Rebuild almost complete, with a couple tricks. (Lots of pics)

**Dave Hoback** · 05-28-2022, 03:34 PM

Some may remember my venture in doing Cerakote, and playing around with the firing pin & springs, ultimately machining my own. Here is the the end product. I still have to Cerakote my new Mirage URL Chassis.

This is the new firing pin I machined from S7 tool steel. It’s heavier than stock & delivers more force. I’m using a 20lb. Flat-wire, Chrome-Silicon spring.

I have the pin set at no more than .035” protrusion, If That!

And to the dismay of a one or two who speculated(I’m sure HOPED)the project fail, it lit off a primed case on the first go! As I new it would. Also notice the perfectly centered primer strike, a result of fitting the firing pin striker to the PTG Bolt Head I’m using.

Here is my bolt assembly all freshly rebuilt & Cerakoted. Using a Titanium Bolt Handle, with the Ti Bolt Knob I machined as well(another thread on the bolt knobs I machined here), and also using a Titanium BAS I came across. (Yes.. I like Titanium.. because it’s really cool stuff.)

The Barreled Action with is fresh Cerakote.

It’s wearing a new style Barrel Nut I came across. These are like ‘em or hate ‘em. From International Barrels. I really like this style.

From here it’s just getting the Chassis Cerakoted in Tactical Grey ordered.

**tomme boy** · 05-28-2022, 11:11 PM

Very nice!!!

**Dave Hoback** · 05-29-2022, 12:37 AM

Oh yeah, along with the firing pin, I machined a Titanium cross pin as well. Here’s the set I made with the stock set above.

**jpx2rk** · 05-29-2022, 07:37 AM

Nice work, congrats.

**GaCop** · 05-29-2022, 02:19 PM

I like the looks of that barrel nut. Your work is impressive!

**CRJR** · 05-30-2022, 08:37 AM

Eh , ....just OK .

I'm kidding , it looks great ! I like that nut also , the barrel nut , not you , LOL

**mattri** · 05-30-2022, 09:06 AM

Great work as usual Dave- well done!

**Dave Hoback** · 05-30-2022, 10:05 AM

I was looking at the Bug Nut & the Ultimatum Precision barrel nuts. I really like the Ultimatum, which is almost identical to this one, but it uses a proprietary wrench & together they are about $120! Crazy! I also found that International Barrels is a great company for customer service. The first barrel nut they sent was lost I the mail. So they sent me another. But then the first barrel barrel nut showed up, and they told me just keep BOTH! Very, VERY cool of them.

But Nut

Ultimatum

Oh yeah.. just wait until you guys see the Chassis! And then complete. I’ve invested quite a bit in this rifle, because of my love for Savage. It’s truly going to be one of a kind! I’ll just need to get someone to shoot better than I do anymore, LOL! I mean, I can ring a gong past 1000yds. And I can still hit what I want with a pistol, but forget grouping anymore. That went out with the loss of the eye & then arm, hahaha!

**tomme boy** · 05-31-2022, 03:10 AM

Originally Posted by Dave Hoback

Oh yeah, along with the firing pin, I machined a Titanium cross pin as well. Here’s the set I made with the stock set above.

Dave, I have not worked with titanium. What does it compare to? Stainless, cold rolled?

**Dave Hoback** · 05-31-2022, 08:25 AM

Originally Posted by tomme boy

Dave, I have not worked with titanium. What does it compare to? Stainless, cold rolled?

What’s it compare to? If you mean in machining, it doesn’t compare to really anything! It’s a DEMON to work with! It’s odd, because it is super hard, super tough yet, super “gummy” at the same time. It’s hard on tools. Doesn’t finish very nice usually. Takes a bit of patience machining it. Also need to be wary of not starting a fire machining it, LOL! It has qualities like Magnesium.

So why use it knowing all that? Because it’s awesome stuff! And it gives uniqueness to one’s project.

**tomme boy** · 05-31-2022, 09:20 PM

Thanks. Thats what I meant. I have a bunch of round bars I got from one of the places I worked at. They were cut offs from 20' bars. We used these to make head bolts for CAT engines. It comes out at a grade 10+ for strength. I forgot what the actual alloy was but we had to shear the stock instead of sawing it like the other steel. We also thread rolled the threads because it was so hard on tooling.

I have used it to make expanders for powder through dies like Lee makes. And expanders like RCBS has. You have to have very sharp tooling to cut it. I usually regular hss bits but I have to use good carbide to make a nice finish. This has been the hardest I have worked with.

Speaking of magnesium. One of the toolroom guys was machining a lovejoy coupling for a motor on one of the lathes. He was facing it off and it caught on fire. He wasn't thinking and grabbed a fire extinguisher and it blew all the strands on fire all over the place. That made an even bigger fire as it blew into a trash can. What a mess! It ruined the DRO on the lathe. And I had to rewire the whole thing.

**Dave Hoback** · 05-31-2022, 10:04 PM

Oh man! Wild.. yes, same at applies with Ti. The bars you mentioned.. that was steel, right? Not a bunch of Titanium, was it?

Oh, I work with some steels in my Knifemaking, that make even the Titanium seem like 6061 Aluminum! I exclusively use CPM3V tool steel & CPM20CV SS in my knives. The 3V(my favorite), isn't terrible in annealed state. But once it’s her treated to 60 Rockwell, Fagettaboutit! Only thing that will touch it is Carbide. But I use almost all Carbide tooling anyway. ALL of my End Mills are Tungsten. And while I do use mostly Cobalt drill bits, I do have several “specialty” drills in Tungsten. Then there is the SS I use for my smaller blades, chefs knives & any wet use blade; the CPM20CV. It’s a high carbon SS, nothing like SS for firearms. Both of these steels are High Alloy, but the 20CV is rocking 20% Chromium & 4% Vanadium among some others… dash of Tungsten, splash of Molybdenum. This stuff is DEMON SPAWN on my Ceramic belts even! Which will cut Tungsten mind you.. anyway.. sorry. I really enjoy talking about Steels & Alloys.

**Fuj'** · 06-10-2022, 07:13 AM

Dave....Good call on the Titanium firing pin. Last weekend at the Anderson Creek, UBR
score match, I was in a two way tie for second going into the final two bulls on a 6 shot
target. Let the shot break means a whole new thing to me. At first I thought my Accu-
trigger I just re-installed went wonky. After a short wait, I pulled the round and no primer
strike. A second did the same. Took a DNF and packed up. Trigger is fine, the tip of the
firing pin was no where to be found. I have two coming in and will need to polish them in.
One week till next match.

**GrenGuy** · 06-10-2022, 09:13 AM

I’m a little concerned about the 3 bolts I have had bushed by “carlsbad”. In part of the process, the firing pin is reduced to .062”, which helps with small rifle primers, but certainly must weaken them ? When setting up some triggers, I have wondered, “how many times can this firing pin fall before failure?” I think I will send Him a bolt and at least 1 extra pin to turn for a spare.

**Dave Hoback** · 06-10-2022, 02:36 PM

Originally Posted by Fuj'

Dave....Good call on the Titanium firing pin. Last weekend at the Anderson Creek, UBR
score match, I was in a two way tie for second going into the final two bulls on a 6 shot
target. Let the shot break means a whole new thing to me. At first I thought my Accu-
trigger I just re-installed went wonky. After a short wait, I pulled the round and no primer
strike. A second did the same. Took a DNF and packed up. Trigger is fine, the tip of the
firing pin was no where to be found. I have two coming in and will need to polish them in.
One week till next match.

Oh I’m sorry Fuj’, the firing pin isn't Ti. It’s S7 Tool steel. As I am using a lighter spring, I wanted to give the striker as much weight as possible. I made the new CROSS pin in the bolt sleeve from Ti, because the hole through the pin is larger. If you look at the one picture I posted of both firing pins, you’ll see that the the pin I machine in thicker in the cross section. And obviously the tip I made slightly shorter & thicker to fit my PTG Bolt Head perfectly. Again, clear evidence into he picture of the spent casing with the primer strike being perfectly centered.

**Dave Hoback** · 06-10-2022, 02:49 PM

Originally Posted by GrenGuy

I’m a little concerned about the 3 bolts I have had bushed by “carlsbad”. In part of the process, the firing pin is reduced to .062”, which helps with small rifle primers, but certainly must weaken them ? When setting up some triggers, I have wondered, “how many times can this firing pin fall before failure?” I think I will send Him a bolt and at least 1 extra pin to turn for a spare.

I doubt you will see much damage, as the tip is well supported through the bolt head & as long as you are running the correct .035” protrusion. Look at my picture showing the pin exit in the bolt head. I’m getting good primer strike with even less .035” protrusion!

**Robinhood** · 06-10-2022, 05:08 PM

Interesting conversation going on here. I have a lot of ideas on the issues and fixes. As for turning just the tip down to a smaller tip you have to ensure that at actual firing pin protrusion at actual fired position you are very close to the bolt head firing pine hole diameter to avoid primer piercing or cratering.

**Dave Hoback** · 06-10-2022, 05:38 PM

Oy yeah Robin. But you know the fit in the Factory pin & bolt head! Or lack there of I should say! My factory bolt head & pin had fairly significant play. Slightly cratered primers we’re the norm. Easy to tell with the primer strike looking “off center”. None doing now as I have the pin hand fit to the pin hole.

BTEW: is that something you’ve heard of before? Someone turning down the pin tip without bushing the bolt head? And I’m curious of your “ideas”. Please, feel free to expound, as you’ve peaked my interest.

**GaCop** · 06-11-2022, 07:18 AM

Interesting barrel nut, I like it.

**Dave Hoback** · 06-11-2022, 09:26 AM

Originally Posted by GaCop

Interesting barrel nut, I like it.

Thanks GaCop. I really like them as well.

Can order directly from them. They can’t send barrels because they are in Canada, but Brownells does sell their barrels as well. The barrel nuts, no problem. Awesome customer service as well. There was a problem in shipping when I ordered so they ended up sending me another barrel nut. Then the FIRST order came as well. They told me to keep BOTH and no extra charge. They really went above & beyond.

**tomme boy** · 06-14-2022, 12:46 AM

My 223 was blanking primers bad. So i sent in the barreled action to savage and they POLISHED the bolthead. Well they replaced the bolthead and firing pin. I marked both of them as I have seen this before from them.

Then a whole new problem started. Misfires non stop. I measured the protrusion and it was about 0.25". So I took out the firing pin and put it in the lathe and faced the shoulder or whatever its called on the new 2 piece pin. Have not had any problems since.