I have spent a few days trying to reduce the bolt lift on my Savage 10 by polishing, lift kit etc. I have been wondering what kind of progress I have made but without something to compare to … I don’t know.

I may have devised a way for anyone to measure (close anyway) bolt lift so we could compare it on this forum … anyone game ??

What I did was:
1. Take a short arm ¼ allen wrench, mine is 3 ¼” measured from the centerline of the short part to the end of the wrench. Attached a length of heavy twine about 3 feet long to the end of the wrench and duct taped it there.
2. Tie the other end to a common plastic milk jug.
3. Insert the wrench into the bolt about straight up or whatever you can get.
4. Holding the rifle, with the allen wrench as horizontal as possible and try to lift the milk jug by rotating the rifle clockwise.
5. Add water to the jug until your rifle cocks.

Mine finally cocks with 4 7/8” of water in the jug.