Savage Grendel Options

[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/sav...-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

[Doon]

Here is what I did to make the Grendel work in my Savage model 11.

Currently it sits in MDT LSS chassis, for hunting I swap it over into the savage plastic stock with a Atlasworxs bottom metal.

I modified the 223 MDT mag with a dremel and heat gun to make the lips work, with the 223 accurate mag I opened up the lips to make it work.
Both feed with no issues and I have no extraction problems with the original savage parts and the ppg bolt head.

The bottom metal was bedded with jb weld.
The MDT mag has a 140 gn eldm loaded at 2.394.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]13613[/ATTACH]

[A5BLASTER]

Y'all need to forward your pics and a detailed write up to savage, so they can see that there is a need and a simple way too do this and hopefully get them to bring one too market.

[Doon]

Y'all need to forward your pics and a detailed write up to savage, so they can see that there is a need and a simple way too do this and hopefully get them to bring one too market.

Personally I dont think they would be interested as I built a 6.5 PRC on a savage action and they are bring one to market very soon, I thought they would of been all over the Grendel.
Bean counters and marketing hype is what stirs them I think.

[A5BLASTER]

Personally I dont think they would be interested as I built a 6.5 PRC on a savage action and they are bring one to market very soon, I thought they would of been all over the Grendel.
Bean counters and marketing hype is what stirs them I think.

Money coming in is what sells. If they see there is a large enough want for something they will bring it to market.

[FW Conch]

You never know what Savage is going to do. But I don't think they want the Grendel interfering with Criedmoor sales ?

[Frontier Gear]

Quick question. What ideal overall case length does everyone want? It looks like 2.4 is the most that we are going to get out of the Savage.223 mag. Is that enough?

[A5BLASTER]

Quick question. What ideal overall case length does everyone want? It looks like 2.4 is the most that we are going to get out of the Savage.223 mag. Is that enough?

Yep 2.4 is perrty perfect. I know for a fact that a eld-m 123 grain seated at 2.420 has the start of the boat tail dead even with the start of the neck.

So 2.4 total length should give just about all the case capacity I could use add a 24 inch barrel to that and you got a screaming grendel.

[Frontier Gear]

I’ve had a complete PPC bolt head sitting next to my keyboard for about a week now. Just about ready to purchase a new .223 Axis. Delivered it’s about $300. That’s less than a pre-fit Grendel barrel will cost me.

[A5BLASTER]

I’ve had a complete PPC bolt head sitting next to my keyboard for about a week now. Just about ready to purchase a new .223 Axis. Delivered it’s about $300. That’s less than a pre-fit Grendel barrel will cost me.

Do it. We will expect a very detailed step by step write up and pic tutorial of the project.

You know for others too follow in your greatness lol.

[Frontier Gear]

Haha... ok Axis on the way. It will be a while though. Still have to fund tooling, not to mention a barrel.

[A5BLASTER]

Haha... ok Axis on the way. It will be a while though. Still have to fund tooling, not to mention a barrel.

Hey not a problem, glad to help lol. No rush I got plenty of time.

[Frontier Gear]

If someone bought my spare Howa, I could get it done right away

[Frontier Gear]

A5 Buddy, I have to say that I’m a little disappointed. I was hoping to share the cost, er... I mean experience, with you. 😄

[A5BLASTER]

A5 Buddy, I have to say that I’m a little disappointed. I was hoping to share the cost, er... I mean experience, with you. ��

Lol get all the kinks ironed out and I will have you build me one.

[A5BLASTER]

If someone bought my spare Howa, I could get it done right away

I hear that. After the hassle I have felt with with losing a mag spring and not being able too purchase are successful make my own I'm ready to walk away from Howa.