My brothers savage model 110, 300 win mag keeps breaking the bolt head retaining pin in half and falling apart. This is the second factory one to break and he just broke a custom stainless steel one.(the custom lasted the longest). these break every 100 rounds or so. I was wondering if this is common,or is there a something wrong. the gun seems fine when its together no extra slop or play in the bolt face.?
I have an older 110V that I made a replacment bolt and and head for....I think it sounds like the bolt head its location on the very end of the bolt body and the pin is thus taking all the recoil.... if this is the case then the bold lugs arent seated against the action when closed....put some magic marker on the back of the lugs and close it a bunch of times ... see if it wears off.........other wise, cant see why so much force is getting to that pin...its supposed to just carry the bolt head when openeing the action.....I did remember one reason I made a new bolt and head is because the hole the bolt head went into wasnt concentric with the outside dia of the bolt....I wanted accurracy so I made verything concentric and square before I had a barrel fitted...........good luck.....bob
Posts: 125 | Location: ct | Registered: 06 February 2003
A few years ago, "Safari" magazine published a story written by a Colorado hunter about a once-in-a-lifetime sheep hunt that was nearly ruined when a bolt assembly retention pin on a Browning A-Bolt worked its way into into the firing pin raceway and caused a misfire.
That episode is related to this one in a very significant way. Rifles that are sold as budget- accuracy "wonder-guns" are typically constructed via inferior materials and expedient sub-assmblies, complete with numerous pins, potmetal components, etc. - all of which compromise durability and mechanical reliability for the sake of production economy in order to achieve a competitive price edge in the market place. Something has to give in order to achieve the low price, which in cases like these is anything but a practical bargain.
That's why such actions are seldom used by makers of fine custom rifles. The simpliest, most reliable, and most durable actions are also the most expensive to produce.
That pin is not intended to carry of load upon firing, as noted above force is being transferred to it by some problem -- probably with fit.
You might query Savage about this. They attacked the problem of bolt-head pin breakage in the .308 Savage Scout with great vigor after they were notified.
jim dodd
Posts: 4166 | Location: San Diego, CA USA | Registered: 14 November 2001
How could thrust be transmitted to the pin? Unless the bolt handle was contacting the reciever cutout to the rear was holding the lugs forward off of the lug abutments in the reciever, I don't see how? Shouldn't there be evidence of contact there if it was enough to break a pin? Have you smoked the lugs and checked for full contact?
I've got nearly a 1/16" of clearance between the reciever and the back of the bolt handle on my Striker.
Possibly the hole in the bolt nose is a little too far away from the boltface and causing the lugs to be held off of the abutments? Lugs cut a little short?
I'm a big fan of Savage rifles, and Rugers for that matter. But, don't decieve yourself into thinking that one failure of this nature is indicative of the design of faults in the Savage action. The Savage is probably the most accurate out of the box rifle you can buy for under $1500, and the design has been around for quite a while, so it's unlikely there's any reason to think there's a problem with it. They may not be pretty in the eyes of some, but I tell you, for rifle to rifle accuracy, I'll stack them up against anything out there. As to the bolt problem, I'd contact Savage and I bet they'll fix it pronto.
Thanks guy's The gun is very accurate ,shoots 180gr federal facrory loads in a .5 inch group and handloaded 165gr BTPS into one holer's,very accurate just getting frustrating on the pin breaking,especially in the middle of whitetail season,but still can fall back on his trusty model 99 30-30 savage.
