Hello,
I just got myself a new Savage Mk II bolt action in .22 LR. I took it to the range yesterday for the first time. First I tried some Federal lead 40gr RN, but all rounds were jamming (not going into the chamber). The tip of the bullet would go in, but the cartridge would be cocked at an angle, and would not move any forward. Then I tried some Federal copper plated 36gr HP. They were jamming as well. Then I tried to move the bolt faster and use a bit more force, and the 36gr HP rounds loaded sort of OK. I could feel they were not going into the chamber very smoothly, but were going in anyway. Then I gave the 40gr RN rounds another try, this time moving the bolt faster and applying a bit more force. Just like the 36gr HP rounds, they loaded but not very smoothly. I loaded and extracted some rounds without firing, and noticed that the copper plated bullets are not being damaged, but the lead bullets are getting a tiny bit of lead shaved off of them. I inspected the chamber and I could see some lead residue at the entrance at 6 o'clock position. As far as I can tell the chamber itself is OK (no burrs). No extraction or ejection problems of any kind.
I don't think I'm having to use excessive force to close the bolts. But if I move the bolt forward slowly and with almost no force, every round jams. Can this be considered normal?
I have very limited experience with rimfire rifles. The only other .22 LR rifle that I have ever shot was a Ruger 77/22. With the Ruger I could close the bolt very slowly and still the rounds would go in smoothly. But I remember that the Ruger had a different magazine design, and the rounds were practically in line with the chamber. The magazine of the Savage Mk II is different and the round sits at an angle.
Note: Other than that I love the little Savage. The accutrigger is great. I shot some groups with Remington Target ammo (loading each round manually in the chamber, just to make sure) and accuracy at 50 yards was excellent.
Thanks,
Marc
