Savage 110 Fail to Fire

T

techmech

Inactive
Hello
I recently aquired a Savage 110L in 30-06 from a relative. He assembled this rifle in the 60's as a "catch-all" rifle for trips out to Colorado. I have spent this weekend preparing for deer season and been utterly disappointed. At the range I am able to fire one or two shots normally. Any subsequent shots fail to fire. The primer is dimpled but they still fail to fire. Heres the catch... the third round will still fire if you recock the system but the fourth will not. Saturday I stripped the bolt to remove the firing pin and nothing seems abnormal. Any help would be appreciated as I would love to take it out opening day (However this appears doubtful):(
 
I think I will answer the question with a story. The first Savage 110 I ever saw was brought to me by a friend who had bought it new. In accordance with the general advice in those days, the first thing he did was take the bolt apart to "clean the grease out of it." It didn't have any grease, so he put the bolt back together and went hunting.

Spotting a four point (or six, or eight, or ten - the number grew with each telling of the story) buck, he took careful aim and CLICK! You guessed it, when he assembled the bolt he didn't get the firing pin protrusion right. I fixed the gun, but he blamed the gun for losing that buck and traded it before the next hunting season.

So, read and heed. That might not be the problem. Excess headspace is another possibility, but the key words were "he assembled this rifle"; that was an immediate red flag. If you are not familiar with that bolt and action or don't know how to check headspace and firing pin protrusion, I recommend a competent gunsmith.

Jim
 
I can relate to your story as I have had a military rifle with the same problem. I had previously fired this rifle without incident and believe me I did not wish to disassemble the bolt unless necessary. I only had this thought after the problem occured and the fact that the previous owner had never taken care of it properly excluding barrel cleanings. By any chance do you remember the protrusion as I will check that later this week when I have the time.

Thanks
 
I don't remember the protrusion spec, but .055-.065 is pretty standard for bolt rifles and should be OK.

Jim
 
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