't bother me. Hell I can barely tell that the scope pops me above the eye every time I shoot a deer....let alone the bolt lift LOL.