Why is it Savage can make a Rifle That shoots One Hole But Can't Eject The Spent Cartridge?

[J.Baker]

I'm really frustrated with the 110 Predator that I recently purchased, it shoots so amazingly well, literally one hole but can't eject the spent cartridge afterwards? The only reason I don't shoot more groups like that is because I have to break my position to dump the spent cartridge out of the action and then rebuild a position while cussing under my breath. Not conducive to good marksmanship. If that's not bad enough and to add insult to injury, the way the rifle is designed the spent cartridge falls between the front of the magazine and the chamber and can't be lifted out or slid back to be removed.


In hindsight, I see all over the internet how to hack the problem or buy an aftermarket kit to fix the problem so it's obviously a known issue and yet continues to plague this product. These are the kind of issues that can ruin a reputation and consumer confidence that will eventually destroy a company. It’s hard to imagine a product sold today where you spend over $700 and then have to buy an aftermarket kit to make it function as intended? The fact it's not being addressed is even more concerning. If and I assume this rifle was test fired they would have known it doesn't eject and yet someone chose to ship it anyway.


For this kind of issue to exist today with everyone fighting for their existence and to keep business open not to mention growing market share this situation is not only unimaginable but inexcusable. I’m not just upset because I have to leave the magazine out and hand feed bullets into the chamber and then eject them by letting them fall out the bottom of the rifle.


No, the reason I’m upset is that I’m a retired plant manager from the automotive component sector and I’ve had the gut wrenching and heartbreaking experience of shutting down factories and laying off thousands of really good hard working people. I’ve personally seen what an issue like this can do to a business. And if this isn’t on the top of someone’s list with an “All hands on deck” mentality this company may already be in deep doo-doo.

Flame off.


I really want them to succeed…..

Welcome to the wonderful world of Savage!

There have been issues with Savage rifles that some of us have been complaining about since long before this site even existed and yet they still exist today. Flexy synthetic stocks, crap magazines and weak extractors in the Mark I/II/93 rimfires, horrible bolt timing in the 110's and Axis rifles that could be fixed with a simple change to a line or two of code in the CNC program, etc.

The long standing problem lies with the management, and I got this "viewpoint" first hand and in person from one of the former V.P.'s of Sales and Marketing when I toured the factory back in 2005. Essentially the corporate mentality at the time was, "If they're selling good, why fix it?" and it doesn't seem like that mentality has changed at all in the years since.

In more recent years, another issue is that most of the engineering staff is fairly young and new to the company - the most senior member having been there maybe 10-12 years now. The current head of engineering came from the auto industry. They've inherited existing designs and have no knowledge of the history of said designs to know what's been tried or what's worked and hasn't worked over the last 60+ years. If you blueprint a current production action and compare everything to the prints, there's hardly anything on them that's within tolerance of the print.

One thing most people don't know is that Savage hasn't even put together a master parts list for dealers/gunsmiths since 2001. Changes have been made so frequently that it's become almost impossible for even them to keep up with. Often times they use the same part number for the slightly revised part, and worse yet they often do the same even when the change is major. How Effie hasn't lost her mind trying to deal with it all and keep track of things is beyond me.

Another tidbit we found out not long ago is that there's no communication between the warranty department and the engineering team, and no records of the problems are kept by the warranty department. How baffling is that??? One would think that you would want to keep tabs on warranty work to easily identify common problems so that they can be addressed and resolved in future production. Apparently not at Savage though.

I've been saying it for a few years now, but the best thing Savage could do for themselves going forward is to design an all new replacement for the 110. They could retain some of the basic principles (floating bolt head, barrel nut, etc.), but every component should be of a new design and not interchangeable with the existing 110 design. This would accomplish two things: 1) The design would be their own - of the current engineering team, and designed 100% around modern machining techniques and technology; and 2) It would once and for all end the nightmare of the various parts compatibility issues the 110 suffers from after 60+ years of design changes that make the aftermarket run away from it like it's Covid-19.

Doing so would be a big gable for them though, and if there's anything I've learned about Savage over the last 20-some years it's that they're not much for taking risks. This is also why over the last 10 years or so their piece of the pie has slowly been shrinking with serious shooters. Sure, they still sell just as many - if not more guns per year as they used to, but the bulk of what they're selling is the basic hunting rifles and package guns. The more specialized models typically have relatively low production volumes of maybe a few thousand units per year compared to hundreds of thousands of Axis' and trophy Hunters.

[Orezona]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Savage!

There have been issues with Savage rifles that some of us have been complaining about since long before this site even existed and yet they still exist today. Flexy synthetic stocks, crap magazines and weak extractors in the Mark I/II/93 rimfires, horrible bolt timing in the 110's and Axis rifles that could be fixed with a simple change to a line or two of code in the CNC program, etc.

The long standing problem lies with the management, and I got this "viewpoint" first hand and in person from one of the former V.P.'s of Sales and Marketing when I toured the factory back in 2005. Essentially the corporate mentality at the time was, "If they're selling good, why fix it?" and it doesn't seem like that mentality has changed at all in the years since.

In more recent years, another issue is that most of the engineering staff is fairly young and new to the company - the most senior member having been there maybe 10-12 years now. The current head of engineering came from the auto industry. They've inherited existing designs and have no knowledge of the history of said designs to know what's been tried or what's worked and hasn't worked over the last 60+ years. If you blueprint a current production action and compare everything to the prints, there's hardly anything on them that's within tolerance of the print.

One thing most people don't know is that Savage hasn't even put together a master parts list for dealers/gunsmiths since 2001. Changes have been made so frequently that it's become almost impossible for even them to keep up with. Often times they use the same part number for the slightly revised part, and worse yet they often do the same even when the change is major. How Effie hasn't lost her mind trying to deal with it all and keep track of things is beyond me.

Another tidbit we found out not long ago is that there's no communication between the warranty department and the engineering team, and no records of the problems are kept by the warranty department. How baffling is that??? One would think that you would want to keep tabs on warranty work to easily identify common problems so that they can be addressed and resolved in future production. Apparently not at Savage though.

I've been saying it for a few years now, but the best thing Savage could do for themselves going forward is to design an all new replacement for the 110. They could retain some of the basic principles (floating bolt head, barrel nut, etc.), but every component should be of a new design and not interchangeable with the existing 110 design. This would accomplish two things: 1) The design would be their own - of the current engineering team, and designed 100% around modern machining techniques and technology; and 2) It would once and for all end the nightmare of the various parts compatibility issues the 110 suffers from after 60+ years of design changes that make the aftermarket run away from it like it's Covid-19.

Doing so would be a big gable for them though, and if there's anything I've learned about Savage over the last 20-some years it's that they're not much for taking risks. This is also why over the last 10 years or so their piece of the pie has slowly been shrinking with serious shooters. Sure, they still sell just as many - if not more guns per year as they used to, but the bulk of what they're selling is the basic hunting rifles and package guns. The more specialized models typically have relatively low production volumes of maybe a few thousand units per year compared to hundreds of thousands of Axis' and trophy Hunters.

This is a great post.

[Txhillbilly]

Besides,Most of us that have shot and built rifles using Savage actions have several bags of over sized bearing's,extractor's,spring's,and ejector's setting in the tool box. We know the problem's,and have come up with ways to solve them.

[Texas10]

Exactly! Keep in mind that when buying a Savage, you're getting the Volkswagen of rifles. If you want a Porsche, be willing to pay Porsche prices. That being said, there's no reason you can't pay a Volkswagen price, drop in a Porsche engine and trans, and get a real good performing car. Tune the action a bit, drop in a new barrel, trigger, stock, head for the range and give those who have more money than talent a good ol' school house whoopin'.

[Dave Hoback]

Exactly! Keep in mind that when buying a Savage, you're getting the Volkswagen of rifles. If you want a Porsche, be willing to pay Porsche prices. That being said, there's no reason you can't pay a Volkswagen price, drop in a Porsche engine and trans, and get a real good performing car. Tune the action a bit, drop in a new barrel, trigger, stock, head for the range and give those who have more money than talent a good ol' school house whoopin'.

LOL...I spent my young adult life as an Master Auto Tech. And besides firearms..my hobby was taking 4cyl engines and making astronomical amounts of horsepower with them. My daily driven “track” car was a ‘96 Eclipse GSX. Had a built engine, and breathed through a HUGE turbocharger. It made close to 600bhp and would make many a domestic muscle car owner cry. LOL!

Sorry for the tangent. Your VW comment just made me think about that. I knew quite a few VW owners that would do the same. So your comment is valid.

[Robinhood]

Besides,Most of us that have shot and built rifles using Savage actions have several bags of over sized bearing's,extractor's,spring's,and ejector's setting in the tool box. We know the problem's,and have come up with ways to solve them.

He he...is that the short list?

[Stumpkiller]

I think they made some than can eject a spent case. Mine, for example.

[Fuj']

I think they made some than can eject a spent case. Mine, for example.

My latest 12 target action throws them several feet, and I wish it
did'nt !! I need to take a little spring out of it's step....

[Mr.Snerdly]

Mine eject fine. It's the one hole deal that has me puzzled.