Rifle is a new Savage Mod. 11GL. First ammo fired was factory WW 150g PP. First round fired normally except for flat cratered primer. Second, about a minuite later, flat cratered primer again and "stiff" extraction. Third round, again about a minuite later, it took two hands to open the bolt, primer flat and cratered with a shinney ring around the primer hole.
Handloads 10% below max from the newest Lyman manual behave the same as the factory ammo. The only way I can get the rifle to behave almost normally is to reduce loads to the minimum in the Lyman manual. This is: 140g Hornady SP, 61g IMR4831, WLR primer, which should be about 2878fps in a 24" barrel. The max with this bullet/powder is 68g of IMR4831 and 3243fps. All of the lightly loaded cases look good after firing and print about 1.5 moa. They also will re-chamber after firing with only slight resistance. The cases fired with "full power" loads will not even begin to re-chamber and print all over the target.
The rifle has been back to Savage twice for this problem and they can find nothing wrong with it. However, the test fired cases they returned to me with the rifle look about like mine and also will not begin to rechamber. The customer service rep. I talked to "implied" the problem is with the WW cases and I tend to agree as I also cannot find anything wrong, or out of spec, with the rifle. He said Lazzaroni had a similar problem until they went to thicker brass. As far as I know WW is the only source of brass (or loaded ammo) for the 7mm WSM.
Has anyone else run into this with the 7mm WSM or have any idea what's going on here? Unless this gets fixed I guess I have a rifle that takes 61 grains of powder to perform like a 7mm/08 (which I should have bought in the first place)!

DEATH TO SHORT MAGS!

Jon

Maybe your dealing with the reality of the short magnums?? They just ain't as good as they are hyped and they get those velocities with loads operating in the red zone...Your not the first to complain about this, but 2878 FPS with a 140 gr. bullet ain't all that bad in the killing dept, and its flat enough for any sportsmanlike shooting at game...I suspect you have a minimum chamber if its in specs...I have seen MV vari a 100 FPS between rifles of the same caliber so if you have a slow barrel that could explain the problem...

You need to run those loads over a chronograph.

I'll bet that the "minimum" loads are a lot faster than "book" and your high pressure loads are quite a bit faster than expected.

For the most part, pressure equals velocity, unless there is something wrong with your rifle such as a sub caliber bore etc.

It sounds to me like you have a "fast" barrel, not a slow one.

Verify Mv with a chronograph before you make any conclusions.

First of all, you need to establish a baseline with some Winchester factory ammo shot through a chronograph. You have no idea what velocity your loads are reaching, or if it is a fast or slow barrel. Essentially, you're pissing into the wind. Another thing, try amother powder, Magpro works wonders in my .270 WSM. I get 3200fps easily with a 140 grain bullet and accuracy is .25-.30 MOA.

Ditto the comments on a chronograph...it is a MUST in your situation. If you get a sticky bolt with ANY WSM round, pressures are up there...These are the strongest cases ever made for hunting purposes.

I have seen these symptoms 3 times and they have all been associated with very high velocities...the last was a 260 rem that shot factory 140 grain bullets 3200 fps from a 22 inch bbl. The bbl was a tad tight.

Jon ,
I have a friend with a Savage .270WSM .Factory Powerpoint loads were so hot in it that you could barely read the headstamp after firing . When I bought my Model 70 7mm WSM I couldn't buy empty brass . Having seen what happened with the .270 WSM I pulled the bullets on Winchester factory 150gn Powerpoint ammo and dropped 1.4 gns of powder out . Those rounds still produced 3150 FPS and were hard to rechamber after firing.
I load 66.6 gns of H4831SC behind the 140gn Nosler for 3197fps or 66.7 gns of WXR (same as RL22) for about 3150 FPS and can rechamber fired shells easily .The WXR load is mild but accurate , the H4831SC load is close to maximum in my rifle . Winchester quotes 70 gns WXR as maximum for 140gn bullet , 68 gns is maximum in my rifle .
Suggest you chronograph your loads and/or try another powder before hitting the panic button . Also check your seating depth . I can seat my bullets out much further than factory loads without having problems with magazine length or touching the lands . Deep seating can push pressures up .

Thanks to all for the useful comments. Agree, the next logical step is a chronograph as there is no factory ammo to use for a baseline. Since there probably is no real "fix" for this one I guess I'll either sell the rifle or re-barrel to a standard cartridge.
Been a long time since I fell for something like this and it sure won't happen again.

Jon

Since it is likely the barrel, throat or chamber dimensions, Savage owes you a new barrel. Alternatively, if you choose to shoot only handloads, and it is just a tight bbl, just work up your own loads to the max velocity and save a few grs of powder every time you shoot.

Many custom target bbls are intentionally made tight for accuracy, and since they shoot only handloads, it is not a problem.

In working up your new "custom" loads, you might need to go to a slower powder to take best advantage of the tight bbl.

quote:

Originally posted by Jon:
Thanks to all for the useful comments. Agree, the next logical step is a chronograph as there is no factory ammo to use for a baseline. Since there probably is no real "fix" for this one I guess I'll either sell the rifle or re-barrel to a standard cartridge.
Been a long time since I fell for something like this and it sure won't happen again.

Jon

Whoa there pardner! The old saying goes,"You can't fix it if it ain't broke".

Your load/rifle combo is probably reaching far in excess of factory Mv specs.

You probably have what is commonly reffered to as a " fast barrel" and indeed it may have more to do with the chamber or somethong else.

BEG, BORROW OR STEAL A CHRONOGRAPH to see where you are as far as Muzzle velocity.

High performance, whether in rifles, horses of automonbiles comes @ a price. They usually are a little hard to handle @ times and might need a little "tuning" (or training in regards to horses) before they become "docile" and predictable.

If you want to sell that "defective" rifle cheap, PM me. I will gladly take it off your hands if you haven't run over it with your pick-em-up truck by now.

Sabot/Wildcat junkie...

Here are a few more "details":
Got gun back from Savage the first time with a note "polished chamber and test fired". Since the problem was still there and feeling I had nothing to lose I removed the barrel, did a chamber cast, slugged the barrel, mic'ed everything and found nothing out of spec. Groove dia .284, headspace between .002" and .003" using shims, chamber dimensions correct, etc. I then talked to a customer service rep at Savage and, to their credit, they agreed to take another look at it under warranty, even though I had removed the barrel. They did another chamber cast, checked dimensions, etc. and again found nothing wrong. They re-installed the barrel, test fired, and returned the rifle with the "test fire" cases looking just like mine. All I could think of at that point was is the action actually stretching under pressure?, is headspace maybe insufficient?, etc. Since the Savage action is very strong at this point all I can blame is the ctg. design itself or the strength of the cases.
Again, I agree chronographing the loads that work is the thing to do. But, WHY is this happening? Does it happen with all (or most) 7mm WSM's? If so, what is Winchester doing about it? Unless they've changed their load recipe or cases there is no "off the shelf" ammo for this rifle. Although I handload most of my ammo I just don't like the fact that I (or someone I sell the rifle to) can't buy shootable ammo for this new rifle.
If I decide to keep messing with it I'll buy a chronograph, a box of recently manufactured ammo, and try it again. Like most of you I've been fooling around with rifles for a long time but have never seen anything like this. But hey, it's hobby and there's nothing like a good mystery.

Jon

Yes, get a good chronograph - then you'll have clearer idea of what's happening.

BUSHCHOOK...
Thanks for the comments on your experience with the 7mmWSM. I'm shopping for a chronograph and look forward to finding out exactly what's going on with this rifle. 2.800" is the maximum COL for the Savage magazine and even that is a close fit. Sounds like the Mod. 70 magazine is a bit longer. Anyway, it's nice to know I'm not the only one with this problem and look forward to getting some answers.

Jon

My thought, slightly "tight" bbl. w/ thick neck brass. Get a chrono, w/o it you are only guessing. Try taking a bit off the necl by neck turning & see what happens. I have this problem w/ my .260ai when tryiny to use .308 IMI brass. Very sticky @ 150fps less vel. than using .260 or .243 brass.

I had a Savage 12fvss in 270 WSM for a short while. It suffered from hard bolt lift but good extraction. Also the bore was full of tool marks on top of the lands for the entire length of the barrel.

I had the Oehler 35P set up when shooting this rifle and the factory WW 150 gr Power Points made 3223 fps which is about what a 270 Weatherby is supposed to do. On top of the bolt lift problem the rifle was not accurate at all and was very heavy.

I sent the rifle back to Savage with a letter mentioning the problems along with the ammo. They returned it saying that they polished the chamber (not a solution or problem) and provided a test target with Federal ammo grouping about 1.25" at 100 yds. They did not provide any chronograph data.

Since the rifle was ugly, heavy, hard to operate and inaccurate I sold it.

This is why I like guns. I wish all of lifes problems were this easy to deal with.

I bought a Kimber Montana in that cartridge. That one is a keeper and fun to carry and hunt with.

SAVAGE 99
Hmm, looks like I'm not the only one to get the chamber polish treatment.
The barrel on my Mod.11GL actually looks quite good and (for the money) I like everything else about the rifle...especially the left hand short action. And, at least with "light" loads, it's reasonably accurate.
I just ordered a chronograph today and (if UPS does'nt destroy it) hope to find out the velocity of loads that don't lock up the action. I guess if it will match a .280 or 7mm/08 with decent accuracy I'll take it deer hunting this Fall.
The Kimber sounds very nice. Does it actually handle something like 3 rounds in a minuite without hard bolt lift and pressure signs? If so, I wonder where the difference is?

Jon

jon,

Since the chrono is on it's way keep us informed as to what it says.

Have you checked that a bullet will easily enter a fired neck? Also have you checked your scale for accuracy? Most bullets are a grain or so under.

While it may be the thickness of the brass because who knows if yours is in spec or not I think it's something else.

Good luck and be careful as you may be working with very high pressures. Check inside each case with a feeler gage for insipiant head separations.

His loads may be too hot... might not. The chrono will tell. However, the problem might be in the chamber... the WSM's can, because of their minimal body taper and large surface area (round n'fat), really "stick" in even a slightly out-of-round chamber... a lot of factory WSM's exhibit this. The "shiny" marks on the case head could be the result of the case not "turning" with the bolt during the ejection process because of a "sticking" problem...

Brad ,
Shiny marks on the case head are normally a good indicator of high pressure . In light of the other symptoms Jon discusses I think there is little doubt that factory loads are too hot for his rifle (and some others too) .
The case isn't supposed to turn in the chamber as the bolt is lifted .
Lots of Winchester WSM's (mine included) suffer from out of round chambers due to a design flaw . This is one reason WSM's can be difficult to rechamber after firing and usually require FL sizing after every shot . In my experience it doesn't result in difficulty lifting the bolt or extraction problems .Most still shoot pretty well too .

I've seen WSM's that had very hard bolt lift due to an out of round chamber... yes, this condition can leave shiny marks on the case head as a result... Since I don't know this gentleman and am not positive what he's reporting is even accurate (he doesn't even own a chrony) I threw out a different potential option for the problem... capiche?

quote:

Originally posted by Jon:
Rifle is a new Savage Mod. 11GL. First ammo fired was factory WW 150g PP. First round fired normally except for flat cratered primer. Second, about a minuite later, flat cratered primer again and "stiff" extraction. Third round, again about a minuite later, it took two hands to open the bolt, primer flat and cratered with a shinney ring around the primer hole....

Hey Jon, You might indeed have a Minimum Spec barrel which will increase Pressure. The interesting thing is you will probably get some excellent accuracy and higher velocity.

I saw where someone mentioned trying to slide a bullet into the neck of a fired case, before resizing, and that is a good idea. If it goes in easily, with a tiny bit of space around the bullet then the problem is not there.

Since you seem to be able to work on your own rifle(you mentioned removing the barrel), here is something you can do before the chronograph arrives. I will also mention making a decision on the barrel due to the "velocity reading" can be misleading.

You might want to totally clean the Bolt Lugs and the Lug Recesses. Then dye the backside of the bolt lugs, fire a factory round and see if you are getting equal pressure on the Lugs. If only one is making good contact, that could cause the Casehead to expand out of square with the CenterLine and also cause the Bolthead to be held in a bind. Then when you go to open the action, you will have to overcome the binding and out-of-square sttretching.

I really dislike giving up on a "new" rifle too. Best of luck to you.

Again, thanks to all for the great comments. A few more numbers:


case neck thickness .016"

bullet (Hornady) .284"

cerrosafe cast
chamber neck .326"

OD, neck, of a
(hand) loaded round .313"

The cerrosafe cast is about 6 mo. old and would/should have shrunk .0025%...probably not enough to matter. The .284 dia. Hornady bullets are a TIGHT fit in all of the fired cases. None of them just fall info the case like my 30/30 or 45/70. The difference between a loaded round (.313" neck dia.) and neck dia. of chamber (.326") should allow, unless I'm screwing up the math, a little less (due to cast shrinkage) than six and a half thou. clearance on each side. Is that enough? I really don't understand why the bullets are such a tight fit in the fired cases.

HOTCORE:
I did check the locking lugs when I had the barrel off. Everything looked perfect and since the Savage has a "floating" bolt head is's unlikely they could bear unevenly. I've also put fired cases in a collet on a very accurate lathe and runout measured with a dial test indicator is almost non-existent.

Jon

Here are measurments from my 7mm WSM M70 using WW brass.

Loaded neck .3137" with Sierra 130 SPT
Fired neck .322"
Neck thickness .013" average on new brass chamfered.

Is the chamber neck long enough? Is there a taper to a fired case that the bullet will not go into easily.

The bottom line on this is to count on some other rifle. I know that your left handed but some left handed guys just reach over and work the bolt.

Down the road Kimber has all their rifles designed for left hand. Write them a letter.

I would sell the Savage. I sold mine and took a $230 hit. That was the price of an education.

Another test you can do is to punch your fire primers and mike them across the most expanded part and see how fat they are getting. I use Winchester primers in my 300 WSM and if they grow from the unfired .210 spec to over .215, you indeed have a hot load.

Can't say whether other types will grow at the same rate, so try some winchesters and see what you get.

One thing that seems a little odd is the wall thickness (.016") of my cases. I just measured them again and after chamfering and removing any burrs I can only get down to a little over .015". I think while I'm waiting for the chronograph to arrive I'll turn down the necks of a few cases and see what happens. One thing that has been consistent is the FIRST round fired (hand load or factory) is ok. It's the second, and especially the third that really jam things up. It seems this can only be related to heat, which may be reducing the dia. of the chamber in the neck area. Anyway, I'll take a couple thou. off a few necks and see what happens. Thanks again for all the help and I'll post results of test firing after the chronograph arrives.

Jon

quote:

Originally posted by Jon:
...The cerrosafe cast is about 6 mo. old and would/should have shrunk .0025%...probably not enough to matter. The .284 dia. Hornady bullets are a TIGHT fit in all of the fired cases. None of them just fall info the case like my 30/30 or 45/70. The difference between a loaded round (.313" neck dia.) and neck dia. of chamber (.326") should allow, unless I'm screwing up the math, a little less (due to cast shrinkage) than six and a half thou. clearance on each side. Is that enough? I really don't understand why the bullets are such a tight fit in the fired cases.

Hey Jon, That does sound like plenty of neck clearance to me too. But, something is goofy if the bullet will not slip easily into a fired case.

Any chance that the overall case length might be a bit too long for that chamber. That would "jam" the casemouth against the bullet and raise the Pressure way up. Huuumm, maybe it is "headspacing" on the casemouth instead of the caseshoulder.

One other thing, get a measurement on the outside of the caseneck after it has been fired and before resizing. From your above loaded caseneck dimension of 0.313", I'd expect it to be at least 0.318"-0.320" and wouldn't surprise me if it was 0.322".

Another TOTAL GUESS, maybe the casenecks need to be annealed. Perhaps they somehow got routed around this process in the factory. If they are too hard, that would cause them to "resist" expanding properly. On the other hand, at the Pressures it sounds like you are getting, it should be enough to expand the casenecks ANYHOW!

quote:

HOTCORE: I did check the locking lugs when I had the barrel off. Everything looked perfect and since the Savage has a "floating" bolt head is's unlikely they could bear unevenly. I've also put fired cases in a collet on a very accurate lathe and runout measured with a dial test indicator is almost non-existent. ...Jon

Well, duuuuuhhh on me! Totally forgot the Savage has that "floating Bolt-Head". Any chance you got a Remington or Winchester bolt stuck in it by accident?!?!?! Only kidding.

If "thinning the Caseneck" results in the same Pressure indications, try trimming three a bit shorter than normal and anneal them. This does sound more like a Case issue all the time.

Best of luck to you.

HOTCORE...
Thanks for the ideas/comments. I'll take a real close look at case/chamber length again. One of my first thoughts was IN-sufficient headspace, which should cause similar problems to a case that is too long for the chamber. Because it's easy to accomplish with the Savage breeching system headspace is usually set less than on conventional rifles. On mine the bolt will close on a .002" shim but not on a .003". From what I've read that's pretty minimal headspace and if all else fails I'll screw the barrel out about a 1/4 turn for the more usual .005" headspace and see what happens.
I know it's no one's idea of a "fine" rifle but the Savage has a lot of features I really like and I'm gonna get this one shootin!

Jon

Hey Jon, If the length of the neck "in the chamber" is too short(or likewise the Neck on the Cases a bit too long for that Chamber), then screwing the barrel out to lengthen the Headspace a bit won't help. That will just result in the Case-body stretching a bit more at the Pressure Ring.

See if you can get a good measurement on your Cerosafe Cast concerning the Case Neck Length. Then compare it to an atual Case Neck. If they are too close to be sure about, it might be part of the problem.
---

If people don't like your rifle, it should be of no concern to you. Once you get this figured out, it will probably shoot just great like the vast majority of Savages. Then remember who they were and go shoot with them to see who buys the BBQ!

HOTCORE...
First, thanks for hanging in and continuing come up with ideas. This whole thread is probably beginning to look like a troll but the problem is real and, more than anything, I just want to know the cause.
I took another look at the neck length of the chamber cast, plus new and fired brass. It's difficult to get an accurate measurement due to the radius at the junction of the neck/shoulder but it appears the chamber neck is about .010" longer than the necks of the cases. From what I can find in my reference books, loading manuals, etc. that seems about right. But,(again this is not a troll) I've found something else to consider. After you and SAVAGE99's comments about trying to slip bullets info fired cases I tried it again. This time I found that if I forced the bullet into the case as far as it's crimping groove (which measures .277" instead of .284") it actually was quite loose and could be rocked back and forth. Looking closer, and it is hard to see, I noticed that all of the fired case mouths have what looks just like a roll crimp! The OD of the extreme tip of the neck is .314" while the middle of the neck mic's .322". If it was'nt for that "roll crimp" the bullets would have the proper clearance when placed in the neck. Ok, so now I'm back to my insufficient headspace theory. Upon firing, these fat untapered cases grip the chamber wall and the high pressure temporarely causes the brass to flow. Having nowhere else to go with only .002" headspace at the rear the forward end of the case is pushed into the throat and "roll crimped" which then grabs the bullet and greatly increases pressure.
I know most bolt action Savage rifles are set up with very minimum headspace comparred to other bolt guns, but, I'm beginning to think this may not work with the short mags. I just can't think of anything else that could cause this "roll crimp". What do you think?

Jon

Jon,

Apply for the postion of VP Mfg at Savage. You can use my name as a reference.

Cut some cases back to 2.070" and shoot them and check the pressure and fired neck dimensions. If that's does it call the president of Savage. Get his name ahead of time and ask to speak to him.

Now the person that you really want is his secretary. Fill her ear full of your tale of woe and mention that everyone on this 14,000 member internet forum has been very helpful and could Mr. XXX do something for you.

SAVAGE99...
I'll try the cut back cases as you suggest. And, if insufficient headspace really is the problem you can be sure I will be talking to Savage Arms!

Jon

I don't think minimal headspace could cause the problem. All of the other case/cartridge dimensions should clear anyway if to the drawings.

Therefore a crimp to the neck is being added on from the chamber or something else. I don't think a seating die crimp will survive firing to that degree.

Before you load more ammo though check that the seating die is not crimping the necks.

You don't need to load them hot. Continue to be careful. If it's the chamber that's doing it then it will happen with a moderate load as well.

Make sure that your caliper returns to zero before you measure something and that it's not skipping a tooth as it moves.

Does anyone have the actual chamber and cartridge dimensions along with their tolerances for the 7mm WSM?

I mean from the actual drawings and not nominal dimensions from Cylmer or a reloading manual.

quote:

What do you think?

Looks like you are on to something.

Did you trim the cases after the initial firing, chamfer the inside of the caseneck and deburr the outside?

If so, then the roll crimp on the case mouth was applied as Don suggested by the way you have your Seating Die set-up, or it had to happen on firing. Has to be one of them.

After trimming, chamfering and deburring a case, place it in the press shell holder with no die in the press and raise the ram. Then screw the Seating Die Stem all the way up. Next screw the Seating Die into the press until it just makes contact with the case. Back it out 1/2 turn and set the lockring. That way you will be sure the Seating Die is not applying a crimp.

By the way, don't take the above as talking "down to you" if you already know that. We have a lot of Beginners on the Board that the explainations will help.
---

One of the things that throws people when discussing cartridge/firearm issues is it is way to easy to forget that everyone does not reload the exact same way. Then we take some things for granted and it leads us down the wrong path.

SAVAGE99/HOTCORE
I have two sources for drawings of the 7mmWSM, one from the latest edition of the Lyman manual, and one from "Cartridges Of the World".
The way I use/adjust seating dies is exactly as you (HOTCORE) describe in your post and I never use a crimp with jacketed bullets except for the Lee factory crimp die with my 30/30. I use the Lee trimmer/case length gauge system and always chamfer/de-burr the case mouths. I use a Mitutoyo digital mic. and Mitutoyo dial caliper for measurements and they were both professionaly calibrated about a year ago.
I won't be able to try the "trimmed back" cases until tomorrow or Wednesday depending upon the weather. I'll use new WW cases loaded 10% or 15% below max but above a "starting load".
I agree the "roll crimp" I just discovered and insufficient headspace theory could be another red herring. If this is another flop it won't be the first time I thought I had this figured out. Thanks again and I'll keep you posted.

Jon

Hey Jon, Still thinking on this and now I'm thinking(after reading your last post) that since you are doing a correct Trim, Deburr, Chamfer and Set-Up with the Seating Die, then the turned in Casemouth is more likely happening during firing.

Now I'm wondering if perhaps they got the Casenecks "too soft" during Annealing which would allow them to lengthen more than we would normally expect a neck to grow.

So, if that is the situation, you might want to set up a situation so you can measure the Overall Case Length prior to Loading but after Resizing. Then shoot the Case, resize it as you normally would, but remeasure it then compare the Overall Lengths to see just how much that Caseneck is actually lengthening.

Hopefully just trimming the cases a bit shorter will resolve the biggest part of your problem though. Or maybe all of it.

A couple of suggestions. First of all, try some brass other than Winchester. I've not been too fond of it in my .270 WSM. Second of all, I don't know who you've been dealing with at Savage, but if you are interested in an inside contact, pm or email me. This person will take care of you !!! I have two Savages, in fact they are my most recent acquisitions. I liked the first so much that I bought another. It sounds like dimensionally the rifle is fine and that it may be an ammo batch problem. Have you contacted Winchester since the factory loads seem so hot ??? Please keep us informed after you chrono the loads.

Hey Bowhuntrrl, Great idea! I don't have one of the new WSM cartridges and did not realize anyone else made ammo for them yet.

Totally agree to try another brand of Case.

WW is the only brand of 7mm WSM's. Perhaps brass could be made from the 300 WSM and to set the shoulder best as you can but that case is .035" short on the headspace.

Yesterday I loaded 10 rounds and test fired them today. All the necks were were trimmed back .030". The load was 66g IMR4831 which is 2g below max in the current Lyman manual. Bullet was Hornady 139g sp. seated .010" off the lands, WLR primers.

Results...
the "roll crimp" is completely gone and a bullet now slides into all the case mouths with the proper clearance. The first 5 rounds fired were the new WW cases and all were fired within about 45 seconds to purposely heat things up. By the 5th round there was some bolt lift resistance but nothing like prior to trimming the case necks and I would consider it acceptable. The rifle was then allowed to cool down to "slightly warm" and the 5 rounds using FL resized previously fired cases were fired. The results were much the same as with the new cases except there was more resistance to bolt lift...almost unacceptable but again, nothing like prior to trimming the case necks. I've been using a Lee FL sizing die and there several things about it that don't seem right, so it may be the problem and I've ordered a new die set. I was'nt paying much attention to accuracy with the first 5 rounds and the group was 1 7/8". I tried a little harder with the last five and the group (100yds) was 7/8"!, as accurate as any rifle I've owned.
All of the cases show minor primer cratering and just a hint of a shinney ring around the primer but nothing like the pressure signs prior to trimming the case necks. I would say the trimming got rid of about 75% of the pressure problems and I think most people would consider it acceptable.
Now, assuming the chamber specs are correct, what is the fix? I don't want to trim .030" off all of these already short-necked cases...and should'nt have to. I still think a little more headspace might cure it but I hesitate to make the (easy) adjustment if I'm going to return the rifle to Savage.
Thanks again for all the help.
Comments/questions?...

Jon