👍 Smith-Sights Solution: Savage MkII and 93r Bolt Guide Pin Problem And Replacement

[Josh Smith]

If this isn't large enough, you may view it at http://smith-sights.com/savage-bolt-guide-pin . You may also download it there and keep it for reference. -JS

[Bang]

Now, THIS is gunsmithing! Thanks for this post. I'll be investigating mine.

The old adage, 'y'gits whatcha pay fer" comes to mind. Would such coarse manufacturing be absent or less severe in higher-priced products?

[Josh Smith]

Now, THIS is gunsmithing! Thanks for this post. I'll be investigating mine.

The old adage, 'y'gits whatcha pay fer" comes to mind. Would such coarse manufacturing be absent or less severe in higher-priced products?

Hello,

I honestly don't know, in today's marketplace.

This was a BTVS model (heavy barrel) that ran me $400+ in '06 or '07. The barreled action was crooked in the stock, contacting the stock. The rifle was very poorly executed. Savage had a backorder at the time, so I opted to fix this myself.

Money doesn't seem to be a huge indicator of quality today. As price trends upwards, quality does improve, but that doesn't mean it's a given. For example, Kimbers, while nicely finished 1911s, are just highly polished pistols filled with MIM parts -- Basically what you'd have if you finished a Rock Island Armory very nicely.

So, instead of buying a Kimber, I buy Armscor 1911s, gut them, and fill them with forged Wilson, Ed Brown, Colt, and EGW parts, to my tastes. I come away with carry pistols of better quality than Kimber, for about the same price.



The RIA has a cast frame, but so did Caspian for a long time. I really don't see an issue with it.

This is why I generally go with older rifles, too, milsurp being only one example. I'm after a Steven's Favorite (or similar falling or rolling block) on which to mount a vintage Weaver 'scope. This'll be lighter weight than my Savage, and will be a lighter knocking-about .22 for tree rats and bunnies. The Savage reaches out much further, of course, and I've hunted squirrel out to 100yds with it. However, most shots aren't even half that, and sometimes extreme precision isn't necessary, even for head shots. I rarely turn my scope up all the way on the Savage, and, honestly, high power scopes are often a hindrance.



I shot Appleseed with this rifle a while back, and the 4.5x lowest setting was still quite a bit at the 25yd range at which we shot. Lots of breath control required to get it to settle down. I did marginally better than with the peep-sighted 10-22 I used to pass the course of fire, but would have done best, I think, with a semi-auto .22 equipped with a 2.5x 'scope.

Incidentally, that magazine had to be modified to work right and to not fall apart. The rivets were not strong, an the spring didn't lift the rounds with enough authority. I first doubled up on the springs, and then ended up buying springs from Wolff that I cut and made into what I needed.

This post is a bit more jumbled than I usually make. I'm still on my first cup of coffee. Still, I hope it answers your question.

Regards,
Josh

[Bang]

My Savage Mark II .22LR came with a muzzle crown that was pretty rough. I didn't see it when I was at the gun store buying it. Discovered it when I went to clean it after an afternoon on the range with it. I cleaned it up and cold blued it.

I looked at examples at gun shows. All were nicely finished. (These rifles were made in Canada for Savage).

Gotta wonder if the dealer got it cheaper as a second.

.

[titleiiredneck]

One of the biggest problems with these rifles besides the rough machining inside the bolt and it’s parts is the spring collar that’s around the bolt. The spring eventually starts to fail which will deregulate tension and cause extraction and ejection issues as well.

Send a email to savage and they will send you a replacement spring for free FYI.

I wrote up a thread a few years ago with this problem and showing the polishing areas to be needed FYI.