Light primer strikes

[Robinhood]

Sorry it took so long to get back. Your pictures show what was expected. Major firing pin hole clearance AND a too long of a radius on the FP. If you have clearance between the hole and the pin weather it is from too large of a hole in the BH, too large(long) of a radius, or a chamfer around the hole, you will see craters. I have never seen a PTG BH FP hole with a chamfer like the one you show. I would consider returning for a different one.

[charlie b]

At least the shooting results are decent. Good call.

[LDSILLS]

The last thing I would do is grease the firing pin hole inside the bolt body. You want to grease the hole and not the spring. Use a q-tip and go around the diameter. By doing this you will relieve some of the friction "if" the firing pin spring is bunching and occasionally dragging.
Thus it will help ensure constant strike pressure to the anvil. It will also help in the elimination of an occasional flyer induced by the rifle proper when troubleshooting. In other-wards it eliminates one variable for flyers and allows you to look other places (loads, powders, primers etc).

[sharpshooter]

I'd send that bolt head back. Your situation is still not right, primers should not look that way after you've replaced the bolt head. Judging by the shape of the fired primers, I would say that is a mild load. If that's what mild pressure looks like, higher pressure will no doubt blank a primer.

Just an FYI....the PTG bolt heads have the larger hole for the older large diameter firing pins(.140"), which is fine if that is what you have, but for the current (.095") diameter pin, it is too big. Once cocked, the firing pin tip and the body are not supported and are pulled off center from the spring pressure, and when fired, bounce around like a pinball till the pin funnels itself into the smaller hole.

[DiRTY DOG]

I'd send that bolt head back. Your situation is still not right, primers should not look that way after you've replaced the bolt head. Judging by the shape of the fired primers, I would say that is a mild load. If that's what mild pressure looks like, higher pressure will no doubt blank a primer.
Send it back? I got it from MidwayUSA, think they'll accept a used bolt head? Otherwise it doesn't appear PTC stocks these, they make them to order with months of wait time?

This is a medium load, not hot. I'm still working on load development but there's no published data for 20 Practical and 24gr NTX over 8208xbr. That was 26.0gr at 4100fps. 27.0gr shoots good too but 4300fps is getting high and primers are juuuust starting to show flater edges but same exact catering.

I have the old style firing pin assembly.

[sharpshooter]

It's still not right. If PTG made it, they will be the one to correct it. Just sayin'.....

[Robinhood]

The firing pin hole should be square at the face. This chamfer will cause cratering and a potential piercing. It even has proud metal on the face. Return it or replace it.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53803133979_851bc32d85_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2pYp8g2)[/QUOTE]

[Rocketvapor]

Cratering is a product of Load, Spring Force, Tip to Hole clearance, Tip Radius.
Maybe a picture of the pin in the hole, 0.035" to 0.040" protrusion (even though pin will likely be 0.025" to 0.030" with a primer) will show just how bad this bevel is. Maybe it's just lighting?

[Robinhood]

Cratering is a product of Load, Spring Force, Tip to Hole clearance, Tip Radius or Hole Chamfer.
Maybe a picture of the pin in the hole, 0.035" to 0.040" protrusion (even though pin will likely be 0.025" to 0.030" with a primer) will show just how bad this bevel is. Maybe it's just lighting?

Good Idea. It would confirm for the unbeliever.:p

[LDSILLS]

Call Midway, its not that used. I bet if you clean it up with some brake cleaner it will be fine. I doubt PTG will accept it back as it appears they do not produce the one you have any longer.

IMHO whats wrong with that head is the locking lugs are not being trued to your action.

Little story about PTG: When I was considering a bolt head instead of bushing mine I looked at PTG heads. Specifically their Precision Machined Savage Series 10/110. They recommend a "The bolt locking-lugs will likely need to be trued to your receiver; a gunsmith would be required."

I even looked at Desh but he is not a complete Gunsmith and only offered firing pin machining and pin head hole bushing. No lug work.

I do not know what Sharpshooter's schedule is but look how much time you have spent so far. By the time you return your old head and get the new version of the PTG Savage 10/110 bolt heads plus lug truing... Fred and Lisa might be able to turn bolt and action around. When you get it back you will have satisfaction knowing its it is done better than factory and withouth the hassle of swapping your head for a PTG head. Might cost more but its worth it.

[DiRTY DOG]

I do not know what Sharpshooter's schedule is but look how much time you have spent so far. By the time you return your old head and get the new version of the PTG Savage 10/110 bolt heads plus lug truing... Fred and Lisa might be able to turn bolt and action around. When you get it back you will have satisfaction knowing its it is done better than factory and withouth the hassle of swapping your head for a PTG head. Might cost more but its worth it.My factory bolt head is junk, has been since day one. It's always has issues with off center firing pin strikes and ejecting/dropping extracted rounds in the mag well. The new PTG head instantly fixed both problems using the old parts (extractor/spring/detent ball, ejector/spring). I'd need a new bolt head, I'm not re-using the old one.

Question: other than appearance, what harm is there in the cratered primers shown with my PTG bolt head? I'm not chasing hot loads, and I'm using temp stable powder (IMR 8208 XBR). It could be an issue with high pressure loads, but not necessarily?

[charlie b]

As long as the gun shoots the way you want it to, the cratering doesn't harm anything. Maybe if you were chasing smaller groups it might matter. If the condition was worse, as in sometimes piercing primers, then I'd do something about it. Worst case is a bit of cratered primer will stick in the FP/bolt face gap and bind up the FP.

[Rocketvapor]

Cratering from the bolthead will mask other sources that could indicate potential problems that may verge on load safety, or impact accuracy.
Now or in the future.

[sharpshooter]

^ yeah....

[DiRTY DOG]

I'm keeping the PTG bolt head for now. Seems the cratering is purely cosmetic.

Meanwhile, the original light strikes is solved 100%. I didn't single out what the exact solution was, but it had to be something with the new firing pin assembly or new bolt head. It was not related to head space or shoulder bumping.

A side benefit of the new firing pin assembly and center punched primers is my SDs went from the high 20s-30s down to the teens and low 20s. From yesterday testing new brass vs fireformed brass. It's shooting sub 1/2 moa regularly, usually in the 2s and 3s if I don't blow it.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53822408646_458f7d7b07_c.jpg

This was the middle group above, which consistently shoots like that.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53821500092_e5fcee6dc1_c.jpg