It's been forever... but I've finally started tinkering with the rifle (work, college courses and family take their toll on hobby-time).

So while I didn't disassemble the bolt, but I did soak it overnight in solvent, then ran some through where the firing pin is until is ran pretty much clear (it came out black initially). So far as soaking anything, I think it's a good as it can get.

I did learn a few things... it looks like the top of the trigger has a pin going through it connecting to the rifle. There is a pretty decent amount of side-to-side play on it. Like with my Crosman airguns, it looks like a brass or vinyl washer could be put on either side of the trigger to fill in the gap... which is pretty noticeable and firm up the trigger substantially.

I'd had issues in the past getting shorts to load... and it seemed that the spring was weak. Well, I do see both where Numrich has both springs (if I can drive the old pin out of the old tube w/o damaging it) or you can actually get a whole new tube... so that should solve that problem.

Now... as to the light strikes... After a good hour of trying to clean the bolt, I tried to fire some more and it's still inconsistent... so a deep cleaning alone doesn't seem like it'll solve the problem. Over the last year, I've kept my eye out of a whole bolt... missed out on one on ebay, then almost bought a whole rifle at a pawn shop that was a Savage/Stevens, but a different model. The bolts were *so* similar... but just not quite the same. The pawn shop was was a single shot and there was just enough of a difference it wouldn't work. Looking back, I probably could have gotten to for parts, but at the non-budging $150 they were looking to get for a rifle in no better shape than mine... I walked.

I've looked all over the internet and just haven't come across a good video or photos on a bolt breakdown. I do have the link to the Numrich site with my rifle pulled up.

https://www.gunpartscorp.com/gun-manufacturer/savstevspgfld/rifles-sav/5-sav?page=2

...my assumption is the parts that would be best replaced would be the firing pin itself... as untold tens of thousands of rounds has been fired through it and I guess any but of wear could do it in. Then... there's the mainspring at the back of the bolt and the firing pin spring towards the front. I can get a new firing pin and new firing pin spring... and I think there's a pin towards the middle of the bolt to separate it in two. The mainspring and any back-of-the-bolt parts are pretty much used parts that they sell.

I'm leaning towards trying to drive out the front pin and doing the firing pin spring and firing pin alone... then getting a spring for the tube and seeing if I can replace that w/o breaking it. I've never troubleshot a bolt action rifle or disassembled a bolt so any feedback would be appreciated.

I just got an (seeming) unfired Savage 64 fv-sr (the magazine follower was completely clear of powder residue and the magazine itself had no wear either on the magazine and the gun white-glove clean with no wear in the magazine channel) a week or two ago for $125... but I was thinking of flipping it and buckling down to bring this old gun back to life. I handled a CZ 457 early this month as I was thinking of just going all in on a nice new bolt rifle (fathers day, wedding anniversary and birthday are w/in weeks of each other, so I usually just get 1 'big gift' mid-year)... and also have written Marlin about their tube magazine versions of a XT-22, which are *impossible* to find... and it's apparently impossible to get a reply to them as well.

Anyway... rambling. Any input on the repair? Thanks!