Savage Grendel Options

[Frontier Gear]

From another thread, but a great idea.

http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showthread.php?18306-howa-mini-bottom-metal&p=220197&viewfull=1#post220197

So I checked and a Howa mag fits perfectly inside a Savage mag width wise. In my Savage 7mm mag body, the How mag slides right up inside it. It looks like the Howa feed lips would go right to the same level as the Savage feed lips (see item 1 below for more details). The idea being that you cut down a Howa mag and spring but toss out the bottom plate. Remove the follower and spring from the Savage mag and insert the Howa mag along with it's follower and spring. Cap it off with the Savage bottom plate. You could probably even window the front of the Howa mag and position it back a ways so that you could use longer bullets. Positioning the Howa mag front-to-back would be easy enough with some blocks on either end. I did some playing around by positioning a Howa mag right where I would want it in a Savage action and it works.

Here are the three gotcha's that I can see.

1. The Savage mag has some bends in the sheet metal in front of the feed lips to help prevent the follower from tilting. These get in the way and would have to be dealt with. Probably best to grind them out.
2. You might get three rounds in the Howa mag after cutting it that short. Two would be easy, three maybe. You would just have to try it and see.
3. When cutting down the height of the Howa mag, you would have to get it so that the bolt head just skims over the top of the feed lips. The Howa feed lips come up pretty high on the case so there isn't much room for error. Cut it too short and it is a throw away.

[klr]

Another option for a donor Savage is the 12 FV. It has a shorter action, accutrigger, and much better stock than an axis. The varmint take-off barrels often sell for $100-$125.

http://https://www.cabelas.com/produ...LE/1994604.uts

[Cowdog]

These guys make an extractor that is supposed to work well on steel cased ammo. The guys shooting steel case 7.62x39 Savages swear by them. That would be good for the Wolf Grendel ammo. Click on "Bolt Parts" and look for "Improved Extractor Kit" at the bottom of the page.
https://www.sharpshootersupply.com/

I have their Improved Extractor kit in my Savage 116 30-06 and you can certainly tell the difference.
Well worth the $20 and only takes 5 minutes to install. By the way it is an extractor and ejector and sprint and retaining ball. Will put these in every Savage I get.

[s3silver]

I have their Improved Extractor kit in my Savage 116 30-06 and you can certainly tell the difference.
Well worth the $20 and only takes 5 minutes to install. By the way it is an extractor and ejector and sprint and retaining ball. Will put these in every Savage I get.

Are the extractor kits in stock?

[Cowdog]

You would need to contact Sharp Shooter Supply. They do not have an online ordering system and you have to call or email or snail mail an order form. I bought mine from Tactical Works, who resells some of Sharp Shooter Supplies parts but I cannot find it on their website any longer.
It is Fred and his wife Lisa and it looks like Fred took ill and they have not been able to get orders out in a timely manner. Probably why Tactical Works no longer shows their parts on their website. Just looked at Brownells and they have discontinued all of the Sharp Shooter Supply parts also. Not looking good.

[Harpoon1]

Are the extractor kits in stock?

Not sure what caliber your having problems with but, have you tried using a 9/64” ball bearing under your current extractor? It’s the next size up from the factory part and often that’s enough to markedly improve your extraction. For some reason, the Creedmoors ship with a 3-corner extractor and angled ejector, mine were pitiful right from the factory.

Anyway, I purchased the full kits replacing the springs, extractors and ejectors, in 3 of my 4 Creedmoor before I found out the larger ball bearing was often enough solve the problem.

Sure enough, it worked in both a 110 LW Creedmoor and a 110 223.

I found the ball bearings on Amazon, if your lazy like me.


FWIW: I saw your post over on the Savage forum, not sure why they didn’t tell you about checking with the “GunShack”. Maybe they are no longer a sponsor.

Anyway, here’s the link to the kits I used. And be advised those kits come with the standard size ball bearing.

http://www.gunshack.com/savage-parts/savage-bolt-head-parts-kit

[Cowdog]

I found the ball bearings on Amazon, if your lazy like me.

Thanks for the info. Will just try the ball bearing on my next Savage build.
It will be a Grendel. Just will be a while before I get to it
Here is a link to the ball bearing size you specified on Amazon.
Do these look right to you?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AX6XNXQ/?coliid=I1UIBQXJ1RMUMN&colid=3RGUG2XGCW0C7&psc=0&r ef_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

[Harpoon1]

Thanks for the info. Will just try the ball bearing on my next Savage build.
It will be a Grendel. Just will be a while before I get to it
Here is a link to the ball bearing size you specified on Amazon.
Do these look right to you?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AX6XNXQ/?coliid=I1UIBQXJ1RMUMN&colid=3RGUG2XGCW0C7&psc=0&r ef_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Those are exactly the ones I purchased........bag of 25!

[Frontier Gear]

Well since nobody bit on the eBay bolt head, I went ahead and got it. If nothing else, I know I can make a single shot Savage in 6.5 Grendel or I'll just re-sell the bolt head. Savage is king of like the AR of bolt actions. If you don't like something about it, simply swap that part out or change the caliber.

[Cowdog]

Those are exactly the ones I purchased........bag of 25!

Thanks! 25 will be a lifetime supply but for $5.95 including shipping I am not complaining.

[s3silver]

Not sure what caliber your having problems with but, have you tried using a 9/64” ball bearing under your current extractor? It’s the next size up from the factory part and often that’s enough to markedly improve your extraction. For some reason, the Creedmoors ship with a 3-corner extractor and angled ejector, mine were pitiful right from the factory.

Anyway, I purchased the full kits replacing the springs, extractors and ejectors, in 3 of my 4 Creedmoor before I found out the larger ball bearing was often enough solve the problem.

Sure enough, it worked in both a 110 LW Creedmoor and a 110 223.

I found the ball bearings on Amazon, if your lazy like me.


FWIW: I saw your post over on the Savage forum, not sure why they didn’t tell you about checking with the “GunShack”. Maybe they are no longer a sponsor.

Anyway, here’s the link to the kits I used. And be advised those kits come with the standard size ball bearing.

http://www.gunshack.com/savage-parts...head-parts-kit

Yes, I have the larger ball bearing under the extractor. I'll try and describe the issue as best I can with my Savage 11 6.5 Grendel conversion with PTG bolt head. Cases fit nice and tight in the bolt head. There is full engagement of the extractor claw on the case rim which pulls out the spent cartridge completely out of the chamber after firing. I have not had one that the claw failed to pull out of the chamber. However, during the ejection stroke, when the case is just about to clear the action cutout to be ejected, it'll simply just fall out of the bolt head and lay on top of the next round. This happens about 50% of the time. A quicker stroke to eject seems to help but it's happening enough to be annoying. This is happening with both Hornady and Lapua brass.

I have a few Savage rifles in different cartridges and have no ejection problems with them. The ejector spring seems week on some of them, but none have failed to eject a spent cartridge yet. Only the 6.5 Grendel has had this problem. Maybe it's because of the short fat case, but I do not remember having this issue with the 223 cases on this donor action. But then again the 223 case is 1.76" and the Grendel is 1.52" (.24" difference). Maybe that's enough of a difference.

I'm hoping the longer claw on the SSS kit will help hang onto the cases just long enough to be ejected before falling out of the bolt head. Not sure if anyone else is experiencing this with their Savage conversion. Besides this little issue, I have no feeding issues using the 223 mag with modified lips and the rifle functions great.

BTW, the improved extractor kits are in stock. Lisa from SSS just emailed this morning and she received my order so the kit should be here soon. Hoping that cures the problem.

[Frontier Gear]

Let us know how that goes. It's great to hear that it is working otherwise and that the .223 mags work with the Grendel.

[Harpoon1]

Just saw a video of the new Savage 224 Valkyrie bolt gun. The mag looks like their standard 308 length mag with a spacer to keep the rounds forward. Gotta be cheaper than the AI metal mags with the Primal Rights conversion.

Just eyeballing the Valkyrie alongside the Grendel, might be a perfect fit right off the rack.

[Frontier Gear]

Hey guys. s3silver was nice enough to share some photos and information with me of his Savage Grendel. He also said that I could pass it along on here as well.

He says that they feed very well out of his modified .223 mags. He is using the PTG bolt head.

The barrel is throated to load 123 eldm's to 2.400" so that's good. Rounds look really cool loaded long.

From left to right: Factory 123 amax; 123 eldm loaded to 2.3640"; barnes 127 loaded to 2.3500"

For the feed lips, I popped off the mag and clamped it into the vise with a wood block inside to keep it from collapsing. I then used the heat gun to soften it up a bit. It's very hard metal so heat it up good. I took a pair of pliers and bent the lips outward a little bit at a time. You can see from the pics how far down I went from the top. What you want is to open it up just enough so that a 223 case has just a slight resistance as you pull it straight up out of the lips (not slide forward like chambering a round).


It took about 30 minutes, trial and error, but got it opened just enough for the round to stick up high enough for the bolt to pick up the round. Doesn't look pretty but feeds reliably.

I played with the 308 mag also. It holds more rounds but the rounds would slide from front to back too much because it doesn't have the block. They would sometimes jam up as the follower pushes up on the rounds. This will be a hunting rifle so it needed to feed more reliable.

So far so good.

[Frontier Gear]

Here are a few more pictures from s3silver.

Next to 6.5 creedmoor

Side by side: 123 eldm and barnes 127 lrx