Replacing a bolt head retaining pin on a savage bolt

[bernie]

I recently broke the bolt head retaining pin on a Savage .308 bolt gun and wrote savage asking what to do. They sent me the part, but did not tell me how to replace it. Anybody want to tell me how to change the bolt head retaining pin on a Savage bolt?

 

[Jim K]

I'll try, but if it doesn't work, I will go into hiding and you will never find me.

The firing pin goes through the bolt head retaining pin, so you have to partially disassemble the bolt, which is THE most maddeningly compex bolt ever invented. As you disassemble the bolt, note carefully the position of the parts and how they come out. You will need this to get the d***ed thing back together. You also need a good parts diagram.

So, if you must try, first unscrew the bolt assembly screw at the rear of the bolt. Remove the cocking piece sleeve, and the cocking piece pin should drop free. Remove the rear baffle (the ring) and the bolt handle. You should be able to pull the firing pin and spring out the rear of the bolt. Do not disassemble the firing pin and spring. Then at the front of the bolt, remove the broken parts of the retainer pin and put in the new one. Make sure the hole in the retainer is positioned so the firing pin will go through it.

Reinsert the firing pin and spring. Insert the cocking piece and cocking piece pin. and the cocking piece sleeve. Make sure the cocking piece pin rides on the cocking ramp OK and that its pin goes through the sleeve OK. Put the rear baffle on the front of the bolt assembly screw and screw the assembly screw down.

With luck, you have done the job. Now repeat after me: &%$# Savage and their %#$ing bolts.

Jim

 

[bernie]

Thanks Jim, I will try this on Saturday when I have a couple of hours to kill. I kind of figured this would be a real bear!

 

[Jim K]

It isn't really THAT bad, just that the Savage bolt is made to cut costs and use as many easily made parts as possible.

When the rifle first came out, Savage ran a series of ads raving that their bolt had ONLY (IIRC) 26 parts. A friend and I, with considerable combined collections, couldn't find any other bolt that came anywhere near that. The simplest was the Arisaka, with 6 parts, and that includes the safety.

So off went a letter to Savage. They replied with a "thank you for your interest" letter; but they never ran that ad again.

Jim