Firing pin tip diameter is 0.655" and shows some finish wear on one side. It's clearly smaller than the FP hole in the bolt head.
First round of accuracy testing shows promise despite the light strikes and primer catering. Several of these primers had to be hit 2x or 3x but all 20 rounds fired for the test (4x 5-shot groups). A few "fliers" similar to what I experienced with the old barrel. Probably me? Bipod and rear bag, I'm not a benchrest shooter.
Buy a new pin from Gunshack or Midway.
Here's one of mine, 0.0687"
My bolt head passes a 0.072 (-) pin but not a 0.073 (-) pin.
Another bolt head as a spare wouldn't hurt either.
Factory bolt heads are currently $23 at MidwayUSA. I'd likely send it out to have it bushed and faced for $75. So a $100 PTG bolt head is maybe a better quality choice and also faster?
An entire Savage firing pin assembly is $20 at Midway, might as well do that too.
Then pull the barrel, reset the headspace, and hopefully whatever the issue is gets resolved...
The PTG bolt head I have is tight with a 0.070" (-) gage pin. Passes a 0.069" (-) gage pin.
Very slight drag on my firing pins. Easy to polish.
That will likely fix your wondering primer impacts.
I think Grizzly is the cheapest for the PTG bolt head.
I don't use it because several Savage bolt heads have the same headspace while the face depth of the PTG is 0.118" deep.
Same 0.118" face depth on a .224V/6.8 bolt.
Experimenting with springs and stuff, having the same headspace with a few bolts saves a lot of time.
If you aren't setting up more than one, headspace to it.
Interestingly, Greg Tannel of Gre Tan Rifles specifically mentions the 20 Tactical (nearly identical to my 20 Practical) regarding primer catering and bolt head bushing...
Well maybe Rocket and Myself got the last 4. My suggestion is go to Tubbs website and ask if he can help?Originally Posted by DiRTY DOG
Looking at your bolt face I can see how the factory spring would drag in the bolts firing pin/spring pilot tube.
My two cents again. Unless you are ready to send in an entire bolt so a good machinist like SharpShooter who can can give you a solid perpendicular alignment for bushing the heads firing pin hole. You really can't just bush the head and hope you will strike the primer anvil evenly. Instead I would get a new bolt face with some variance, get a new pin and try to find a new spring.
Note: Be careful and never cut a designed spring. I have read some some guys have cut springs to relieve friction caused by bunching, but remember if you cut a spring you risk losing lateral force because the mass of the spring is lessened. Also firing pin springs usually have a square ends and you should only cut springs with tangential ends unless you can shape them to square ends. Which is hard to do on small springs. Especially firing pin springs. .
Light strikes are detrimental to accuracy, whether from firing pin drag or a weak spring or a trigger problem, nothing good happens until you solve that puzzle.
Those off center strikes and the large hole in the bolt head beg for the Bolt to be Bushed. I use CARLSBAD. Mine had a 10 day turnaround. He squares the bolt face and His work is very precise.
I picked up a new PTG bolt head, wow what a difference! Also a new firing pin assembly with a much thicker firing pin than my old one. I had to lightly polish the firing pin tip to get it to fit. No need to have this setup bushed!
That looks to me like the firing pin hole has a healthy bevel on it. That won't be any better than what you had.
"As long as there's lead in the air....there's still hope.."
Maybe a picture like that with the pin at full protrusion.
Did you do any polishing of the pin hole?
Wandering pin strike is going to be better.
Cratering, maybe not.
I saw an immediate reduction in group size after having my bolthead bushed and firing pin dia reduced. I believe it was Grentan who did it. I highly recommend it for high pressure cartridges like 223.
Banning a gun will not solve what is a mental health crisis inflamed by incendiary rhetoric on social and television media. The first amendment in this case is less precious and more likely the causal factor than the second amendment.
Update: Test firing results in 100% ignition. Zero light strikes. The PTG head does have a bevel on the firing pin hole and I'm still getting catering with all loads, but much less severe. At least the hits are centered. And 20 years of extracted cases not ejecting is SOLVED finally (yes I tried a diff size ball and different extractor and the kit parts, I think I just got a crummy bolt factory head to begin with).
Accuracy is good at 100 yards.
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.
The Dunning-Kruger effect is alive and well.
At least the shooting results are decent. Good call.
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).
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.
"As long as there's lead in the air....there's still hope.."
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.
It's still not right. If PTG made it, they will be the one to correct it. Just sayin'.....
"As long as there's lead in the air....there's still hope.."
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.
The Dunning-Kruger effect is alive and well.
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?
Good Idea. It would confirm for the unbeliever.
The Dunning-Kruger effect is alive and well.
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.
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