Savage Mark II magazine problem

[22Savage]

I put about 80 rounds of Remington Thunderbolt 22LR through my recently purchased Savage Mark II. I had feed problems.

Usually the first two rounds would "hang."

Here is a pic of the problem:

I did try some Remington "Golden Bullet" and the first two showed some distortion ( sorry, no picture, but will post if necessary), but they did load.

I've not found any problem as mine after searching extensively on the web.

Comments on what is causing this are welcome.<p> I've ordered extra magazines to see whether that is the cause. No idea when I'll receive them.

TIA.

 

[Wonder Bread]

I have a MarkII.

Using thunderbolts is your first problem, they are perhaps the crappiest ammunition I have ever had the displeasure of firing.

Secondly, the magazine spring probably just needs to wear in a bit. Mine used to hang on the first round every couple mags, but it dosen't do it anymore.

 

[Ricochet]

Never tried thunderbolts but the first 100 rounds of bulk were problematic in my MKII. I have over 1500 Rounds through it now without any problems. Be sure to try different ammo to find what works best.

 

[Ricochet]

Also make sure the bolt is all the way back before you insert the magazine. I found in some case that if the bolt was not back all the way, when I inserted the mag, the first round would not load into the chamber smoothly.

 

[22Savage]

Thanks, guys.

I've ordered 4 magazines and will test them when they arrive to see if the same
problem occurs.

I'm encouraged that nobody said that there was a problem with the rifle

I do intend to post my results if it doesn't get to cold for me in Connecticut.

 

[22Savage]

Finally got my new magazines.

Snow storm this weekend. I'll "dry load" to see what happens.

 

[R6YamaJim]

I am having the same problem.

 

[22Savage]

Well, I couldn't wait any longer to tryout my new magazines at a range; too
much snow.

So, I loaded my new magazines with the same ammo that gave me problems, and
I labeled them. I also tried each magazine twice with the same ammo, the
same that presented problems: Remmington Thunderbolt 22 LR.

I labeled the magazines as 0 = included magazine with rifle; 1 through 4 are
the mags that I purchased.

Results:

0 = Even after 7 or 8 reloads of the magazine the top 2 rounds fail to feed.

1 = So so, ie, feeds well at times the top rounds, then fails at the next full
loading for at least the first round

2 = Consistantly mis-fed top round; others fine

3 = Very bad. Top 5 rounds always jammed.

4 = Jammed at first (initial loading), then performed OK.

5 = No problems except that the "knurling" on the bullet showed some damage.


So it seems to me that the problem is with the magazines. I haven't done
measurements at this time.

This is very disappointing.

I'll try to do mesurements in a few weeks. I need to purchase an accurate caliper.

 

[jpattersonnh]

Have you contacted Savage?

 

[22Savage]

Have you contacted Savage?

No.

I got my micrometer today and did some measurements.

I also put the "good" magazine against the "bad" magazine to try to see any differnece.

There was.

It appears to me that there is a problem with quality control with these magazines.

I'll post a pic later that shows a side-by-side difference.

The problem, from my measurements, is in the height and the angle that the
magazine presents to the chamber.

Why do some mags feed well? Seems to be just chance. One out of five for me.

Can these "bad" mags be made good? I'm thinking that they can with a bit
of epoxy and properly shaped sheet metal. [working on it]



I have composed a letter to Savage Arms about this problem but I have not
sent it as of this date.

I will post a pic showing my findings sometime today should "things" work-out.


As to conntacting Savage via emai: they are still suggesting that you contact
them snail mail. Perhaps you have better luck than me.

 

[bobmac010]

Have you found an answer to this yet?
I have been in contact with Savage about the same thing. They said to ship it back to them, and they will fix it. I did not want to wait the 3-4 weeks they said it would take, so I asked them if I could take to my local smith. They said the smith would be reimbursed as long as the cost was not exorbitant.
When I took it to my local smith, he said it was a "Mart" rifle, and you get what you pay for. He said Savage ships lower quality rifles to chain stores, and they are no where near the quality of independent dealers. He sold me another clip after testing the feed several times.
The problem was that the clip was loose. It moved up and down causing the load angle to change. Some side to side movement is OK.
He then showed me how to remove the burrs and sharp edges on the bolt and it works great now.
I am shooting CCI Stingers through it. I can put the entire clip in a quarter at 50yds.
Bob

 

[trophygrl]

i have had problems with our savage .17's magazine.

unless it is in there perfect, there are problems shooting-- it is the only rifle we have that has that sort of problem.

 

[KMM696]

There are a number of posts on Savage Mk II & 93 magazine issues & repairs over on the RimfireCentral forum's Savage section. I was lucky with the mag that came with my 93, but at least one of the 2 extras I bought is going to need work.

I'm pleased that people on RFC are posting solutions to Savage mag problems, I'm not pleased that there are as many posts as they are. I'm not sure if Savage is still producing their rimfires in the former Lakefield Arms plant in Canada, but it certainly seems there is a noticeable quality difference between their rimfire and centerfire lines. I don't mind tweaking guns (okay, I love tweaking guns ), but product that doesn't function out of the box is going to piss off most consumers. Hardly anyone looks at a non-working, brand new rifle and thinks "excellent raw material for something worthwhile". My 93 worked out of the box (luck), and I've still got a good 6 hours of work into it polishing, fitting and modifying - and I'm not done yet.

But when I am, it's going to be sweet!!

 

[lcallen]

I had a similar problem with my Mark II. It did not feed well, and eventually I couldn't keep any rounds in it. After putting the fourth round in the clip they would all come flying out. The lips were too wide. I pinched them together with pliers and have not had a problem since. Poor quality control on the part of the clip manufacturer.