Savage model 11 feeding problems

nwr42

nwr42

New member
I purchased a Savage model 11 chambered in .204 ruger just yesterday and am very diappointed with its ability to jack shells in. At least 1 in every 5 shells gets wedged between the bolt and chamber, or pops out halfway and gets wedged between the bolt and the base of the barrel or just pops completly out of the magazine and onto the floor. Im just wondering if anyone else has this problem with a savage or any rifle for that matter. Am I doing something wrong?
 
my model 10 270 WSM is like that some times if I don't load the mag properly the case has to be all the way back and they have to be pushed down before you stuff the next one on top
 
I was having a little problem with mine and it was due to weak mag spring, I just stretched it out a little and it started to feed just fine. Someone used to make a elongated coil spring for them but I can't find them now.

AWS
 
Factory ammo or reloads?

Is it the same one (the first or last) every time?

You may need to tweak the mag lips a little.

Some folks replace the spring in the mag with coil springs.
 
Sometimes it will depend on the ammo and bullet configuration you are using...

When I first got my Savage .204, I had picked up some Winchester 34gr HPs and couldn't get then to feed properly in either my bolt action or AR...but everything else I fed them worked fine.

I still have about 8 boxes of them sitting on the shelf.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
 
turtle, i am using win 34gr hps! That has to be the problem. I'm going to get something different tomorrow and try it out or maybe just get some 204 dies and brass and make some of my own! If that doesn't work maybe i'll try stretching the spring. I appreciate the comments everyone. I'll let you all know if it works. Thanks.
 
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Im just wondering if anyone else has this problem with a savage...



Yup. It actually sounds like yours is feeding a lot better than mine or my Dad's model 11's did. Mine was a .22-250, Dad's was a .223. New out of the box, neither one would feed a round from the magazine into the chamber at all.

- DAA
 
The zig-zag follower spring lets the follower nose up or nose down, and even though you can stretch it and bend it to get the rifle to feed properly for a while, it will eventually fatigue and mis-feeds will start all over.

Here is the best solution I've found. I drew this sketch to show how to install two coil springs in the place of the zig-zag spring. This will cost you one round of your magazine's capacity, but in trade you'll get perfect functioning, every time.

SavageMagazineMod.jpg


Dan
 
My Savage model 16 was a bonafied jam-o-matic as well. I ordered a new magazine from Midway, and used the Dan Newberry spring fix. Springs came out of an old bathroom fixture I had slated for the dump.

But man, changing the Mag box was a true hassle. Still had to bend in the lips of the new mag to get the rounds guided into the chamber.

Gun feeds flawlessly with all ammo now, but what a PITA. If the gun was not so accurate, I would have given up......

I have heard Savage has gone to a center feed system on their newer guns, but do not know if this is a fact.
 
Great solution Dan will get springs today and give it a try.

Bullets with large hollow points can be a problem also but bending the lips and reshaping the follower(for the last round out of the mag) will help there.

AWS
 
Had the same problem with a 22 mag from Savage. I found that the bullet angle as it relates to the bottom of the chamber is what is causing the hang up. I took some pliers and bent the clip guide slightly forward, a little at a time until the clip started to fit more snugly. This caused the angle of the front of the bullet to rise, because the forward part of the clip had moved upwards just slightly. Now I have no problems. Hope this helps.
 
I had the same feeding problem with my model 11 in 204R. I fixed mine with a hammer and a screwdriver on the feed lips
scared.gif
, not a hiccup now even with the Win 34gr hp's. It was always the rounds on the left side of the mag that wouldn't feed on mine.
 
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