Thank you for taking the time to reply. In my many hours dealing with this yesterday, I actually tried that. It is very stiff and difficult to compress. When I did manage to compress it and turn at the same time, the bolt would only rotate about 3 degrees or so. When I did manage to get it apart, from all appearances, this gun has been shot very little. I hesitate to say unfired, but I am hard pressed to find wear anywhere on it. The dealer I bought it from told me he was selling the collection of a long time Savage collector for the estate. Again, "he said" this individual was one of, if not the largest Savage collector in the country.

Do I believe all of that? I'm not sure. I do know I got more than I expected. I am hesitant to even fire it now. I will try to get some pics of the internals in a few days.