Howdy,
I've been a lurker for some months reading and learning. It's a great site w lots of good personalities and posts. I appreciate the help I've already gotten as a lurker! Anyhow, I'm shooting a couple Savages:

---Staggerfeed 270 110 w a walnut stock from Ebay, a SAV2 trigger, Deadnutz mount, Vari-X III 3.5x10x40, Kiff bolt body, Stockade handle, homemade bolt lift bearing, and a lot of other bolt mods.

---Centerfeed Stevens 200 308 w the factory camo tuperware, 3 screw trigger tuned to 3lbs, all the same bolt mods, another Vari-X III, and the same mount. I filled the entire buttstock w epoxy and I filled the forestock w epoxy and #8 shot mixed. I'm not worried about flex too much on it. I shoot of a pretty wide front bag.

I handload for both. 150gr SGKs over RL22 or H4831SC in Win brass for the 270. And 165gr SGKs over H4895 in Win brass for the 308. Right now, the 270 puts 2 touching and a third flier at about 1 MOA. I don't know if it's the rifle, me, or the load. The 308 only has 12 rounds thru the tube and it pulls of 3/4MOA w no issues. I love both rifles.

On to my first question. I know that SSS recuts the cocking ramp for decreased bolt lift, less wasted movement, and a shorter pin fall. I'm not interested in the full time and true. I talked to them and they won't recut the ramp w/o doing the whole job. That's understandable I suppose. I haven't talked to Kevin at Stockade, but I plan on it. I figure he'll have the same answer though. That just leaves me w a couple options. Ideally, this would be easiest achieved on CNC lathe w live tooling. I have access to many shops w that capability, but like any machine shop they tend to screw up the first piece doing setup and programming! It's an option though I reckon. My other thought is this. The cocking ramp could be shortened. Instead of doing a new helix or ramp angle (which requires the CNC), one could just cut the ramp short. The cocking pin would ride up part of the ramp, then move horizontally to its detent position. It wouldn't decrease bolt lift effort up the ramp initially, but it would decrease the amount of the lifting stroke that utilizes that much effort. And the material would still be there if you ever wanted to change the ramp angle. The advantage to this is that it could be done on a Bridgeport w a rotating vise and an endmill. What's yall's thoughts on both options?